Cult-TV Theme Watch: Masks

A mask is an object that covers the face, sometimes for purposes of disguise, sometimes for purpose of drama (as in performances…) and sometimes for protection.  And the mask has been seen frequently on cult-television programs across the decades.

A creepy fifth season episode of The Twilight Zone (1959 – 1964) turns the ideas of masks upside down.  In this case, a mask is not something that hides or obscures the truth, but something that instead reveals a person’s inner self.

In this story by Rod Serling and directed by Ida Lupino, an old man on the verge of death, Jason Foster (Robert Keith) invites his greedy relatives to a Mardi Gras party.  Once they gather, he orders the obsequious would-be heirs to put on ugly masks, and not remove them until the stroke of midnight.  Once their masks are removed, the venal, cowardly, monstrous, and sadistic qualities of Jason’s relatives now show on their very flesh.  Suddenly, these people must always reveal what they are, not hide their natures behind harmless countenances.

In Space:1999’s (1975 – 1977) second season story “One Moment of Humanity,” the human inhabitants of the distant planet Vega all hide their faces beneath expressionless white masks so that their android servants-turned-masters cannot read the emotions on their faces…and learn from the humans how to become fully emotional.  Their plans destroyed, the devious androids need the Alphans -- namely Helena and Tony -- to teach them human emotions, particularly violent ones such as rage.  Without benefit of masks to hide their expressions, Helena and Tony struggle to remain calm and blank.

Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century (1979 – 1981) explored worlds on at least two occasions where mask-wearing had, unfortunately, become the norm.  In the first season’s“The Plot to Kill a City,” Buck met an alien bodyguard, Varek who could render himself intangible.  

He also wore a mask to hide his scarred, hideous, mutated face…a result of total nuclear war.  Varek informed Buck that even the children of his world had to wear masks so as not to face their hideous reflections.  Here, the mask hid a terrible truth.

In the final episode of the 1970s series, “The Dorian Secret,” Buck encountered a second race relying on masks to cloak a true nature.  Only here, the secretive Dorians wore masks because of a weird mutational quirk.  Their nuclear war had rendered all faces virtually identical.  Masks were worn across the planet so that individuals could distinguish themselves from others.

In V (1984) and its follow-up series, the Visitors came to Earth wearing flesh masks that hid their reptilian features and made them appear human.  In this case, a mask was used for purposes of deceit and trickery.

One of the finest episodes of the original Beauty and the Beast (1987 – 1990) was a first season entry called “Masques” and it involved Halloween night, the only night of the year when Vincent (Ron Perlman) could safely and freely walk in “The World Above” without eliciting terror or anxiety from others.

A weird and controversial episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994) was also titled “Masks” and it involved a strange alien archive re-shaping the environs of the Enterprise-D.  Lt. Data (Brent Spiner)  -- embodying several mythological characters from the alien culture -- was seen wearing an odd mask as a creature called “Masaka.”

In terms of disguise purposes, masks have been seen on superhero series such as Batman, The Green Hornet, The Amazing Spider-Man, Nightman and Smallville, among others.