‘The Twilight Zone’s Most Chilling Episode Still Hits Uncomfortably Close to Home

Among the many things that make The Twilight Zone one of television’s greatest achievements is the fact that even decades after its conclusion in 1964, many episodes still remain relevant today, almost eerily so. One of its most lauded episodes, “Time Enough at Last,” is one of these. It tells the tale of a man, played by Burgess Meredith (the Penguin from the 1966 Batman series), who wishes for solitude so he can simply have time to read without interruption. And his wish is granted… in true Twilight Zone fashion, that is. The episode’s lessons could, and perhaps even should, be taught today.

‘The Twilight Zone’s “Time Enough at Last” Proves That Maybe Wishes Should Never Come True

Henry Bermis (Meredith) is a bank teller. He is also an avid bookworm, and his passion for books often crosses into his job, annoying a customer with a ceaseless barrage of information about the novel he’s currently reading: Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. Both his boss and his wife berate him for wasting far too much time reading, with his wife going so far as to destroy a book of poetry in front of him. But Bermis is not one to let others impinge on his passion, and one day, like every other day, he takes refuge in the bank’s vault during his lunch break, allowing him to read without being disturbed.

Suddenly, an enormous explosion outside rattles the vault and lays Bermis out for a time, but after regaining consciousness, he dons his thick glasses and emerges from the vault, where he sees for the first time the utter devastation left by an H-Bomb. He finds the bank has been leveled, and his former coworkers lay dead, and as he ventures out further, he sees that the entire city has been destroyed, a city that was just recently bustling and now serves as nothing more than a graveyard. He comes to the realization that nuclear war has devastated Earth, and he is the lone survivor in the immediate area, saved by being inside the vault.

Bermis is truly and devastatingly alone, with no way of looking for other survivors. He’ll live a lifetime on canned food and whatever other provisions he can find, but without anything to live for, his life is meaningless. He stumbles upon a revolver and comes achingly close to using it to end his life until his eye catches a public library in the distance. He makes his way there and is overjoyed to see that the books are still intact. Everything he has ever read, everything he has ever wanted to read, is right there, and with no one to interrupt or chastise him, he has all the time in the world to read. But as he rummages through the books, he trips, causing his glasses to fall off and shatter. In an instant, his own personal Heaven turns to Hell; he has everything he hoped for – time, solitude, and books – but he will never be able to read them.

‘The Twilight Zone’s “Time Enough at Last” Holds a Mirror to Today’s World

So, what does “Time Enough at Last” have to say? The threat of nuclear war is just as real today as it was then, and although we’re generations away from having seen the horrors of Hiroshima first-hand, we are, literally, the press of a button away from global devastation and live under its shadow every day. Only that may be the first lesson “Time Enough at Last” has to teach us: we don’t. Or, more accurately, it’s just one of a legion of shadows we’ve learned to live with. We are constantly bombarded with news from around the world about wars, disasters, and global threats, but, just like the headline of the paper that Bermis glances at briefly that reads “H-Bomb Capable of Total Destruction,” we read and move on, almost unable, or unwilling, to recognize it as anything more than just something else out of our control.

That is if we’re paying attention at all. Truth be told, people today are too preoccupied with themselves to notice anything outside their window. Does a teen, one so preoccupied with a remote shot at social media fame by posting endless TikTok videos of them twerking to one of rap’s many Lil’s, realize that people in their own neighborhood are hurting? Does the Karen who berates a grocery store employee for not stocking the shelves in such a way that she isn’t inconvenienced by bending down to get her candy bar recognize that the employee earns next to nothing? Of course not. Just like Bermis, who placed his own personal satisfaction over others when they were alive and horrifyingly revels in it when they’re all dead, their own wants and needs come first. first.

Related

Fans of ‘The Twilight Zone’ Need To See This Similarly Haunting, Forgotten British Monster Horror

In an age of anthologies, this unknown ’70s chiller needs more love.

‘The Twilight Zone’s “Time Enough at Last” Exposes the Irony of Isolation Today

​​​​​​There’s a scene in Bruce Almighty where Jim Carrey‘s Bruce, who has taken on the responsibilities of Morgan Freeman‘s God, gives up on reading the world’s prayers via email and just automatically gives everyone exactly what they’re praying for. That decision is almost impressively bad, with the lack of foresight about the consequences of granting those wishful prayers leading to extreme chaos worldwide. Bermis longed for, wished for, isolation, and he got it in spades. But he didn’t stop to think of the consequences, not the least of which was having someone around who could repair his glasses in the event they get broken (rather shortsighted, right?), and realistically, few people today think of what is to follow after they get what they want.

Interestingly, it’s Bermis’ desire for isolation that speaks loudest to today’s world. Social media and technology have effectively upended the idea of real-world relationships and social interaction. We don’t even have to go to the grocery store, perhaps the simplest of social ventures, if we don’t want to, further isolating ourselves in our own little world. But what’s ironic is that we continue digging deeper into isolation while at the same time being instilled with the fear of being isolated. We trick ourselves into believing that chat groups and Facebook posts pull us out of isolation when really they keep us there. Heck, we don’t even need to be ourselves online, isolating our real selves one degree away from the isolation we’re already engaged in. “Time Enough at Last” is timeless, and it would do us well to learn from it before we’re hit with our own personal Rod Serling-ized Twilight Zone ending.

The Twilight Zone is streaming on Paramount Plus in the U.S.