S5, Ep 17: “Number 12 Looks Just Like You”
(In a dystopian world where advancements in science have given way to a bleak & sterile existence, one young lady desires to stand up for her own free will)
-
-
-
1️⃣ Storyline:
It’s a bit more of an exceptional premise than an exceptional plot, but I don’t mind it because that premise is pretty incredible. The setup we get is one of horror, absurdity, and (sadly) seeds of reality.
This is one of those Twilight Zones where I feel like I’m watching part of a movie rather than just a half-hour episode of an anthology show. I would have gladly tuned in for a Season 4 double-length version of “Number 12”.
Score: 7/10
—————————
2️⃣ Atmosphere:
Many TZ installments have painted the terrifying image of a twisted, alternate future: The Obsolete Man, Eye of the Beholder, Old Man in the Cave, just to name a few. But I’m pretty sure this one captures the oppressive nature of what it would be to live in such a society more than any other. The casual yet insistent reminder to drink “Liquid Smile” puts a chill down my spine. The repeatedly spoken promises that only grow more empty as the episode rolls on, “Only if YOU choose… no one will make you” - all these elements are stitched together to form this awful tapestry of a cold, dark, empty world.
Score: 9/10
—————————
3️⃣ Existential Terror:
Take everything I wrote in the “Atmosphere” category, and apply it to one specific character: a teenage girl named Marilyn. Young Marilyn is essentially living a life akin to “I Am Legend”, except instead of vampires/zombies, she is surrounded by smiling, docile, chemically lobotomized creatures who call her a friend. It’s also reminiscent of the current TV show “Pluribus” (great premise, unfortunately not one I still enjoyed after the first few episodes).
Obviously Marilyn isn’t the only one, but she’s in the vast minority. The story of her father is such a tragic and horrific bit of context being slowly dripped into the episode bit by bit, as the narrative unfolds.
Score: 10/10
—————————
4️⃣ Creepiness:
I don’t want to double score the same thing, and most of the terror here IS of the existential variety, but there are legitimate scary moments too (just not scary in the sense of jump scares, monsters, creepy killers, etc). The interview scene is pretty darn spooky when it begins, for instance. The maid… I’ll get to her later.
The 2nd to last scene though - that’s some horror for you.
Score: 7/10
—————————
5️⃣ Message:
One of the firmest takes we ever hear from Serling & Company on the subject of beauty and individuality, this episode reaches far beyond even those important topics to deliver a truly commanding parable about the human condition.
Score: 10/10
—————————
6️⃣ World-Building:
A typical TZ might set the mood very well, and include some contextual clues about the world in which our protagonist is living, etc - but rarely do we get extra background detail like that of Marilyn’s father. The way his own story is slowly and deliberately strung out over most of the entire runtime is masterful and adds to the tension so well.
Elsewhere, small items like “liquid smile” and the age minimum for the transformation and other details about this dystopian society blend seamlessly into the story rather than feeling like strategic exposition dumps.
This is a horrific world but it’s one that is set up beautifully by Beaumont & Serling.
Score: 9/10
—————————
7️⃣ Acting:
This category gets my lowest score but it’s not at all a bad rating - it’s just the only part of “Number 12” that doesn’t blow me away. The character of Marilyn is played perfectly fine but she is a bit one-note, lacking the sort of nuance that could have driven this into the all-time best of Twilight Zone tier (though some folks do have it there, and I don’t mind that one bit).
Suzy Parker is delightful. As Marilyn’s mother, she straddles the line between “doting but materialistic mother” and “wicked stepmother” incredibly well. She is anything but a caricature of a controlling or evil woman; rather, I completely believe that she truly feels she’s acting in her daughter’s best interests. Portraying multiple other women in this program, Parker gives just the slightest distinction for each one and it’s amazing. My favorite of those is the maid: at first seeming robotic and stiff, we get just the subtlest hint of the brokenness behind her eyes, à la the movie “Get Out”.
Score: 6/10
—————————
8️⃣ The Human Condition:
It may seem odd that I’m scoring this category as a 7 instead of a 10; I find this episode to explore multiple aspects of the human existence very well, but most are tied at the hip to the things that made the existential terror category score so well. So as to not double count the same thing, I’m limiting how high I score this part.
Score: 7/10
—————————
✅ Total Score:
65
I have only one complaint about this one: the “interview” scene between Marilyn & Sigmund Friend starts out wonderfully spooky and then devolves into a bit of silliness, in my opinion (in no small part due to his accent). Fix that scene, and then (for extra credit) replace our leading lady with an actress possessing more dramatic chops, and this might literally be a “perfect” Twilight Zone (whatever that means 😅).
That is a small quibble though - I LOVE this episode and it’s certainly one of the best in the TZ catalog.
What do YOU think? 🤷🏼♂️
Let me know! I want your feedback. 🙌🏼
