‘The Twilight Zone’ (2019) Recap: ‘Meet In the Middle’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It is quite easy, to fall in love with a love story. Simply because they give an audience or a reader great joy, by way of a beautiful tale, one that sees the broken hearted or the lonely find the soulmate they have chased after for decades. Giving those looking for the same thing some semblance of hope of finding their own romantic fairy tale and solidifying the wonder of love to those who already share a life with someone special. But while love stories remain a staple of modern storytelling, they are not without their drawbacks. For they only present the fluffy stuff, when in reality, sometimes love can be quite dangerous since it can blind us and be unhealthy in nature, and it just so happens that the series two premiere of The Twilight Zone, took the time to explore the darker side of love in fascinating fashion.
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Because at first glance ‘Meet In the Middle’ seems as though it is going to be a quirky love story. One that meets the standard criteria for a romance since we are introduced to a lonely man named Phil Hayes who is desperately searching for his one and only. And what makes Phil’s plight so quirky in this particular tale, is that Phil is a perfectionist when it comes to love. For he wants his partner to be flawless in just about every single way imaginable, and he will settle for nothing less. But despite his best efforts to find that perfect woman, he simply cannot, and that’s when the story begins to take us on quite the unique journey. Because out of the blue one day, Phil begins to hear the voice of a woman named Annie Mitchell in his head and he’s none too pleased about that. 

After all, it makes him wonder if he’s losing his mind since no one should be hearing voices in the slightest. But it turns out that he and Annie share some kind of rare psychic connection and it also happens, that they share an emotional one as well. And they quickly embark on the most unique relationship imaginable, one forged in thought and silence and that connection grows as the days go by, at least… until Phil comes to discover that Annie is married and that’s when the darkness aspect starts to come into play. For Annie believes that embarking on a forbidden love, albeit silent, is a bad idea in regard to her situation, prompting her to sever all ties. Which sends Phil into an utter tailspin, reminding us that putting all of our faith into someone we barely know in such a quick manner, can be dangerous to our mental health since Phil is listless once silence fills his mind.

Which truly made it seem as though this was going to be a parable revolving around the dangers of relationships that are grounded in fantasy. Something that would be new for this series. But instead, the show had other plans in mind for us. For soon the connection was back, and Annie wanted to meet at last, only for there to be stalker-esque trouble on the day of the big meeting, the kind that saw her taken against her will. Which prompted Phil to use his connection with her to find where she was being held captive and once he did, well he exhibited pure bloodthirsty chivalry, by murdering the man that set out to harm her. But unfortunately, this was a trap all along, one where Annie orchestrated her husband’s murder by way of a psychic catfish. For she knew Phil was lonely enough to do anything for her, and now that the job was done, she was free to enjoy a new life while loverboy would forever rot in jail.

Which is a supremely dark ending to find within the confines of The Twilight Zone, but it is a brilliant one none the less since it offers several lessons to the audience about the dangers of love. Specifically, that there are people out there who are often looking to exploit its power, and we need to be cautious and cognizant of that, by remembering the fact that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Plus, this tale also takes the time to remind us that happiness isn’t always grounded in finding our ‘better half’, we also need to be happy with ourselves before we find that counterpart or we get lost in the notion in the same manner that Phil does, and in the end, this really was quite the incredible way to kick off season two. For this particular premiere offered up one engrossing tale, one that keeps you guessing and if this is what season two of this series is going to look like, then we are going to be in for one incredible ride. Until next time.

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