The Twilight Zone (1.3) - "It's All Just Particles Unfolding the Way They Are Destined To"

That quote epitomizes the third episode of The Twilight Zone. It is – in part – a story about fate. It starts out simply and quickly enough. The story immediately establishes the magic of a video camera that when you rewind on the recording, it rewinds real time for the person pressing it. The video camera is in the hands of Nina Harrison as she takes her son to his first year of college. After she starts to watch tragedy unfold in front of her, she does everything in her power (and the video camera’s) to stop it. Like many of The Twilight Zone episodes of previous iterations, this episode starts with a science fiction premise and spins it out to say something about society writ large. However, “Replay” tells an age-old story in a way rarely seen on television. It is certainly one of fate, but also one of historical trauma and resilience.

Admittedly, I do not have the confidence (or the arrogance) to imagine that I could do “Replay” justice in this recap, or even lend a perspective akin to that expressed in the show. But I also know just how much there is worth reflecting on and discussing from the work of director Gerard McMurray (Burning Sands, The First Purge), writer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, and the performances from Sanaa Nathan (Nina Harrison), Damson Idris (Dorian Harrison), and more. There is a lineage of African American history that runs through this episode, especially around that of African American mothers. Nina’s paranoia is visceral. The instigating event that causes her to willingly rewind the camera to try again is an interaction with a white police officer that turns deadly each time. However, each time it starts innocuously enough. The first time, Dorian gets pulled over for speeding. The second time, it’s a result of a pseudo-noise complaint at the hotel he and his mother are staying at. (At this point, it’s apparent that the officer is going to find them no matter where they go, he will always find a reason to interact with them – seemingly both a play on the idea of fate and the institution of policing itself). The third time, Nina is the one who escalates the interaction when the officer challenges her ownership of her expensive car. This ends with Dorian grabbing his phone to show him the pink slip and the officer grabbing his gun. These are all just details of the story though. Where The Twilight Zone finds a way to tell the story in a raw way is utilizing the video camera. Each time she hits rewind, Nina knows that she is going to have to try and escape the inevitable escalation of the interaction with the police officer. It is reliving the trauma over and over in an attempt to master the trauma. This is all deliberate. It is a literal and figurative representation of the pain experienced by African Americans throughout this country’s history at the hands of various types of trauma. In “Replay” it is police violence, but as Nina bands together with her brother to try and find a way to escape her son’s fate, it’s clear that there is a history at play. A history of oppression and one seemingly only mitigated through the collective power of African Americans coming together.

It is also at this point where the remnants and open wounds of historical trauma give way to the resiliency of African Americans. United States history bears this out at every turn, and it’s on full display in “Replay.” When Nina finally tells Dorian about the video camera and trying to escape this reality, Dorian suggests the only alternative: going to his Uncle Neil’s house. Going home, embracing her past, and asking for help finally unlocks something in Nina. With the help of her brother and the power in unity among family and fellow students at the university fate is narrowly avoided. The counterintuitive aspect of the notion of ‘escaping fate’ is not lost on the episode though as it ends.

At its heart, and at the heart of nearly every great Twilight Zone episode from this iteration and past ones, is a compassion and love for humanity. Even in its most cynical and piercing moments, the show not only demonstrates care for its characters but their psychology. In “Replay” the humanity on display is one that has largely been relegated to the margins of both television and film. It is a story that even in its most heavy-handed moments felt so fresh and raw for the medium that begs for reflection. “Replay” is a story about particles unfolding the way they were destined to. It is a story about a mother who would give anything so her child would have more chances than she had. It is a story about being black in America. It is a story of tragedy and triumph. It is a story that challenges more than it comforts. More than ever, we are collectively having conversations about representation in media. Having these conversations must involve coming to terms with the way media has historically been structured in the United States. Implicit in that are explorations of what stories are told and why. These conversations have been and will continue to be both necessary and often messy. While that discussion should never be staked on a single piece of art, television episodes such as “Replay” push audiences toward reflection and communication around these topics. It is a story whose elements have been around for generations of African Americans. Just as the difference near the end of the episode was the many cameras turned on the police officer’s actions, that is what makes the difference now as stories centering the perspective of African Americans becomes more prominent in wider media. By continuing to add and amplify the voices of marginalized populations in media, not only is art made better but we are too.