I got hooked from the beginning. A lonely guy hears a voice in his head and turns out it's from a lady he's more and more attracted to. When she finally agrees they should meet he travels by train, eager to meet the woman of his life. But as he approaches the meeting spot she's assaulted and being a man he rushes to save her.... and kills the man who supposedly abducted her.
Of course the poor dead guy was the husband and of course he didn't abduct nor assaulted his wife, it was a twisted scheme from her to become a widow. Very good episode that left me amazed. This season is so much better than the 1st! (for some reason, in my country this ep was aired as the last?!)
43 Reviews
Ok if you don't focus on the serious logical flaws
cs-0231725 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I agree with other reviewers who have stated that this was a 20 minute idea stretched to 40. I always like watching Jimmi Simpson -his charm and presence got me through the first 3/4 of the episode. Then the final act happened and it all fell apart. We are supposed to believe that Annie wanted Phil to kill her husband all along. Somehow Phil stumbles across her home despite her vague descriptions. Phil confronts the homeowner, asking straight out if he has kidnapped Annie, and then ends up killing him. Annie appears and acts like she doesn't know what is happening and freaks out, calling the cops. We are then given a bit of a fake out that maybe Phil had genuinely been hearing voices (which would have been a more plausible and heartbreaking ending.) But no - turns out this was all part of Annie's plan to have her husband killed. Way too contrived! And given that their psychic connection still exists at the end of the episode, this means she will be stuck with Phil constantly in her head making her life miserable for setting him up. Makes no logical sense. The original Twilight Zone was more like a modern version of Aesop's Fables, whereby the twist at the end would impart some kind of lesson. What is the lesson here? And why does Phil deserve this?
Good but too cynical for the Zone imo
Jazzman-417 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this episode, for the most part. In order for the ending to work, we had to have some misgiving about our main character: he's vain, superficial and self-centered based on his blind date and his interaction with his therapist. As he gets to know Annie, he starts to become more than that and there's a connection between them. We find out that she has secrets that she's kept from him and suddenly, she agrees they should meet. Things take on a desperate tone as he needs to rescue her and then we get to the twist ending that made me scratch my head. Yes, we've seen bad things happen to bad people in the Zone before but was Phil really that bad a person to deserve that fate? I found it very dark and cynical and disappointing to see that a special gift shared between two people could be used that way. That being said, I thought that the pacing of the episode worked fairly well compared with many from last season that had a lot of filler - I enjoyed getting to know the characters and watch their relationship develop so I didn't mind the one hour format.
Be careful what you wish for
desdan-693149 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this a terrific addition to the TZ canon. A blistering study of alienation in the modern world.
Agree with others that it went a twist too far. The (false) reveal that our anti hero WAS hearing voices sent a real chill up the spine. When this was overturned by the final twist - ie that telepathy was the catalyst - I felt a bit flat. However, without this there would have been no supernatural element and the show deprived of that mandatory ingredient.
Agree with others that it went a twist too far. The (false) reveal that our anti hero WAS hearing voices sent a real chill up the spine. When this was overturned by the final twist - ie that telepathy was the catalyst - I felt a bit flat. However, without this there would have been no supernatural element and the show deprived of that mandatory ingredient.
"They council me, they understand. They talk to me"
southdavid21 December 2020
I did individual episode reviews for each addition to the first season of Jordan Peele's newly rebooted "Twilight Zone". Mostly those were a catalogue of disappointment, but here we are again, for the second season and this first episode was actually alright.
Whilst on a date that isn't going very well Phil Hayes (Jimmi Simpson) starts to hear a voice in his head. The voice isn't an inner monologue though, rather belonging to a separate personality, Annie (Gillian Jacobs) who seems equally annoyed as Phil about the situation. After coming to the belief that Annie is a real person, and not just a manifestation of a personality disorder, the pair bond and Phil falls in love, but as they plan to meet disaster strikes.
I felt that a lot of the first season's failings were because they chose to beat the message into you with a mallet. Here though, the subtlety was increased a bit and a story about not blindly trusting the messages and images people choose to present of themselves to you, was nicely done. The voice in the head was never explained, which is fine, it's just a science fiction-y cypher for social media. The story was pretty good, it sagged a little in the middle, with the "getting to know you, getting to know all about you" section running a bit long. Maybe we could have mined the dates with the shows two writers, Emily Chang and Sara Amini, a little more instead or seen the pair bond over something else, a work issue or something like that.
Jimmi Simpson has been nailing these "decent" guys with awful undertones for a while now. I liked the subtle nods to his buried racism on his first date, but he keeps the character building across the run and the ending that he gets too feels plausible, again, despite that conceptual tweak that has got him here.
Whilst it's not a classic, it's better than many of the episodes of the first season.
Whilst on a date that isn't going very well Phil Hayes (Jimmi Simpson) starts to hear a voice in his head. The voice isn't an inner monologue though, rather belonging to a separate personality, Annie (Gillian Jacobs) who seems equally annoyed as Phil about the situation. After coming to the belief that Annie is a real person, and not just a manifestation of a personality disorder, the pair bond and Phil falls in love, but as they plan to meet disaster strikes.
I felt that a lot of the first season's failings were because they chose to beat the message into you with a mallet. Here though, the subtlety was increased a bit and a story about not blindly trusting the messages and images people choose to present of themselves to you, was nicely done. The voice in the head was never explained, which is fine, it's just a science fiction-y cypher for social media. The story was pretty good, it sagged a little in the middle, with the "getting to know you, getting to know all about you" section running a bit long. Maybe we could have mined the dates with the shows two writers, Emily Chang and Sara Amini, a little more instead or seen the pair bond over something else, a work issue or something like that.
Jimmi Simpson has been nailing these "decent" guys with awful undertones for a while now. I liked the subtle nods to his buried racism on his first date, but he keeps the character building across the run and the ending that he gets too feels plausible, again, despite that conceptual tweak that has got him here.
Whilst it's not a classic, it's better than many of the episodes of the first season.
Excellent!
jaydogva19 November 2020
I called the ending... but something is wrong with it
SureCommaNot3 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
From the moment that Annie agreed to meet, I knew what the true motive likely was....
But I think Phil was right about her actually just being in his head all along, because what mother would knowingly let her child witness a murder? That doesn't make sense at all. Neither Annie nor the daughter needed to be in the house at all, for Phil to do the deed. That alone is enough evidence to me, that Phil imagined all the inner dialogues.
But I think Phil was right about her actually just being in his head all along, because what mother would knowingly let her child witness a murder? That doesn't make sense at all. Neither Annie nor the daughter needed to be in the house at all, for Phil to do the deed. That alone is enough evidence to me, that Phil imagined all the inner dialogues.
One of the seasons best episodes
grlym-468491 July 2020
Best episode of the new series
sdot878711 August 2020
Better than anything in season 1
dangrape14 September 2020
I was sorely disappointed in last years season, but got CBS access again for another reason and decided to try season 2 with lowered expectations.
The story slowed down in the middle but the overall premise is solid and the twist in the end was not as obvious as other ones from the last season. I would have rated this a little higher if it was shorter. Still not to the level of black mirror or the original twilight zone, but an respectable start to season 2 that stands alone well on its own and is an upgrade over anything that was in the first season.
The story slowed down in the middle but the overall premise is solid and the twist in the end was not as obvious as other ones from the last season. I would have rated this a little higher if it was shorter. Still not to the level of black mirror or the original twilight zone, but an respectable start to season 2 that stands alone well on its own and is an upgrade over anything that was in the first season.
Cautionary story to White Knights.
Horror_Flick_Fanatic26 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this episode more than the others. I interpreted this episode as a cautionary tale to White Knights. These two lovers communicate with each other telepathically, not so different from how people have romantic relationships across thousands of miles over the internet through social media platforms and texting without having actually met.
A pseudo relationship of two adults who believe and give too much of themselves to another person, .... or should I correctly say the projected image of another idealized person they have not met. They don't see the flaws of the other person. It is worse than traditional blind love because they fall in love with the carefully crafted portrayed image of another miles apart.
This can be an awful dangerous trap to inexperienced lovers that can lead them down a dangerous rabbit hole. White Knights are those men who always feel compelled to defend a woman's honor over social media network. They feel it is their duty.
In this show, our White Knight (Phil Hayes) ends up being the court Jester instead of the lady's Knight in Shiny armor for Annie Mitchell who manipulates him to his detrimental end. She expertly develops a plan and is in full control of the relationship. Now the White Knight will end up in a dungeon for the rest of his life.
Guys, leave the romantic fairy tales and use the head above your shoulders. Your smaller head below your waist line can take you to an end that you cannot recover and come back from.
A pseudo relationship of two adults who believe and give too much of themselves to another person, .... or should I correctly say the projected image of another idealized person they have not met. They don't see the flaws of the other person. It is worse than traditional blind love because they fall in love with the carefully crafted portrayed image of another miles apart.
This can be an awful dangerous trap to inexperienced lovers that can lead them down a dangerous rabbit hole. White Knights are those men who always feel compelled to defend a woman's honor over social media network. They feel it is their duty.
In this show, our White Knight (Phil Hayes) ends up being the court Jester instead of the lady's Knight in Shiny armor for Annie Mitchell who manipulates him to his detrimental end. She expertly develops a plan and is in full control of the relationship. Now the White Knight will end up in a dungeon for the rest of his life.
Guys, leave the romantic fairy tales and use the head above your shoulders. Your smaller head below your waist line can take you to an end that you cannot recover and come back from.
Slow Start
kipperquillen25 June 2020
About 15 minutes into this, I stopped paying attention for a bit since the story was just at a crawl. Once it picked back up, it really finished strong and gave me hope for this season since the last only had a couple strong episodes. Was at 4 stars but revised at a 7.
Exciting Mysterious Thriller
Rms8830 June 2020
Excellent, reminiscent of a episode from the original show, GREAT cast!!
joiningjt31 January 2021
This has a great twist it's what they now refer to as a slow burn but worth it. The acting was superb and the lead actor is always great and this episode features a very difficult character to play and he does it oerfect!! Great story excellent directing , above average filming and the most important a greatvending!!!!
An ok start to the season
gareth-7544228 June 2020
Pleasantly surprised to see Jimmi Simpson in this first episode, excellent actor.
Although all episodes have been released I'll review each episode after watching it.
Interesting story, gets a little icky & creepy, as in the intimate talk/thoughts, not because of that but because of the actresses voice, Gillian Jacobs voice acting is awful, rather than sounding appealing or intimate it just came across as lurid & forced.
Story became quite predictable, a lot of humour could have been added to this which would have contrasted nicely with the eventual ending, sadly the writer decided to go straight to the very dark negative aspect of a story like this, the gradual build up & strengthening of the relationship for Simpson's character wasn't enough to explain his later actions, would've been much better had Jacobs character " mentally invented" a few altercations throughout the psychic relationship as she did near the end.
All in all an ok start to the season, but hopefully it'll get better.
Just like "In Your Eyes," but with a Twilight Zone ending
julieshotmail26 June 2020
Twilight Zone delves into the Twin Soul concept (it's a thing, not just sci fi - look it up), charmingly depicted in the movie "In Your Eyes." Not original, it starts off the same, except Jimmi Simpson's stellar performance takes it to the next level. Then the ending... what a twist! Things that happen in the Twilight Zone never end well.
Up and down episode that proves love voices are not what they seem!
blanbrn27 June 2020
This "TZ" episode from season 2 called "Meet in the Middle" is one that's strange and different as it proves love with voice whispers just doesn't work! It involves Phil Hayes(Jimmi Simpson) a lonely man who's playing the dating field on various apps and love date sites. Only one evening at dinner he makes a strange telepathic connection as love whispers start to ring in his ear. This episode does try to entertain and has it's moments yet is give and take as it proves the telepathic world doesn't hold up and it twists for a bad end for Phil overall okay episode that's just an out of this world love tease.
A solid sci-fi / thriller
b_trought25 June 2020
"You know, there is something romantic about all this, right?"
classicsoncall18 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was just about better than anything the first season had to offer. It was difficult to figure out what kind of twist ending might be coming, and when it did arrive, it deviated somewhat from traditional Twilight Zone territory to venture into the realm of horror. It wasn't readily apparent throughout that the disembodied voice of Annie Mitchell (Gillian Jacobs) was luring Phil Hayes (Jimmi Simpson) into a trap from which he would not recover, either physically or emotionally. Personally, I found him to be somewhat of a creepy guy, even before he started hearing Annie's voice. The most painful part of watching this episode was seeing Annie's daughter witness her father's brutal beating at the hands of Phil. If she only knew that her mom had planned it all along.
Excellent Intro to Season 2!
hellodon3 July 2020
This episode was great! For a moment I felt like I was watching "her." but it turned into a great episode. Very well acted by Jimmi Simpson. He carried the episode on his own for almost the full hour with minimal physical interactions, mostly speaking to the voice in his head while being the only one on screen. He kept it interesting from start to finish showing all of the emotions that came along with the story and the conversation he was having along. I've always been impressed by his characters in television and movies for the last 20 years or so. It was cool to see him in the spotlight for a change!
As for Twilight Zone, I'm looking forward to more of Season 2 after this excellent intro into Season 2! I enjoyed the first season for the most part and I'm sure this one will be enjoyable. I'm glad the episodes came out together instead of needing to wait for them week to week. I didn't mind it with Season 1...but it just isn't necessary when dealing with a paid "on demand" subscription app. Almost feels wrong to NOT release them together and available "On Demand"...especially when those words are right in the services name! Ha
As for Twilight Zone, I'm looking forward to more of Season 2 after this excellent intro into Season 2! I enjoyed the first season for the most part and I'm sure this one will be enjoyable. I'm glad the episodes came out together instead of needing to wait for them week to week. I didn't mind it with Season 1...but it just isn't necessary when dealing with a paid "on demand" subscription app. Almost feels wrong to NOT release them together and available "On Demand"...especially when those words are right in the services name! Ha
Way better then anything in season 1
Icestarfish-127 February 2021
Makes the Comedian seem brilliant by comparison
hnt_dnl28 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Man, I thought that The Comedian was a terrible season opener! But this one is even worse. MEET IN THE MIDDLE stars the usually reliable Jimmy Simpson as an odd, lonely single introvert who can't seem to meet the right woman. On a date, he starts hearing a woman's voice in his head and they begin to connect. Thus, Simpson spends the entire episode talking to this woman that's in his head in public places and it is painful to watch! I just kept thinking this guy is making a fool of himself in public and the cringe was so bad, I had to stop this episode several times just to get through it. And the woman talking to him in his head was SO uninteresting. The actress said her lines with zero emotion and I was like how is this guy even falling for her? The episode was just a chore to get through. It barely even felt like a Twilight Zone episode, which even some of the weakest ones from the first season managed to do. I think it's time for me to check out the TZ reboots from the 80s and 00s, because whatever this crap Jordan Peele is doing now just isn't working.
Jordon Peel ain't no Rod Serling
davidcheethamuk10 February 2021
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
