THE TWILIGHT ZONE – “Judgment Night” – Classics of Science Fiction

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THE TWILIGHT ZONE – “Judgment Night” – Classics of Science Fiction


“What was the first time-loop story?” my friend Mike asked me after watching “Judgment Night.”

“The first one I remember was Replay by Ken Grimwood.” But his question got me thinking.

Time looping became famous with the film Groundhog Day. Later, I learned that there were earlier examples and the theme has become somewhat popular.

“Judgment Night” is about a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1942, when Nazi submarines were hunting them. I can see how Mike could think this show is an early example of a time loop story but I didn’t think it was one exactly. However, “Judgment Night” suggests how the time loop story evolved.

If you haven’t seen “Judgment Night” you might want to stop reading here and go watch it. Several streaming sources offer The Twilight Zone. Try PlutoTV or freevee on Amazon Prime if you don’t mind commercials for free viewing. (Amazon has the complete series on DVD for under $30.)

“Judgment Night” opens with Nehemiah Persoff on the deck of a cargo ship on a foggy night. He looks scared. As he meets the other passengers and crew he acts very strange. They wonder if he has amnesia since he can only recall his name, Carl Lanser. He eventually recalls that he was born in Frankfurt the others get worried that he might be a Nazi, especially since he knows all about U-boat wolfpacks. Eventually, the ship is attacked, and we’re then shown a scene from a submarine. The captain is Carl Lanser. His first officer is Lt. Mueller (James Franciscus) tells him he feels remorse for sinking a ship with civilians, especially since they gave no warning. Captain Lanser shows no remorse, and Mueller suggests they will be condemned by God. Then we’re shown Nehemiah Persoff back on the ship again, and Rod Serling says:

The SS Queen of Glasgow, heading for New York, and the time is 1942. For one man it is always 1942—and this man will ride the ghost ship every night for eternity. This is what is meant by paying the fiddler. This is the comeuppance awaiting every man when the ledger of his life is opened and examined, the tally made, and then the reward or the penalty paid. And in the case of Carl Lanser, former Kapitan Lieutenant, Navy of the Third Reich, this is the penalty. This is the justice meted out. This is judgment night in the Twilight Zone.

I can see why Mike asked about time loops. Wikipedia reveals that the concept has been around for a while. I think “Judgment Night” is proto time loop for one reason, because Captain Lanser doesn’t know he’s in a time loop, and doesn’t discover it. It’s just his version of hell, a punishment like not unlike Sisyphus having to roll a rock up a hill forever.

Reoccurring dreams might be the inspiration for time loop stories. Also the wish to have a do over in life is common enough to inspire writers. However, I think the essence of a time loop story is a character discovering they are looping and then trying to get out of the loop.

My first encounter with the idea of a time loop was when I read Replay by Ken Grimwood in 1986. I saw a review in Time Magazine and went immediately to the bookstore and bought it new in hardback. The idea of living my life over totally intrigued me, and it’s a great novel. My next encounter with the theme was in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “Cause and Effect” from 1992. Of course, Groundhog Day from 1993 was dazzling. I’ve seen many movies, TV shows, and read plenty of books and short stories that use the theme since. So far, none have been as philosophically effective as Replay.

It’s a shame that Rod Serling, who wrote “Judgment Night” didn’t have Carl Lanser know he was in a time loop. Wouldn’t that have made the punishment more enlightening to Lanser? And more hellish? The episode was good, but not great.

Lanser only suffers enternally, and maybe that’s all Serling thought he deserved. The theme of time looping offers redemption, and even ressurection.

Maybe it wasn’t practical to tell such a tale in a 25 minute show. We have to learn the character is repeating, and that involves showing us the character going through the loop more than once. But if Serling could have pulled that off, I think “Judgment Night” would have been one of the great Twilight Zone episodes.

Time looping is very philosophical, even spiritual. It’s easy to see why it’s a punishment used by gods, but in Replay and Groundhog Day, we can see that it’s a tool for enlightenment. Time looping has a certain Zen quality to it.

Unfortunately, Serling just used part of the concept to allow his audience to hate Nazis. And to be an anti-war story. The Twilight Zone featured a number of those.

James Wallace Harris, 10/30/24

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