Wrapping up the Syfy Twilight Zone Marathon for New Year's Day 2023

So I did watch "King Nine Will Not Return", "The Man in the Bottle", "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" and "A Thing About Machines" during their live run Saturday, December 30, 2023. It was a rare deviation from watching the list of Syfy episodes as they were shown up until past Midnight after January 1st, 2024. I have fooled around with the idea of holding onto the Syfy episode list shown for the New Year's marathon and finishing it up this next weekend. It would be the first time I had recorded the entire Syfy episode marathon on the DVR (for YouTube TV) and watched a majority of it in order from start to finish if I decided to finish it this next weekend. I do admit that once the marathon is over it is like that excitement and nostalgic energy goes away. A little depression sets in actually. Since I was dealt with COVID during Christmas holidays, recovered and returned to myself, the Twilight Zone marathon was a big boost to my morale. Saturday, the 30th of last year was an absolute blast...that was the big day of the three where my enthusiasm was at its zenith. On the 1st, today, it felt like an acknowledgment all day that the marathon's end was nigh. Just the same, I got in a ton of episodes. Spending time with family on New Year's Eve, getting home late, and getting a lot of sleep back that was lost when I will ill with COVID, I did miss a good bit of the marathon. I would like to think the next weekend might retain a bit of that marathon thrill. I guess we'll see.

As far as the marathon today, there were episodes I hope to someday give a bit more heart and mind to -- "Static", "The Lateness of the Hour", "Dust", and "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" -- but I was glad to at least get in viewings of "The Howling Man", "Eye of the Beholder", "Nick of Time", "Back There", and "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim", old favorites that never get old to me. Syfy censored a word in "Nick of Time" that sparked debate about doing that since it does appear that sort of action will become a norm onward. Shatner's Don says the r-word and that is frowned upon in a lot of circles, and while I hate the term myself, I do believe censorship can open a can of worms that will be weaponized not just by those who believe it is the right thing to do. What happens when censorship to words not deemed controversial by some are excised from past media because others think they must be scrubbed? That is why physical media is being discussed as a serious alternative if folks want to make sure the television and film they consume is unaltered by the censorship police. Where does it end? I do consider owning the Twilight Zone a relief and do believe that with any past media, it might be wise to own it in your collection. Who's to say it will even be available eventually if the wrong people have control over it? And I also consider having the unaltered "The Howling Man" a necessity because Syfy's egregious editing of the Devil reveal is a crime, in my opinion. I would tell anyone to find Pluto TV and watch "The Howling Man" unedited. I only watch Syfy, anyway, because of nostalgia. Definitely I would say Syfy's treatment of the show can be practically blasphemous sometimes. But Syfy -- when it was The Sci-fi Channel -- introduced me to Twilight Zone and the marathon of the show maintains a grip on my desire to watch the channel still despite how they dump commercials/adverts into them. 

11:00pm – The Howling Man

11:30pm – Eye of the Beholder

Sunday, December 31, 2023

12:00am – Nick of Time

12:30am – The Lateness of the Hour

1:00am – The Trouble With Templeton

1:30am – A Most Unusual Camera

2:00am – The Night of the Meek

2:30am – Dust

3:00am – Back There

3:30am – The Whole Truth

4:00am – The Invaders

4:30am – A Penny For Your Thoughts

5:00am – Twenty-Two

5:30am – Mr. Dingle, the Strong

6:00am – Static

6:30am – A Hundred Yards Over the Rim