Examination Day

"Examination Day"
The Twilight Zone episode
Scene from "Examination Day"
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 6a
Directed by	Paul Lynch
Written by	(based on the short story by Henry Slesar)
Original air date	November 1, 1985 (1985-11-01)
Guest appearances
David Mendenhall: Dickie Jordan Christopher Allport: Richard Jordan Elizabeth Norment: Ruth Jordan : Clerk #1 : Clerk #2 : Clerk #3
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"Examination Day" is the first segment of the sixth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone. The segment is based on the short story "Examination Day" by Henry Slesar. The story was first published in Playboy (February 1958).

Plot[]

Dickie Jordan is an intelligent and curious youth. He and his family live in a dystopian future. It is Dickie's twelfth birthday, so he is required by law to undergo an intelligence examination. As Dickie gleefully tells his parents how he was told by an older friend that the test is easy and that he's sure he will pass it, his parents appear stressed and avoid his questions. When the time comes, they bring him to a government testing facility. There he is given a serum to ensure he tells the truth and given a series of intelligence assessment questions.

After the test is complete, Dickie's parents are contacted by the government and told that Dickie's intelligence exceeds the legal limit. The parents burst into tears as the government examiners ask them how they would like to handle their son's remains.

Reception[]

The Evening Independent wrote that the episode was "a bit predictable, but the reason for the tragic climax was a shock".^[1]

References[]

External links[]

• "Examination Day" at IMDb