Who is Rod Serling? Simply put, the man was the creator and narrator of “The Twilight Zone”, a Sci-Fi TV series that aired from 1959-1964. It put people in different situations, in which they cant explain how they got there, and most of these situations are social commentaries that use the guise of television to offer critiques.
A valid question is, how does being the writer of a TV show make you the meanest SOB on the planet? Well let me put it to you this way. Say you are walking down the street. You’re just minding your own business, maybe on your way to meet a special somebody for lunch. Then, next thing you know, you’re transported to a Middle American town in the 1950’s. You don’t know how you got there, you don’t know where you’re at, and you are completely clueless on how to get home. I don’t know where you’re at or how you’re going to get home either, but I know how you got there. Rod. Serling.
I don’t know how Rod does it. Is he black magic? Is he a superior alien race with advanced technology? Like I said, I don’t know how, but I do know that any time some poor sap gets put in the Twilight Zone, that mother fucker Serling is right in the center of the shot. Sitting there with a smug look on his face, telling the audience at home what’s going to happen to our unsuspecting protagonist. He doesn’t explain why someone is designated to be the one placed in a living hell.
Rod Serling has put people in the Twilight Zone 156 times. 156! With no remorse. Serling may have died in 1975 but his transgressions among humanity need to be noted. To put in perspective, Jeff Dahmer (not the one with an O*) killed 17 people; Rod Serling damned 156 to an eternal hell.
*Bonus points if you understood "The Ringer" reference.