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The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 36

A World of His Own

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9.0

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AIRED: 7/1/60

A playwright makes characters come to life.

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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

Man finds himself in a place he doesn't recall and no ones around.

9.0

By leebrown1990, Nov 13, 2009

I can see already why this is the classic. The cinematography was phenomenal, the use of shadow, the way they framed the chracter to make him looked trapped, but showed that 'box' in a wide open space. Really clever stuff, and all linked to the final twist, which isn't the kind of shock like you'd get from an EC comic, it's been subtely hinted at throughout. Truely unerving storyline and shocking ending, perfect Sci-Fi ending in that it asks as mnay questions as it answers. Perhaps a bit slow at times, but added to the feeling of seclusion so I can easily let it go, as it gave me time (30mins I didn't think would be enough)to really invest in the chracter

Top notch.moreless
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Absolutely Fantastic!

10

By LOSTismylife, Dec 31, 2007

In my opinion, A World Of His Own, is a very wonderful and memorable classic episode of The Twilight Zone. The plot was outstanding; I just love the story. It's always been one that interests me. And I love the ending; it's one of the coolest endings to an episode, because it's just so different. This, to my knowledge, is the only episode in which Rod Serling actually interacts with the characters. It was so cool that he had the conversation with Mr. West. I loved it when Mr West burnt the tape and Rod disappeared saying, "Well that's the way it goes." And then his closing narraration ends with, "Leaving Mr. Gregory West, still shy, quiet, very happy-and apparently in complete control of the Twilight Zone." This will always be a memorable episode for me.moreless
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Stranger than Fiction

10

By sh811a, Oct 24, 2007

Whenever we watch a movie/TV show, or even a book/graphic novel say "Sailor Moon", "Lord of the Rings, "Indiana Jones", "Twilight Zone" you name it, it's not just some work of fiction we are seeing but a whole different world we are seeing and everything we are reading and seeing doesn't just feel real but is real depending on how much we believe in it. This is another one of my favorate episode which may have be a slight influnce on a lot of other works one most notablely the film "Stranger than Fiction". What's interesting about this whole episode is it's truely formated like a play. The whole episode takes place mainly in one set, there are minimum special effects, and only three characters throghout the whole play that do nothing but conversation but that's what makes this episode so great.

It gets at the power of fiction how whatever we create from imagination truely becomes real, has a life of it's own. As well as our common need to find a significant other and take control of one's life.

Gregory West character I can easily emphisize with because in a strange way he actually reminds me of myself in real life (not to mention in the same career I'm in writing). We see in real life he is as the begining narrative states, shy, quiet, sort of passive agressive, a bit indessive and insecure about certain things, but most of all sort of sad in a way and lonely. It's interesting how he states what he does and how he made the character Mary he had in his house for a long while a reality. From the way he approaches it it feels believable, shame that can't be done in real life. Anyway, it's just an example of the power of fiction, how Greg has truely created a living entity from his own imagination that he has made into a reality. But we see like most of us he desires a significant other, and not just one that is beautiful on the outside but most of all inside. His wife Victoria indeed is all wrong for him, she is emotionally distant in a way, shallow and worst of all dominering (which is always a turn off for me). In a way it's always a common thing most of us might suffer from when we fall in love with the wrong person. As it is said before the significant other that we desire is never anyone we make up with specifics but it's more of a feeling, a feeling we long for. Mary is indeed the right person for him, despite only brief moments with her, she seems to be a character that has warmth, feelings, and seems to listen and understand Greg best. Greg soon further in the conversation realizes his mistake when he knows that the wife Victoria is everthing he thought he wanted but not what who he really needed. Of course he then soon takes control and corrects his mistake and winds up with the right person in the end.

Fiction and Love are both powerful things that hold the power to make anything we dream of if we work and believe hard enough can truely become a reality.moreless
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I Love This Episode!

10

By The7thDoctor, Nov 27, 2005

This is my all-time favorite episode of the entire series. I absolutely love it. It is the one and only episode that not only has a happy ending, it has a FUNNY ending. There are maybe a couple other episodes that have a happy ending, but this one is by far the best of them all.

I tell people about this one all the time, and whenever I do, they discover that they've never seen it.

I wish Sci-Fi Channel would air it in its entirety, but no such luck. I'd love to be able to get it on video, but it's on a DVD with two or three episodes that are not on my list of favorites.

I still watch it every chance I get, and I eagerly await the Sci-Fi Channel Marathon whenever they show it and include this one.moreless
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Very very good episode, I think one of the best. One of the better stories as well.

10

By kpride7290, Aug 16, 2005

Very very good episode, I think one of the best. One of the better stories as well. The interaction with the main charecter and the host was a good idea, and I like the use of the tape recorder. She was an idea, they all were, makes you wonder if we are too...
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Rod Serling	Narrator/Host
Keenan Wynn	Gregory West

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Phyllis Kirk	Victoria West	Guest Star
Mary La Roche	Mary	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (4)
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- Gregory: You've got to believe me, Victoria. People in my plays do come alive. I've seen hem, I've talked to them, I've even shaken hands with them.
  Victoria: You even made love to them, remember?
  Gregory: Yes… I mean no!
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- Rod Serling: We hope you enjoyed tonight's romantic story on The Twilight Zone. At the same time, we want you to realize that it was, of course, purely fictional. In real life, such ridiculous nonsense-
  Gregory West: Rod you shouldn't! I mean, you shouldn't say things as "nonsense" and "ridiculous."
  (Gregory throws a piece of tape labeled 'Rod Serling' into the fireplace.)
  Rod Serling: Well that's the way it goes.
  (Rod disappears)
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- (Closing Narration)
  Narrator: Leaving Mr. Gregory West, still shy, quiet, very happy - and apparently in complete control of the Twilight Zone.
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- (Opening Narration)
  Narrator: The home of Mr. Gregory West, one of America's most noted playwrights. The office of Mr. Gregory West. Mr. Gregory West - shy, quiet, and at the moment very happy. Mary - warm, affectionate...And the final ingredient - Mrs. Gregory West.
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NOTES (4)
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- This episode marks the series' first on-camera appearance of Rod Serling.
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- Included on volume 43 of Image-Entertainment's DVD collection.
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- The episode in syndication, at least on the SciFi Channel as of 2001, cuts the sequence where West creates an elephant to stop Victoria from leaving. The cut is abrupt and quite noticeable. According to The Twilight Zone Companion they went to great lengths to get an elephant.
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- In the final scene, as Serling begins to make his ending voiceover narration, the character actually starts to interact with him.
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