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The new Twilight Zone is riddled with references and easter eggs to the original series
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for nods to several classic episodes.
Image: CBS All Access
A new Twilight Zone is here. The latest iteration of The Twilight Zone has gotten mixed reviews, both from critics and people here in the office after a little screening party, but one thing is undeniable about the 2019 version — it is deeply reverential of the original.
In his sharp suit and speech inflection, Jordan Peele is essentially doing Rod Serling cosplay. The opening title sequence features an eyeball, opening door and window. And, of course, the second episode, "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet," is a remake of perhaps the most well known Twilight Zone episode of them all, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" featuring William Shatner.
If you pay close attention, the new episode also references many other episodes from the black-and-white anthology series. Without giving too much away, let's take a closer look at some of the easter eggs.
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1. Northern Goldstar Airline
At the end of the original "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," as Shatner is being carried off the airplane, the stairs leading down to the tarmac read Gold Star Airways. The action in "30,000 Feet" takes place aboard Northern Goldstar Airlines Flight 1015. Why the added Northern? Perhaps that will be revealed later.
Image: CBS All Access
2. Whipple Technology
Adam Scott's character, a journalist named Justin Sanderson, discovers an anachronistic MP3 player in the pocket of his economy seat. The device sports a "Whipple" logo on the back. No, this is not a reference to the "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" guy, Mr. Whipple. It's a nod to "The Brain Center at Whipple's," one of the later episodes of The Twilight Zone from 1964. That tale centered around a Midwestern manufacturer named Wallace V. Whipple who used automation in his factory. Apparently, it paid off. Half a century later, it's a big tech company.
Image: CBS All Access
3. Rodman Edwards
Sanderson listens to a podcast called Enigmatique, hosted by a man named Rodman Edwards. That would be a cheeky reference to Rodman Edward Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone.
Image: CBS All Access
4. Flight 107 and Flight 22
At the start of the podcast, Rodman Edwards explains that previous episodes of Enigmatique have explored the mysteries of "Global Airlines Flight 107 from Buffalo" and "Transeast Airlines Flight 22 from Miami Beach." If these smell like obvious references to old Twilight Zone episodes, that it because they certainly are. The Buffalo flight is referring to "The Arrival," season three, episode two, that begins with the arrival of an eerily empty airplane. The latter bit is a nod to "Twenty-Two," from season two, in which a hospitalized dancer Liz Powell is haunted by the number 22, ending in an airline disaster. Actually, there a lot of that episode's DNA in "30,000," as Sanderson continually comes across the number 1015.
Image: CBS All Access
5. Danzburg Magazine
Before he boards the flight, Sanderson meets a fan at a newsstand in the airport terminal. The magazine rack behind the two is covered with references to other Twilight Zone episodes, both old and new. We were particularly drawn to Danzburg Magazine. The season four episode "Printer's Devil" was a Faustian tale with Burgess Meredith as the devil. It revolved around two papers — The Danzburg Courier and The Danzburg Gazette.
Image: CBS All Access
6. King Nine
Look at the smaller headlines on the cover of Danzburg Magazine. One reads: "Airlines Under Review Following King Nine Scandal." Yep, another classic Twilight Zone about an ill-fated flight. That would be "King Nine Will Not Return," the season two premiere. Oh, and the kid on the cover? Oliver Foley? That could well be a reference to "Nightmare as a Child," which featured a main character named Helen Foley.
Image: CBS All Access
7. Beaumont
The suspicious character played by Chris Diamantopoulos that IMDb calls "The 'Pilot'" (in a bit of a spoiler) is named "Joe Beaumont." This could well be a reference to Charles Beaumont, the brilliant science-fiction writer who saw many of his stories transformed into Twilight Zone episodes.
Image: CBS All Access
8. Donner
Captain Donner pilots Northern Goldstar Flight 1015. It's a subtle shout-out to director Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies), who helmed the original episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Nice!
Image: CBS All Access
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4 Comments
1. When tracey morgan shows up at the bar and the dude that had just bombed is like where have u been...u just disappeared. Then morgan talks the guy into possibly giving everything to have everything. Before it was official he made him really think about it.... Well it Kindve reminded me of the episode where jack klugman really wants to play fats in a game of pool and before klugman sinks the winning shot he tells him to be sure cuz he knoes hell take his place in the afterlife at the table.
2. The way he thinks of people he didnt like and puts them in his act so theyll disappear made me think of the kid.. will mumy.. in "its a good life" sending folks away with his mind.
3. The way he agrees but doesnt really understand all of the issues hell face by changing things is a theme tz revisited lots but the one that REALLY sticks out was "of late i think of cliffordville". Idk maybe its because the beauty julie newmar played Ms Devlin idk thats just the one that sticks out.
So i guess i was reading too much into it....lol silly me i guess.
