This Episode of The Twilight Zone Has No Supernatural or Sci-Fi Elements (And It Rules)

Throughout its run on TV from 1959 to 1964, The Twilight Zone garnered a ton of praise for its creepy paranormal and inventive science fiction elements. In the decades since the anthology series aired, The Twilight Zone has remained a staple of sci-fi/horror, proving to be a truly timeless classic. Numerous of The Twilight Zone‘s 156 episodes provide palpable suspense, eerie atmospheres, and terrifying scares; others offer the same captivating tension but differ slightly in their subject material. However, one episode of The Twilight Zone deviates from the show’s renowned formula about the supernatural and sci-fi worlds.

The Twilight Zone Season 5 episode titled, “The Jeopardy Room,” aired on CBS in 1964. Its story centers on a political prisoner attempting to defect from his nation. Currently stationed in the hotel room of a neutral country, the defector finds himself facing a harrowing task that threatens to derail his escape plans. Devoid of spookiness and the unexplained, “The Jeopardy Room” delivers excellent drama, and that is more than enough for a show as good as The Twilight Zone.

[RELATED: This Episode of The Twilight Zone Was Banned From TV for Over 50 Years]

The Plot of “The Jeopardy Room” Doesn’t Focus on the Paranormal or Extraterrestrial

In “The Jeopardy Room,” Major Ivan Kuchenko (Martin Landau) receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a friend. Just across the street Commissar Vassiloff (John van Dreelen) and his hitman comrade Boris (Bob Kelljan) plan to kill him, with the former insisting that his method of making “art” out of Kuchenko’s death beats Boris’ “butcher” style of shooting him in the head. Posing as the friend from the phone call, Vassiloff arrives at Kuchenko’s door, but the hitman’s target recognizes him. Held at gunpoint, Vassiloff sets his plan in motion, convincing Kuchenko to drink a drugged wine that knocks him out for three hours. When Kuchenko wakes, he discovers a recording from Vassiloff stating that he has attached a booby trap to an object in the room. Kuchenko must find the bomb, avoid triggering it, and disable it within three hours, with the penalty of death issued for failure or attempting to flee.

While Kuchenko fixates on the telephone during his search, Vassiloff reveals to Boris that the phone will explode only when picked up after it rings. Vassiloff then calls the room, hoping that his victim will provoke his own death, but Kurchenko hesitates at the last moment. Instead, he dashes out of the room, avoiding Boris’ spray of bullets. When Vassiloff and Boris arrive at the vacant hotel room, the phone rings. Having forgotten about the trap, Boris picks up, and a massive explosion kills them both. The caller is revealed to be Kurchenko, having bested his assailants in the end.

“The Jeopardy Room” is one of many riveting episodes of The Twilight Zone. Containing exceptional writing and dialogue, the episode builds suspense before completely subverting viewers’ expectations in the final moments. It initially appears guaranteed that the confident Vassiloff will succeed in finessing his target, but the unexpected wit of Kurchenko after gullibly drinking the wine is exhilarating to watch. The lack of supernatural or sci-fi elements in “The Jeopardy Room” makes the episode feel more grounded in reality. Reminiscent of a classic spy-thriller, the narrative doesn’t rely on scares to hold its audience’s attention. Rather, the cat-and-mouse game between Kuchenko and Vassiloff serves as a simple, yet intelligent, screenplay that provides a breathtaking climax that easily stacks up to any other chapter of The Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone Was Always at Its Best Even When it Shook Up Its Formula

The brilliance of The Twilight Zone revolves around its uncanny ability to hook viewers through a variety of story types. Even when the series deviated from its quintessential formula of supernatural horror and mysterious sci-fi narratives, it was still a fantastic, gripping drama. In the case of “The Jeopardy Room,” nothing supernatural or sci-fi-related is required to create an engrossing story, proving that The Twilight Zone‘s greatness exceeds its most familiar tropes. Even though “The Jeopardy Room” doesn’t deliver the paranormal and sci-fi enigmas for which The Twilight Zone is so beloved, the episode remains a masterclass of drama, suspense, and surprise, fortified by an emphatic action-packed conclusion.

All episodes of The Twilight Zone are currently available to stream on Freevee.