I've just finished watching this episode of The Twilight Zone, and am still trying to catch my breath. What I thought was going to turn out to be just a deviation on the French classic 'Eyes without a Face' turned out to be something much, much more! As the title suggests, this tale is based on the old saying 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', and we are introduced to a woman dressed in bandages. She's in a hospital, and it soon becomes apparent that she is the victim of a horrible facial disfigurement. However, it seems she has undergone some of surgery to reverse the disability; and it's almost time for the bandages to be removed. This episode is great because it presents a real dream-like atmosphere, and it's easy to believe that this story really is taking place in the 'The Twilight Zone'. Our heroine is kept wrapped up in bandages for almost the entire running time, and with that in mind it's not unreasonable to expect a huge payoff once the bandages are removed. To say it delivers would be an enormous understatement - Eye of the Beholder gives the audience their due payoff and then some! I'm not going to say any more - just see this as soon as possible.
63 Reviews
What is behind those bandages?
philhodgman7 November 2008
One of the truly classic early Twilight Zone episodes. A woman is lying in a hospital bed with her face covered with bandages. All hope lies in an imminent operation to restore her distorted features. The doctors and nurses attempt to reassure her that everything will be all right. The undertone, however, is that if the operation fails, the consequences will be very bad for the patient.
The camera direction plays with the viewer, who hears a lot of conversation but can't really see anyone's faces until the climax.
The episode combines a theme envisioned by the title, along with a kind of big brother overlay, and concludes with a glimmer of hope for even the throwaways of society. The twist at the end is startling if you haven't seen already seen it. and still very dramatic even if you have.
The camera direction plays with the viewer, who hears a lot of conversation but can't really see anyone's faces until the climax.
The episode combines a theme envisioned by the title, along with a kind of big brother overlay, and concludes with a glimmer of hope for even the throwaways of society. The twist at the end is startling if you haven't seen already seen it. and still very dramatic even if you have.
Beauty
AaronCapenBanner26 October 2014
Maxine Stuart is the voice viewer hears as Janet Tyler, a bandaged patient in a hospital who is undergoing her eleventh and final operation in order to make her look normal, as this society doesn't tolerate any deviation from its norms, and its carefully chosen and protected ideas of beauty. Janet is desperate to look normal, but the odds are against her, though her sympathetic doctor(played by William D. Gordon) does what he can for her, even after the bandages are removed, and the truth found out... Unforgettable episode is masterfully directed by Douglas Heyes, who cleverly hides the faces of the cast to grand effect, and the final reveal and end narration by Rod Serling still packs a wallop.
Hard-hitting , intense, and timelessly relevant
nvasapper22 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is the one that people usually associate and remember as being the classic representation of the Twilight Zone series. It pulls no punches and delves into territory that network executives were not always comfortable in depicting. Like many Zone episodes, this was a morality play with a lesson to be learned. Ostensibly a debate over society's concept of beauty and ugliness, it also contains a political subtext attacking fascism and racial segregation. Rod Serling was able to bring his point home by adopting a more subtle approach and not specifically mentioning race. It was alluded to, however, when the main character, Janet Tyler(MAXINE STUART) lashes out at the Doctor when she criticizes the presumptive right of the government to segregate those individuals who do not look the way "normal" people look.
The story line involves the above-mentioned character, whom we see lying in a hospital bed, her face completely covered in a thick swath of gauze bandages. We learn that she is horribly deformed and has just undergone her ninth and last medical procedure to try and make her look normal. The society this woman lives in is depicted as some kind of 1984-like Big Brother totalitarian state, where conformity and homogeneity are the rule.
Her circumstances set the stage for a debate between her and her Doctor over how people who are considered "different" are treated by society. She is aware that "the State" as it's referred to herein, has spent a large amount of time, money and resources to try and fix her face so that she can live among "normal-looking" people. The Doctor tells her that this is proof that the State is not unsympathetic to her plight. However, if this final procedure does not bear fruit, she has no hope whatever of joining normal society. She would be relegated to a segregated community, far apart from normal people, where she would live out her existence with others of her own kind.
It is this rule which she finds morally repugnant and unacceptable. She wants to live in society and be a productive, contributing member of it. She wants to belong. She really wants to belong and to be accepted. And she tells the Doctor she will do anything for that to happen. She will even wear a mask so that people would not have to look upon her ugliness.
Now, when this episode first aired, I was watching it with my Dad. And he picked up on something. He picked up on the "red herring" of the episode. He said to me "Have you noticed they're not showing the faces of the Nurses or the Doctor?" And he was right. You did see the medical staff in shadow or conversing together in darkened rooms. And though you could see their profile in the darkness, you couldn't actually see their faces or make out their features. But when in lighted conditions, you would only see a hand or an arm or a shot of the person from the neck down or from the rear. And in the shots where you were expecting to see a staffer's face, such as when they started to turn towards the camera, the camera would pan down and away to show another part of their body. My Dad told me that when they take the bandages off the woman, she's going to be beautiful and the Doctor and Nurses are going to be the ones who are ugly! My Dad was a smart man! But even with that foreknowledge, I wasn't prepared for what Serling was about to show us. Their faces went beyond just being ugly. They were horrifying. Horrifying and frightening. The actress who played Miss Tyler when the bandages came off was DONNA DOUGLAS, in her pre-Elly Mae Clampett days. She, of course, is beautiful. And when she sees the Doctor and the other staff, she flees in terror through the hospital wing- until she literally runs right into EDSON STROLL, a representative of the segregated community where she will now be going to. He, of course, is very handsome and good-looking. He tells her that they have a lovely village with lovely people and that she will soon feel a sense of belonging and of being loved. She asks him why is it that they have to look like this, as they do? He tells her he really doesn't know, but there's an old saying, a very old saying- "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This ending is so bittersweet, yet uplifting. Because it holds out the possibility of finding happiness no matter who you are or what you look like.
The story line involves the above-mentioned character, whom we see lying in a hospital bed, her face completely covered in a thick swath of gauze bandages. We learn that she is horribly deformed and has just undergone her ninth and last medical procedure to try and make her look normal. The society this woman lives in is depicted as some kind of 1984-like Big Brother totalitarian state, where conformity and homogeneity are the rule.
Her circumstances set the stage for a debate between her and her Doctor over how people who are considered "different" are treated by society. She is aware that "the State" as it's referred to herein, has spent a large amount of time, money and resources to try and fix her face so that she can live among "normal-looking" people. The Doctor tells her that this is proof that the State is not unsympathetic to her plight. However, if this final procedure does not bear fruit, she has no hope whatever of joining normal society. She would be relegated to a segregated community, far apart from normal people, where she would live out her existence with others of her own kind.
It is this rule which she finds morally repugnant and unacceptable. She wants to live in society and be a productive, contributing member of it. She wants to belong. She really wants to belong and to be accepted. And she tells the Doctor she will do anything for that to happen. She will even wear a mask so that people would not have to look upon her ugliness.
Now, when this episode first aired, I was watching it with my Dad. And he picked up on something. He picked up on the "red herring" of the episode. He said to me "Have you noticed they're not showing the faces of the Nurses or the Doctor?" And he was right. You did see the medical staff in shadow or conversing together in darkened rooms. And though you could see their profile in the darkness, you couldn't actually see their faces or make out their features. But when in lighted conditions, you would only see a hand or an arm or a shot of the person from the neck down or from the rear. And in the shots where you were expecting to see a staffer's face, such as when they started to turn towards the camera, the camera would pan down and away to show another part of their body. My Dad told me that when they take the bandages off the woman, she's going to be beautiful and the Doctor and Nurses are going to be the ones who are ugly! My Dad was a smart man! But even with that foreknowledge, I wasn't prepared for what Serling was about to show us. Their faces went beyond just being ugly. They were horrifying. Horrifying and frightening. The actress who played Miss Tyler when the bandages came off was DONNA DOUGLAS, in her pre-Elly Mae Clampett days. She, of course, is beautiful. And when she sees the Doctor and the other staff, she flees in terror through the hospital wing- until she literally runs right into EDSON STROLL, a representative of the segregated community where she will now be going to. He, of course, is very handsome and good-looking. He tells her that they have a lovely village with lovely people and that she will soon feel a sense of belonging and of being loved. She asks him why is it that they have to look like this, as they do? He tells her he really doesn't know, but there's an old saying, a very old saying- "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This ending is so bittersweet, yet uplifting. Because it holds out the possibility of finding happiness no matter who you are or what you look like.
The best episode IMO
UW21UCLA1619 December 2018
Having watch the twilight zone in syndication as a kid and getting DVD's of seasons & now through Amazon. This is the one episode that truly is the twilight zone finest moment, I would put this one up against any episode.
One of the best and most recognizable episodes of the series.
Anonymous_Maxine28 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
It was not long ago that I started watching the original Twilight Zone series on DVD. Before that I had nothing more than a basic, passing knowledge of it, but this episode must have been one that I saw when I was really young, because I recognized the characters instantly. The story, of course, is based on the subjective perception of beauty, and it plays with the audience's expectations in the most unexpected way, which is probably why it is so often selected as a representative episode of the series. This is the twilight zone at its best.
There is a curious political element in the show, as a woman named Janet Tyler is undergoing what I believe was her 23rd surgery, sponsored by "the state," to try to make her look normal, so that she can have a normal life. My expectation was that she had suffered some kind of injury, maybe a crash or something, and that the surgery was reconstructive. A good reason is never given, and for good reason. Probably the best thing that the episode manages to do is to concentrate on Tyler's covered face, without you really noticing that you never see any of the faces of the nurses or doctors.
The twist at the end is so good that it is one of the few genuine jaw-dropping moments that I've ever seen in a TV show. This is the kind of quality that transcends time and stays with you forever. I don't know who designed the make-up, but the faces are brilliantly frightening, and the second you see them, it causes some wonderful introspection about modern society's expectations about beauty and normality, and also conformity. Unlike many of the twilight zone episodes, this is one that deals with a topic that will never get old. It's as fresh today as when it was released.
There is a curious political element in the show, as a woman named Janet Tyler is undergoing what I believe was her 23rd surgery, sponsored by "the state," to try to make her look normal, so that she can have a normal life. My expectation was that she had suffered some kind of injury, maybe a crash or something, and that the surgery was reconstructive. A good reason is never given, and for good reason. Probably the best thing that the episode manages to do is to concentrate on Tyler's covered face, without you really noticing that you never see any of the faces of the nurses or doctors.
The twist at the end is so good that it is one of the few genuine jaw-dropping moments that I've ever seen in a TV show. This is the kind of quality that transcends time and stays with you forever. I don't know who designed the make-up, but the faces are brilliantly frightening, and the second you see them, it causes some wonderful introspection about modern society's expectations about beauty and normality, and also conformity. Unlike many of the twilight zone episodes, this is one that deals with a topic that will never get old. It's as fresh today as when it was released.
"Nothing we've done so far has made any difference at all".
classicsoncall8 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
As the episode title suggests, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but so it seems is the content of the story. Viewed critically, this little parable moves well beyond notions of physical beauty, and plumbs the depths of racism, bigotry and narrow mindedness in a setting that's frighteningly reminiscent of dictatorship and government propaganda to obtain conformity to the state. Patient 307 (Donna Douglas) is more a prisoner than a patient, and her crime has more to do with challenging the status quo and refusing to live with others like her in a segregated community created just for that purpose. She's a threat to the established order personified by a porcine leader delivering a televised address, reminding his citizens that glorious conformity is the best feature of a unified society. It's interesting to reflect on one's own reaction to the story's punch line when seeing it for the first time. You have a good idea that the woman under wraps is probably going to look fairly normal (in human terms), so you're left wondering how the show will portray the 'beauty' side of the equation. Instead of a hideously disfigured population of 'ugly' folks, you have a race of swine people whose version of Miss America might resemble Miss Piggy. It's a classic Twilight Zone treatment in the way the episode turns accepted conventions on their head, so well in fact, that once you see it, you'll always remember it for the reaction you had the first time around.
Is there an Ideal Principle of Beauty?
BaronBl00d19 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
When I think of The Twilight Zone, I always think of a handful of episodes that quickly come to mind as great examples of what made that one of the greatest television shows of all time. No discussion of those memorable shows would be intact without "Eye of the Beholder." Most of us already know the premise of what seems real ultimately being unreal and opposite - a trademark of Rod Serling's genius and the show's spirit. I love watching how this show was framed and lighted - the shadows are perfect, yet we are given subtle clues to watch that lead to the eventual conclusion. The real genius is that most of us never imagined going in that direction in the first place - which makes this episode all the more powerful. Director Douglas Heyes works the camera well creating subterfuge with his lens and menacing shadows throughout. We also get this super clean environment with which to see the story of Janet Tyler unfold before us. Maxine Stuart plays the wrapped patient looking for success this time around so as to fit in. When unwrapped, we have gorgeous Donna Douglas as the patient. What we get in between is a thought-provoking look at many of the values and preconceived notions we have as human beings. Serling's short but profound script makes us think about the natures of beauty, conformity, individuality, loneliness, and social ostracization. He is always looking past the superficial qualities to see what makes us tick, and it is for that that I am most grateful.
Lives up to its reputation
ericstevenson5 July 2016
There were so many notable episodes of "The Twilight Zone", it really took a lot of effort to make one that really became famous and this is one of them. What's truly fascinating is the way the pacing in this episode is done. I had heard of the twist ending before, but still loved it. It is kind of obvious that something's amiss when NO ONE's face is shown at first (except of course for our host, Rod Serling). I knew this episode's title just by reading the plot. A lesser show would have just stopped this episode when the reveal was made, but they keep on going with it until it reaches a pretty satisfying ending which is probably bittersweet.
I guess it was mostly one big lesson about our standards of what's normal and what isn't. The plot's very basic, with a woman in a hospital with bandages over her face to look "normal". The filming is done very well with all the shadows. As Rod notes, it really doesn't matter where or when this story takes place. It's just telling us what the title promises. I really can't say much more to people who don't know the ending, even though I'm sure most do. It really is better to just see this one outright. ****
I guess it was mostly one big lesson about our standards of what's normal and what isn't. The plot's very basic, with a woman in a hospital with bandages over her face to look "normal". The filming is done very well with all the shadows. As Rod notes, it really doesn't matter where or when this story takes place. It's just telling us what the title promises. I really can't say much more to people who don't know the ending, even though I'm sure most do. It really is better to just see this one outright. ****
One of the Best Episodes
claudio_carvalho23 April 2018
The ugly Janet Tyler is submitted to the eleventh treatment trying to look normal. She has anxiety expecting the doctor to remove her bandages in her last attempt to improve her face. When the doctor and nurses remove her bandages, her expectation ends and she learns the procedure has not worked.
"Eye of the Beholder" is one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone" even when the viewer is watching for the third or fourth time. The greatest message of this show is the saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning the perception of beauty is subjective. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "A Beleza Está Apenas em Quem Olha" ("The Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder")
"Eye of the Beholder" is one of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone" even when the viewer is watching for the third or fourth time. The greatest message of this show is the saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning the perception of beauty is subjective. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "A Beleza Está Apenas em Quem Olha" ("The Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder")
"In The Eye Of The Beholder, This Remains An Important Piece With Crucial Messages"
abyoussef18 March 2013
by Dane Youssef
If there is truly any and all episode that best sums up what "THE ZONE" is all about, it's this one. Serling told us at the end of last week's episode to tune in for this episode as he remarks: "... It's called 'The Eye of The Beholder' and it comes recommended."
This time, Serling takes us to an anonymous hospital which could probably be anywhere. He takes us right away head-first into room #307 where a woman with a grotesquely misshapen face is awaiting her last attempt at corrective surgery. Her whole life is just lying in that bed, bandaged from the neck-up like a mummy they've just started work on.
The rest of the medical staff talk about what a poor soul she is. The nurses try their best to accommodate her with the best "bedside manner" physically possible. They certainly sound sympathetic. The doctor asks why such prejudice seems to exist in a society. Aren't we supposed to all be on the same team? Isn't that the purpose of civilization? Our heart breaks right along with hers--and Doctor Bernardi's in one touching speech that takes place in the employee break-room.
Janet Tyler sounds like such a tender soul. The kind of decent person there just isn't enough of in this cold, cruel world. And this world seems more fascist than our own. We hear of "The Apparently this time, Serling has brought us to a hypothetical land where Hitler won. There is only one world leader, one way, one regime. We hear him on the early flat-screen TV's praising "the glory of conformity". The delight of our unified The whole world is one giant united annexed totalitarian dictatorship. We all know what it's like to want to belong, to flourish. To be part of humanity. And we want that for her.
It's true that opposites tend to attract more than they repel. And we do tend to attack and destroy that which is different to us. Even as children. Even this day in age. But as those who opposed fascists like Hitler knew... doesn't conformity limit our humanity rather than strengthen it? Is this form of oppression and de-humanity the only way there will be total world order and peace?
And it's true that anyone with a working brain cell can see the trademark "Big Rod Serling Twist" coming a hundred thousand miles away... from space even, it isn't about whether or not we can guess what the big ironic or karmic ending is--it's about the whole journey there and what it all means. And pop culture has only made the finale more known.
And in the end... what's really ugly and frightening... is how much this world isn't really galaxies away from our own.
Still in the end, Serling's message still remains as relevant as it did about half a century ago.
And this was one of the episodes that was re-made for the re-incarnation of the series in 2002. Technology had improved, particularly the make-up and the TV flat screens. And believe it or not, the re-make followed Serling's original script more faithfully--and the "surprise" (notice that's in quotes) was a little less obvious. The acting was terrible however, with few exceptions.
The cast here is all solid and the acting rarely comes across as campy, with a few exceptions. The two actresses doing "Ms. Janet Tyler," the "Before " and "After" play it for all it's worth. Maxine Stewart does a better job that Donna Douglas, but Donna does exactly what she was meant to. Douglas and Edson Stroll have a moment right out of "Gone With The Wind" that seems appropriately turned on it's director Douglas Heyes does a fine job of capturing the right mood, playing with the light and camera angles to establish the right feel... as well as making the conclusion pretty clear. The make-up is pretty silly and unconvincing by any standards, but in the end--the point remains intact.
One thing's for sure... You'll never think of the labels of "beautiful" and "hideous" the same way again...
--For Rod Almighty... God Serling Himself... And All That Ever Happened In His Almighty Zone, Dane Youssef
NOTE: This review is dedicated to Rodman Edward Serling, a man who not only fought to protect our country and our way of life in WWII and took a fair amount of injury for it. But also fought the censors on TV twice as hard to make sure his vision was seen and heard. When TV was about shows like "Leave it to Beaver" and "Donna Reed," here was a man who wanted to use the box to illuminate serious problems like the cold war, racism, anti-society, paranoia and other destructive elements that come from within us. He was buried with military honors. I hope television honors as well. All he wanted was to remembered as a writer.
Well.... I remember....
If there is truly any and all episode that best sums up what "THE ZONE" is all about, it's this one. Serling told us at the end of last week's episode to tune in for this episode as he remarks: "... It's called 'The Eye of The Beholder' and it comes recommended."
This time, Serling takes us to an anonymous hospital which could probably be anywhere. He takes us right away head-first into room #307 where a woman with a grotesquely misshapen face is awaiting her last attempt at corrective surgery. Her whole life is just lying in that bed, bandaged from the neck-up like a mummy they've just started work on.
The rest of the medical staff talk about what a poor soul she is. The nurses try their best to accommodate her with the best "bedside manner" physically possible. They certainly sound sympathetic. The doctor asks why such prejudice seems to exist in a society. Aren't we supposed to all be on the same team? Isn't that the purpose of civilization? Our heart breaks right along with hers--and Doctor Bernardi's in one touching speech that takes place in the employee break-room.
Janet Tyler sounds like such a tender soul. The kind of decent person there just isn't enough of in this cold, cruel world. And this world seems more fascist than our own. We hear of "The Apparently this time, Serling has brought us to a hypothetical land where Hitler won. There is only one world leader, one way, one regime. We hear him on the early flat-screen TV's praising "the glory of conformity". The delight of our unified The whole world is one giant united annexed totalitarian dictatorship. We all know what it's like to want to belong, to flourish. To be part of humanity. And we want that for her.
It's true that opposites tend to attract more than they repel. And we do tend to attack and destroy that which is different to us. Even as children. Even this day in age. But as those who opposed fascists like Hitler knew... doesn't conformity limit our humanity rather than strengthen it? Is this form of oppression and de-humanity the only way there will be total world order and peace?
And it's true that anyone with a working brain cell can see the trademark "Big Rod Serling Twist" coming a hundred thousand miles away... from space even, it isn't about whether or not we can guess what the big ironic or karmic ending is--it's about the whole journey there and what it all means. And pop culture has only made the finale more known.
And in the end... what's really ugly and frightening... is how much this world isn't really galaxies away from our own.
Still in the end, Serling's message still remains as relevant as it did about half a century ago.
And this was one of the episodes that was re-made for the re-incarnation of the series in 2002. Technology had improved, particularly the make-up and the TV flat screens. And believe it or not, the re-make followed Serling's original script more faithfully--and the "surprise" (notice that's in quotes) was a little less obvious. The acting was terrible however, with few exceptions.
The cast here is all solid and the acting rarely comes across as campy, with a few exceptions. The two actresses doing "Ms. Janet Tyler," the "Before " and "After" play it for all it's worth. Maxine Stewart does a better job that Donna Douglas, but Donna does exactly what she was meant to. Douglas and Edson Stroll have a moment right out of "Gone With The Wind" that seems appropriately turned on it's director Douglas Heyes does a fine job of capturing the right mood, playing with the light and camera angles to establish the right feel... as well as making the conclusion pretty clear. The make-up is pretty silly and unconvincing by any standards, but in the end--the point remains intact.
One thing's for sure... You'll never think of the labels of "beautiful" and "hideous" the same way again...
--For Rod Almighty... God Serling Himself... And All That Ever Happened In His Almighty Zone, Dane Youssef
NOTE: This review is dedicated to Rodman Edward Serling, a man who not only fought to protect our country and our way of life in WWII and took a fair amount of injury for it. But also fought the censors on TV twice as hard to make sure his vision was seen and heard. When TV was about shows like "Leave it to Beaver" and "Donna Reed," here was a man who wanted to use the box to illuminate serious problems like the cold war, racism, anti-society, paranoia and other destructive elements that come from within us. He was buried with military honors. I hope television honors as well. All he wanted was to remembered as a writer.
Well.... I remember....
Two Titles?
rwhelan5718 April 2006
I just watched this episode again for the billionth time and as the credits started to roll I noticed (strangely for the first time ever)that the title was listed as "Private World of Darkness" rather than "Eye of the Beholder". Did this episode have two titles or is one wrong? I'm sure it was the right show because the credits rolled across a still of Donna Douglas in the bandages. Anyway, it doesn't alter the fact that this is one of my 5 top greatest episodes of TTWZ! The camera work in the beginning is fantastic and I thought is was great the way they kept you from seeing the hospital workers faces until those fantastic shots of the doctor and staff. I'm also a bit curious to know if the voice was dubbed in for Donna Douglas's character Janet Tyler. It doesn't sound like her at all to me.
Looks and voices
thbryn3 May 2019
The Non-Mystery Mystery.
rmax30482331 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I've always thought of this as one of the lesser entries in the series because, although the idea itself -- the relativity of beauty -- is an interesting one, this episode deals with it in a form that seems extended to fill in 20 full minutes. Besides, you can see the big surprise coming from miles away.
Physical beauty is a slippery concept. We think of people as beautiful if they fulfill a certain geometric template involving the dimensions of the skull and the soft parts of the face. A millimeter off, here and there, a slight difference in the curve of the nose, and the face turns ordinary instead of enthralling.
Psychologists haven't been able to increase our understanding much. A woman's face that looks youthful is generally preferred, presumably because youthful women are strong and long-lived enough to produce more offspring, which perpetuates the genes. But much of it is educated guesswork.
And fashions in attractiveness change with time, even in our own culture. Take a look at the corset ads in an 1890s Sears and Roebuck catalog. The drawings are all of women we'd think of as "full figured." Breasts ought to be a sign of fruitfulness from an evolutionary point of view but in the 1920s they were deemphasized, in the 1950s exaggerated, and now they're back to modelesque.
The problem is interesting but the execution here is routine. The Big Reveal doesn't reveal much that hasn't been anticipated.
Physical beauty is a slippery concept. We think of people as beautiful if they fulfill a certain geometric template involving the dimensions of the skull and the soft parts of the face. A millimeter off, here and there, a slight difference in the curve of the nose, and the face turns ordinary instead of enthralling.
Psychologists haven't been able to increase our understanding much. A woman's face that looks youthful is generally preferred, presumably because youthful women are strong and long-lived enough to produce more offspring, which perpetuates the genes. But much of it is educated guesswork.
And fashions in attractiveness change with time, even in our own culture. Take a look at the corset ads in an 1890s Sears and Roebuck catalog. The drawings are all of women we'd think of as "full figured." Breasts ought to be a sign of fruitfulness from an evolutionary point of view but in the 1920s they were deemphasized, in the 1950s exaggerated, and now they're back to modelesque.
The problem is interesting but the execution here is routine. The Big Reveal doesn't reveal much that hasn't been anticipated.
The suspense
Calicodreamin3 June 2021
The wtf episode I wasn't expecting!
UniqueParticle17 April 2019
Kind of like a nightmare fueled inducing madness as it as goes on just when I didn't think this show could get weirder, it does in the best way possible too; I even said wow several times! I didn't even look into this one beforehand, so I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
A masterpiece
discgolf-7333419 March 2021
Amazing - hasn't aged a day.
mikemikeparker6 March 2021
The story (and THAT punchline!) is brilliant. However, the Direction is what really makes the episode so stunning. The photography, the camera angles, the shadows all add to the sense of surrealism which mimics the patient's POV. The anti-fascist message is wonderful, too. Well-deserving of its rating on IMDB, and its fame in the SF world. Watch this to see what great writing and direction can achieve!
What is normal
kellielulu16 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Not one of the more subtle episodes and sometimes it works . I think here it mostly does work.
The most poignant moment is the patient Janet Tyler railing at who has the right to say what is normal. The state isn't God she says. She is as well established bandaged waiting to see if they can make her fit in enough.
The medical staff to my thinking cold and distant even when they show patience or something they think is sympathy or pity . They are putting up with her. She wants to see sky and clouds and pretty flowers they have no time for such things.
The doctor makes the point further treatments aren't allowed because of too much for just one person. He later asks a nurse why people can't be different? She tells him to be careful and he says he knows it's treason ! It's revealed to be a totalitarian state.
Janet Tyler's treatments failed and she will live in another village or state , society. A man quite similar to her comes to take her . The staff looks in in pity at them as they leave.
I probably like this episode more now than I did growing up . Sometimes the lack of subtlety is actually more accurate in revealing peoples attitudes and prejudices.
The most poignant moment is the patient Janet Tyler railing at who has the right to say what is normal. The state isn't God she says. She is as well established bandaged waiting to see if they can make her fit in enough.
The medical staff to my thinking cold and distant even when they show patience or something they think is sympathy or pity . They are putting up with her. She wants to see sky and clouds and pretty flowers they have no time for such things.
The doctor makes the point further treatments aren't allowed because of too much for just one person. He later asks a nurse why people can't be different? She tells him to be careful and he says he knows it's treason ! It's revealed to be a totalitarian state.
Janet Tyler's treatments failed and she will live in another village or state , society. A man quite similar to her comes to take her . The staff looks in in pity at them as they leave.
I probably like this episode more now than I did growing up . Sometimes the lack of subtlety is actually more accurate in revealing peoples attitudes and prejudices.
No villains here
celestial_princess21 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this episode about one year ago. I don't watch The Twilight Zone on the regular, and this was the first episode that I saw in its entirety because I was intrigued when I saw the description of the episode. I don't know why I was caught off guard, but I was, and I turned it off before I saw the whole thing because I thought the doctors and nurses killed Janet. But I saw that it was on again a few months later, I gave it another chance, and now that I've seen the whole thing, I realize that there were no villains in this episode. Think about it: Wouldn't we do the same thing to someone who doesn't look normal to us? Yes, we would; and yes, we have. I understand completely why what happened, happened. It's a great piece of science fiction that hits the point home.
A classic in a televsion series
snappydragon-6891311 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This episode of Twilight Zone left a lasting impression on viewers and was decades ahead of its time. Rod Serling was a genius in a way that was misunderstood at the time- The fact that ugliness was the norm and stunning beauty was considered ugly is totally mind bending and not at all easy to understand or get used to This presentation, and the implications of it can never be duplicated as far as its impact. In todays world. Things are completely distorted and different. Its the "all about me" generation and little thought is given to how appearances may fit in with society- mainly because anything is accepted. Pink, Blue, green hair, all kinds of makeup, face lifts, etc- Welcome to 2023.
Quintessential Twilight Zone
Samuel-Shovel15 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the very best episodes on Season 2. A woman undergoes transformative surgery to change her horribly disfigured face into something of beauty. This episode is everything one should expect from The Twilight Zone: stunning visuals, good acting, a plot twist or two, and a message that goes beyond the story.
First off, the contrast between light and shadow is done beautifully and some of the angles used while viewing our protagonist while on the hospital bed leave the viewer really sympathetic with her heartbreaking plight. Maxine Stuart does a wonderful job of revealing conveying her emotion with her voice and body, obviously no facial emotion can be received by viewers.
I've seen some complaints from other reviews on the obviousness of the plot twist: that, since we are never seen any character's face until the big reveal, that we all know that something must be different with facial construction in this society. While this is indeed true, I think that it is entirely irrelevant to the quality of this episode. This episode isn't about jump squares or trying to catch the audience off guard; this episode is about conveying a message. It's message of viewing the world and its people through the scope of relativity and acceptance is really what we should walk away with. Just because something is different, doesn't make it ugly, it should not be cast aside. I won't go further into detail since the message is fairly obvious. An obvious message yes, but an important one.
First off, the contrast between light and shadow is done beautifully and some of the angles used while viewing our protagonist while on the hospital bed leave the viewer really sympathetic with her heartbreaking plight. Maxine Stuart does a wonderful job of revealing conveying her emotion with her voice and body, obviously no facial emotion can be received by viewers.
I've seen some complaints from other reviews on the obviousness of the plot twist: that, since we are never seen any character's face until the big reveal, that we all know that something must be different with facial construction in this society. While this is indeed true, I think that it is entirely irrelevant to the quality of this episode. This episode isn't about jump squares or trying to catch the audience off guard; this episode is about conveying a message. It's message of viewing the world and its people through the scope of relativity and acceptance is really what we should walk away with. Just because something is different, doesn't make it ugly, it should not be cast aside. I won't go further into detail since the message is fairly obvious. An obvious message yes, but an important one.
One of the best musical scores in TV history
countvonbarron23 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Another user on this site has commented on something about this episode that i noticed when i first watched it on DVD. Due to the higher resolution of the format there are certain shots when the actors faces are in shadow and you can see they are not made up. This is not enough to ruin the episode however as I'm sure when it originally aired it was a stunner. The one element however that makes this episode standout is the reveal of Janet Tyler unmasked. The camera pushes in and the doctor looks over his shoulder revealing his features. The director Douglas Heyes stages this so well it rivals the unveiling of the monster in "Frankenstein". The strongest element however is the music during this sequence by the legendary Bernard Hermann. Pay attention to it the next time you watch it. Low dissonant percussion. Even with the twist ruined by the DVD's higher resolution this sequence with this music makes up for it the music sends shivers down my spine. One of the best scores in TV history. The music starts at exactly the moment when the doctor looks into the camera. It raises this shocking scene into the stratosphere. Never has been music been used in a film or television show so effectively.
Dated and predictable
halfcolombian5 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
**warning may contain spoiler** As another reviewer already stated: This material isn't enough for a half hour episode. But that's mainly because we've grown up with movies and TV and have trained eyes and minds. Even if I hadn't seen it before, I'd seen versions of it, with similar twists. This story would've been better if it was 5-10 minutes long, since it looses its audience during that half hour. After about 5-10 minutes you notice something strange about the way the movie is shot, then you start wondering if it's deliberate and the longer the story goes on the more you start wondering why it's shot that way. Soon you come up with a theory and the last 15 minutes you just sit there and wishes you are mistaken since there is nothing more sad than to watch an ending you've already figured out. This happened to me with another movie as well - secret window with Johnny Depp. Only in that case it was even worse because there I had to sit through 96 minutes. I've got no doubts at all that this episode was dynamite when it came out, and I envy those fortunate people who were young 1960 and saw this with a less experienced and critical mind. Surprise ruined.
Well-done, but oh-so-obvious
gridoon202420 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"The Twilight Zone" is famous for its twist endings, but in the case of "The Eye Of The Beholder" I declare it impossible for anyone NOT to guess the twist in the first 3 minutes. The director goes out of his way (in a sometimes frankly ridiculous fashion) to hide the face of every character from the viewer....gee, do you think that might have something to do with the final revelation? This is one of the most obvious stories of the series so far. There is also a tendency, in some "Twilight Zone" episodes ("The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" comes to mind), to spell out the theme of the episode overexplicitly, as if we might miss it if it was simply shown; a parable isn't a parable when it tells you what it's a parable about (a similar theme was conveyed more subtly in "People Are Alike All Over"). Maxine Stuart gives a moving (voice only) performance, and the makeup effects are effective, but based on this episode's reputation I expected a lot more.. ** out of 4.
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