‘The Twilight Zone’ (2019) Recap: ‘Ovation’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

There was a time, when someone’s meteoric rise to fame was accompanied by quite the powerful story. One involving a lot of practice and hard work to become incredibly good at their respective talent, before bursting onto the scene as the next hot thing, thanks to their well-honed craft and desire to be the best at what they do. But what matters most about these stories, is that these particular people were often humbled and honored by their standing within the world, and their gratitude and desire to pay it forward made them pillars of inspiration, since their actions would genuinely drive others to dig in and work hard to earn and be someone similar. But the times, they are definitely changing, since people can now find their way into the spotlight in a vastly different manner.

For these days, the right moment on the right social media platform, can catapult someone right into fame and fortune. To the point where they’re a household name overnight, one that advertisers and networks chase because they know people will tune in or buy their products with a visible name attached. But while it is quite incredible to know that one can go from anonymity to popping up as a guest reporter on ESPN, on a moment’s notice, becoming an overnight sensation isn’t always the wondrous event that it is made out to be. A harsh lesson that is featured in the next episode of The Twilight Zone, which makes ‘Ovation’ quite the bleak and powerful tale. Since it features a woman named Jasmine, who experiences a viral rise and shocking fall after getting her hands on a medallion that makes her dream of becoming a famous singer, come true.

But while that makes it seem as though this is a tale grounded in the fantastical, Jasmine’s wild ride and what this story has to say about fame is what makes it so incredibly worth our while. For in many ways, this particular tale is an outright scathing examination of how we view fame in the modern world, and how we no longer value the hard work that goes into rising to the top. Something that is made evident by how quickly Jasmine embraces her fame, regardless of any pratfalls or she runs into along the way, or any flaws in her work. And her aloof nature in regard to the work and her ability to bury herself in the adoration of the fans surrounding her, speaks volumes to the fame seekers in our modern world. For she is no different than the folks who toil endlessly to go viral and offer little substance once they have a following. 

Yet what is equally impressive is that the story takes the time to dig even deeper on matters of fame by examining how the human ego can suffer when someone who is obsessed with adoration is robbed of it. For when Jasmine is forced to step away from the business because of the dangers the medallion represents, she cannot handle being out of the spotlight. In fact, the lack of attention outright drives her mad, to the point where she does something horrific at the end of this tale. Something that is oddly akin to what we see viral stars do in real life when their stars are fading or the narrative is moving toward someone else, and the bleak nature of that ending and its message, stay with the audience for some time since it all serves to remind us of the root cause of this strange collective push toward stardom.

For in essence, our need to celebrate celebrity and to collect likes and views, has sent the wrong message to the masses. For so many believe that the spotlight and outright popularity, now matter more than anything else in life, which has in turn led to less than ideal entertainment at times since these creators are only concerned with metrics and mentions. Which is quite the timely message to inject into this particular tale, and it is one that is definitely worth examining in an era where people can reach millions in a matter of seconds. If anything, it is nice to see the series tackle a modern topic once again and one has to wonder if there’s more social commentary awaiting us as season two rolls along. But in there and the now, this was quite the poignant tale, one that definitely gives you pause and hopefully this story will make some re-evaluate exactly why they are chasing a particular dream that features fame and fortune. Until next time.     

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