Summary:

A man named Archie is a con man who has the ability to change his face at will. Using this power, Archie makes himself look like dead people, first manipulating a poor girl that is grieving her boyfriend and then stealing money from a gang, which tries to kill him. To avoid the gang, Archie makes himself look like a boxer, but then he runs into the boxer’s father. A conversation between the two makes it clear that the boxer is not a good man. Later, when Archie is avoiding the police, he turns back into the boxer, only to run into the father, who kills him.

 

Bechdel Test: 

  • This episode contains 4 women, but only one woman with lines
  • None of them talk to each other
  • All  women romantically talk with men or act as an object to be gazed upon

 

Gender Roles of Important Characters:

  • Archie, main character (male)
    • Masculine (13)
      • Self-reliant, independent, assertive, strong personality, forceful, analytical, willing to take a stand, makes decisions easily, self-sufficient, dominant, aggressive, individualistic, ambitious
    • Feminine (0)
      • NA
  • Maggie (female)
    • Masculine (0)
      • NA
    • Feminine (6)
      • Affectionate, loyal, soft-spoken, tender, gullible, gentle
  • Mr. Penell (male)
    • Masculine (6)
      • Assertive, forceful, leadership ability, makes decisions easily, aggressive, acts as a leader
    • Feminine (0)
      • NA
  • Boxer’s Father (male)
    • Masculine (9)
      • Self-reliant, defends own beliefs, independent, assertive, forceful, willing to take risks, makes decisions easily, willing to take a stand, aggressive
    • Feminine (2)
      • Sympathetic, sensitive to others’ needs

 

Analysis:

This episode gave me a lot to think about. Women were seen as objects, as seen in things like Archie stopping to stare for a while at a picture of a scantily clad woman and Maggie walking across the bar and being grabbed around the waist by random men in the bar (men with which she isn’t romantically involved). Along with this, though, the episode seems to show some of the dangers associated with only being feminine or only being masculine, even if accidentally. Archie lies on an extreme end of traditional masculinity, and things end very poorly for him due to actions that are seen as “masculine.” Maggie is taken advantage of, as she is on the extreme end of traditional femininity.

Shared by: Grace White
Image Credit: The Twilight Zone, CBS via Netflix