The Real Real Steel
Twilight Zone. Yes I know I mention that show in basically every blog, but hey, can’t help it’s the greatest show ever made. I also want people to know how much Serling’s groundbreaking show inspired and influenced the world of sci-fi and fantasy we know today. So, this time I will introduce you to a great episode, which happens to be the base for a blockbuster from last summer. Real Steel.
The episode’s name is Steel and it is starring a legend, Lee Marvin.
It all starts out in near future where boxing has made illegal. In a small restaurant, a man (Lee Marvin) known as Sam ‘Steel’ Kelly sits with his partner Pole, both men have a grave expression as they’re discussing the future of their profession, mechanical boxing.
The men owns an outdated B2 mechanical boxer, ‘Maxo’, and are on their way out because they can no longer compete with the other vastly superior mechanical boxers out there. Kelly believes Maxo still have fights left in him but is fought by his partner Pole who thinks their robot now is only good for scrap metal. Kelly refuses to give up the idea of one last fight which would give them enough money to upgrade and fix the old geezer, and after a long time of persuading, Pole finally caves. At location they try Maxo out, only to discover he is literally falling apart. Kelly, now frantic and determined of not stepping away from the game and potential money, offers himself to take the robot’s place, after all.. no one knows what the robot looks like.
Pole under violent threat agrees to help him transform into robot mode and wheels him into the ring.
His opponent is a new, highly popular robot, B7 which is more or less a boxing killing machine, and Kelly soon discovers he is way in over his head. After round one Kelly is half dead and dragged out of the ring, but still conscious enough to make sure Pole collects the money. The episode closes with them only receiving half of the money, after all, Maxo was not performing as he should’ve.
No need to say this is a great episode, I am obsessed with Twilight Zone as you may know.
This episode was Lee Marvin’s second, he also starred in the eerie episode ‘The Grave’ which you also should watch.
This is one of sixteen Twilight Zone episodes written by Richard ‘My-favourite-writer-for-tv-bar-none’ Matheson, and his personal favourite. His episodes are a great way of introducing yourself to the series because all of them embrace the true Twilight Zone spirit and covers so many themes and genres.
