‘The Encounter’: Season 5, Episode 31
Published July 31, 2026
Of all the episodes I have encountered in The Twilight Zone, this is by far the most complex.
Filled with heavy deliberations surrounding World War II rhetoric, an episode with content like this must be handled with great intentionality and attention to detail. Both are given in extraordinary ways.
While it remains a product of the 1960s, the message of this episode is progressive and well ahead of its time; not at all uncommon in The Twilight Zone canon.
“The Encounter” contains displays of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) alongside racism, which floods the conversation on immigration. Again, the way this episode was crafted was very deliberate — it displays these negative mindsets, but does not approve of them.
Haunting in more ways than one, "The Encounter" forces us to look in the mirror and reflect on the (in)accuracy of the narrative we were taught in school about the past, present, and future.
Oh, and one other thing: this episode stars a young George Takei.
Let’s get in The Zone!
Setting the Scene
A middle-aged alcoholic named "Mr. Fenton," played by Neville Brand, is organizing his attic and comes across an old Samurai sword. For some reason, Fenton feels haunted by the sword and throws it as far away from himself as he can.
George Takei, known as Taro “Arthur” Takamori, enters the scene. The front door to Fenton's house was left open, so he lets himself in and follows the sound of Fenton’s radio. Takamori asks Mr. Fenton if he would like to become a regular customer for lawn mowing services, and Mr. Fenton says yes. Takamori thanks him and tries to leave politely.
Fenton invites Takamori to join him for a beer and asks if he could help clear out the junk in his basement. Takamori accepts his offer.
The conversation takes a turn as Fenton speaks to Takamori demeaningly through the form of racist micro insults — like calling him ‘boy,’ using the word "Jap," saying he’s “too darn sensitive” when Takamori defends his name change and American citizenship. Fenton also says “a rose is a rose," a rude way of saying "once Japanese always Japanese."
Fenton shows Takamori the Samurai sword and explains how he took it off the “Jap” who tried to kill him with it. Fenton assumes because Takamori is Japanese, he can read the sword's engraving. Takamori can only read English.
When Fenton goes downstairs to grab something, Takamori is suddenly drawn to the sword. Holding it in his hand, he says, “I’m gonna kill him…but why?”
Here comes Rod Serling with his opening narration:
Serling: “Two men alone in an attic. A young Japanese-American and a seasoned veteran of yesterday's war. It's twenty-odd years since Pearl Harbor, but two ancient opponents are moving into position for a battle in an attic crammed with skeletons, souvenirs, mementos, old uniforms, and rusted medals. Ghosts from the dim reaches of the past that will lead us - into The Twilight Zone.”
Tensions Crescendo
Fenton continues to approach Takamori with disrespectful and racist remarks, often referring to him as “Taro” rather than his preferred name “Arthur" throughout the episode. At one point, Takamori corrects him and says, “My name is Arthur, and while we are at it, I get bugged by ‘boy.’” Good for him! Fenton responds condescendingly with, “Oh boy, are you one of them?”
It is important to recognize who "them" is in this context. "Them" refers to anyone who stands up for themselves or others in the spirit of political correctness. Fenton and many people in our society today consider "their actions or words" to be dramatic or attention-seeking…I’ve encountered this myself many times. Let’s continue:
Fenton: “In case you don’t know it, there ain’t a service man who saw combat in the Pacific who doesn’t respect the Japanese. They fought like tigers [again, little racist]. It was rare you could take them out without killing them. Banzai!”
See the attempt at respect? It’s not great, but it's there.
Fenton tells Takamori that every time he tries to get rid of the sword, it somehow always comes back to him. Adding to that, Fenton says, "I should have left it instead of picking it up as a souvenir." Um yeah, that is exactly what you should have done because everything about that was insanely disrespectful. Fenton wants to give the sword to Takamori, but he declines it.
“I don’t blame you for not wanting it,” Fenton says. “It’s a pretty ugly thing, especially with that inscription on it." Ah, Fenton knew what it said the whole time... What game is he playing? It reads, “The sword will avenge me.” When it comes to The Twilight Zone, you’ve got to pay attention to statements like these.
Takamori wants to leave, and things get intense.
Takamori: “Look, Mr. Fenton, I work for a living, and I’m kind of in a hurry.”
Fenton: “Listen, Taro, what’s all this stuff about working for a living? Now you mentioned that twice, don’t you think I work for a living? I’ve been working for a living ever since I was a kid and at a job a lot tougher than mowing lawns, I’ll tell you that. Right up until last week when I got laid off, I drove a CAT. Do you know what a CAT is, Arthur? Well, I can tell you it ain’t no sports car; it’s a big earth mover. You ever moved the earth, Arthur? No, of course not! You manicure it!”
The tension is rising, and you can see Takamori slowly losing his cool. Can you blame him? Fenton’s insults claim that white American men can move the earth (like God), Japanese men can only manicure it, insinuating they are less strong. The words “manicure it” attempt to make Takamori’s position sound more feminine and (hypothetically) weak.
Fenton shares the memory of how he got the sword.
Fenton: “Dumb, dirty, son of heaven, out there in the jungle, just asking for it. So I thought I’d oblige and started circling out behind him. A simple exercise for somebody with more luck than brains.”
[Takamori grabs the Samurai sword, Fenton grabs his own little sword, and they begin to fight. Takamori has the perfect opportunity to kill him, but doesn’t.]
Takamori: “I don’t know what got into me, I really don’t.”
Fenton: “You used that sword like you were mowing a lawn” [meaning it came naturally to him…Hmm].
What the Sword Reveals
Holding that sword for only a minute, it somehow revealed the truth to Takamori, exposing that the Japanese officer Fenton killed had surrendered, but Fenton shot him anyway. Fenton was lying.
Takamori does not feel well (can you blame him), and he tries to leave, but the door is stuck or locked. Fenton says the door has no lock, yet he cannot open it either. They are trapped.
Anyone who finds themselves trapped in a room or stuck in an elevator can tell you that something comes over you when you realize you are stuck. You come into contact with the deepest part of your vulnerability. The deepest parts of your soul begin to arise as you share stories of life’s most critical moments. This is exactly what happens to the two men as they remain stuck together.
Takamori was a four-year-old in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor, witnessing the bombings himself. His dad proved to be a traitor, showing the enemy where to drop the bombs. This brings Takamori great sorrow, reminding us yet again he identifies as being an American.
Fenton shares that he felt lonely because his wife left him the night before due to his alcoholic behavior and job layoff.
Fenton: “They canned me from the job, put somebody else on the CAT. Can you imagine, just because I had a few lousy drinks one day? No, it wasn’t the booze — that’s just an excuse. It’s all that cheap labor they’re bringing over here. They’re letting them in from everywhere. Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, Japan! Foreigners! We make Hawaii a state and look what we get!”
This line could have easily been written in 2026. Isn't that crazy? People still think the same way today. This mindset is a tale as old as time.
Our ancestors taught us to hate and fear one another because that “other” could steal our power, take over our lives, and leave us powerless. Yet, when we step into the shoes of that “other” and participate in colonization, genocide, etc, we somehow aren’t the monsters; somehow “they” are for not following our commands and protecting themselves. The whole rhetoric is full of holes, hypocrisy, and hate.
How does this episode end? You have to watch and see what happens for yourselves… It’s not entirely what you expect.
Click here to watch the episode.