Can You Spot All the Iconic Easter Eggs in the First Twilight Zone Trailer?
This is it. The universe has shifted and that mysterious door is opening once more. Watch the new trailer carefully and ask yourself this question. Do you dare cross over into The Twilight Zone?
As you can see, I am a TZ junkie. I own all five seasons on DVD and then bought them again on digital. There didn’t used to be any of these measly 13-episode seasons either. There are 156 episodes spread over the five-year run.
Anytime I treat my friends and family to an impromptu TZ marathon, they are always surprised at how many stars pop up. The anthology series boasted the greatest writing in TV history and attracted stars like Cloris Leachman, Carol Burnett, Elizabeth Montgomery, Burgess Meredith, Robert Redford, Don Rickles, and of course, William Shatner. It should be no surprise, then, that the new version is budding with top talent too. Adam Scott, Allison Tolman, Steven Yeun, Greg Kinnear, Kumail Nanjiani, and holy heck, Tracy Morgan all show up for the party.
I’m not picking up on any threads of actual episode remakes, which is comforting. Jordan Peele is a genius and I’m excited to see his new ideas play out. However, there are plenty of Easter Eggs pack into the preview.
The most obvious is a toy version of the gremlin from “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” washing up on shore after an apparent plane crash. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” may be the most famous Shatner episode, but he also starred in “Nick of Time” about a fortune telling machine with a devil head attached. That guy pops up here and I nearly cheered aloud at my desk. There is also a stopwatch that closely resembles the one that can stop time in “A Kind of Stopwatch.” Lastly, I may be stretching here with some wishful thinking, but someone is wearing surgical gloves that immediately bring back memories of one of the greatest episodes in the show’s history – “The Eye of the Beholder.”
Bonus, we also spot what may be some references to The Shining. Lupita Nyong’o did say the Kubrick classic was on Peele’s list of horror films he asked her to watch before starring in Us. It’s possible he’s influenced by the movie here.
Strange things happen in The Twilight Zone for sure, but it isn’t always bad. Sometimes people make decisions for the better, and there is always a lesson to be learned. If you aren’t familiar with the show, don’t go in expecting Black Mirror-style horror. Be looking for a moral. Before it’s too late.
The Twilight Zone streams on CBS All Access April 1.
Featured Image: The Twilight Zone via CBS
