The Twilight Zone gets in our heads with suspenseful season 2 debut

The second season premiere of The Twilight Zone, “Meet in the Middle, is a mind-bending, tension-filled entry with an exceptional twist-ending.

Phil is trying to enjoy his awkward date even if he finds the woman across from him vapid and uninteresting. But soon a voice enters his head, and he has no idea where it is coming from. A woman is speaking to him, and he can’t figure out why.

The next day she returns. His therapist believes he is pretty much crazy, possibly a result of his unrealistic expectations when it comes to finding the perfect match. Phil and the woman start to bond on how little the suggestions or opinions of the therapist matter and decide to continue mind -talking to one another. Despite having a strange, unexplained psychic link, they decide to keep their relationship the way it is and not ruin the situation by meeting each other in the real world.

After a while, Phil finds out that Annie is married, but the guy she’s with isn’t great, and she is not happy with the relationship. Weeks go by and the two become very close to the point where Phil insists they meet up IRL. But Annie gets nervous and reveals that it’s dangerous for her to continue with their mind-bending relationship. Phil becomes irate, and Annie essentially blocks him, from her brain.

Phil continues to contact her with the cliche disgruntled lover act of hate and sorrow. He tries dating again until her voice returns to his dome, and they decide to meet up. However, something goes wrong, and an unknown assailant pursues Annie before she goes dark on Phil.

He tracks her down to her house, where she is presumably being held against her will, and brutally kills the man who resides there, something witnessed by Annie’s daughter. Annie surprisingly acts as if she does not know Phil at all, and the police arrest him.

It turns out that the entire thing was all an elaborate ruse. Annie tricked Phil into killing her husband so she could finally start living her life. She really only told him what he wanted to hear, and regardless of circumstance, he was willing to kill for it.

This episode was light on the traditional Twilight Zone supernatural factor but went heavy on suspense and tension. The twist was well-executed, but it was somewhat disappointing to never learn more about the telepathic powers at play. It’s okay to leave us with a mystery, but some explanation would have been appreciated.

The best part of “Meet in the Middle” is without a doubt Jimmi Simpson’s performance. It’s easy to focus on the dialogue and miss how well he plays a guy talking to himself. Community alum Gillian Jacobs flexes her skills as Annie, and her sinister turn is exceptional.

“Meet in the Middle” eerily explores the world of dating, taking the dangers of online courtship to a whole new, terrifying level. It’s an intriguing idea and kicks off the second season of The Twilight Zone right.

Episode Grade: B

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