The Obsolete Man - Twilight-Tober Zone 

What did you think of "The Obsolete Man"? Watch Twilight-Tober Zone 2021 Compilation - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JrE9RbprFQo.html Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

The scariest thing about this episode is how relevant it still is today, which is also why I love The Twilight Zone because it knew how to tell stories that still resonate with people decades later, for better or worse

Rod Serling was a genius way ahead of his time

This is definitely a Top 10 best episode to me, but I gotta say 1 thing I find interesting about this episode is how quickly the Chancellor is declared obsolete. In the beginning of the episode Romney is declared obsolete after an almost 2 year observation period. However, from the time the Chancellor arrives to Romney's room, the execution from the bomb, and him returning to his office only an hour or so passed. What I interpret from this is that the State has to keep up its appearance in order for average citizens to continue to believe in it otherwise they might rebel against it and demand a change to the system. So, once the State sees the Chancellor showing weakness and being a coward in front of the entire nation, they quickly replace him with his underling we saw at the beginning of the episode and declare him obsolete to prove it was the man and not the State that was flawed. Finally, this reminds me of the story of Harrison Bergeron where a similar government structure enforces equality amongst all its citizens but not its members and any sad memories of individuals or events are erased to keep up this facade of a perfect society.

This is my favorite episode too. I love how a librarian is the hero. This episode is so gutsy.

This is my #2 episode of the entire series. #1 being the monsters are due on maple street. The obsolete man gave me chills the first time I saw it and Rod Sterlings ending narration has stuck with me for so long.

The chancellor becoming the victim of the crowd reminds me of “Lord of the Flies.” In it the main characters turn on other kids one at a time in almost random cruelty, and it is only once Ralph looses power that he (and the audience) truly experience just how terrifying being hunted down by the state can be. Before becoming a victim himself, he portrayed it as “just a prank, bro!” It really shows how unreliable the viewpoint of someone in power can be, and how tempting it is for “good” people to excuse corruption. I love it.

This is my dad's favorite episode. He admired Meredith's character because like Wordsworth my dad is a God fearing man. Also the fact that he wasn't afraid to die while the Chancellor was a coward.

I played The Chancellor in a stage production of this. I loved it.

Theory: Wordsworth is actually Henry Bemis. After Henry broke his glasses, he then is encountered by a group of armed men claiming to be from the government. they said they were sent out to organize and rebuild the world. (For those who don't know, this is a reference to the Old Man in the Cave) Henry goes with them, gets eye contact lenses, and changes his name. He sees this as a new start for him and decides to change his name in respect to the written word, "Wordsworth". He then gets a job as a librarian. This I believe makes his death all the more meaningful. Henry/Rodney has been judged for reading books, by his wife, by his boss, and now the state. So it makes sense that he would grow wiser and decide to die for what he believes is a way of life.

This episode is still relevant today as it brings up censorship, rewriting history, and cancel culture. Serling was really prophetic about people and society when he says at the beginning, “Logic is an enemy and truth is a menace”

The title "The Obsolete Man" is very applicable, but doesn't refer to the man we initially presume it does. It's fascinating that Wordsworth, a lowly libarian, accepted his death calmly, reading his Bible before the explosion. This is in stark contrast to the Chancellor, an esteemed State Member, who prowls the room for the key, then flees in a panic once its open.

Another great Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith. And his second to involve books.

I didn't realize that was Burgess Meredith as the main character until you pointed it out. Such amazing talent from Meredith!!!

I played this episode for my students on the last day of their Introduction to Humanities course. We had just finished studying Antigone, and this seemed like a very relevant tie-in. Great review, Walter!

I still swear that the crowd was enjoying the idea of tearing the former chancellor a new one. There's something about that "wail" that possesses a sense of sadistic glee and satisfaction to my ears.

This is my number one episode of all time. It’s so scary because of how real it is.

This is another one of those episodes that I did a reading for in high school. It's as chilling now as it was when I was a teenager in the 2010s...

I have nothing to add to Walter's summation of this episode. Burgess Meredith and Fritz Weaver knocked it out of the park. And the relevance to the modern world is frankly terrifying.

The look on the Chancellor's face when he realizes that the State will not be coming to his rescue is priceless. And Fritz Weaver perfectly shows the Chancellor's increasing panic with the knowledge that he is to share Wordsworth's fate in a matter of minutes. And of course, Burgess Meredith was equal to the task of twisting the psychological knife by using the Chancellor's own words against him, and showing him a special brand of karma to come. Weaver and Meredith really played well off each other in this episode.

There is a reason Burgess Merideth is one of my all-time favorite actors. Every role he did was golden. RIP, Mr. Merideth.

Both men are excellent in their roles. Every episode with Burgess Merideth is top notch, a winner. This is probably his most powerful role in the series but his roles in "Time enough at last" and "Mr. Dingle the strong" showed that he had a real flair for humor. He was just so damned good at what he did.

I'm happy with the amount of praise the big room with the table and podium got here. Such an intimidating set.

A very powerful ep with a timely message. Sadly, the cigarettes that RS pushes is what killed him. :(

This is my absolute favorite episode too! When Romney turns the Chancellor’s words back on him, I get goosebumps, no matter how many times I’ve seen it.

One of the most stellar episodes it's so simple yet so powerful it's the perfect example of the perfect episode of any show and it's one the episodes that helped The Twilight Zone stay relevant to this day

A little tidbit I always found interesting was that the Chancellor first referred to the librarian as "Mr. Wordsworth" when he had power over him, but then called him "Wordsworth" after he realized that he had been set up.

This is also one of my absolute fav TZ episodes. It always reminds me of George Orwell's 1984, and yes, it IS quite relevant today as it was back then, when you look at how our individual liberties are slowly being taken away from us and the words of the people no longer apply. Then when you listen to Serling's closing comments, almost makes you weep.

This was one of rare strictly serious roles for Burgess Meredith in his entire career... And he totally nailed it. His performance was simply perfect.

Yes, I was wondering what Walter's favourite episode was, and we've finally gotten there, almost three seasons in! I'd definitely recommend showing this episode to someone who hasn't seen the show before, I reckon that they'd be instantly hooked! 💗😍

One interesting thing that I didn't know until recently is that this episode was made around the time that verificationism was starting to die out in philosophy. Verificationism was the idea that any statement that could not be verified using the scientific method was meaningless and in a sense worthless. CS Lewis wrote about this attitude in The Abolition of Man. He argued that if we were to follow that philosophy to its natural end we would end up wiping out mankind since mankind's value could not be scientifically verified. We see a great depiction of that idea here. I wonder if Serling was responding to this very idea

The craziest part to me is the librarian faced his death with dignity and peace while the chancellor was kicking and screaming and begging.

I'm glad that you mentioned Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Orwell's 1984 in the review as this episode shares a lot of the same themes as the two books and deserves to be analyzed and taught in schools. This is also my favorite episode.

One of my favorite Burgess Meredith episodes.

I loved the Obsolete man, i was only 15 years old when i first saw, i just saw a random couple of episodes of the show and honestly I was not amused but after this one I was a total fan.

I can just hear the excitement in Walter’s voice during this

The way he spoke definitely took inspiration from dictators, but I feel only Christian's see the wildest part of this. The huge room, the congregation (how quickly, and dangerously, they became a mob), the man on the pulpit, the fact that he's preaching his ideas and the fact that he's yelling "there is no God" no differently than a preacher would stand up there and cry "there is a God!" He talks about dangers, and how the state may show him mercy and "save" him, but religion or belief is still a personal journey, it can't be handed to you by someone else. It _can,_ but it will never be as strong as what you went out and confirmed or denied for yourself.

This one is definitely in my top ten, in part because of that amazing opening set, and the excellent performances.

My favorite episode of all time. It's a timeless classic. I love at the end when the mob comes for him, the Chancellor is still pleading that he wants to serve the state, still oblivious the the cult-like, slave mentality.

I've been waiting for a video dissection of this particular episode for quite some time now. You have no idea. This episode is a big deal to me. It's what I fear most. Thank you so much Walter. You're the man.

Definitely my favorite episode. Those that deem others worthless are intrinsically talking about themselves. They need to tear others down.

I remember watching this episode as a kid and most of it going over my head. But it stuck with me, and has all the more so now that I've grown up and have a much firmer grasp on and the life experience necessary to get an idea of what's going on.

"This story is anything but obsolete." Very well put.

As kids my brother, sister and I would say “you are obsolete “ whenever we got mad at each other. Childish but effective and we cracked ourselves up.

OMG..you nailed your analogy on my favorite "Twilight Zone" as well. The brilliance of this episode is unmatched. Thank you so much! 🥰

As a creative writer, I love writing and handwriting my ideas. When I first watched this episode, we really connected with the words "obsolete" and how relevant it feels in our life. What's the point in handwriting when nearly everything is typed? What's the point in writing lovely words when most people don't read? What's the point in a skill which seems more focused on visual media than written? It really made us think that in that society, and an extension of this one, perhaps my own skills are obsolete. That I was obsolete. We honestly struggle with it often whenever we notice people don't read things we write for work, or friends don't read the stories we write unless they are published and drawn online. This episode hit such a cord with us, we still tell people about it as one of the Twilight Zone episodes we take inspiration from in our stories.

This review is a clear love letter to the episode. Excellent job Walter!!

Since you love this episode, may I suggest the audio drama with Jason Alexander as Wordsworth. It expands on the piece by showing who else is being declared obsolete, how he got the idea for his plan, and a scene with the man who sets up the camera in the room.

"You can not erase God with an edict!"

“You cannot erase God with an edict” what an amazing line. This guy is a chad

Gosh that wailing is so visceral, it really is bone-chilling excellent coverage as always

One of my favorite episodes

one of my personal favorites I I remember when it was broadcast many years ago , and now looking back on how much is taking place today in our country and the world !

The whole look and feel of the episode is reminiscent of 1950’s live television dramas, which gave Rod Serling his start in television. In fact, Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of several literary classics staged for live television in that decade, and these productions were often minimalist and stark, with a theatrical feel and a small number of cast members due to budgetary constraints. Viewers of “The Obsolete Man” would probably have experienced a bit of nostalgia for the live television programs of the previous decade.

Powerful, terrifying, and still very relevant today. Great story telling that still makes you think.

When the Chancellor berates Romney for being obsolete, he declares: _"Delusions, Mr. Wordsworth, that you inject your veins with printer's ink."_ 8:48 In the video you mention that this is one of two episodes where Burgess Meredith's character has close ties with books; the other being "Time Enough At Last". where he portrays bookworm Henry Bemis, who becomes an obsolete man in a different sort of way. What's also of note along these lines is that while these two episodes allude to the reader's end of books, the Chancellor's rant about "printer's ink", that is, a component in the manufacturing end of reading matter. This reminds of us another Meredith episode that is about that aspect: "Printer's Devil". What's disturbing in how closely the near-dystopia of the hysterical reaction to the 2020 pandemic by officials both elected and unelected mirrored this episode, and to some extent still mirror it. In "The Obsolete Man" the State deems that there is no longer any need for certain occupations, hence. Wordsworth is declared "obsolete", while in the real world government officials declared some businesses and other groups as *non-essential*, as if they had any right whatsoever to do so. The outcome of this closet totalitarianism meant the bankruptcy of many long-standing companies, along the disruption of countless lives through unemployment culminating in homelessness and severe depressions/suicides. In other cases, even houses of worship were persecuted as non-essential,

Ever since you started uploading these videos i was so earnestly waiting for this particular episode...I LOVE this episode...Obsolete Man and Changing of the Guard are my personal favorites😊😊😊

Definitely one of the best episodes of the show. Great video Walter!

This is also my favorite episode of the series. In fact, it is my favorite television episode of any series I have ever watched period, and that covers a lot of TV. As a Christian living in an increasingly intolerant, politically extremist, and secular society, I deeply appreciate the moral stance of Wordsworth. A close second for my favorite TV episodes of all the series I have watched would be the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "In the Pale Moonlight," with third place going to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "I, Borg." I guess I like sci-fi.

Now THIS is a timeless story.

A lot of us remember (and love) Burgess as The Penguin, in much the same way we remember (and love) Richard Basehart as Admiral Nelson (able to spout any old scientific gibberish and make it sound plausible) yet somewhat bizarrely forgetting/overlooking the fact that they were both excellent actors with many superb roles under their belt(s). Thank you lads, R.I.P.

What a coincidence, this is my favorite too.

The most terrifying thing about this episode is that every day this comes closer and closer to becoming our reality.

One of my favorites

This is my second favorite episode of all time, right after Walking Distance! This review actually made me decide to rewatch it for like the 20th time, haha. This ep holds sort of a special place in my heart, as it just so happened to be one of the very first episodes that I watched of the series, by pure chance. When I first started on this series, I decided to just choose random episodes from random seasons to watch and this was one of the first ones I chose randomly. It's always been one of my favorites and I realized only about a week or so ago that's its definitely my second favorite.

If you guys loved this episode their is an audible versio (like an old time radio show) out there. It's a longer story staring Jason Alexander. It's really good too. This one of my favorite pieces of any media. Wonderful for its time, and just as relevant today.

This episode I was never too crazy about but to each their own and it does have Burgess Meredith.

My favorite Twilight Zone episode.

We back and I’m happy.

This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating episode of the twilight zone series. And to think this story was made to reflect an idea of what the world could be, now we can easily see it as our world will be soon. And it’s no longer a question of how will it come to be this way……..but when.

I can't wait for Deaths-Head Revisited, a fantastic episode.

Such a GREAT episode... We always chant OBSOLETE every time the word comes up... decades later.

Still one of my favorite Zone episodes, and as you say, just as relevant today.

Birthday Twighlight-Tober Zone? Best Day Ever!

Best Burgess Meredith episode ever. Love how the bad guy gets killed by his own state

This was my favorite episode for a while

The way the chancellor repeats himself into the microphone after every rebuke from Wordsworth hits hard for how almost any discussion goes today.

That last scene was terrifying!!

This has reignited my love of this show! And I hope it has introduced this marvelous work of intelligent fiction to some of the younger folks who might not be familiar with it! Watch the show, and then come back and watch the reviews for more insight! Let me know if you fall in love with the show and end up watching the cool black and white interviews with Rod Sterling speaking brilliantly ahead of his time on race relations and other issues of civil rights. Truly a great mind and spirit!

Twilight Zones 30 min episodes have MORE story then hours of Today's movies n shows

Never saw this episode but the fact that walter is praising it as his favorite makes me want to watch it!!

"The Obsolete Man" and "Death's Head Revisited" are the two best Twilight Zone episodes ever made!

While this isn't the most subtle, it gets the point across very well.

Wow, one of my other top 3 back to back! CLASSIC

This is a great episode 👏 God bless all those souls 🙏 who are brave, even in the sight of death.

Oh hell yeah Twiligh-Tober Zone is back with one of the greatest episodes of all time!

I always thought I was alone in having this episode as my #1 favorite TZ episode. It becomes more and more relevant as time goes on . . . . .

This is also is my favorite episode of the entire series.

I always felt like this episode fit perfectly alongside the British series "The Prisoner"

This is literally my FAVORITE TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE!!! I can quote that court scene word for word, to the point where my brother finds it annoying and oddly cringe.

This is easily my favorite episode as well

Wow. A moving one-I really need to watch this one directly.

Burgess Meredith best performance was in this TZ episode. Yes, even over his very good performance in, ''Time Enough At Last.''

I must thank you for covering this series! There is basically not Twilight zone content on RU-vid, and it’s such a shame because it has so much to give. Your channel is like a diamond! Thank you! Happy New Year!

Man this is going to be a strong month of episodes. This one is a classic, but my favorite has to be "5 characters in search of an exit". Can't wait for that one.

This is my #1 favorite! I absolutely love it. This is, also, by far, my favorite Burgess Meredith performance.

This is such a good episode, easily in my top 5. Welcome back to October Walter, we're hype for your TwilightOber Zone

This has always been one of my favorite Zone episodes. People that aren't Twilight Zone fans underestimate Rod Serling. Most people think he was nothing more than a TV sci-fi writer, but he touched on some deeply social issues regarding racism, socialism, poverty, homelessness, etc.

A true classic!

This is also my favorite episode. And yes, this episode is and will continue to be very relevant. Don't forget that only a couple of years ago, people were being called "essential". And those deemed "non-essential" were unable to run businesses, freely commute, etc.