All the great dictators throughout history have felt the same way. Their reason for being is to expunge the world of whatever doesn't fit their particular point of view, be it evil, religion or an inferior race. They often gain ascendancy on the global stage, only to be thrust back in the face of truth, freedom and liberty. Rod Serling certainly had a lot to say with his stories, sometimes subliminally, and often right out there and in your face. There's no doubt he was confronting communism and the red menace in this installment of The Twilight Zone. The late Fifties and early Sixties were ripe with Commie paranoia, and that theme ran an undercurrent in a number of episodes.
With Oliver Crangle (Theodore Bikel), we have a self absorbed megalomaniac who by his own admission compiles, investigates and judges. Those on the wrong end of his research are railroaded and hounded out of their jobs and positions. I found it rather remarkable that he deemed curiosity and ignorance as damnable traits; the first a stepping stone to success in many fields, the latter a condition that can be remedied by education and experience. Interestingly, Crangle had a bit of both as part of his character.
Don't bother trying to rationalize how Crangle was going to pull off his global sentence on all the subversives of the world. In their approach to arriving at a twist ending, Serling and his writers often disregarded those troublesome details. What's clever is the way the stories brought the viewer along just far enough where you could figure out the ending, and still be surprised by the outcome.
By the way, was it my imagination, or did every time Pete the Parrot chime in, he seemed to be calling Crangle a 'Nut'?
With Oliver Crangle (Theodore Bikel), we have a self absorbed megalomaniac who by his own admission compiles, investigates and judges. Those on the wrong end of his research are railroaded and hounded out of their jobs and positions. I found it rather remarkable that he deemed curiosity and ignorance as damnable traits; the first a stepping stone to success in many fields, the latter a condition that can be remedied by education and experience. Interestingly, Crangle had a bit of both as part of his character.
Don't bother trying to rationalize how Crangle was going to pull off his global sentence on all the subversives of the world. In their approach to arriving at a twist ending, Serling and his writers often disregarded those troublesome details. What's clever is the way the stories brought the viewer along just far enough where you could figure out the ending, and still be surprised by the outcome.
By the way, was it my imagination, or did every time Pete the Parrot chime in, he seemed to be calling Crangle a 'Nut'?