“The Eye of the Beholder” (November 11th 1960) was the sixth episode of season two of the American television show, “The Twilight Zone” (1959-1964). It was written by Rod Serling. It is the one where a woman is in the hospital, her face covered in bandages, and we are about to see whether the doctors have cured her of ugliness.
Spoiler warning: If for some reason you have never seen this one, then please see it before reading the rest of this post. It is currently on YouTube and DVD. They always show it during Twilight Zone marathons – that is how I first saw it.
Our story: A woman is in the hospital, her head completely covered in bandages. It is the middle of the night. She has been in the hospital ten times before, but so far nothing has worked. The bones of her face are beyond the help of plastic surgery. If this 11th procedure does not work, they will send her away to live in a place with others of her kind.
She says she does not want to be segregated, she does not want to live in a ghetto with freaks. All she has ever wanted is to look normal – not even beautiful, just normal. She would rather die than go on living with such a disfigured face.
She demands that the doctor take off the bandages now! She cannot take it anymore!
He does. Way too slowly. When he sees her face he steps back and drops his scissors and says, “No change! No change at all!” The nurses and orderlies are shocked too. And so are we: She looks like a Hollywood beauty!
Then we see the faces of the others, which till now have always been in the shadows of the half-darkened hospital ward: they have disfigured, pig-like faces! All of them!
She fights free and runs down the halls. We see the Great Leader on television screens giving a speech, moving his hands like Hitler:
We know now there must be
a single purpose,
a single norm,
a single approach,
a single entity of people,
a single virtue,
a single morality,
a single frame of reference,
a single philosophy of government.
We must cut out all that is different like a cancer.
She winds up in a room with a man who also suffers from Hollywood Good Looks Syndrome. She asks, “Why do we have to look like this?” He says:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This episode is about more than just the nature of beauty. It is also about racism – the references to segregation, ghettos, Hitler and cutting out “all that is different like a cancer” make that clear. It is about how thinking everyone should be the same – or trying to be like everyone else – is ugly. How we miss the beauty in others and even in ourselves when we look down on or feel uncomfortable about being “different”.
See also:
A great episode, right up there with my favourite:
“It’s A Good Life”.
LikeLike
This was back in the days when even entertainment could and did have some reason, sense and/or idea. Today too often it has none.
LikeLike
Serling was really great at these morality plays. What is interesting is that this aired back in 1960, but today, (over 50 years later) you would never get anything that allegorizes racism so directly on network television.
LikeLiked by 1 person
hmmm, yes this was one of the better episodes, hey did you see that one with the the man of African descent in the first season, called “the big tall wish” a young boy named Henry tells Bolie about his wish, and the magic of belief that made it a reality.
LikeLike
Wow, I just watched this episode for the first time, and it’s quite profound.
And sadly, I feel like I’m living in the Twilight Zone. (I’m not black, but like the lady in the episode, the way I look is deemed unacceptable to many.)
LikeLike
My favorite TV show of all time. And this episode is a classic.
LikeLike
Abagond,
Don’t you think that you are beating a dead horse? How many times are you going to make posts on the beauty or lack their of, black women. Its becoming tiresome.
LikeLike
I must see this episode.
Corina,
I thought the post was about a Twilight Zone episode with a deep message that coincides with the issues of racism, assimiliation, segregation, and fascism. Have you commented on the wrong post, or are you hear to just derail?
LikeLike
@brothawolf
I think it’s both.
The 60’s version was way scarier than the remake to me. I remember screaming when I first watched it on video lol.
Now that I am older I can appreciate all of the messages that was there
LikeLike
I’m also a big fan of “The Obsolete Man” episode which plays like a Broadway drama for it’s staging, lighting, and plot. You almost expect a curtain to close at the ending.
These kind of social issues are never addressed as directly today.
LikeLike
@ Abagond,
You did IT again. And you do IT very well. Props!!
@ Corina
Is someone forcing to you to read so-called “tiresome” posts?
If not, then why are you reading them? Consider reading something not tiresome, elsewhere.
LikeLike
Matari,
I can read and criticize what I want. Myself and many others are tired of people discussing the beauty of black women. You either find black women attractive or you don’t. Its really that simple there are way more pressing issues in the black community that I would like to hear Abagond discuss.
LikeLike
I saw that eposide while staying up late once, I found it intriguing, but the underlying issue imo is Power. My thinking and articulation are a bit pedestrian I admit, but stories like this as well as the whole kanazawa issue are just manifestations of the world’s power disparity. When your group is number one the wealth/power scale, you get to impose your perspective of virtue, beauty, masculinity, feminity, civilization, and “intelligence.” You even get d-riding middleman groups to help you make your arguments. So my thesis is this: We (blacks) need more power, that way, no one who says we’re stupid, queer, immoral, ugly, etc will be taken seriously.
LikeLike
Wow. That was incredible. I was so shocked. I was not expecting that twist. I’ll definitely check out the series.
LikeLike
The original series of The Outer Limits was also excellent. I think that lacking any way to create realistic special effects forced a greater better writing effort. Also, black and white television is always creepier.
LikeLike
louie jacuzzi
So my thesis is this: We (blacks) need more power, that way, no one who says we’re stupid, queer, immoral, ugly, etc will be taken seriously.
I agree that black people need more power, but I don’t think it will have the particular effect you’re naming here. Powerful people are called stupid and immoral all the time and people take it quite seriously – George W. Bush being an easy example. As for ugly, I guess it just stops mattering once you have power; nobody thinks less of Lincoln for having a goblin face. I think being called queer should have roughly the same impact as someone saying you like Pepsi more than Coke, so why worry about it?
LikeLike
The TV shows of the past era did soooo much more with so much less! There’s no color, no props, no gore, but what they did with the lighting was magnificent. We weren’t really focused too much on the fact that the med staff faces were in shadow because we were focused on the covered face of the girl.
Shows of today don’t use those kinds of subtleties anymore, everything is bang and up in your face explosions and full nudity and the like. And they tell us that’s the way we like it.
My issue with the comparison is that this “ghetto” that they would be banished to, doesn’t seem to be a brutal place. If we had complete control over our “ghettoes”, economic and all self determination, then I don’t think it would be so so bad.
Rod Sterling didn’t go far enough with this, IMHO. Or maybe that’s as far as he wanted to go.
LikeLike
@ CORINA, that’s why you must have a good variety of bloggers you subscribe to. It makes no sense to expect Abagond to cater solely to your desires and whims of what to write about. Writing doesn’t work like that. We write about a subject, it’s what’s touching our spirits, and that’s why we are writing about it. Otherwise it’s just parroting others which is without any passion.
You could look through Abagond’s loooong list of archives, and you may find any number of subjects not of black women’s beauty. That way, you get to have another subject, and still have Abagond’s writing which you obviously like.
Anyway, black women and beauty is the man’s specialty! Ask!
LikeLike
Abagond,
wow, thanks for bringing forward the parallels. I remember (passively) watching this episode (in re-run) as a child, back in the day,when televisions had knobs.
I cannot help but wonder: How better equipped to deal with the system of racism/white domination I would’ve been, if the adults around me had explained the multiple racial implications of our viewing entertainment? Lost opportunity.
Have you watched Planet of the Apes…lately? The system of racism/white domination is producing yet another version, to be released this upcoming election year. Not subtle at all.
MinneB
LikeLike
Nv seen a Twilight episode in my life. When did it come off the air?
LikeLike
@ The Cynic
Officially in 1964.
Most of us know it due to the Twighlight Zone marathons
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/twilight-zone-marathon-has-iconic-episodes-1.2574035
LikeLike
I love the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits episodes, and watch the New Year’s Eve/Day marathons on a regular basis. Funny, even after many years of doing so, there will still be an episode or three that I haven’t seen before! 😀
This episode, as well as ‘The Obsolete Man’, were excellent ones – but there were so many, it’s hard to pick an absolute favorite.
LikeLike
@ Awryguy
what is wrong with “your kind” those that make every thing about race you far race your time is coming for you to answer for your evils on the earth, and do something constructive like talk about the THOUSANDS of anti-Black, anti-jewish, anti-women, anti-children, anti-whatever sites and blogs propogated by racist whites? Why don’t you say anything about those?
LikeLike
Good job, Abagond, as usual.
However, how come you never told me you were a waiter? I didn’t realize your purpose as a blogger was to take orders from passerbys who come and go of their own free will.
LikeLike
Corina, again, how is this post about the beauty of black women?
Anyway, it seems like TV had a lot of teachable moments in the past. It wasn’t all about distorting reality for entertainment purposes, or telling the same single stories over and over again.
LikeLike
@awryguy
That was hyperbole I admit, but the effect I was reffering to was being able to tell people what to think of you, or in the extreme case of white europeans/white americans, being able to tell people(groups) what to think of others, or even themselves, and then have people cosign on their inaccurate assessments, as oppossed to the current state of black people, who are apparently, according to other groups, are “what white people say we are.”
LikeLike
Anna Renee,
There was quite of bit of censorship, but the television hierarchy allow more literate , political and self reflection in the dramatic shows. Censorship was like when married couples weren’t allowed to sleep in the same bed.
Everyone should watch Playhouse 90 if some of the surviving shows are rerun.
Also watch some of Fred Friendly’s debate if rerun on PBS. You will see why CBS News was excellent during the 50’s and 60’s.
LikeLike
@Hi Hathor! Glad to meet up with you in this less brutal forum! (You know what I’m talking about, & I apologize to you for how he said it over there. U should visit my blog sometimes)
Now back to the subject here. I noticed that those old shows had husband and wife in separate twin beds, like I Love Lucy for one. Such a strange way to censor. We all thought about how they got it on, looking at those twin beds. It didn’t censor our thoughts…
It would be interesting to watch old news or debates on TV. Maybe I can find something online.
LikeLike
@Ankhesen–he did say 500 words a day on WHATEVER I WANT, didn’t he? Ha ha! 😉
LikeLike
I would recommend you try to get your hands on some non-American films. Every now and again there are some American films that are like what you described, but nowadays they are few and far between. Most are all about action and special effects. I recommend European and especially East Asian and South East Asian films. One film that springs to mind (though is more about the subtlety of attraction and demonstrating it) is The Road Home.
LikeLike
@Iris–Thanks for the tip!
LikeLike
Very dark it is.
LikeLike
To King:
Serling was really great at these morality plays. What is interesting is that this aired back in 1960, but today, (over 50 years later) you would never get anything that allegorizes racism so directly on network television.
The TV show “True Blood” has a number of cross references to racism and homophobia even using scenes from the Civil Rights movement in the opening clips. It also has a fair number of naughty scenes with attractive women, but of course I watch it only for the social commentary.
LikeLike
@ Uncle Milton
True Blood’s references aren’t (in my opinion) as strong as Serling’s work. A better example to use would have been Marvel’s X-Men Comic, which was a blatant allegory of the Black Civil Rights Movement. Just replace Black People with Mutants. Replace Professer Xavier with his non-violent approach for mutants (blacks) gaining equality, with MLK. And replace Magneto’s violent approach for mutants (blacks) gaining equality, with Malcom X. Not to mention picketing, discrimination, and special racial slurs being thrown at mutants.
(Speaking of which. Watching white comic book fans’ reaction to the creator admitting this, a few decades after its huge success, was pretty funny…)
LikeLike
Franklin:
A better example to use would have been Marvel’s X-Men Comic, which was a blatant allegory of the Black Civil Rights Movement. Just replace Black People with Mutants.
I was actually going to cite the X-men movie I just saw… ( I mean Mystique saying “mutant and proud” is pretty obvious and I agree about the analogies of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X..) but King specifically referred to network television as having no such references.
LikeLike
@ Uncle Milton
f
Forgive me, I’m not up on “True Blood” so I can’t say either way. But Serling’s “Eye or the Beholder” and Oliver Crawford’s “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” [Star Trek] were both amazing examples of racial morality plays of the time. I personally have not seen the like.
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield
LikeLike
To King:
were both amazing examples of racial morality plays of the time. I personally have not seen the like…
I would agree with Franklin that True Blood (and I suspect that you would find that True Blood has it’s flaws..) is more subtle but then again racism is also more subtle than the 1960s.
LikeLike
@ Uncle Milton
Whoooooa, almost misread that. I was about to say Milton, “I know you like downplaying white racism, but c’mon man…” If you take offense to that “sorry”, but that’s just the way you come off.
LikeLike
The 2002 Twilight Zone that Forest Whitaker hosted also did a version of this episode, with Molly Sims as the woman, Reggie Hayes as the doctor, and Roger Cross as the dictator. In case you didn’t know, Sims is white and Hayes and Cross are black. HAve you seen this one? If so, any thoughts?
That show also had an episode that was kind of like Watermelon Man, where a racist white man is turned black (played by Hill Harper) and feels what that’s like.
As for other allegorical stories, there’s an episode of the newer Outer Limits called The Grell about an alien race that gets enslaved by humans. And like the above episode, the bigot main character gets turned into one of the aliens and starts to see things from their side.
LikeLike
This was also one of favorite episodes and I remember watching it even before they had twilight zone marathons.
Indeed, this seems to have been a common affliction back in the 50s and 60s. I hardly see anyone who suffers from this anymore. 😛
LikeLike
Oh my goodness that was one of my favorite episodes.
LikeLike
I can see how this Twilight Zone episode is parallel to Why are black women thought of as ugly meme. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
LikeLike
The Obsolete Man is a good one Burgess Merideth was a great actor. Another good episode is The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. It was way ahead of it’s time.How humans depend on technology.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This madness of what’s attracitve and what’s not is still ruling in our society.
LikeLike
True Blood reminds me of racial profiling.
LikeLike
Happy New Year Abagond watching my New Year’s Twilight Zone marathon, one of the best one among many is It’s A Good Life with Billy Mummy, who is a horrible little monster named Anthony who wishes away the things he doesn’t like into the corn field. I wish I could have Anthony’s powers and wish all the racist trolls and especially Xpraetorius and Christopher Columbus to the cornfield or some alternate universe where we wouldn’t have to be bothered by them.
LikeLike
This episode of Twilight Zone, Number 12 Looks Just Like You, should be a companion piece to Eye Of The Beholder, this episode is was back in the 60’s and is relevant today. Women’s beauty and how they have to be transformed to be accepted into society. They have to go through a process called Transformed. To be accepted today women must come from planet beautiful, to be accepted in todays society.
LikeLike