Twilight Zone - "The Eye of the Beholder" and "The Masks"

Read the doctor's statement below from "The Eye of the Beholder" episode:

"One of the alternatives, just in case the treatment is not successful, is to allow you to move into a special area in which people of your kind have congregated."

Used in context, what is the best meaning of the word "congregated"?

• The protagonist goes to pray at church.

• The protagonist is sent to live with other deformed individuals.

• The protagonist and others are put to death for being different.

• The protagonist is thrown in jail until she can pay back all the surgeries.

Based on the "Mardi Gras" passage, infer why the holiday is called "Fat Tuesday".

• Because people hide their weight behind masks.

• Because people eat whatever they want before Lent starts and they have to give up certain foods.

• Because people are transformed into large monsters by midnight.

• Because the day lasts longer than 24 hours on this holiday.

When Jason tells the family than an "old Cajun" made the masks, what might that imply? (Hint: Many Cajun people practiced the Voodoo religion).

• The masks may have been tampered with black magic and witchcraft.

• The masks were overpriced.

• The masks are poorly made.

• The masks are locally crafted in New Orleans.

How does the maid and the butler treat Jason, in contrast to his own family, the Harpers?

• The maid and the butler just want Jason's inheritance.

• The maid and the butler seem to genuinely care for Jason, and don't like his relatives.

• Jason's relatives are in denial about his health, whereas the maid and the butler are looking forward to retirement.

• Both the maid, the butler, and the Harper family has low moral character.

In "The Masks", what does the narrator, Rod Serling, mean when he says, "...lives now to be spent in shadows..."?

• The Harper family will soon die.

• The Harper family is unlikely to go out and socialize when their faces are permanently disfigured.

• Jason will haunt them wherever they go.

• The Harper family will only go out on Mardi Gras.

What is an example of symbolism in "The Masks"? CHOOSE TWO!

• Each mask represented each character's personality.

• Each mask is easily replaceable, representing how Jason feels about his family.

• Jason's mask was a skeleton, since he dies at the end of the episode.

• Each mask is expensive, like Jason's inheritance.

How is the title "The Eye of the Beholder" related to the theme?

• The phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that what one person finds ugly, another may find attractive.

• The phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that each person must change their appearance to fit in.

• The phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" shows how cruel fate can be for men and women who aren't normal.

• The phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means that people who are beautiful get special privileges.

Which piece of dialogue from "The Eye of the Beholder" best supports the theme?

• "Who decides what is normal? Who is this state that makes these rules? The state is not God! The state does not have the right to make ugliness a crime."

• “You’re not being rational. You know you couldn’t live any kind of life among normal people.”

• "You know, there are many others who share your misfortune, who look much as you do."

• “Each of us is afforded as much opportunity as possible to fit in with society."

All of the following are consequences of Janet's head being wrapped in bandages for most of the episode EXCEPT:

• It builds anticipation and suspense.

• It lets the viewer know the surgery was successful.

• It encourages the viewer to use their imagination to fill in for visual gaps.

• It drives the conflict and piques the viewer's curiosity.

All of the following are ironic about "The Masks" and "The Eye of the Beholder" EXCEPT:

• In "The Eye of the Beholder", Janet would actually be considered attractive by most TV audiences, whereas the pig-faced doctors are repulsive.

• In "The Masks", even though the characters are allowed to remove their masks at midnight, the masks have actually become part of their faces.

• In "The Eye of the Beholder", Janet spends tons of money to look normal. In "The Masks", the Harper family will probably also undergo expensive surgery to "look normal" again.

• Both Jason and Janet die in the end of each episode.