Introduction
Twilight Zone (2019) Episode 4 is a Native American TV series directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and written by Glen Morgan. A police officer, Yuka, selected her brother as the candidate for ceremonial pardon during the Christmas party. The prison has a culture of pardoning an offender during the festive season, however, the selection is not made on merit. When Yuka wanted to release her brother, she discovers a strange inmate who introduces himself as the traveler. The traveler had come on a tour to witness Pendleton’s unique festivals in the prison. The TV series analyzes the interaction between the Alaskan natives and how their colonial masters treat them. When the traveler was pardoned instead of Yuka’s candidate, it showed opportunism, neo-colonialism, and paranoia. Native American stereotyping is manifested in the TV series as Yuka’s female gender makes her likes, opinions, and desires inconsequential in the decisions made in the prison.
Native American Stereotypes
Unique festivals and parties characterize different cultures in the world. Christmas parties are alien traditions in Alaska, but the people are forced to partake in them. Yuka takes part in the Christmas parties despite her despising the tradition. A more significant party in the region would be the Alaska folk festival. Concentrating on a foreign tradition signifies negative stereotyping of the local culture and the Alaskan traditions. Equality is an essential aspect of society, and when people live together, they must respect and appreciate each other’s traditions. In the globalized world where people exist together, diversity is critical. Yuka hates the function despite being an officer at the prison, meaning that the management did not consult her before deciding to celebrate Christmas parties annually by pardoning an offender. Christianity has taken over the native Alaskan culture, abandoning their traditions.
Christian Colonization of Native Alaskan Culture
The native Alaskans accepted the Christmas festivals in their town against their wish with the hope of it helping them. However, they are shocked as Yuka’s brother is replaced with a stranger who claims to be a lover of adventure. Despite Yuka convincing her superior that he can pardon the two of them, the traveler turns against Yuka’s brother and starts exposing his weakness, turning the people against each other (Amirpour, 2019, 15:31). The episode expresses the concept of divide and rule, where the colonizers instill a conflict among the locals and capitalize on it to exert control. As chaos erupted in the Alaskan prison, the native Alaskans are divided and controlled by foreigners, and neo-colonialism is manifested. Fear and paranoia are tools used by the colonizers to gain control over a group of people and make them submit to the orders given to them. Towards the end of the episode, all the natives run away, leaving their culture to the foreigners.
Native Actors Watching the White Colonizers Being Colonized
The film further shows how the native actors watch the colonizers being colonized in prison. After the traveler started manipulating Captain Pendleton, who was increasingly becoming susceptible to the foreigner’s manipulation, Yuka became the only voice of reason in the jail. Although the locals are despised by their colonizers, she understands the traveler’s manipulation and decides to help him. The stranger easily manipulates colonizers because of the secrets that the traveler spilled. An unknown stranger comes into the society and takes advantage of the people’s fears and ignorance to dominate and control them. In the same way, the colonizers took advantage of the native Alaskan ignorance, and the traveler used a similar trick to colonize the colonizers. Instilling fear in a person is the prerequisite for stereotyping and consequently exerts control over the people through colonization.
Opportunism, infiltration, and colonialism are key aspects expressed in the film. The traveler is an alien who takes advantage of the captain’s secret to manipulate him to get what he wants. In the contemporary world, people use others’ secrets to manipulate others for personal gain. He manipulates the captain, but Yuka, a native Alaskan, notices his scheme and saves the prison. The stereotyping of native Alaskan and their gender is proven wrong as she becomes the one who saves the colonizers from being colonized (Amirpour, 2019, 17:31). The concept of colonization is manifested in the film as the control over other people’s ideas and ways of life through manipulation and blackmail. The stranger treats the captain in a manipulative way, similar to how the captain treats the locals. Consequently, the film director succeeds in elaborating on the features of colonization and how people are colonized.
Conclusion
The TV series reflects colonization and stereotyping in prison during the Christmas festival where an offender is to be released. Yuka is a hardworking police officer, but her efforts are not witnessed because of Native American stereotyping. According to the locals, women are not supposed to be in a position of power, and their efforts are not recognized. Stereotyping and colonization are further manifested in the film as alien festivals are introduced and celebrated without seeking the consent of the affected people.
Reference
Amirpour A. L., (2019). The twilight zone – episode 4 “A traveler” | Easter eggs & breakdown [Video]. YouTube. Web.