Netflix Ugly Features a clever reference to one of the best episodes of The Twilight ZoneAlthough it’s incredibly easy to miss the sly homage. Based on Scott Westerfeld’s novel of the same name, Ugly is a dystopian young adult (YA) story set in a controlling society defined by government-mandated cosmetic surgery. When the denizens of the city turn 16 years old, they undergo Ugly‘ Transformation – a surgical procedure that turns them into beautiful but boring pretties. So called “disgusting,“Like Tally Youngblood (Joey King), dream of the day they’ll be turned into carefree pretties.
However, there is a more sinister aspect to the transformation. The Smoke, a fringe group of rebels who make a good chunk of Ugly‘ cast of letters, discovers that the surgery causes brain lesions. In turn, these lesions are responsible for dulling the pretties’ ability to think freely. Allegedly, this transformation frees the beautiful society from jealousy and hostility, but it also makes the population easier to control. In true dystopian fashion, Talley is forced to choose between assimilating or standing up for people’s agency and individuality—and One critical Ugly Scene references a thematically similar episode of The Twilight Zone.
Tally’s pig mask is a sly reference to The Twilight Zone’s “Eye of the Beholder” episode
The classic Twilight Zone episode plays with our ideas of beauty standards
in UglyTally sneaks into Fair Town to find her friend, Paris (Chase Stokes), and disguises herself with a pig mask reminiscent of The Twilight Zones “Eye of the Beholder” episode. Various parties unfold on a nightly basis in Fair Town, including this one. When Tally sneaks in, one of the celebrations is a safari-themed masquerade. Still, the movie is incredibly intentional when it comes to these UglyFuturistic gadget that turns Tally into a “beautiful“Pig. In popular culture, pigs are often associated with ugliness – a meaning with which the classic episode “Eye of the Power” also plays.
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Also known as “The Private World of Darkness,” the 42nd episode of the series originally aired as part of the second season of The Twilight Zone In 1960. Written by Twilight Zone Host and creator Rod Serling, “Eye of the Beholder” centers on Janet Taylor (Maxine Stewart; Donna Douglas), a woman who undergoes her eleventh state-sanctioned treatment to look more “Normal.” The surgery is Janet’s last chance to be beautifulHowever, for most of the episode, her face is wrapped in bandages. After the doctor (William D. Gordon) removes the bandages, he tells Janet that the procedure has failed.
In a sense, the beauty standards of the fictional society are the opposite of the viewers, who emphasize the pig-faced appearance.
smart, The Twilight Zone Episode also keeps the face of the doctor and nurses a mystery. When the bandages come off, Janet is revealed to be a conventionally attractive woman by 1960s beauty standards. Still, both Janet and the medical staff are horrified by her appearance. The biggest twist comes when the faces of the hospital staff are revealed. in this Twilight Zone world, Beauty is defined by drooping eyes, thick brows and noses reminiscent of pig snouts. In a sense, the beauty standards of the fictional society are the opposite of the viewers, who emphasize the pig-faced appearance.
Uglies shares common themes with the “Pig Face” episode of The Twilight Zone
Janet and Tally both grapple with the idea of ​​beauty defining their worth
There is no doubt that The Twilight Zone was ahead of his time When it came to the themes and stories she explored, however, even so, “Eye of the Beholder” carries more than most installations. In Serling’s Strange World, What viewers would consider ugly is the norm, while conventional beauty is a deviation. At the end of the episode, a fellow “ugly” man, Walter Smith (Edson Stroll), comes to accompany Janet to a village of “[her] own kind” Away from the state. Walter assures Janet that others like her will see her as beautiful, which Janet has a hard time understanding.
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Similar to Ugly, The Twilight Zone Episode plays with the idea that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, it features a character who goes to extreme lengths to change her appearance so that it better fits society’s ideals. At one point, the Twilight Zone Doctors even comment that no one should be judged on their outer beauty – a sentiment echoed by the rebellious members of the smoke in Ugly. Although Janet has no time to consider anything but her physical appearance, the suggestion is that she, like Tally, will come to understand that beauty is not a fixed ideal.
Uglies’ pig mask is also a reference to George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Orwell’s dystopian classic also leans heavily into pig imagery
Like other works of dystopian fiction, Ugly Borrowing from the novels and movies that came before, including George Orwell’s Animal farm. Released in 1945, the satirical novella centers on a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human owners. The animals hope to create a truly fair and happy society, but they wind up under the iron head of a pig dictator.. When it comes to dystopian stories, Animal farm cornered the market on pig imagery, so it’s easy to see Tully’s mask as a reference to the insidious nature of Fair Town in Ugly.