The Twilight Zone (TV Series) The Silence (1961) User Reviews

The Twilight Zone - The Silence

[Scarecrow-88 · 9/10 · 20 November 2015]

Two rapscallions wage a bet for $500,000 dollars on the line. A bet of silence, if you will. The chatterbox Jamie Tennyson (Liam Sullivan; Star Trek episode, Plato's Stepchildren), who drones on and on with older gents (particularly annoyed and wanting to get away from him but unable to do so) at a men's club has gotten on the very last nerve of Archie Taylor (Franchot Tone), a regular if just for his family name and "fine breeding" (his words). Taylor (and the other men who congregate at this meeting place for an "aging retired elite of affluence") just wants Tennyson to shut up. To just quit talking. The men around him are delighted with the wager where Archie offers half a million to Tennyson if he can go a whole year without saying a word. The idea that they didn't have to listen to him hammer away about what he could do with a loan (a substantial one he muses aloud hoping to get a loan from someone gullible enough to expect he'd be successful, which no one is silly enough to answer in his favor), and his opinions on people he "meets at the market" (stock market) is a sweet savor to their ears.

But as Archie's concerned lawyer (played by Lost in Space's Jonathan Harris) approaches him troubled by this whole affair, the prideful, pompous "man of integrity and honorable social standing" shows the kind of menace he truly is. Archie devises this masterplan where a room downstairs in the men's club houses Tennyson is encased in glass with microphones and cameras watching and listening to see if he'd talk. So a year he endures the silence…with a price. Talk about a guy that gets it multiple ways: you can't help but sympathize with Tennyson. Archie's repeated attempts to use Tennyson's "possibly promiscuous" wife to break him (the true backstory of Tone's face damage adds notoriety and actually is considered by TZ scholars to be a benefit to the episode as that one side only visible provided the actor with this added bit of sinister, deviousness, and serpent-in-the-grass sneakiness) particularly is rather unpleasant and wholly distasteful. A big scene is the set-up, in my opinion. Archie diminishing Tennyson's character, insulting his personality, speaking candidly about how his voice causes him to wince and that his mere presence is a nuisance almost immediately earns the derided youngster some sympathy. Archie never comes off less that an arrogant, entitled morally dubious scoundrel carrying on a charade that fooled all of the men in his inner circle. Of course, on first glance, Tennyson has this bravado and carries himself also as someone deserved to be within the high class of a society of privilege. However, a key scene between Sullivan and Harris opens our eyes to the fact that he is indeed broke and not of a charmed life as Archie had mightily pointed out to all who would listen…he had squandered his inheritance and financial support on bad choices in the market, and with a wife who "visits Tiffanys as much as others do a grocery store", that certainly didn't help.

But the twist is what makes The Silence so devastating and stinging. Be careful who you wager with because it could come back to truly turn on you badly. First off, Archie doesn't provide the money beforehand. He claims that Tennyson will have to trust his *reputation.* Second, Archie continues to use manipulation and defamation brazenly to get Tennyson to crack. So when the two face each other at the end, and Archie is forced to reveal his true situation, Tennyson's fate perhaps isn't a surprise. His reason for the silence, however, is a stunner. It is everything TZ represents in regards to a twist of fate that often leaves the main character in a rotten predicament. I think, for not featuring anything supernatural, fantastical, or sci-fi related, The Silence is a real gem. I think it is underrated and worth taking a look at if you haven't yet. Tone is a game antagonist and Sullivan equal as his desperate foil. Harris as the voice of reason is rightfully grim and dead serious, but Tone's superiority complex will simply not listen.

The Price of the Wager

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 5 July 2018]

In an elitist men´s club, the arrogant Colonel Archie Taylor is irritated with the talkative fellow member Jamie Tennyson. He proposes a US$ 500,000 wager to Jamie to keep him in silence for one year. Jamie accepts the bet since he likes to indulge his wife and has debts to pay; so he is locked in a class walled room built in the club and all his communication is made in writing. Who will win the wager?

"The Silence" is a dark episode of "The Twilight Zone", with a sharp criticism to gamble. In the end both players lose the prize, one more than the other. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Silêncio" ("The Silence")

Arrogant old money and the bounder

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 10 January 2017]

For a little peace and quiet to avoid the sound of his voice that disturbs the solemnity of the men's club that Franchot Tone belongs to, Tone offers him a million dollars if talkative Liam Sullivan stays silent for a year. Tone is arrogant old money and he considers Sullivan a bounder.

Sullivan actually lives in a glass room for a year wired so that if he utters a word it will be recorded. Even the taunting of Tone to Sullivan doesn't break the silence.

This is one of Rod Serling's best Twilight Zone episodes. In the end neither proves to have the best of character and both sacrifice considerably.

Real life drama with disturbing ironic twist

[chuck-reilly · 10/10 · 5 January 2007]

"The Silence" is one of the few entries in the Twilight Zone series that is grounded in reality and takes place in the "here and now." A stuffy and exclusive Upper-Class Gentleman's club is the setting for an outrageous and mean-spirited wager between two men who loathe each other. Franchot Tone (Colonel Taylor) bets his loud-mouthed obnoxious adversary Tennyson (Liam Sullivan) that he can't remain silent for one whole year. The wager is for $500,000, a huge sum for this time period. Tennyson is locked in one of the rooms in the basement of the club for safe-keeping during his ordeal and continually watched for the duration of the bet. As the months roll on, Colonel Taylor's true nasty personality reveals itself and the audience soon realizes that he hasn't the money to cover the wager. When the year passes and Tennyson emerges from his self-imposed captivity, he and everyone else finds out the awful truth about Taylor's disreputable deception. Yet although Tennyson has technically won the bet and retained some of his honor, he is still unable to speak, for he has a secret too. In horror, he reveals to all (through pen and paper) that he had his vocal cords permanently severed in order to win the money.

Performances are all top-notch in this episode; both Franchot Tone and Liam Sullivan play their roles to the hilt and the stars are perfectly cast. Jonathan Harris ("Lost in Space") is also outstanding as Tone's well-intentioned lawyer whose advice to his client goes unheeded. The episode is directed by the sure-handed veteran Boris Sagal and written by Twilight Zone creator, Rod Serling.

Normal!

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 29 July 2018]

This is one of the weirdest episodes of the show and you know why? Because it's completely normal! Yeah, this is one of only a handful of episodes with no supernatural or sci-fi stuff whatsoever. It's strange how uh, strange that can be. This episode features a guy betting another guy half a million dollars that he can't spend an entire year without talking. He's still allowed to write stuff down on pieces of paper.

The best part is of course the ending. It ends up being a double twist! The guy reveals that he isn't rich and didn't even have half a million dollars in the first place. Then it's revealed the other guy cheated too! He had his vocal cords removed so he physically couldn't talk. For a normal episode, it's wonderfully written. ****

The Bet

[AaronCapenBanner · 9/10 · 27 October 2014]

Franchot Tone plays Col. Archie Taylor, respected member of a private men's club where he has become gradually fed up with younger member Jamie Tennyson(played by Liam Sullivan) who wont stop talking and bragging. One day, Archie hits upon the idea to wager Jamie $500,000 if he will agree to remain silent for one year, and live in a specially prepared dome in the club basement. Tennyson agrees(he needs the money badly) but Taylor becomes concerned and surprised at how determined the young man is, but nothing prepares them for the ultimate shock at the end... Unusual episode is the most atypical of the series, but final twist is indeed a jaw dropper, and superbly put across.

When Arrogance and Desperation Collide

[miketypeeach · 10/10 · 22 May 2019]

This is true horror. The lengths to which one man would go to secure a future based upon a mere promise is unfathomable. Theirs was a longshot bet which left both far worse off than when they placed it. The keeping up of appearances only prolongs the inevitable. In their case, it only took a year. If this episode doesn't make you fear for your soul, perhaps nothing will.

There are better ways to get obnoxious braggarts to shut up.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 24 April 2019]

Veteran actor Franchot Tone goes up against the younger Liam Sullivan in this psychological episode of"The Twilight Zone" where Tone makes a wager with Sullivan to shut his mouth for a year with the promise of a reward of a huge amount of money. Certainly Sullivan is a man without tact in manipulating the conversation to his control and could get on the nerves of the most patient of men. Tone has run out of that patience and confronts Sullivan with the wager in front of the men at the club they both belong to. Basically caught with his hands tied, Sullivan agrees to the wager and goes into the underground room where, constantly watch, he does not say a word. realizing that he may lose the wager, Tone becomes as ruthless as Sullivan was obnoxious before, unaware of mitigating circumstances that have aided Sullivan in his quest to win the bet.

I've always found that the best way to deal with someone in an uncomfortable situation who doesn't know when to shut up is to simply just walk away from them. However, in a wealthy men's club, honor and disgust and snobbery leads to this ruthless wager where the outcome is one of major shock. Tone goes from quiet and elegant to ruthless and desperate, while Sullivan, talking nearly nonstop for the first 5 minutes of the episode, must act to pantomime. They are both superb.

Returning to "The Twilight Zone" from previous season 2 episodes are Jonathan Harris as Tone's confidant who acts as mediary between the two and Cyril Delevanti in a cameo as the elderly club waiter. While this was filmed, it could have easily been done on video and had an even more claustrophobic feel to it. However, being on film does not make it any less atmospheric because the psychological twists are fast and jarring, and the message of the episode so potent that being on film makes it all the more elegant, a perfect fit considering the setting. It certainly ranks as an episode that will remain a classic for as long as the show is in circulation.

The Bluff and the cheater!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 8/10 · 31 May 2020]

In a private club of wealthy men, a failed chatterbox mature man Jamie Tennyson (Liam Sullivan) which actually lost your heritance on stock market, gambling and supporting an expensive wife, who often annoy an older Colonel Archie Taylor (Franchot Tone) a supposed affluent man, weary to hear endless speech he decides put a bet on the table, 500 thousand dollars if Jamie stays quiet for one year, not a single world is allowed, otherwise he will lost the bet, then the depleted Jamie agrees in hope to recover his money, he must keep under a glass cage with multiples microphones to get any sound coming inside, for many months Jamie stays mute, then six, meantime Col. Archie is pretty worry about that unusual behavior, he supposes that such man didn't stands so long, so he starts another approaching to letting him give up, something about his young wife having several love affairs, offering 6.000 dollars to stop such suffering, however it didn't work out, in the last day on the cage Col. Archie explains that he can afford such amount of money, in fact he was bankrupt since he made the bet, when James appears to get his money all truth comes to surface, what a great finale, this episode has a special guest Jonathan Harris to our delight!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

Ah the follies of social classes...

[Anonymous_Maxine · 7/10 · 21 July 2008]

The Silence, like many Twilight Zone episodes, has a good twist at the end that lands it solidly in the realm of the supernatural, but unfortunately (and also like a lot of other twilight zone episodes), that supernaturalness is reached more because of the main character's astonishing stupidity than anything really supernatural. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I appreciate wildly different behavior from what I would expect from myself in a show like the twilight zone infinitely more than in, for example, modern Hollywood horror movies, so The Silence ranks as one of the more entertaining episodes to me. Regardless of why the twist is as shocking as it is, the story is undeniably absorbing.

In a hugely exclusive men's club, one elderly gentleman is enormously disturbed by one of the members' constant, constant babbling. It's clear that all of the men are more than a little irritated by this one man and his unending, horizonless barrage of nonstop speaking, but one of them much more than anyone else. So much so, in fact, that he bets the man $500,000 that he can't keep his mouth shut for a year. One IMDb user states that this was a huge amount of money for the time period. I'm going to go ahead and suggest that this might be an enormous amount of money for ANY time period. And for ANY bet.

It reminds me of a particular sentence from one of my favorite books (Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court") that, for some reason, managed to stay with me. The main character is describing a rather unfortunate relationship he is in with an intensely uneducated woman who never seems to stop talking. One day he wanted to say something to her (generally he would just let her talk and let his mind wander), so he says something like, "One afternoon I interrupted her in the middle of a sentence that she had begun that morning..." You get the idea. This guy is one of those people.

I hear that the main actor suffered an injury that prevented him being filmed in anything other than profile from the right. This sounds like gossip to me, probably generated by an unusual filming style, although not exactly impossible, I suppose.

What I love about this episode is how confident at the beginning the man who suggests the wager is. He is absolutely certain that this man won't be able to be quiet for a year, saying that he might last several weeks, maybe even a couple months, but the idea that such a man could last a full year was preposterous to him (and maybe to us).

As the end of the bet gets closer, the man gets increasingly desperate, even offering the guy $1,000 and then $5,000 to just quit the bet and walk away, even though there was only a couple months or weeks left by then.

There is one thing though, I was curious about what kind of a guy would not only accept this kind of bet, but what kind of guy had the free time to drop everything in his life and lock himself in a glass room for a year. Didn't he have a job? The exclusiveness of the gentlemen's club suggests that many of its patrons were independently wealthy, but if that was the case, why accept the bet in the first place?

At any rate, the show makes a great comment on upper class superficiality and the lengths people will go to in order to make money and, even more, boast their wealth and social status. Both, Serling says, can lead to disaster...

Watch Your Tongue!

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 19 November 2008]

When we consider the price we will pay for the whole idea of honor, we can be viewed as some pretty stupid creatures. In this particular episode, a man wants so much to win that he pays the ultimate price. Of course, there is dishonor in the conclusion, but how can that repay what happens. This is the story of a man who gets fed up with a braggart and wants to shut him up. A bet ensues, and the rest is history. We all crawl inside as we view the pain and intense sacrifice presented here. But how do you cover such a bet. Does no one think? Does no have a moment of "what if"? This is a really unsettling episode, but quite memorable. I first saw it in high school and still remember every moment of it.

A Man And His Class.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 7 April 2013]

Franchot Tone, a man of wealth and breeding, dislikes Liam Sullivan, a man with no social background who talks constantly at the exclusive club to which they both belong. Fed up with Sullivan, Tone bets him that he can't keep his mouth shut for one year. The club will build a glasshouse with microphones in the game room. If Sullivan can stop yapping, after twelve months Tone will hand him a check for half a million dollars.

In 1961, half a million would go a long way. Now, I'm sure that my dentist leaves that much in tips in a week, judging from what he charges me. I can't stand the smell of that dentist's office. I can't abide his voice either, especially when he shrieks out to his succulent dental assistant and mistress something like, "Prepare for an apicoectomy!" I don't even know what it is, and I'm paying through the mouth for it. They give you a balloon when you leave -- a half-million dollar balloon shaped like a Dachshund.

Where was I? I wish you'd keep quiet and stop interrupting me for twelve months. Of course if you want to be locked up in a glass house for a year, that's up to you.

Actually, I didn't mind it so much when Sullivan wound up incommunicado. I didn't like his voice much either. He looks a little like Vittorio Gassman but he sounds like a trained television-commerical voice-over artist. Franchot Tone brings his part off much better, although he's gotten pretty old and age has given his voice a slightly strangled sound at times, though that's nothing compared to what happens to Sullivan. I don't think I'll give the ending away.

The story apparently owes a good deal to Chekhov's short story called "The Bet." That would account for the somewhat dated quality of the story -- all about breeding, will power, courage, and social class. These are the sorts of issues that Jay Gatsby grappled with. There's not much of that kind of grappling going on anymore. The Franchot Tones and the Tom Buchanans and the dentists live in great stone castles surrounded by moats and fully staffed with armed guards on the parapets.

There's nothing supernatural about it; no violence or threat of violence; and the contest of wills is spelled out in just enough detail. It's superior in its subtlety. The kids might not get it but adults who pay attention will.

My Right Side Is My Best

[dougdoepke · 17 July 2007]

Inferior TZ. Really plays more like an ironical Hitchcock episode than a TZ with its usual focus on the supernatural. Also reminds me of something de Maupassant the 19th century French ironist with his eye for the pretensions of the upper-crust would have composed. No need to repeat the plot here except to point out that it involves a highly unusual wager between two ostensible gentlemen at an exclusive gentlemen's club.

Perhaps the most interesting feature lies in how Franchot Tone is photographed. Notice how artificially he's sometimes posed presenting only a right profile of his face. Mark Zicree in his helpful TZ companion guide points out that midway through filming , Tone suffered an injury to the left side of his face-- apparently one that could not be touched up. Hence, the artificial poses; and since screenplays are seldom filmed in chronological order, these odd profiles can turn up at any time. Anyway, I wish there were more to recommend in this static drawing-room drama with its rather tame outcome, but there really isn't.

kaka

[nellogubiotti-45099 · 2/10 · 23 June 2018]

Where did he go to the bathroom? No shower either for a whole year? No change of clothes? He sure looked great for a guy filthy dirty, stinkin & holding his piss & mud for a year huh? I could go on but, get my drift? lame!!!!!!!1

lots of twists and turns that end up in same spot

[mikeholmes-48012 · 8/10 · 13 May 2016]

When one first watches this episode, and sees all the old guys in the club, one assumes they are all filthy rich. So the one guy who is sitting there with his lawyer watching a young guy prattle on to others is preparing to offer him a wager. So you get the idea that the old rich guy, is respectable and been around for a while and the young talkative guy is a newcomer and then lawyer is kinda sympathetic to both but more so the younger guy but wont show it.

So the older guy sends the butler, that great actor, i looked him up once, hes like real old and its 1961 here. he was one of those 1800's born people, hes like the only one i ve ever seen that doesn't freak me out a little and seems genuinely nice. I'm old enough to have met people born in the late 1800's when i was young and they were always such hard asses and frankly scary as hell. But i like the butler, Anyhow, for a whopping 500 grand (almost 4 million in our 2016 currency from what I'm reading, or if we are going with a ratio of what 100 dollars bought me in 2002 to compared to now, then 500 grand is 3.3 trillion in our time) he tells this guy, if he stays quiet for a whole year he will give him this money. So the guy agrees under the premise that he gets a prepaid check and the older guys like, no, you have my word, everyone here vouches for me. I was like "ut oh".

So the guy goes into this room , with windows and microphones, and is too be quiet for a year. But think about it, its not just being monitored being quiet, you have to poop , pee , man scape, whip the doodle, what ever else you do, all monitored. But he is successful for like 8 months and the old guy freaks. he offers him a 1000 , then 5,000 and not being an idiot , the young guy is like "Screw that" but not in talking but writing, cause he 'd loose his bet. Then the old guy is like telling him his wife is planning to leave him and is with some guy and all that. The young guy is sweaty but does nothing.

So it comes to the night where it is one year. Im questioning the trick ending to this episode. I figure the guy either made it so he cant talk surgically, some financial thing, or they do this trick on Criminal minds i once saw where they kept someone out of sunlight and changed the time a little each day so the bad guy didn't realize it was as early as it was . Turns out i missed out and saw the rich guy wasn't rich and couldn't pay the young guy cause he was a fraud. But then it turned out the young guy had a giant stitch gash on his neck from having his vocal cords trimmed, i was like "yuk" but then like "cool but then "oooh that's sad". no one won.

A most unusual wager

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 October 2017]

Pompous Colonel Archie Taylor (a fine performance by Franchot Tone) and obnoxious chatterbox Jamie Tennyson (well played to the irritating hilt by Liam Sullivan) are both members of a private men's club. Taylor offers to pay Tennyson $500,000 dollars if he manages not to speak for one whole year.

Director Boris Sagal keeps the compelling story moving along at a constant pace and builds a good deal of tension. Tone has a ball with his deliciously snarky dialogue and his character's cranky demeanor while Sullivan conveys a wealth of anguished emotions through his facial expressions alone. Jonathan Harris provides sturdy support as Taylor's no-nonsense lawyer George Alfred. Rod Serling's crafty script delivers a real doozy of a twist ending along with some stinging commentary on the perils of putting one's reputation on the line. The sharp black and white cinematography by George T. Clemens boasts several snazzy stylistic flourishes. A bang-up episode.

"Your voice has become intolerable..."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 30 April 2010]

I don't know why, but I was fascinated by this episode as a kid. I wasn't able to figure out what the payoff would be, and when it came, I was horrified with the idea that someone would mutilate himself for any amount of money. Especially since I, a person of generally a few words, could take that bet and make a genuine run for it. Appropriately indexed for inflation of course.

Hey, did you catch Tennyson's (Liam Sullivan) take on investing in the 'plastics' thing - a half dozen years before Dustin Hoffman got that advice in "The Graduate". I just had to chuckle over that one. But you know, considering Tennyson's money problems and his wife's predilection for spending big, how was he able to manage going unemployed for a year? Things like that weren't adequately addressed by Serling when he wrote these stories. I'm not sure if he could have glossed over those kinds of little details if he were doing them today.

So it should be pretty evident who the biggest loser was here. Tennyson might have been left speechless, but it was the Colonel (Franchot Tone) who acted dishonorably. Backed into a corner when he knew he was going to lose, he attempted offering a piddling sum against a king's ransom to end the wager. When you go up against a thief and a scoundrel, it's best not to try and talk your way out of it.

2 liars and a bet

[AvionPrince16 · 8/10 · 6 May 2023]

So really interesting to be honest and that bet really made us wondering if he could stop talking because of the money. And we can see how determinate are the two mens: one just want to avoid to give money and the other want to make happy his wife. But we will know that at the end the both had lied because the other made a surgical operation to remove his voice because he couldnt succeed the bet. That was a big revelation to be honest and didnt see that coming. And we see also how the supposed rich man was really nasty: the insinuation about the women's man was really hard to see and we finally see how these mens was both liars and determinated to succeed and they finally get tricked by both of them.

Simply and completely BRILLIANT!!!

[karina_quetzal · 10/10 · 11 April 2020]

I have been a HUGE fan of Twilight Zone for some years. Even further, I remember watching first season episodes when I was a child and feeling perturbed for them. Now, I've been watching other season's episodes, including this one. THE SILENCE is a great episode because is very unpredictable (at least, for me was as that). I'm prone to make my own hypothesis about what course the story is about to take. From the start, I tried to imagine the final consecuences of the character's actions and decisions as from the observation and analysis of their behavior. At the end, I was totally surprised by the outcome of the chapter. Definitely, I recommend to watch it. Not only for the story itself, but also because the direction is great and the acting is convincing. Really: I NEVER SAW THAT PLOT TWIST COMING!

I enjoyed The Silence.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 12 March 2022]

The Silence revolves around a most unusual wager: irritated by the incessant talking of braggadocio Jamie Tennyson (Liam Sullivan), fellow gentlemen's club member Colonel Archie Taylor (Franchot Taylor) bets the man $500K that he cannot spend an entire year without uttering a word. With a wife with expensive tastes, Tennyson is in serious debt and accepts the terms of the deal, agreeing to spend the next twelve months in a glass-walled room fitted with microphones. Taylor is certain that the man will crack, but becomes increasingly nervous as the months pass without a sound passing Tennyson's lips. As the deadline draws nearer, Taylor resorts to cruel mind games to torture Tennyson, suggesting that his wife has been unfaithful, but the man remains seemingly stoic.

When the bet is over, Taylor admits to a shocked Tennyson that he is unable to pay up: he is a fraud without a penny to his name. The distraught Tennyson then reveals the secret behind his silence - an operation that severed the nerves to his vocal chords!

This is easily one of the more twisted tales from The Twilight Zone, the premise and denouement similar to something that might be found within the pages of an old E. C. comic. The closing shot of Tennyson showing the scar on his throat could easily be the final frame from a Tales From The Crypt story. As a lifelong horror fan, I found the whole delightfully warped confection to my taste, something a little darker and more deviant than usual. 8/10.

Twist at the end is essential, so I wont say a word.

[darrenpearce111 · 6/10 · 27 January 2014]

You have to watch this one before you know the twist at the end because that is mostly what this story is about. There's a bit of class prejudice and a questioning of what a man is behind his proud public exterior.

Most of the interest is quite simply in who's going to win the bet? A wager between two men in an exclusive club. The bet is that a very talkative man, Taylor (Franchot Tone) cannot keep silent for a year. His opponent, Tennyson is a fairly nasty sort, who resorts to taunting the hushed man with rumours of his wife being seen with young men while he's living in a glass partition in the club.

Interesting enough, but there's nothing truly TZ about this one. It could have been an episode in a very different anthology series, much like 'The Jeopardy Room' (series five) could have been. Just a decent piece of TV story telling.

Hello Twilight Zone, my old friend...

[Coventry · 8/10 · 10 July 2019]

Hello Twilight Zone, my old friend I've come to watch an episode of yours again. Because this installment of season two looked quite creepy After watching this I don't feel at all sleepy And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains What a fantastic episode was "The Silence" The restless and talkative Mr. Tennyson stood alone While the bitter and stern Colonel Taylor had him overblown For a year he must remain in a glass cage and keep his mouth shut But for $500,000 Tennyson would surely have the gut Against all odds, and all year long, he kept quiet In Colonel Taylor's bankrupt head this started a riot What a fantastic episode was "The Silence" And during the end credits I realized This magnificent plot and atmosphere had me seized What great acting by Liam Sullivan and Franchot Tone Perhaps one of the best episodes that season two has known The conclusion was shocking and quite a surprise "The Silence" is truly something to check out, you guys

Review inspired by the lyrics of the wonderful song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Money Talks

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 5 November 2019]

In "The Silence", annoyed by the constant yapping and bragging of another club member, an old curmudgeon bets the younger chap that he can't stay quiet for a year, with big money in the line. The young man, desperate for money, wins the bet... But at what cost?

This is one of those twists you can see coming from a mile away but that doesn't mean it's not effective. I like the little subplot of the older gent getting more and more aggressive with his tactics to try to make the guy quit before it's revealed he himself is broke as well. The final scene is what turns this fairly middling Twilight Zone episode into an above average one.

Not bad, not bad.

[bombersflyup · 5/10 · 16 September 2019]

The Silence isn't bad. Makes sense, if you know you couldn't possibly do it. You would never take someone's word for a wager like that though, he could even lose his wealth between that time if he had it.

Hands down one of the best episodes

[and_shove_it_up_your_butt · 8/10 · 18 November 2020]

I thought I'd seen all the great TZ episodes but somehow this one slipped through the cracks.

Unfortunately, towards the end before we knew exactly what was going on (though I guessed it) there is one shot/angle that clues you in before it's been confirmed. I'm not sure how that was missed during editing.

Either way, great episode. Definitely top 10.