The Twilight Zone Review: The Comedian (Season 1 Episode 2)
Words matter on The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 2, “The Comedian,” as Samir Wassan (Kumail Nanjiani) discovers.
Ridding the bad people from your life by talking about them on stage is a compelling idea. The episode goes down a dark path, though, where Samir picks people from high school, who could have gone on to incredible lives and families, but he disliked them at the time.
The flip side is that Samir’s actions rid them from existence, and in turn he technically doesn’t hurt people, but it’s the act of doing so that makes it so twisted.
It’s because he’s addicted to the laughs, that he needs the crowd to laugh so badly, is where the great moral dilemma forms.
That he almost always starts with the same joke about the Second Amendment shows that Samir has to be something he doesn’t want to be, but the personal is all the crowd wants. Their sudden turn to laughter is almost chilling, how quickly they turn on from a quick shift in subject.
Kumail Nanjiani is wonderful in the episode, instilling both meekness and confidence in a split second on stage and off. His absolute fear as he begins to lose everything dear to him is so deeply felt, the panic as the strings begin to snap.
Samir’s success is a little too nebulous and left to asides with other characters in Eddies, in order to keep the focus on how personal each loss is on him. This can, at times, make it hard to see how damaging his words can be outside of in his direct vicinity, and what he is taking away.
But because of the rules of the disappearance, the damage is also impossible to see, because there is no damage to begin with. I’m making it more complicated than it needs to be, but it’s fun to think about.
It’s also interesting that what Samir does stays behind, like the missing flyers of “Cat” the dog. He posts the flyers with his nephew (well, his girlfriend’s nephew), but because of the rules and world continuing for him, only his actions remain while the nephew’s does not.
This coincides with how there are permanent changes related to him, like his apartment. The ramifications of his words have rippling effects on everything around him, while he stays consistent. It’s a good metaphor, someone desperate for attention becoming an orbit where change happens while they stay the same.
For Samir to choose to make himself disappear in order to right all his wrongs is a perfect way to end the episode, especially poignant because it comes at the cost of his own success. To choose preservation of the whole over self-preservation is selfless and admirable.
One of the major advantages to the new version of The Twilight Zone is the beautiful production. The use of shadow and peculiar angles to show the boxed-in or paranoid nature of Samir and his surroundings is so perfectly done, as is the use of editing to show people disappearing from Samir’s perspective.
Special mention goes out to Tracy Morgan, whose JC Wheeler is both devilish in his ominousness, and has a hint of ironic comedy to his words. Morgan plays it straight, but there’s a bite in the way he plays it, giving it an extra level of depth and excitement. His line about there being no crying moms is one of my favorite moments on the episode.
The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 2, “The Comedian,” is a dark-minded and riveting episode about what someone does when discovering the power they hold. It’s a cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for, a human story of wanting success, but never knowing what the threshold of success looks like.
It’s about knowing when you’re ahead, and what you’re able to live with. For Samir, the need for more proves too much, and it provides a wonderful look into The Twilight Zone.
What did you think of this episode of The Twilight Zone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Twilight Zone is available for streaming Thursdays on CBS All Access. The first two episodes are available April 1st.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.