A "Happy ending" gone wrong ~ A Reaction Paper on "All the Time in the World"

Imagine yourself being the only survivor of a pandemic, natural calamity, or something like a conflict between superpowers. What will be the first thing that you will do? Will you be able to stay sane? Twilight Zone’s season 1 episode 8 (1958) is about a banker who is obsessed with books who one day became the lone survivor of a nuclear war. You guessed it right! The banker’s answer to the first question earlier was to read books being the book worm that he is! It was supposed to be a “Happy Ending” since he got what he wants – all the time in the world, that is until he broke his glasses leaving him devoid of sight.

The episode is something like a commentary of the existing problems that the society was facing during 1958 which was immediately after World War II. The people then were anxious of a new war that might erupt between US and Russia, and the possibility of a nuclear attack, as it was shown on the episode. This was mainly because of the first cold war between the two countries when they had an argument regarding the splitting of one of their spoils of war, i.e. Korea.

Given the technological advances made during and the previous war, the chance of this happening during the contemporary times is frightening given the tension occurring between China and its neighboring countries. I guess this just shows that beside every accomplishment or advancement also lies a certain risk, a risk of it being used against you. This also shows the “dark side” of science wherein aside from it being used for the betterment of the people, which is its positive use, they use it to create weapons of mass destruction which is something completely different from its raison d’etre.

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