The Twilight Zone Review: Six Degrees of Freedom (Season 1 Episode 6)
On The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 6, “Six Degrees of Freedom,” a ship’s crew descends into paranoia as their dedication to their mission is tested.
The most interesting part comes from its opening, the moral dilemma of continuing to Mars or seeing to Earth’s unknown fate. The internal conflict each character clings to is so visible, so tangible, where it’s disappointing this line of character works is pushed aside for the most part afterward.
The disagreement between the characters is left to rash decisions, and not much anger or resentment building from it. The episode begs for a space paranoia story where the idea of self-destruction becomes their undoing, but unfortunately, does not dwell too deep into this.
The episode struggles under its own weight in this regard, where the paranoia setting in is brief and left to scribbling into a notebook for a scene or two before snapping fully.
There is some intriguing segments where there’s the wonder of who will be the one to fully go haywire, but it’s not a large enough factor.
There’s also the choppiness of the storytelling, framing the narrative into bite-sized chunks as the passing days go by. It’s a little too disjointed from this style, not leaving much room for getting to know these characters beyond their mission and their animosity.
The ship’s design, however, is a highlight. The round doors opening and closing in circular motions, the clean, vibrant color scheme, and the flashy way the ship begins to fall apart near the solar flare are well done and visually exciting.
Some shots and camera focus can add tension, like when Brandt is exercising, coming alarmingly close and back out of focus, over and over. It’s filmmaking techniques like these that add value to the episode, along with the set design, where The Twilight Zone excels in its presentation.
Jordan Peele’s Narrator introduction, too, is a fun moment, with the spinning perspective shifting as the camera glides toward him. These parts of the show work wonders; it’s the sum of those parts where the show can certainly struggle.
The ending is a bit baffling, not only in its obtuse way of revealing if this is all a simulation or not, but in its completely out of left field manner. There’s not much in the way of lead-up to reveal an alien race is involved: it sort of just happens.
The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 6, “Six Degrees of Freedom,” is a thoughtful episode, yet the episode does not go the extra mile to do something with its thoughtfulness.
It’s the kind of story and set-up I love, but it falls short of the potential.
Some stray thoughts on the episode:
- It’s fun for the mission to be titled after Ray Bradbury, one of the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century.
- A toy replica plane makes a cameo during one of the more emotional moments, a reminder of The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 1, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet.”
What did you think of this episode of The Twilight Zone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
The Twilight Zone streams Thursdays on CBS All Access.
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.