The Obsolete Man - Twilight Zone Episode REVIEW 

As a historian I DEEPLY (and understandably!) fear a future of this nature.

At the end, Wordsworth could have ran out of the room as well, but showed a will of IRON with the Bible in his hands, and stood fast waiting for the bomb to finish him. Powerful stuff.

One can tell when an actor enjoys the script he is performing. Burgess Meredith worked these words as though he was born to do so. He was confident with great diction. Fritz Weavers collapse into cowardice was perfect.

One of the most iconic episodes of the series! So over the top and bombastic but yet so weirdly possible and believable at the same time. Gotta love Fritz Weaver's comeuppance at the end!

I was amazed by the bravery of Mr Words worth when I saw this episode for the first time. It was something very brave what he did.

This is one heck of a dark episode. It got to me how much these people were very casual about death.

Such a fine episode! Like any Twilight Zone episode, this one aged like a fine wine and is very relevant to this day. Because want to ban books because people would rather remain ignorant than face the hard truth and gain knowledge.

I haven't seen this in years! For some reason,this one was one of the few that scared me as a child. I think it was that giant podium. 🤣 Fritz Weaver was great! Childhood right there!

I appreciate your respectful handling of this episodes. A number of others are sarcastic and flippant with the original material. I didn’t realize there c were two scripps. And your advice to writers to consider merging scripts is a great idea.

imagine a world where they can take away your typewriter or take a book, that they do not like you to have or read, from your shelf. or if they determine that music or a movie is offensive they can remove it from history

Thank you for your wise and tactful coverage of this episode, Dreamland, we need the message of this episode now more than ever right now I feel like.

Great share, thank you!! Leaving full support my friend. Have a Lovely Day 💝Greetings! Much success and happiness.❤like71

Thinking people need courage. To live. To overcome. Tyranny can pretend to be something that it is not. To accuse the truth of being false.

I was never that impressed with this episode, but the simple elegance of it has grown on me over time. That and Rod's absolutely classic ending summary on obsolesce of states that do not recognize dignity is pure and total genius

Hello Anthony been awhile but I am here to stay. I enjoy these. I saw this one . Thanks this is a really good one. Amazing how the past has almost caught up with the future. And fiction to reality. This gets you thinking.

2:42 I believe him, Vaughn Taylor, John Anderson, Cyril Delevanti, and Jack Klugman were the only '4 timers' on the TZ. And, the episode Time Enough at Last was the only episode where three of the five '4 timers' appear together.

Truly Serling's, best.

This is definitely in my top 10. Whenever I pull out my hlu ray set, I always watch this episode. Burgess Meredith and Fritz Weaver are in top form.

Excellent video! This is another episode I remember from when I was a kid, and it's ingrained in my memory forever. Such great acting! And thank you for all the interesting trivia.

I like to show the opening monologue from this episode when I discuss authoritarian regimes. Compared with other older tales about the dangers of authoritarianism, this one having the protagonist fight back, even if he dies, it refreshing to see something that points the cutthroat nature of tyranny means it destroys itself.

I love this episode. It’s probably the Twilight Zone’s best!!! Great review as usual. Awesome job.

This was such a powerful episode, top notch performances from both actors

Burgess Meredith is one of American's greats! Fritz Weaver was awesome in FailSafe as the emotionally crippled Air Force Colonel was a tour de force. Weaver seemed to be cast as some sort of bombastic heavy in most dramas. This is what may actually happen to bombastic characters like Donald Trump, Gym Jordan, and MTG eventually.

What I love about this episode is how the Chanselor easily walks into Wordsworth trick, it shows a lot about how much a society such as this can change peoples perceptiveness. I mean you’d think a person who spouts what (to you) is nonsense about religion would’ve at least experienced a little push back when it comes to having a long time alone with nothing but his unpopular ideals to spread. Trick or no trick this lack of any situational context from the chanselor really works great in the episodes favor Also this episodes Ron Serling dialogue were easily some of the best in the entire series

Some of the shows I remember, and some of them I don’t. And here and you never write them I can practically remember sitting in front of the black and white TV watching this. Thank you

This episode looks so well shot. Some of the scenes look like a portrait. Great review as always, and an interesting episode.

Number of Twilight Zone "dystopian future" episodes that predicted the present/near future: approximately 14 billion

In my top five! Very Orwellian. Meredith is highly effective representing the old ways and Weaver is a diabolical despot. Serling's trenchant warning against blind obedience and how quickly the worm can turn on disbelievers.

I need to check out some Twilight Zone. Amazing video, always love hearing you talk about anything 😂

Stumbled on your channel 3 days ago and I'm loving the content. Never really watched twilight zone but the few episodes I have watch stuck with me all my life. Thank you for what you do 🤙🏿

What gets me is the language used truely exemplifies how regimes like this reduce people down to objects that are either useful, a drain to hold onto, or downright harmful and counterproductive to keep around. After all it’s much easier to not mind the death of anyone around you at any time provided you ensure sentimentalities are stripped and all that matters is the state and the perfect factory created to make you a cog in the machine. When a factory sees the old machinery is now out of date, they toss it because holding onto it is useless and wastes space, time, and efforts. It’s a matter of doing away with the belief in mankind’s individual value just for existing because you should only exist as a tool of the government and do away with any belief in your right to exist since any other object like a broken pen doesn’t protest when tossed out for a new one so what gives you the right?

😮 I looovvved this episode!! For some reason it sticks out in my head from the series. Probably because it’s so dark. Love Burgess Meredith too. I’m so glad you covered this one. Classic TZ. Great review Anthony.

Such an important Twilight Zone episode. Thank you for another great review! 👍💯

Yet another fine choice for a review. This episode is such a double whammy. Both powerfully acted and really well written. I was saying just the other day, you can pretty much tell the episodes Serling wrote even without knowing simply by his.....less than stellar opinion on humanity. Great trivia as well. I didn't know about The Happy Place. Very Logan's Run in nature. Good stuff, Ant-Man.

Maaan, the editor had no right to interfere that way. Yes, the editor is sort of a second director BUT if the ACTUAL director requests a certain sequence to be cut a certain way that's how it should be cut. Man, I'm getting frustrated for Silverstein, lol. His version of the attack scene just sounds so much better. Glad that's not an issue anymore.

An iconic episode for certain. All your vids are super, but this one is superb! TYVM!

Hey bud, Once again another great look at a great episode. It’s very easy to have so many favourites from this series, and why not as there so many great episodes (more so in the early seasons). Of the Burgess episodes, this is my favourite, not just due to the performances and story but also to the set design. Can’t wait to find some time to watch through this series from start to end again. Until then, your vids will have to do.

One of my favorite episodes.

Another true classic

Nice review dear my friend.

This was an outstanding episode and loved your review of The Obsolete Man. Burgess Meredith was such good actor and he delivered on every single episode. I really enjoy reading your POV on these classic episodes. Can't wait to see what you cover next.

Faith conquers Fear.

Great review, Anthony! I don't think I've seen this episode, but love this show!

Definately sounds intense! Awesome insight! :)

Honestly I did not enjoy this episode when I saw it but your breakdown has forced to me to reconsider. well done Anthony.

As is usually the case on "The Twilight Zone", the villain gets what he deserves.

Great breakdown of the episode as usual! I haven’t seen this one yet

Great job with this one Anthony! I forgot that was Fritz Weaver in this! Acting wise this has to be one of the best episodes.

I tutor middle schoolers on their academics, especially reading and I pick their short stories. I had them read this script and wrote an essay on it.

I met Fritz Weaver when I was a waiter in Greenwich Village in the 90s. I asked him about Creepshow....but I really wanted to ask about Re-Animator. Just one particular scene... 🙂

Hey Anthony, finally got to catch up with this review, and your commentary is spot on! This episode, like so many, maintains its relevancy which is why I think TZ remains so impactful. The core discussion regarding the rights of individuals vs. that of the overreaching state is so eloquently portrayed on screen. Loved the behind the scenes facts as well which I had no idea about, but it's fascinating that people can extrapolate completely different perspectives from this story. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving and see you next time.

Love your channel, keep up the good work bro.

Fritz Weaver must have enjoyed acting in creepy anthologies. He was in The Twilight Zone, 'Way Out, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside, Creepshow, and even Friday the 13th: The Series.

Awesome upload 👌 Liking this one !!! This was amazing 👏 🙌 😍 ❤️

Great show, good writer's advice too! Thanks!

Never watched this episode, but looks like I have another must watch to add to my list.. Meredith Burgess is a heck of an actor, and I watched the other one he did when he liked to read books, perfect tie in to this one where he's a librarian, So this one definitely caught my attention. Excellent review, and this one sounds intriguing. 💯💯💯

In a similar vein, you should do He Lives or whatever it's called.

This is a fabulous episode. Oh how I miss this series when it was this good. The new release series with Jordan Peele just didn’t have that punch, eeriness and spookiness the original had. I need to get my hands on this and watch it all again. Marvellous work as always Anthony!

Classic

I love thw twilight zone and I love your videos.

One of my favorite episodes

Were not far from this happening now out in the open.

Unfortunately, it.seems the constitution has become obsolete

This episode reminds me of the direction America is headed.

I watch three of your reviews. I pressed three likes. I subscribed. You do an outstanding job. And I would even add that for me, I look forward to watching the episodes with more understanding. Great Job again. 🙂

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It's my pleasure to give you a like, sub and your 100th comment.

"Outdated, old, and useless man"

Do you want to Discuss One More Pallbearer? Twilight zone

Welcome to the world of AI.

Smearing a war vet who fought for freedom and then wrote to express liberty irks me to no end. Getting smeared as member of authoritarianism on the left because he condemns right wing authoritarianism must’ve been so aggravating. That hater was projecting.

*I think that "The Obsolete Man" is even closer to the current situation in the USA today than when it was first made. Books are becoming relics, as people become ever more addicted to their "smart-phones," etc., and a belief in God is increasingly coming to be considered "superstition."*

I didn't find The Obsolete Man entertaining at all. Very exaggerated. All this talk about some God. And death. I much prefer the other episodes with Burgess Meridith starring