The Twilight Zone Review & Trivia: The Masks (Aired March 20, 1964)

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By William Kozy

Continuing the countdown to the #1 Favorite Twilight Zone episode, we unveil “MASKS,” the episode in 19th place, with 107 votes in my ongoing survey that asks the all-consuming question of life: “What is your favorite episode of the original ‘Twilight Zone’ series?”. A big thank you to all of you who voted!

“Masks”

OPENING NARRATION:

Mr Jason Foster; a tired ancient who on this particular Mardi Gras evening will leave the earth. But before departing he has some things to do, some services to perform, some debts to pay and some justice to mete out. This is New Orleans, Mardi Gras time. It is also the Twilight Zone.”

The PLOT:

Its Mardi Gras time, and old man Jason Foster knows he is dying, so he gathers his relatives (all of whom he detests) around him to enact an unusual ritual. He assigns them each a Cajun mask to wear. The masks reflect the individual nature of each of the wearers, i.e. the whining daughter, greedy son-in-law, etc. The senior Foster says they must all wear the masks until the clock strikes midnight, or else they’ll be disinherited so of course they put up with it. When midnight comes, Foster dies in bed, and then…SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DON’T WISH TO KNOW THE SURPRISE ENDING SKIP DOWN TO THE TRIVIA TIDBITS.

…Okay, so when midnight comes, Jason Foster who has been wearing a death mask, passes away. All the heirs are overjoyed because now they are rich. They all remove their masks only to find that their actual faces have taken on the physical deformities that their masks had portrayed. Raise your hand if you didn’t see that coming.

Closing Narration:

“Mardi Gras incident, the dramatis personae being four people who came to celebrate and in a sense let themselves go. This they did with a vengeance. They now wear the faces of all that was inside them and they’ll wear them for the rest of their lives, said lives now to be spent in shadow. Tonight’s tale of men, the macabre and masks on the Twilight Zone.”

Trivia tidbits:

“Masks” was the only Twilight Zone episode that was directed by a woman: actress Ida Lupino, who had co-starred with Humphrey Bogart in “High Sierra.” She directed several melodramas in the 1950’s before moving to television where she directed a ton of episodes for many different shows.

Oh and for those of you out there old enough to remember “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” you might also remember actor Alan Sues who was a regular on that show. Well you can spot him here playing the grandson, Wilfred, JR.

I rate this episode a 6.8 out of 10. Eh, call it a 7.

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