The Twilight Zone (TV Series) The Elevator/To See the Invisible Man/Tooth and Consequences (1986) User Reviews

A night surprise/Social Invisibility/A fairy train trip to a downtrodden life!

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 9 February 2008]

Episode 16 of "The New Twilight Zone" on CBS from the 1985 and 1986 season featured three segments "The Elevator", "To See the Invisible Man", and "Tooth and Consequences".

"The Elevator" is a neat spooky little tale about two brothers who decide one night to go to their father's unattended lab with plans to steal his growth serum only a big surprise is in store at the end! "To See the Invisible Man" a man Mitchell Chaplin is sentenced to punishment of many years of being invisible. The reason being was his cold attitude to society it's now like no one notices him a lesson that he learns is he wants another shot to be good in life. Really a neat tale and concept that has a good moral story that teaches life's little lesson of kindness.

"Tooth and Consequences" has a lonely and depressed dentist who's burned out and wanting a new start of life especially with love and romance. Never fear enter the tooth fairy to make all his wishes come true with demanding love, and a room full of patients. Only be careful what you wish for and don't bite off more than you can chew! As happiness and contentment may be found on a train ride to toothless poverty. Really best segment of the episode.

The Twilight Zone - To See the Invisible Man

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 27 August 2016]

"Invisible" is a heart-rending, thought-provoking piece of "what if?" fiction regarding a parallel society that sentences those who might not be actively embracing to those around them ("cold" and "distant") to a year of "invisibility" where a scar on the forehead tells those unencumbered by this "crime" to not communicate or recognize them or else face a sentence themselves. Cotter Smith is the poor soul who thinks being ostracized is great until he realizes what being ignored and unacknowledged means as others treat him as if he were a leper. It's a cruel penalty even as others sentenced like him are unable to speak to each other for fear of extra years. It really gets bad when he can't get medical attention after being hit by a car and has a spotlight put in his face when going to listen to a comic at a club! Question is will he be like others when his sentence is over and ostracize those that are in his previous spot? Speaks a message about recognizing others exist and deserve not to be distanced from. It also questions how we as a society could alienate others deemed unworthy to walk among us. Kind of a relevant and potent message for today's fractured ideological and societal climate.

In "Tooth and Consequences", David Birney is a dentist who is self-loathing, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, desperate for romance (all the girls want to date "lawyers and airplane pilots"), and about ready to commit suicide! He receives a trip from the "tooth fairy" (Kenneth Mars, the great comedian, looking like a bored businessman), literally catching Birney in his arms! Yep, Birney isn't competent enough to string a rope around his light and hang himself! Disastrous results come when Mars actually grants Birney his desires: a fine gal (the cute blond Teresa Ganzel), a blessed dental rep, and a rising clientele. Too bad he tires of all of them quickly! Mars is among all the clients, coming from all over to get that dental treatment from Birney, and eventually he departs totally knowing that yet another dentist is unsatisfied with the wishes he granted. The hop on the trail car, escaping it all, as others (who were also dentists!) do the same is the punchline of this silly farce. Twilight Zone, the revival, much like Tales from the Darkside, has their fair share of comedy tales, but I am kind of partial to the creepier, unsettling, and thought-provoking episodes. I don't mind them if they have their charms: I think this one does.

The middle tale's the one to watch

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 15 May 2015]

The second segment of this episode, TO SEE THE INVISIBLE MAN, has a decent idea behind it and a good execution to boot. It involves a totalitarian society where, as punishment, people are socially ostracised after being branded for their crimes. The protagonist of the story is such a guy, somebody who must come to terms with people passing him by in the street as if he's a literal invisible man.

The story deals with social isolation in a very moving and unforgettable way and there are some great little performances in here too. I particularly liked the twist ending, which is heart-warming in the extreme; this is an episode that gets it just right, a rare beast for this show.

The last story is entitled TOOTH AND CONSEQUENCES; the title alone is stupid so that gives you some idea of the content. The main character is a stressed-out dentist who gets a visit from the magic tooth fairy...I can barely go on. It's just another lame variant of the old "careful what you wish for" story and not even worth the time to watch.

'Invisble Man' is the best

[Gislef · 7/10 · 26 October 2021]

'Tooth Fairy' is one of the rare bad ones for the new series. It doesn't have a point, other than "Be careful what you wish for" and "Be satisfied with what you have". But Birney's character doesn't learn anything from what happens to him, and he doesn't deserve his bad end. Which is two of things Serling put into his stories.

'The Elevator's is more of a horror story than a TZ episode. Granted, some of the new episode were like that ('Gramma', anyone?), but because it isn't really a TZ episode, it's forgettable.

'Invisible Man' is the antithesis of 'Tooth Fairy', which makes their combinations oddly apparent. Cotter Smith is moving as Chapman, the man who basically learns what Birney does: "Be careful what you wish for". Smith's Chaplin was cold, aloof, and isolated, and he learns how bad it is when taken to extremes.

Unlike Birney's character, who ends up in the end as a loser, Chaplin learns from his time as "invisible" and becomes super-caring and compassionate.

The story has flaws. Couldn't anyone predict that an now-visible "invisible man" might become super-compassionate to others who are going through the same thing he did.? And you wonder what the objective of the totalitarian-esque government is? So they want people to become more compassionate? You'd think they would want cold-hearted types like Chaplin originally was. And some of the people, like the guys who hit Chaplin with their car, get away with violating the society edicts against the invisible. Not to mention apparently all the doctors who decided to violate their Hippocratic Oath, and are we supposed to believe the government doesn't care about car thieves if the witness against them is "invisible"? What if the invisible murders someone, or witnesses a murder?

And how does Chaplin pay the rent on his swanky high-rise apartment if he's invisible? For that matter, how does he eat? Does he steal food? How many invisible are there? Do non-invisibles put up up with invisibles stealing from them? Does the government reimburse the victims? I guess it does, since Chaplin has his old job waiting for him after a year of "invisibility". How did the company get by for a year with what seems to be an executive position left open for that long?

But the story is good enough that you don't catch the flaws until a rewatch or three. Which is ironic, because you'll want to rewatch it. Cotter Smith is at the center of it. His performance centers the whole thing, and it wouldn't work without him.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?

Elevator?/Invisibility vs. Compassion/Tooth Hurty!

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 22 April 2017]

This episode barely makes sense. Two brothers come to an old factory, trying to figure out what their scientist father is up to. Apparently, he is involved in some nutrient that can feed the world. Well, he's feeding something. The second episode is the best of the three. It involves a 1984 type society, where crimes against the government can be punished by invisibility, i.e. being branded on the forehead and forcing all citizens to act as though you are not there. There is a slow learning curve for a man who must sustain himself, invisibly, for one year. The results are interesting. The final episode involves a dentist who is visited by the tooth fairy after he starts to commit suicide. He hates being a dentist and must suffer for that. All three are relatively mediocre offerings.

I remember this for "Invisible Man"...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 13 July 2023]

... I don't remember the other two segments at all. I guess that's because "To See the Invisible Man" seemed oddly pro-authoritarian. Maybe nobody would be surprised about that today, but in 1986 it still raised eyebrows, or at least it raised my eyebrows.

Cotter Smith plays a man who is sentenced in some kind of 1984ish (and I don't mean the year) court to a year of invisibility for the crime of coldness - and I don't mean hypothyroidism. He is apparently cold and uncaring to his fellow citizens. The officials put some kind of scarlet letter on his forehead so everybody else in this dystopian world knows not to talk to him or even acknowledge him or else possibly face the same fate. Orbs that float about in the air police the populace.

Now, immediately this opens up...possibilities. First off, if I were him, I'd punch out the cops that were so freely and happily hitting him during sentencing. They can't hit back. Invisible guy does not see that possibility, but he does see some others, like helping himself to all the food you can eat at a cafeteria or the liquor at the liquor store. Funny he doesn't decide to help himself to a luxury car in some car lot or driveway for that matter. But there are drawbacks - like you can't get medical attention if you need it, and that could be fatal. So does he get through the year alive and/or changed ? Watch and find out.

I just found the thing so disturbing - this modern looking world full of good little conformists. Sure it is a society of people who seem to "care" - because they are scared to death to not conform. It is a society of Stepford wives. It's definitely worth watching if you ever get the chance.

To See The Invisible Man is great

[cathieclini · 10/10 · 24 April 2022]

I really liked "To See The Invisible Man", but not the other two stories. It's about a man sentenced to be invisible for a year and learning what it feels like to be completely alone and how to feel for others.

TO SEE THE INVISIBLE MAN IS ONE OF THE BEST EPISODES OF THIS ENTIRE REMAKE

[asalerno10 · 10/10 · 7 July 2022]

THE ELEVATOR is a typical horror suspense story about two friends who enter the abandoned house of a deceased scientist to discover his fantastic experiments, but TO SEE THE INVISIBLE MAN is a masterpiece ahead of its time since you can see a society watched by cameras and drones when these artifacts did not yet exist. It tells the story of a man who is sentenced to 1 year of invisibility for his indolent behavior towards society. The condemnation system is simple, a mark is placed on your forehead and this is enough for everyone to completely ignore you. As time passes, the loneliness, isolation and indifference he receives make him reconsider and recover his human side. The ending is exciting, sobering and unpredictable. A great story, a great script and a great moral. An outstanding episode.

Welcome Back Cotter

[safenoe · 10/10 · 30 November 2023]

Cotter Smith plays Mitchell Chaplin in the segment "To See the Invisible Man" and my review relates to that because I haven't seen The Elevator and Tooth and Consequences. I agree with the other user reviews that To See the Invisible Man has to be one of the best segments in the 80s reboot of The Twilight Zone for sure, as it dealt with the concepts of isolation, punishment, society, recognition and self-respect. The idea of authoritarianism popped up at the end when Mitchell was forced to celebrate his one year release by having drinks with the guards. Mitchell's act of rebellion at the end of inspiring.

Growth Serums, A Mark That Makes You An Outcast, And A Bizarre Tooth Fairy

[pepper_f · 9/10 · 5 January 2024]

"The Elevator" is a pretty decent segment. It involves two young men who are apparently sneaking into their father's laboratory. One of them says their dad is trying to create a special type of food that could solve world hunger. Of course, things take a strange turn when they find giant animals within the lab. Overall, this one was pretty good albeit the ending was a bit silly in my opinion.

"To See the Invisible Man" is easily the best segment of this episode. Its story involves our main character being tried for "coldness" with his punishment being a mark that makes him invisible. At first, he does seem to have fun with this but then he slowly realizes the consequence of his status. The ending to this one is quite powerful and very poignant. For me, this is one of my favorite episodes of the revival so far.

"Tooth and Consequences" is a weird one. It involves our dentist apparently being so depressed because his career is considered a "joke". Once he decides to end it, a random man pops up who is apparently the Tooth Fairy! He grants the man good luck but naturally, this doesn't come to a good conclusion. This story was very bizarre and felt really exaggerated at some points.