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The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 14

Examination Day

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/1/85

In the far future, twelve-year-old Dickie must take the government intelligence test.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

A M. Night Shyamalan kind of story.

10

By twilightboy, Jan 02, 2013

It is the future and society has advanced by leaps and bounds, but everything is not perfect, at least not by our today's standards. Children when turn 12 have to take a government test to see how smart kids are and it seems as a very important part of this society's working mechanism. I love the acting of the boy here, he looks so naive not knowing what is going to happen as the show unfolds.

This episode is another critic to today's society in which who ever thinks differently is outcasted or killed by any means.

Twisted ending, I so hate it!moreless
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Realistic and true-to-life.

10

By shilllsing, Apr 20, 2011

Intelligent people in society are outcast and killed. Simpletons will not tolerate people that know and speak the truth. That's the horror of "Examination Day", its a direct and straight-forward tale of how things really are. For example, its funny how you are encouraged to be examined for things (check-ups) and yet you are doused with radiation to look for problems, when the real problem is the ionizing radiation damaging your molecular structure. Sure, it won't kill you today, it'll just slowly eat away at you on an undetectable level with no proof of the murder inflicted upon you.moreless
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The Twilight Zone has always been freaky, this is a great example why this show is so interesting.

9.0

By scottjoc, May 19, 2006

A Kid takes an intelligence test - the way they plot the episode makes you think that showing too low would mean death but like my fellow reviewer(s) have pointed out it is role reversal. You score too high and you are terminated.

It\'s freaky... catches you off gaurd and makes you think \'Why did the parents let him get this smart in the first place if they knew about the termination bit?\' but then again in a society that outlaws great intelligence that\'s no suprise they weren\'t smart enough to prevent it.

The death of the kid was obvious from the get go but i didn\'t expect how they executed it.moreless
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Kid of the future takes an intelligence test.

8.0

By mikegarrigan, Dec 27, 2005

This episode was down right creepy.

In a city of the future, children are required to take an intelligence test at the age of twelve. This is classic Twilight Zone switch-a-roo.

One would think that if the kid didn't score high enough, that something bad would happen. The reverse was true in this case. If the kid scored too high, he was exterminated.

This particular episode reminded me of the classic tale when the woman had facial surgery in the hopes of becoming "normal." In the end, she appeared normal, but the doctors looked all messed up. This was the same kind of role reversal.

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Christopher Allport	Richard Jordan	Guest Star
Elizabeth Norment	Ruth Jordan	Guest Star
Ed Krieger	Clerk #1	Guest Star

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NOTES (4)
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- No ending or opening narration.
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- Two other Twilight Zone episodes have been inspired by Henry Slezar's stories "The Old Man in the Cave" (Season 5, episode 127) and "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" (Season 5, episode 136).
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- This episode is only 10 minutes.
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- This episode is based on the short story "Examination Day", by Henry Slesar. The story was first published in Playboy (February, 1958).
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