"The Obsolete Man" || The Twilight Zone || Season 2 Episode 29

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CREDIT:

• Show: The Twilight Zone
• Show Aired Date: Friday, June 2nd, 1961
• Show Director: Elliot Silverstein
• Show Writer: Rod Serling
• Show Stars: Burgess Meredith, Fritz Weaver
• Alex Willson's Vimeo Link: https://vimeo.com/313769282
• IMDb LInk: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734667/
• Wikipedia Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Obsolete_Man

DESCRIPTION:

"The Obsolete Man" is the last and best episode of the Second (2nd) Season of "The Twilight Zone".

In a totalitarian and atheistic society in the future where books are destroyed, the librarian Romney Wordsworth (Burgess Meredith) is declared obsolete and sentenced to death by the Chancellor (Fritz Weaver). The librarian believes in God and has a discussion with the Chancellor that allows him to choose how he would be executed.

Romney requests a personal assassin that will be the only person to know how he would choose to die and that his execution be broadcast live to the nation. Near the scheduled hour, Rommey summons the Chancellor to his apartment and discloses that there is a hidden bomb to kill him. Romney gets his illegal, long-hidden and forbidden Bible (Psalm 23, Psalm 59:1, Psalm 14:1 (or Psalm 53:1), Psalm 142:1 and Psalm 130:1-2), expressing his trust in God.

When the Chancellor tries to leave the place, he finds that the door is locked. Romney's calm acceptance of death stands in sharp contrast with the Chancellor's increasing panic as the bomb ticks.

At the last minute, the Chancellor breaks down and begs to be let go "in the name of God." Romney agrees to do so on those terms and immediately unlocks the door for him. The Chancellor then flees from the room, while Romney stays as the bomb explodes, killing him alone.

Due to his cowardly display in Romney's room and invoking God, the Chancellor is replaced by his own subaltern (i.e., a junior officer) and is declared obsolete. Chancellor protests against this and tries to escape but is overwhelmed by the tribunal's attendants, who then beat him to death.

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