SPOILERS for The Twilight Zone season 2, episode 3, “The Who Of You”
The Twilight Zone season 2, episode 3, “The Who Of You” is a character study, which explores empathy and privilege in the guise of a sci-fi action movie. It is less direct in presenting its message, compared to season 1 episodes like “A Traveler” and “The Wunderkind”, but still packs a punch. The episode begins with Harry (Ethan Embry), an actor, flubbing an audition. Things at home aren’t any better as his relationship with his girlfriend, Morena (Carmel Amit), appears to be on the rocks. To make matters even worse, the electricity is cut off because Harry neglected to pay the power bill. In his defense, he says that he didn’t think the power would be cut off right away. It seems that Harry is quite self-centered and shortsighted, rarely considering the consequences of his actions.
This flaw becomes evident when Harry decides to rob a bank in an effort to solve his problems. Something strange and unexplained happens when he locks eyes with the nervous teller, though he switches bodies with her. For a few minutes, it seems as if “The Who Of You” will feature an unlikely protagonist: a middle-aged woman named Jill (Veena Sood), who is actually Harry. But, as Harry quickly realizes he can switch bodies with anyone he desires simply by staring into their eyes, he doesn’t risk staying in one form for too long. Harry hops from one body to the next, as the situation requires. Over the course of the episode, he becomes a cop, a barista, a jogger, an old man, and a young boy. He does this to avoid being captured by police, and to hold onto the small bag of money that was in his grasp when he first found himself in Jill’s body.
The police, for their part, have an exceptionally difficult time capturing Harry. The trouble is, every time Harry chooses a new body, the person he’s selected ends up trapped with Harry’s physical form. Practically, this means Detective Reece (Daniel Sunjata) has to deal with someone who is constantly confused. It also gives Harry a seemingly insurmountable advantage.
“The Who Of You” was written by Win Rosenfeld, a co-writer on the upcoming Candyman reboot. Peter Atencio, who worked on Key & Peele and helmed Keanu, directed the episode. Although seemingly an action movie with a sci-fi twist, given how the story revolves around a robber trying to evade capture, the episode is a study in Harry’s privilege and lack of empathy.
The episode hammers the point repeatedly, most clearly during a scene in which a psychic named Keith (Billy Porter) berates Harry for his selfish behavior. It’s evident in Harry’s carelessness. He doesn’t care that Jill will almost certainly lose her job at the bank due to the fact that she was seen trying to steal money. He doesn’t care about the damage he caused the barista he hopped into, who was likely arrested through no fault of his own. Phil doesn’t care about the emotional trauma he caused the young boy by stealing his body. Every stranger Harry came across in “The Who Of You” was a means to an end; simply a way to hold onto his bag of money. Harry admits this during the conversation with Keith, revealing that he doesn’t think about what happens to the people he swaps bodies with.
What’s bold about “The Who Of You” is that Harry doesn’t learn from his experience. He doesn’t get punished, either. If anything, he gets the girl and the career he wanted at the start of the episode by living as Reece. Harry may not seem like the most dastardly villain in the history of The Twilight Zone, as he’s more thoughtless than malicious, but his actions are absolutely terrible. His ability to swap bodies is a privilege, which could be used to relieve the pain of sick people. It could even be used to make money in a way that doesn’t violate the consent of othes. Ultimately, it is Harry’s lack of empathy that causes him to carelessly abuse his powers.
