Why One Twilight Zone Episode Was Banned for Decades - CBR - Comic Book Resources

The Twilight Zone thrived successful ample portion due to the fact that of recirculation, and spent decades successful syndication winning implicit caller generations of fans with each caller viewing. But not each occurrence successful its five-year tally appeared aft archetypal airing. A tiny fistful were pulled from circulation for assorted reasons, and remained unavailable for galore years. In astir cases, that progressive IP rights. For instance, Season 5, Episode 22, "An Occurrence astatine Owl Creek Bridge" was produced by a French company, and The Twilight Zone lacked support to aerial it aft its archetypal run.

For 1 episode, however, the prohibition came down to much than conscionable copyright. Season 5, Episode 31, "The Encounter," remained disconnected the aerial for implicit 50 years owing to its highly questionable radical content. It's a astonishment considering the show's mostly progressive politics and willingness to tackle arguable issues successful a forward-thinking manner. In this case, bully intentions led to an ill-advised misstep.

What Is 'The Encounter' About?

"The Encounter" focuses connected an American seasoned of World War II, Fenton, who finds a Japanese katana successful his attic. It's aboriginal revealed that helium took it from its archetypal owner, whom helium killed aft the antheral had surrendered to him. It contains an inscription speechmaking "the sword volition avenge me." The limb keeps uncovering its mode backmost to him, nary substance however galore times helium tries to get escaped of it.

His musings are interrupted by a young Japanese-American man, Arthur Takamori, who seeks employment arsenic a gardener. Tension betwixt the 2 dilatory escalates arsenic their respective prejudices travel out, with Fenton expressing progressively anti-Asian sentiments and Takamori revealing that his begetter betrayed the US forces during the Japanese onslaught connected Pearl Harbor. It's implied that the sword psychically exacerbates their emotions until they detonate into violence. They scuffle and Fenton is impaled connected the blade. Takamori past grabs the sword and screams "Banzai!" arsenic helium leaps retired the attic model to his death.

Why The Twilight Zone's Controversial Episode Was Banned

The episode's astir evident problems impact harmful stereotyping, with the Japanese portrayed successful clichéd presumption that statement them arsenic "others." Fenton's overt bigotry mitigates that somewhat, but the existent contented lies deeper. Takamori's inheritance is axenic fabrication -- determination exists nary grounds of Japanese-American treachery astatine Pearl Harbor oregon anyplace other -- and so specified lies were utilized to warrant the internment of thousands of US citizens during the warfare solely due to the fact that of their ancestry. It lends the occurrence a disastrous lawsuit of both-siderism, which balances Fenton's precise existent biases against an unfastened contrivance successful the sanction of "fairness."

"The Encounter" is framed arsenic a connection against prejudice, something The Twilight Zone excelled at with different episodes. However, the occurrence lacked diverseness down the camera -- thing that was unheard of astatine the clip but which was nevertheless indispensable fixed its content. It was written, produced and directed by achromatic men who -- nevertheless well-intentioned -- simply lacked the position to grip the worldly properly. Ironically, Takamori was an aboriginal relation for histrion George Takei, who himself spent his puerility successful an internment campy during the war. He has subsequently shared his experiences astatine magnitude successful an effort to gully attraction to the US government's shameful bequest connected the matter, and adjacent fostered a philharmonic play astir it, Allegience, which helium described arsenic "my bequest project" successful a 2012 interrogation with NPR.

Unsurprisingly, "The Encounter" triggered complaints from the Japanese-American assemblage erstwhile it archetypal aired successful May, 1964, who were rightfully upset astir its presentation. It besides arrived conscionable arsenic the US was entering into a caller war against different Asian country, which compounded its blistery fastener status. That was capable to propulsion it from circulation for decades, though it subsequently became available connected location video collections. The prohibition seemingly ended connected Jan. 3, 2016 erstwhile Syfy yet aired "The Encounter" arsenic portion of its New Year's Day Twilight Zone marathon. While clip hasn't improved its problematic content, its availability allows viewers to analyse and sermon it successful amended context.