Movies - TV
Rod Serling Had Regrets About The Twilight Zone’s Walking Distance Episode
By MICHAEL BOYLE
"Walking Distance," a season 1 episode about a man who unwittingly travels back in time and revisits his childhood, is widely praised for its melancholy, nostalgic themes.
The show's creator, Rod Serling, has stated that although the episode hits hard on his own nostalgia, it was weakened slightly by some shoddy, overexpository writing.
Serling once played "Walking Distance" to a class of aspiring writers to criticize starting with the opening scene where a man tells his problems to a gas station attendant.
"WHO would do that? Why would Martin tell his whole life story to a frickin' gas station guy?" Serling said. "This was just used as a lazy writer's way to provide plot exposition."