What I’m Watching: The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 8 “Point of Origin” (B)

This episode was decidedly dark, taking its protagonist from her high perch in society to a place where she couldn’t even help herself, unable to identify what’s real about her own history or to deny what other people tell her is true. I appreciated the casting of Ginnifer Goodwin as Eve since I remember being disappointed by the lackluster nature of her real-world character in “Once Upon a Time,” and it’s good to see her display so much energy here, transforming Eve from disconnected socialite to powerless prisoner. James Frain from “True Blood” was a natural choice to play the interrogator, who has a sinister presence in everything he does, even if he’s supposed to be good guy. His demeanor here didn’t indicate any sympathy for the woman he was questioning, and he was all too happy to apologize only to her husband and sons for treating them wrongly when he still didn’t release her. Tricking her into believing that she was released and confiding in her husband was enough to get her to confirm what he had suspected all along, though that wasn’t nearly as horrific as the real reaction her husband had when she was able to catch a ride home with the ice cream man. I suppose the moral of this episode was that we really can’t change where we come from even if we accomplish so much, an important parable with easily recognizable parallels to immigration in the United States as expressed early on by the relationship between Eve and Anna.