The Twilight Zone is a cautionary tale for Fear the Walking Dead

The annual Fourth of July Twilight Zone Marathon reminds us that even after 5 decades, we’re still plagued by the same problems now as in the 1960s.

I was raised on the annual Fourth of July Twilight Zone Marathon. My mom, who grew up watching Rod Serling’s seminal classic sci-fi show, made sure that we grew up with it as well, so every New Year’s and July 4th we have the marathon going.

One of the reasons The Twilight Zone has enjoyed such longevity is that the themes the show explores are relevant at any point. At the time the show originally aired in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the nation was in the middle of the Cold War with Russia, and the Civil Rights Movement was taking off. Fear of attack or invasion, fear of people who are “different,” these were major themes for the show, but Serling always delivered the show’s message with a twist of fantasy or science fiction.

With the midseason finale of Fear the Walking Dead looming, one episode of The Twilight Zone really stands out. It’s called “The Shelter” and it’s the story of what happens when panic sets in.

The quick synopsis of “The Shelter” is that a group of neighbors have gathered for a birthday party when the radio announces that there are unidentified objects flying toward the US. Everyone needs to grab supplies and head to their bomb shelters, so the group disperses, running to their homes to gather supplies. However, the hosts of the party are the only ones who actually built a bomb shelter. While everyone else was having summer barbeques, they were working on their shelter. The problem: It can only hold their family. They packed enough supplies – food, water and air – for three people. Once they lock the door, they cannot open it again until the danger clears.

The other neighbors gather at the door of their neighbor’s bomb shelter and demand to be let in. Despite the fact that they could have built their own shelter, they feel entitled to being allowed entry to save their own lives. It’s very selfish, in fact, that their neighbors won’t let them in.

Eventually, their newest neighbor who isn’t “one of them” because he’s a “foreigner” is called out for being different. His young wife has a newborn baby, and of anyone in the group the baby should be allowed in. Chaos ensues as they try to break down the door.

When the threat turns out to be a false alarm, the family opens their shelter door and find their neighbors standing there looking sheepish. They offer to help repair the damage, but the damage is done. Though they had all been friend before, this incident has shown them at their worst and there is no going back from there.

If you consider life at Broke Jaw Ranch, there are lots of parallels with “The Shelter.” You have families who don’t believe that Madison’s family should be allowed to live there because she didn’t prepare like the rest of them. You have people claiming to be better than other people. There is prejudice and discrimination galore.

When people are faced with situations like the threat of a nuclear detonation or the zombie apocalypse, they show their true colors. Some people, like Travis, retain their morals as long as they possibly can before circumstances force them to make tough decisions. For other people, like Troy and Jeremiah, they move seamlessly into the people they were just below the surface.

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In the world of The Twilight Zone, “The Shelter” is designed to remind people that you can’t easily go back after saying hateful things. (There’s also a really good message there about being prepared for emergencies when no one else is, and what happens to your stuff when an emergency occurs) In the world of Fear the Walking Dead, we see that negotiating the world after society falls apart is a challenge and it shows us the best of people and the worst of people. In both cases, true colors come through and it says a lot about who we are.