The Lateness Of The Hour - Twilight-Tober Zone

"The Lateness of the Hour" was the first of six episodes shot on video tape instead of film in an attempt to cut costs during the second season, but does this jarringly different look affect the quality of the episode? Join us in the Twilight-Tober Zone.
Does this episode deserve to be left in The Twilight Zone?
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"The Lateness of the Hour" is episode 44 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on December 2, 1960 on CBS.
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[@naughtycicero1460]

I was going to say that the twist would obviously be that the daughter was a robot too, but it seems like Rod anticipated the audience to catch on to that. So he added a second twist to make the episode more Twilight Zone-esque.

[@cdorman11]

Or a cautionary tale to willful children

[@nathanielgarza9198]

I actually did not caught on until they were set off by the grandchildren comment

[@bunnywithakeyboard7628]

Back when you could have phrases like “animal sounds of pleasure” in a show and everyone understands it’s PG.

[@trinaq]

Yep, the early 60's were surely a different time!

[@rogue7723]

Yeah, she’s _obviously_ referring to the sound American Bullies make when they’re happy. 😋

[@theruddyone6443]

i still found it disturbing. You cant defend that if someone hears it from across the house

[@Tredis92]

In a way, you could see Jana being reprogrammed as a maid, taking care of the needs of her "mother", as how some parents literally only have children as a way to be taken care of when they are older.

[@JoseJoseC626]

What makes it more messed up is she gained sentience and spent whatever time she had before the reprogramming afraid, confused, and horrified and that's how she spent her only moments of clarity before being essentially killed and turned into a blank slate

[@legomaniac213]

The only thing that would have made the 2nd twist even worse is if it was revealed that it had been a fate shared by all the other robots, hence why the Doctor and his wife were so reluctant to get rid of them...

[@Fordo007]

A final ‘family album’ would’ve been awesome at selling that twist.

[@blueroses4112]

The first twist I could see coming without much difficulty, but the second one… OOOF! It really shows how selfish the “parents” were in valuing their personal comfort over even the semblance of a loving family.

[@blueroses4112]

@555 Craps One would think the parents would feel grief or remorse that the daughter they created and lived with for who knows how many years needed to be repurposed this way. The mom at least seems quite pleased to have on-demand massages once again. How... convenient.

[@melissacooper8724]

Why was it that they made a robot daughter? If they couldn't conceive couldn't they just adopt?

[@vincegamer]

@@melissacooper8724 they could... if they weren't robots themselves!

[@vincegamer]

@@blueroses4112 how do you know they had her for years? Her childhood memories were implanted. Maybe she was born yesterday

[@melissacooper8724]

@@vincegamer I never thought about the couple being robots too! Now that's a real twist!

[@wstine79]

"Those constant animal grunts of pleasure" has to be my favorite line in the episode.

[@trinaq]

Mine too, such an underrated quote!

[@cdorman11]

Sentient androids act so superior.

[@trinaq]

This is one of the best "Tomato in the Mirror" episodes, wherein the protagonist is not who they appear to be. I had a feeling that Jana might be a robot long before it was revealed, and Inger Stevens did a great job, despite the mediocre staging.

[@alexanderbering7845]

What's Tomato in the Mirror?

[@eliben4066]

@@alexanderbering7845 This is the first time I heard this word too, but it’s stories where we assume the protagonist is human, but the plot twist changes that, so like “The Hitchhiker” or “Third from the Sun”. There might be a difference tho, since in the latter, the protagonist already know who they are

[@freakyfriesday]

I actually really like this episode! The second twist caught me off guard the first time

[@HurQlez]

The videotape filmmaking makes it look like: The Daytime Twilight Zone or The Twilight Zone LIVE!

[@oliverdelica2289]

Haha 😂

[@Music--ng8cd]

The Twilight of Her Life, brought to you by Proctor & Gamble

[@randymarthins3473]

Looks like "Dark Shadows"

[@drewo.127]

Twilight Zone! (Filmed in front of a live studio audience)

[@claytonrios1]

Plus that reveal with the maid was certainly one of my favorite kinds of twist endings in this show. With all of the unsettling implications that entails.

[@milestrombley1466]

I think the parents actually don't love their robot daughter. They built her only to have the pleasure of having a daughter. Having pleasure with theie creations is all they cared about.

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

Exactly. If you truly love your child, you'll not only be there for them for the good moments, but for the bad ones as well. If they really loved her, they would've put in the "effort" to try to console and reassure her that she was still their daughter in spite of what she leared about herself. But since that would've required a lot of "time" and "work" on their part, they just chose the easy route, and had her reprogrammed and renamed out of convenience.

[@suralos]

Perhaps the most unsettling part about being revealed to be NOT A HUMAN is just how many other times they went to this trope.

[@johnnygunzfilmbuff7821]

I wrote an essay about this episode for a sci-fi class I took at college.

[@kevinlane1219]

There’s a class for science-fiction?

[@johnnygunzfilmbuff7821]

@@kevinlane1219 yup. We talked about a.i. being the way of the future and how it can have a negative impact on society

[@partyelixir1265]

@@johnnygunzfilmbuff7821 I wish all schools had that (but, if they did that would be the only class kids would want to be in and just wait the entire day for it)

[@random22026]

Considering Inger Stevens's own fate, this episode is a treble tragedy. I concur with you, Walter.

[@drewo.127]

Wait, what happened to her IRL?

[@random22026]

​ @drewo.127 Thought the Wiki bio might come clean, but no: they still did her dirty: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inger_Stevens What you are searching for is the final period of her life. She was victimized by those in 'The Industry', for her interracial relationship--which this bio takes a snipe at, stating that she 'hid' the relationship out of 'fear it would hurt her career'. LIE. That she committed 'suicide' is ALSO FALSE--although we leave that one to the Law of Karma to sort itself out. She was a fantastic actress. Treat yourself to the haunting film, 'The World, The Flesh and The Devil', which foreshadows Stevens' interracial love.

[@noahcove79]

Can twist makes me wonder if any of the other robots were in fact originally built as children and reprogrammed which would add to the reason why the father character wouldn't want to dismantle them as he still has some feelings toward them potentially even why he reprogrammed his daughter at the end instead of just dismantling her it's twisted but they still care enough to keep them

[@teresasevy1563]

None of the robots, including Jan, were ever children. They were built to be adults. They are aware enough to not want their "essence" ended, even seem offended at being discarded.

[@noahcove79]

@@teresasevy1563 not referring to them as children in the sense of little people I was referring to them as children as in the children of the inventor and his wife daughter and sons

[@teresasevy1563]

@@noahcove79 my mistake

[@noahcove79]

@@teresasevy1563no Problem probably could have worded it better

[@partyelixir1265]

Ohh hearing that just make everything ten times worse (in a good way)

[@jessetorres8738]

This is 1 of the few episodes that genuinely makes me sad every time I watch it.

[@LucyLioness100]

The twist about Jana was really tragic when she found out what she was. Plus John Hoyt brings sincerity to his sadness at having to tell his ‘daughter’ the truth & then making that painful choice to repurpose her. Yeah the staging and some of the other actors aren’t great, but I don’t get taken out thanks to Inger Stevens and John Hoyt with a decent script

[@playfulpanthress]

What if the staging was clunky on purpose? Majority of the cast is playing as robots, including the daughter though she doesn’t know. The blocking could have been part of showing how the robots are amazingly close, but don’t quite behave like humans. I’m not sure if the acting wasn’t great or also a direction to be off the human model.

[@cdorman11]

"painful choice to repurpose her" Better than being sent to the spice mines of Kessel, or smashed into who knows what.

[@LucyLioness100]

@@cdorman11 well we never find out how they destroyed the robots. Maybe they were the ones who got smashed into smithereens?

[@baditude41]

Personally, I loved this episode because: - The video taping visibly brought the episode into the uncanny valley, making it scarier - Although the daughter wasn't the best character, I could understand her desire to live a normal life - The twist, reaction and double twist, made this one of the most memorable to me

[@ronaldeliascorderocalles]

The look of this episode makes me think I'm watching an old episode of Doctor Who without The Doctor.

[@ScaryStoriesNYC]

I really love this episode, I don't have any of the problems with it that you have. The ending is SICK. Being on video makes it creepier.

[@wstine79]

The "Shot on Tape" episodes were still good despite the image quality. This episode still had a good story to carry along and didn't need a grand look. I always expect the Doctor and Jamie to show up in these taped episodes.

[@averageant7173]

The Whole Truth is the worst of the taped episodes. The visual quality is awful and the twist is lame and doesn’t hold up considering they used a current event type twist so it’s one of the few Twilight zone episodes that doesn’t hold up through time

[@fromthesidelines]

The overall look of the taped episodes is a cross between "PLAYHOUSE 90" {which CBS cancelled the previous season; the final episode was Rod's "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"} and a daytime soap opera [which the network started to tape at Television City with "THE CLEAR HORIZON" (1960-'62)].

[@DracoMagnius]

I wasn't familiar with the episode, but I called that twist from a mile away. The second twist however twisted my stomach. How absolutely vile.

[@ck5071]

I will also say this probably has the darkest ending in my memory. That includes “it’s a good life” and “people are alike all over” They essentially killed their “daughter” and turned her into a slave. Including pleasure giver. J F C Sure one can argue she was always a slave in a sense. But she went from having personality and agency to an automaton.

[@lonelysith66]

The videotaped episodes are a guilty pleasure for me. It makes me feel like looking at old soap operas.

[@melissacooper4282]

I don't think the doctor and his wife really loved their "daughter" Jana. She was only created for the purpose of being completely obedient and never question anything. They knew that having a child naturally or adoption would result in rebellion against their authority. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way with Jana. That was why that the doctor reprogramed her as a maid.

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

I honestly think they just viewed her as a pet. But when this "pet" got too much to handle, and would require "effort" on their part to calm her down after finding out the truth, they just took the easy way out to shut her up, which clearly shows how they really felt about her in spite whatever they told her prior to that twist.

[@julieporter7805]

The video tape episodes almost look like early stage plays. Inger Stevens makes this episode. I absolutely love her breakdown when she realizes the truth.

[@oranmccann2476]

The videotape look of this reminds me of the classic black and white serials of Doctor Who

[@LilyBannel]

That double twist is cruel. Like if Nora Wakeman did that to Jenny....probably in some sick Zone Toon animation or Dr. Ochanomizu did that to Astro Boy...again Zone might make that. I like the idea that the robots have some self-awareness. Makes one feel bad for their plight. The VHS debacle is rather jarring on marathoning the series but the stories were still well acted and interesting. Can't wait for the murder grandma. Thank you for this one, sir.

[@samrobacker346]

One of my favorite kinda not known comics (that got made into a bad bad movie in '07) is The Clockwork girl. The story about a, well clockwork girl made by a steampunk doctor. Who so doesn't see her as human he doesn't even name her. On the flip side of town the most well known bio- engineerest sciencests has a son: a sort of animalistic Frankenstein who, to the doctors worry, is rowdy and a bit of a sass-mouth. He often seems to be threatening the boy with locking him up, which seems abusive on the surface, in reality he's simply projecting his fears and worries about how the town might react if the boy doesn't start behaving more (the one time he actual dose lock the boy in it's more like grounding). He even let him enter his own experiment into town talent show. Then during the climax the doctors fear and worry is explained farther as it turns out the Frankenstein-boy has a heart condition originally needed two hearts, having spent what equals to his early childhood as really sick due to one heart not cutting it. And I would just hate if the story didn't allow the clockwork doctor to change. By the end of it he at least addresses the girl by name.

[@JoshuaRastia]

I actually kind of like how this episode looks recorded on video tape instead of film. It kinda gives the story a more soap opera vibe, giving the acting and the plot twist an almost uncanny valley feel which i think fits the tone really well and i really enjoy for this episode

[@TheAlan136]

I always wondered why it looked super shitty for a few episodes. But aside from how bad it looks, I love the twist ending. I figured out she was probably a robot early on but I never expected they would turn her into a maid. That was cold blooded and I loved it.

[@HououMinamino]

Despite being shot on videotape, I love this episode. The anguish that Jana goes through is heartbreaking, though I could see it coming. The second twist...that was sickening. I wonder if the couple reactivated the other robots after they turned her into a maid. I always got the feeling that the deactivation was temporary until they could figure out a solution for Jana. After all, if they turned their daughter into a maid, they would have no problem rebuilding/reactivating the other servants. Plus, they seemed to view the robots as living beings, so it would make sense to me that they wouldn't have been completely destroyed. Also, I think of this episode every time I have the thermostat set at 72 degrees. "Isn't it 72 degrees?" "The optimum temperature."

[@brianban110]

this episode sounds more like it'd be a black mirror story. You know with cruel twist ending

[@genjibenkei]

It’s one of my favorites! I was like 12 or 13 years old when I watched this amazing show for the first time, and I didn’t even notice the difference in visual quality between the videotaped episodes and the rest. Maybe I was so invested in the characters, the stories and the twists.

[@RoyInverse]

i actually like how these look, back in the day my mom watched a lot of soap operas so maybe thats why its not that noticeable to me and instead gives me a feel of familiarity.

[@RRyleM]

I think this episode is still one of the greats. Maybe because I first saw it as a KZbin bootleg, I didn’t notice the use of video, I saw the twist as a bit of a mercy for the daughter. She couldn’t bear the idea of realizing she was created and the parents let her “die” and had her become their maid, which shows that they still see her and the staff as things.

[@edwardrenefette7119]

Actually, this is one of my more favorite Twilight Zone Episodes. I think it's the exceptional quality of the dialogue that makes this episode stand out. In one exchange where Jana's father is explaining to her how he's kept her insulated from the bad awful world, she responds: "Asylum in a hot house. Security in a mausoleum. Survival as a vegetable survives. What you're becoming and what you're making me become, a vegetable!" (pointing to Nelda the maid at this moment.) The best scene, in my opinion, is where she is running up the stairs and the robots are scolding Jana for acting the way she is towards her parents. She goes up the stairs , turns to the robots, puts her hands to her ears and shouts, "Stop it! You're jokes! That's what you are, hysterical jokes! With your sad little homilies and your mouthed cliches. You're nothing but walking record players. That's all any of you are, walking record players." Yes, the difference between the filmed episodes and the video recording episodes is a little jarring, but this episode along with the "Night of the Meek" are two of my top favorites of this show.

[@SynthApprentice]

I've only seen this episode once, and it was a really surreal experience. It was at someone else's house, late at night, and I was the only one in the room. The TV had been left on for a TZ marathon. The stuffy mansion setting, the film quality, and the over-the-top performances were so distracting that I couldn't follow the story. I never saw the episode again, and for years, that memory of watching this alone in someone else's house late at night was just... weird.

[@TheCreepypro]

I love both twists because it perfectly shows how we can twist love itself to be what we want instead of what it is supposed to be

[@ramsfan0868]

Rod loved his Machine stories. This was a good one.

[@romanramirez7847]

I remember watching the episodes that were filmed on tape when I was younger. I had always assumed that the episodes weren’t as well taken care of compared to the other episodes, and that they had deteriorated. I had no idea that they were shot on tape.

[@koolkel00]

I don't think this is the first time the Twilight zone writes a story that challenges female autonomy, as "Number twelve looks just like you!" Hits that nail on the head and affected me very deeply when I came across it in middle school. We had read the "Uglies" series that essentially carbon copies the exact premise of that episode and the whole thing always made me so mad and my skin crawl. Its one of the episodes that has always stuck with me more than any in the series. The idea that you just want to be yourself and keep your individuallity and everybody keeps acting like it's a phase and you don't understand what you want and completely disregards everything that you are as a human being with individuality hit me in my core and it conflicts with everything I've ever believed. I think you should really cover that episode because it's a heavy hitter for me and it's such a masterful take at such an interesting concept!

[@melissacooper4282]

He'll cover the episode "Number Twelve Looks Like You" in the future.

[@misspriss2482]

Me too. It reminds me of how society treats women who don't want to get married or have children. If you're under a certain age and you don't have any children, most doctors give you a hard time before they will perform a tubal ligation. If you're happily single, you get the side-eye or sympathetic pats on the head while they insist on telling you how secretly miserable you must be. SMDH. It's easier to lie and say that I'm going through a bad break-up. It's the easiest way to shut people up.

[@Quadsie]

Would you ever do a review of “The Time Element” as part of this series? It’s not *technically* a Twilight Zone episode, but it was written by Serling, directed by Allen Reisner, and was supposed to be the show’s pilot.

[@haldon12]

Would be an interesting episode to remake with more overtly horror staging. Perhaps twist the knife a bit more by introducing a new daughter character before a fade to black.

[@pietoeat9750]

Idk, I think doing that would be overkill and could take away from us focusing on the FL tragedy. Now there's a new person who could meet the same fate. Our hearts will go out to the new daughter than care about the old...

[@melissadahl7561]

This definitely does feel more like a play, which really throws off the groove of it for me. I do LOVE the twist, however. It's one of my favorites. And like you say...the end with her as the maid gives me chills.

[@zekealbastar]

I feel the first twist you could see coming, which makes the second twist more worthwhile

[@pietoeat9750]

I think if they remake this they could have a really nice progression. Keep the beginning the same. To drive home the tragedy they should make the FL more innocent. Also, she shouldn't know that the servants are robots in the beginning. Her pushing down the maid should be moved earlier and be repurposed as her accidentally pushing the maid down the stairs (cut to the maids robots face) this is how she finds out the servants are robots. She questions her 'parents' about it, thinking it's cruel to make the robot servants go through this never ending servitude (have her put herself in the servant's place like "if I were like them I just know I would be miserable" or something). To Keep the scene of the servants pleading for their life ( just to bring up the moral question), instead of having the FL insist on them being dismantled, have the father suggest and act on it, the FL will then protest it. The father will say something akin to, "either they live and serve us or they die and don't, you've made up you're mind now I'll finish it!". He has them dismantled, then he sits down and reads the newspaper again. The FL is distraught by her father and goes to her room. After the FL leaves, the parents start to talk about how delusional she sounds when she talks about wanting to give them grandchildren or living a simple life (the FL is actually on the other side of the door listening on their conversation and starts to put the initial puzzle pieces together that something isn't right) she barges throught the door asking what they mean, (the parents looks at each other silent) the FL then starts to understand and the show continues as it was supposed to. Also the parents should use 'I love you' as a trigger word or means for gaslighting. At first it feels caring until the very end, then on the second watch it feels more condescending (not saying the original didn't do it, just they could lean into it more)

[@koolkel00]

I think there's maybe an overtone of condescension in this episode, they claim to love her like a real daughter and respect robots as a form of life, but they don't listen to her when she's in distress they just want to placate her and not address what's upsetting her, and when she pushes to a point they find unacceptable, they say they love her like a real daughter, but end up just reprogramming her in the end, proving that they still considered themselves above her and all artificial life, or else they would have took her misery and existential crisis seriously. Instead they just reprogrammed her when she pushed beyond what they wanted her to be. Maybe this could have been driven home better. Maybe this whole story is an allegory for female autonomy in our society back then. They say oh how cute you can be anything you want to be, we love you, we consider you to be our equal and worthy of respect, but her parents don't really mean it even though they might even believe they mean it. So they just force her to face the truth that she has to be something she doesn't want to be in order to continue being treated like their equal, and when she can't face that, they reprogram and "fix" her, turning her in to the thing she hated the very most, they took her autonomy, her humanity, and even her own name. I think this could be a very powerful allegory if it's true. Back then if you didn't conform to what your parents were trying to mold you into, they had complete power over you so they could send you away to asylum, force you to marry whoever they wanted or the threat of if you didn't comply, they could completely throw you out on the street without a penny to your name or any opportunities to support yourself. Its a very scary and dark possibility and I can see that desperate yearning for autonomy and living and experiencing the world in her as I have felt as a woman imagining myself in her situation. I would get angry, I would want to lash out at these robots that seem to keep my parents from reality or listening to me, it's all the power she has, society sees her as an object and legally she belongs to them as she inevitably realizes that she is their literal property to be played with reprogrammed or thrown away as they see fit. That's horrifying!! But strangely seems to fit.

[@thewolfofwallstreet627]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this episode. I think the parents are selfish honestly. I'm sure from their perspective they think they're not, but they actually are in a lot of ways. They created these robots to do their bidding as maids and butlers, while claiming to consider them sentient beings, yet they still ultimately have them destroyed anyways just to make their alleged daughter happy, so she'll shut up. That's not something you'd do to people to make your child happy. If all the characters were human, then would it be justified to have all the human maids and butlers killed just to make your child happy? No. That's insane, as you would never do that to anyone that you consider a sentient life unless you're just a cold blooded psychopath. Yet, they still did it anyways; hence showing they never meant what they said about considering those robots equals. And when it came to their own daughter, they could've been honest with her from the beginning about what she was. There was no need to program these fake memories, but they did it anyways. What did they expect was going to happen over time when she figured out the truth? That she'd be accepting of the fact that everything she ever known about herself was a lie? They never allowed her to go out into the world to live a life of her own like most parents would want for their children as they got older. No, they kept her there like a pet, and didn't tell her the truth as to why she wasn't allowed to leave. Not even considering the fact that it was selfish of them to expect her not to want a life of her own eventually like most children do as they get older. And instead of reassuring her that even if she was a robot that she was still their daughter like any decent parent would, they just reprogrammed her into the thing she hated the most and stripped away her name too out of convenience instead of actually consoling her like they should've if they loved her like a daughter like they claimed. Actions speak louder than words, and it's obvious if they really loved her, then they would've tried to endure her tantrums about finding out the truth, and then try their best to console and reassure her that it didn't matter because she was still their daughter in their hearts. But no. They didn't do that because it would've involved a lot of effort and work on their part, so they just took the easy route out of convenience, while probably thinking in their minds they did the right thing, even though they didn't. if anything, they just demonstrated how selfish they both are..

[@koolkel00]

@@thewolfofwallstreet627 that's a very good point! Now that you mention it, it could also be an allegory about classism too. They pretend they believe their servants lives have value and sentiment to them, but they disassemble them at their daughters beheast, which if they were people I think they would have just fired them, which is still pretty fucked up because after years and years of dedicated and loyal service and the parents pretending to have grown attached to them, they treat them as they are objects to be thrown away on a whim, which happens in the real world and their servants have no power over it and could be left broke and on the street at so short of notice. And in the end i think it could even speak to the condescension parents have toward their children, especially back then, acting as if they are objects meant to look nice and do as they are told with no questions. parents, especially of the upperclass, will say they love their kids while remaining completely blind to how little they actually care about how their actions make their children feel. Or worse, objects to be used as pawns like back in the day they would arrange marriages for business purposes without regard to their kids future happiness. There's so much to interpret from this episode, I think that's why it stuck with mw

[@maxtorrence1145]

Contrary to the views of most, i consider the parents merciful, since it seemed the daughter would be forever mournful of being "just another robot" and would likely never be happy again, which the parents also alluded to, in mourning; So they did the next logical thing: reprogram her to fill the voids left by the dismantling of the servant group and also keep some form of their "daughter" for themselves.

[@ericjanssen394]

I remember the videotaped episodes, and thought they were live-TV drama kinescopes, like we usually associated with Rod Serling's Playhouse 90 classics. The fact that they're filmed on cheap adjacent soundstages added to the "live" feel. Kind of disappointing to find out they were only being cheap, but mistaking it for live drama improves the viewing of "Night of the Meek" and "Twenty-Two" considerably, and makes "The Whole Truth" that much funnier.

[@channingpatton4239]

First off i wanna say thank you Walter for getting me to start watching the series. I saw some growing up with my dad. As for this episode I liked the twist and the second twist was truly haunting

[@1000bip]

I had never seen this episode before. I have the entire series on blu ray so I watched it in preparation for this review. I totally agree with everything you said about it. It’s not a terrible episode but not a very good one. It’s always sad to see an episode recorded on video tape instead of film

[@kurtwagner350]

This was one of the episodes that surprised me the most with its twist when I first watched it, to me even though the quality is noticeably worse it also has an unique atmosphere I think because of that fact, it sorta reminds me of the original dark shadows

[@jamesfitzsimmons7715]

Other than the unlikely notion that John Hoyt could have made these robots in his workshop, I really like this episode. Love the theatrical feel of the video in a stage setting. In addition to the twist shocker, I love it when the maid falls down the stairs and just gets up. And of course I love Inger Stevens in anything.

[@lukeplant7077]

Favorite Twilight Zone episode, it's so different from many of the others for all the reasons described. Dr. Loren's selfishness and desire to make his world perfect is shown constantly and Jana shows us what it means to be human, the pain and suffering she can't truly experience. If everyone has a Twilight Zone episode that describes their life, this one is mine. I can relate to both Dr. Loren and Jana.

[@robinstevenson6690]

This one really scared me when I first saw it, and probably gave me nightmares. I did not expect either the first or especially the second twist ending in the slightest. Even now, I find it very disturbing, and one of the great TZ episodes. BTW, I thought Inger Stevens did a wonderful job. (If this had been filmed, rather than videotaped...)

[@comedylemonade5935]

i always enjoyed this one.i could never put my finger on it but something about it was unsettling and it fits into the show quite well.

[@rlpittsjr]

I know John Hoyt more as the chief medical officer to Captain Christopher Pike in the original Star Trek pilot, later used in the 2 patter The Menagerie.

[@RobinZeg]

I was so confused by this one when I saw it on TV. It looked different from all the other episodes and I couldn’t tell why.

[@feathero3]

The parents accepted her no matter what she was or how she came to be. If Jana had just seen that and not had a freak out just because she isn't human she could of had a great life as their daughter. She was too focused on what was considered "normal" like being social and having kids to see what she already had. Also the 2nd twist wasn't intended to be cruel. The doctor said he couldn't bring himself to get rid of her, and she was clearly unhappy to be a fake daughter. So he did the next best thing and reprogrammed her.

[@blueroses4112]

I feel that Jana’s feelings about the matter are valid-a gilded cage is still a cage. And the Laurens love their daughter so much that they… reprogram her as a maid and erase her place in the family? Jana’s memories are gone, but Dr. and Mrs. Lauren aren’t, and they’re totally ok with doing that?!? Altogether it comes across as pretty dark.

[@coltpiecemaker]

To be fair, they could have reprogrammed her to just not care about being a robot. The fact that she wanted to have kids and a family of her own means that she was programmed to want those things, or at least learned to want those things through interactions with her parents. Jana was going to realize that she was a robot sooner or later, and programming her to have desires for a life she would never be allowed to have is cruel in itself. Turning her into what she hated and renaming her was, if anything, a twist of the knife. While I agree that the parents cared about her, it wasn't in the same way that parents love their child.

[@feathero3]

@@blueroses4112 I do agree it was a caged life regardless. And I guess Jana couldn't live with that. While not as extreme, I feel pretty caged in my life for my own safety. And I dont like it very much, but I'm not going to give up on life because of it.

[@feathero3]

@@coltpiecemaker Good points. That's actually what I expected the 2nd twist to be when I forst saw this. The episode would continue on just like it had started, but this time Jana would be progrommed to be content. Dont know if that would be better or worse. Either way her free will and sense of "self" are taken away.

[@jlev1028]

Mind wiping a sapient being is never okay, whether it be organic or mechanical.

[@j.j.cheesman7141]

I loved this episode. The double twist was awesome.

[@daviddaniels4020]

I remember the maid Jana pushes down the stairs asking her if she was "jealous" of the servant robots. This not only adds an extra punch to that final twist, as Jana has now become what she railed against, it also raises some interesting questions: did the servants know the truth about Jana? And if they did, were they jealous of her? 🤔

[@TheStewieOne]

I really liked that it was shot on video tape because it gives the episode a more live on air type feel.

[@woodstoney]

This was one of my more favorite episodes and I watched them all as they appeared in their original broadcast. Miss Stevens was quite a beautiful woman and robot...

[@philipportelli7700]

It certainly had a soap opera feel to it, down to the heroine wearing an evening gown (for some reason)! Still Serling had the same sentiment about seeking the truth in PLANET OF THE APES: "Don't go looking for it! You may not like what you find!"

[@RainSpitter]

I saw the plot twist in a patients room on the middle of the night while passing meds. It was dark and and and I was depressed. this scene sends chill's down my spine.

[@amazzonkane]

I saw both twists coming and I agree the video really does have a cheap feel. I took away a horror story about narcissistic parents who see their children as extensions of themselves, as something to control instead of allowing them to be their own people. And even if there are claims otherwise, this relationship is ultimately about power instead of genuine love and connection. I sympathized greatly with Jana. She’s trying to fight for her humanity and independence in a world that’s not allowing her any. Of course she’d be frustrated. Anyone would be. The dead expression at the end really stuck with me. In that way, it’s very similar to The Stepford Wives, which focused on control over partners instead of children.

[@emmettbattle5728]

one of my favorites i imagine her dad is the guy who built the house in there will come soft rains. reminding yourself as shes panicking that she doesnt really feel it, that makes your blood go cold. even the other robots pleading for their jobs, they are coded to be the best maid possible who would do anything including beg or die to make him happy. its all to indulge him. to me his wife is one too.

[@colinhadley5715]

This series is GOATED. I wish there were more episodes pumped out but I can only imagine how long they take to make not to mention the other videos you make. Thank you for this great content! 🙏

[@LordLOC]

I think the double twist couldn't be avoided. When she realized she was a robot she was literally having a meltdown and the Doctor probably figured she'd wind up destroying herself somehow since she knew she wasn't human etc. So instead he reprogrammed her. Either way it is pretty messed up, even for this show.

[@peterschadenberg9045]

I've been watching these episodes in order, and The Lateness of the Hour is to me so far definitely if it's not the worst, it is definitely one of the worst. From it's predictable twist (well at least the first twist is predictable), and its dated shot on videotape look being the main problems. Though some cheesy writing is the big cherry, and the videotape look making Rod's cheekbones way more uncomfortably noticeable then usual being the small cherry, this felt like a pretty phoned-in episode. But I might actually agree that it is so cheesy and so phoned-in that it might be worth watching for that alone. But I do agree that the second twist, the last-minute one, took me by surprise. Maybe it took me too much by surprise, I hope I didn't get a heart attack.

[@shibolinemress8913]

I'll always remember John Hoyt most for his brief appearance in Star Trek's 1st pilot "The Cage" and its subsequent - and brilliant - re-use in "The Menagerie". I hope that like his character Dr. Boyce said, he lived his life to the fullest. 🖖😉 Also, androids developing emotion was a fequent theme in the original Star Trek.

[@TheLastBabyMan]

When you realise all the robots in the Twilight Zone are freaking Synths.

[@Morgil27]

I had a feeling something felt off with this episode, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Turns out it was the shot on video thing. Also, I totally saw the twist coming.

[@partyelixir1265]

Which twist?

[@George-kz5hb]

Not to sound stupid, but I have always wondered why these episodes looked different. Thanks for clearing it up!

[@garychundrlek2019]

This one always reminded me of old soap operas.

[@billepperson2662]

I recently heard the Twilight zone radio edition of this episode & thought it was really well done...

[@searchindex3438]

I just watched it right now on Pluto TV …I always loved this episode The ending is perfect …

[@miroslavtomic7038]

Jana constantly mentions that she will die in this house. The irony of it all is that Inger Stevens was the first cast member to die in 1970 by suicide by overdose.

[@MatecaCorp]

I had to watch the episode at low volume for fear of people hearing the animal grunts of pleasure

[@troywright359]

6:18. in the background there, a Silent Hill 2 sound plays. It's faint but distinctive to my obsessive ears

[@karenhall4645]

I cannot watch this episode at night. When the daughter comes to the realization of what she is and then at the end where she is now the maid - its just one of the creepier endings I've seen.

[@Dendarang]

I feel like you undersold what happens at the end of the episode. Jana is by all accounts a free thinking fully conscious person equal to any other human being only she's made up of metal and her parents lobotomize her at the end to make her into a mindless, obedient drone and remove all personality and independent thinking from her. It's an ending that's more in line with Brazil than anything else.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

Hoyt also played Dr Philip Boyce in " The Cage " from Star Trek TOS .

[@manco828]

This theme was taken up again in Blade Runner with Replicants. Especially the Sean Young character.

[@benjaminolson7206]

The reason for twist 2 is clearly that twist 1 is completely obvious on a show where you are expecting a twist. I think the tonal failings of twist 2 are defensible by the fact that without it the whole episode is a wrote, paint-by-numbers exercise in the Twilight Zone signature style.

[@williamcrowe2576]

I could see the twist coming a mile away with this one.

[@josiahjenksisawesome]

Maybe Rod put the double twist in there because he recognized the first one was incredibly predictable. I haven't seen the episode, but I was able to figure out the twist just from Walter's description in the first 60 seconds of this video.

[@LordClydeofOMAR]

When I first saw this episode I thought "man, what a selfish bastard. This guy has created androids on the level of Data from Star Trek TNG and he just keeps them all to himself?"

[@Guernicaman]

Not only does the cheapness of the episide come across due to it being filmed on video tape - it was also shot in a way called "live on tape", where the entire scene is played out like a theater play. Shots & setups are just cutting between 3 different cameras that are positioned in & moved w/a lot of restriction. They woukd record a scene until it was time for a commercial break, so the amount of takes to chose from would likely have been very few. Producers possibly couldn't rely on an editor. However the take played out in the scenes entirety, that's what you see. Even the music cues were likely live.

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

I don't notice the lower quality of the footage in these video tape episodes until I hear someone remind me of it and I honestly kinda like the way it looks.

[@soulslikefan6760]

Oh man, I wonder what the twist is? Very obvious one here. The second twist is pretty good tho.

[@lionkingfan]

Excellent episode and excellent plot twist.

[@habitsrabbit]

It was filmed on tape?? Everytime i see this episode it looks like it's in a clear and smooth 60fps.

[@natethegr8174]

I’ll always live this episode. For a very strange reason and that is the fact the Doctors wife played in one of my favorite films. Midnight Madness (she was Leon’s cranky neighbor) and I bet only 2-3 of you have seen that film.

[@ObscureRP]

Honestly, almost all of the TZ twists are easy to see coming (likely because they've so often been imitated these last 60 years), but the execution consistently sets them apart from from the imitators. :)

[@Z2Wolf]

The thing that always fucked with me about this one is that the daughter hated robots... despite being manufactured. Like... the parents had to intentionally program that in. Or at least deliberately avoid programming in 'likes and respects robots'. The sadistic ending is made less shocking when you realize that from the word go they had to already not want their 'daughter' to see herself as a person if she ever learned the truth.

[@edgarbanuelos6472]

I think it could've also been likely she voluntary allowed herself to become a monotonic robot.

[@grosbeak6130]

Boy are you being hard on this episode. Instead of being so obsessed with the video quality and her fate at the end you really missed the solid acting, the strangeness of the story, and yes, her eerie fate. It was all about how loneliness and love will will make people very controlling, taking away the agency of the object of that love. I just felt that you were just being a real fuss bucket when it comes to this wonderful episode.

[@Nasser851000]

*Reads title* How ironic that I'm watching this at nighttime XD