Summary:

When a man flips a coin and it lands on its side, he begins hearing people’s thoughts. Originally only causing problems at work, it eventually leads to a promotion and a new romance; with all of this, though, the man, Hector, is happy when his “gift” goes away.

 

Bechdel Test:

  • We hear one woman’s thoughts
  • Miss Turner, another woman, talks
  • These women never come near enough to talk to each other

 

Gender Roles of Important Characters:

  • Hector
    • Masculine (3)
      • Defends own beliefs, analytical, willing to take a stand
    • Feminine (11)
      • Cheerful, shy, loyal, sympathetic, sensitive to others’ needs, understanding, compassionate, eager to soothe hurt feelings, soft-spoken, tender, gentle
  • Miss Turner
    • Masculine (4)
      • Defends own beliefs, analytical, willing to take a stand, ambitious
    • Feminine (5)
      • Shy, sympathetic, sensitive to others’ needs, soft-spoken, gentle
  • Mr. Bagby
    • Masculine (8)
      • Self-reliant, defends own beliefs, assertive, forceful, leadership ability, makes decisions easily, aggressive, acts as a leader
    • Feminine (0)
      • NA

 

Analysis:

This episode gave me quite a bit to think about. This episode did fairly poor in some categories but also did really well in others. The episode didn’t pass the Bechdel test, which shows that there could be improvement. Also, at one point, Hector tries to listen in to the thoughts of one woman, but only hears silence, which makes a remark about women and thinking. On the other side of this, many men were thinking rude or sleazy thoughts, so nobody looked good. On the more positive side of things, the two main characters of this episode show disruptive gender roles, and they are made out to be likeable. They are the best people in the episode, which shows some growth when compared to earlier episodes in which people were punished for breaking these traditional roles. In fact, the “bad guy” of the episode, Hector’s boss Mr. Bagby, embodies traditional masculinity. However, we aren’t supposed to like him, as he is rude, doesn’t listen to the truth, and shows immoral tendencies (like being overwhelmingly excited about cheating on his wife). Thus, this episode praises disruptive gender roles and questions the moral character of people who are only on one side of the spectrum.

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