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The Twilight Zone had its fair share of eerie episodes, but one stood out for the wrong reasons. The Encounter was yanked from syndication for 52 years. The reason? Problematic themes that sparked outrage, especially within the Japanese American community. And while it finally resurfaced in 2016, its history remains just as haunting as the stories the series told.
Airing in 1964, The Encounter focused on two men — a World War II veteran named Fenton (Neville Brand) and a Japanese American man, Arthur Takamori (George Takei). What started as a simple conversation spiraled into tension, with Fenton’s bitterness toward Japan fueling hostility. The episode’s supernatural twist involved a katana Fenton took from a soldier he killed, hinting that the sword carried the original owner’s malice, driving the men into a violent confrontation.
While The Twilight Zone often explored deep themes, The Encounter crossed a line. According to Screenrant, the episode implied that some Japanese Americans helped bomb Pearl Harbor — an offensive and historically inaccurate claim. Given the tensions of the time, it didn’t take long for the backlash to pull the plug on reruns.
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Beyond its controversial content, The Encounter landed at a delicate moment. The U.S. was gearing up for the Vietnam War, adding another layer of discomfort to an already problematic narrative. The episode vanished from syndication, though it remained in home video collections. Decades passed before SyFy included it in its 2016 New Year’s marathon, marking its quiet return to television.
The Twilight Zone had more than just banned episodes in its history; it was also tied to one of Hollywood’s worst on-set tragedies. In 1982, Twilight Zone: The Movie turned deadly when a helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen. The disaster forced major safety reforms but left a lasting stain on the franchise.
Yanked episodes weren’t unique to The Twilight Zone. Seinfeld pulled The Puerto Rican Day after Kramer torched a Puerto Rican flag. The Simpsons dropped The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson post-9/11 due to its World Trade Center scenes. Buffy the Vampire Slayer shelved Earshot after Columbine. TV’s line between bold and problematic shifts with time. The Twilight Zone pushed boundaries, but The Encounter crossed one. Even after its return, it remains a reminder that not every story deserves a comeback.
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