Examination Day
| "Examination Day" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series) episode | |
Scene from "Examination Day"
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 6a |
| Directed by | Paul Lynch |
| Written by | Philip DeGuere (Based on the short story "Examination Day", by Henry Slesar. The story was first published in Playboy (February 1958). |
| Original air date | November 1, 1985 |
| Guest actors | |
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David Mendenhall : Dickie Jordan |
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"Examination Day" is the first segment of the sixth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
Contents
Plot
Dickie Jordan is an intelligent and curious youth in a dystopian future. It is Dickie's twelfth birthday, which means he is required by law to report to a government testing facility for a mandatory IQ test. As Dickie gleefully tells his parents how he was told by an older friend that the test is easy and that he's sure he will pass it, his parents react stressfully and avoid his questions. The Jordans give Dickie a present, two years earlier than he thought he'd be able to get it, and then they bring him to the facility and go back home to wait anxiously for the test results. From their faces, they look very scared and have been awaiting this day for a long time.
When Dickie arrives at the testing facility, he is given a medicine, tasting like peppermint. The examiner says that the medicine will ensure he tells the truth. He is then given a series of intelligence tests, and appears to be doing very well, much to his joy.
After his parents anxiously await the test results at home for hours, they are contacted by the government. Dickie's test results are in: his intelligence quotient exceeded the legal limit that the country allows and he was therefore executed. The parents burst into tears as the government examiners ask the Jordans how they would like their son's remains to be handled.
Reception
The Evening Independent wrote that the episode was "a bit predictable, but the reason for the tragic climax was a shock".[1]
References
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