The Twilight Zone Zone

Like all episodes of The Twilight Zone Zone, this one is very special! We watch The Howling Man with our guest Bryan Liberty! Bryan has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of The Twilight Zone and is arguably more qualified to be on the podcast than either of its hosts! The Howling Man is Season 2, Episode 5. When David Ellington is tricked into releasing the devil, he burdens himself with recapturing it. We discuss the influences of guilt and responsibility on our choices and the dangers of misinformed trust. You can find Bryan on Twitter @BryanLiberty

This episode is really special! We cover the very first episode of The Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 1 "Where Is Everybody?" Our guest this week is Rick Wood. Rick is a comedian who also happens to have served in the Air Force, so he shares his unique perspective on the episode. We discuss isolation, the psychology of loneliness, and how this episode set the tone for the rest of the series. You can follow Rick on Twitter @RickW00d You can and should see him do stand-up by following the calendar on his website: https://rick-wood.com/

This week we watch the iconic episode "To Serve Man". It's one of those narratives people have absorbed even if they've never seen it. Our guest this week is Justin James! Justin is a comedian and chef from Dallas and he shares some tips for how to serve man and by "serve" we mean to prepare as a meal; not "serve" as in to perform services for! You can and should follow Justin on Twitter @JustinJamesIs

Ron and Jeremy fly solo (together) in this episode! We watch Season 5, Episode 5 "The Last Night of a Jockey". This episode is regarded by all episode guides as one of the worst episodes in the entire series! We discuss the fickle business of wish-making and the importance of semantics!

Our guest for this episode is Andrea Valdez! She's a student and aspiring special effects makeup artist. She also does incredible stencil art! We watch Season 1, Episode 32: A Passage for Trumpet, wherein Jack Klugman plays a musician who doesn't really like his trumpet but then he does, but also likes alcohol but he also kind of changes his mind about that too! You can find Andrea's amazing work on her Instagram @_ghostonthehighway_

This week we got to hang out with Tavi Kaunitz. Tavi is an executive assistant at Comedy Central and lover of spooky stuff! We watch Season 2 Episode 22 "Long Distance Call", a particular unnerving episode wherein Billy Mumy's character communicates with his dead grandmother by way of a toy telephone. We discuss healthy family ties, mortality, and Tavi uses her insight to share some network notes on the episode.

This week we're joined by comedian Nick Aragon! We watch Season 3, Episode 31 "The Trade-Ins". The episode follows an elderly couple with the opportunity to trade their bodies for new, youthful human receptacles. We discuss mortality and modern medicine's pre-occupation with longevity. Nick produces and hosts Oeno Vino, a stand-up showcase in Glendale. You can keep up with Nick on Twitter @yourenickaragon or by way of his website nickaragon.com

Ron and Jeremy do a little temperature check, discussing some favorite moments of the podcast, where it started, and where it's going. You can get in touch with Ron at ronlechler@gmail.com and Jeremy at jes0259@gmail.com

Our guest this week is Beth Stelling! We watch Season 2, Episode 16 "A Penny for Your Thoughts" wherein Hector Poole gains the ability to read minds. The episode gets us talking about the nature of conscious thought and the struggles of putting something so abstract on screen. You can and should listen to Beth's album "Simply The Beth" which is available on iTunes and elsewhere! Also, she write's for Pete Holmes' "Crashing", premiering on HBO February 19th!

In today's episode, we cover Season 2 Episode 15 "The Invaders" wherein a gigantic woman is terrorized by tiny aliens from beyond the stars! But as we learn, beyond is all a matter of perspective. We're joined by an incredibly special guest! We managed to get the gigantic woman from the episode to share her side of the story. With her firsthand account of these events, we gain a little empathy about her traumatic experience and use it to cultivate some mutual understanding. Join us!

For tonight's installment of The Twilight Zone Zone, we're joined by Jack Michelle, a stand-up comic and employment lawyer. We watch Season 2, Episode 9 "The Trouble With Templeton". The episode focuses on dissatisfaction with the present and how often that leads to trying to recapture the past. As we learn, sometimes the expression "you can't go home again" doesn't refer to a place as much as it does a time or a person that really shaped you.

Like all episodes of The Twilight Zone Zone, this episode is very special! We watch "Wordplay", an episode from the '80s reboot of The Twilight Zone! You can find and watch it on YouTube. Our guest is Adam Pasen, a brilliant actor, playwright, and educator. He's the author of Badfic Love, a post-modern examination of hacky fan-fiction. His works have been exhibited at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts and beyond! We watch "Wordplay" and discuss a variety of topics including the arbitrary nature of language and the importance of being open to new ideas. You can keep up with Adam Pasen by googling his name!

Tonight we're joined by Jordan Monsell; an illustrator and silhouette artist. We watch the entirely iconic episode "Living Doll" which is Episode 6 of Season 5. A stepfather is terrorized by his stepdaughter's doll and we discuss the different ways in which emotions can manifest themselves, whether it's the spiteful rage of a man or the projected feelings of a neglected child. The surface-level fear of Talky Tina juxtaposes the nuance of the more grounded and real tensions in the episode: a failing marriage, infertility, and navigating the non-traditional family. You can find Jordan's incredible work on Instagram @jmonsell or on Facebook and Etsy /silhouettesbyjordan

This week's guest is Chip Pope! Chip is a stand-up comic and screenwriter. He wrote for Beavis and Butthead and currently writes for Lopez on TV Land. We watch "A Kind of a Stopwatch" which is Episode 4 of Season 5. This episode deals with the difference the use and abuse of power which ultimately becomes the difference between being noticed and being liked. You can (and should) keep up with Chip on twitter @ChipPope

Our guest this week is Meredith Grace White, an artist and illustrator based in Dallas, Texas. She was in town for Slutwalk LA because her yonic art was featured at the event. We watch "Number 12 Looks just Like You", an episode that juggles themes of body image, beauty standards, societal pressures, and the importance of personal expression. This episode is particularly relevant in today's social climate, and Meredith's feminist and body positive work makes her insight into this episode totally invaluable. You can find Meredith's art on her Instagram @ClubClitoris or on meredithgracewhite.com/