In the nicest possible way, I will say this is the most retarded of movies. But that’s too harsh. It does have some goofy stuff going on here, and it’s all in rather silly trappings, over a most insidious of plots. Right off the bat, the voice-over and the opposite happenings of the world, you see this isn’t going to be that serious. But it is. Oh, it is.
A young professor of Philosophy at the local college has his wife leaving town for a couple of days. She surprises him with a brand new television to help keep him company while she’s gone. It isn’t a normal television. Just be careful, or Twonky will most certainly Twonk yer ass. And you really don’t want to have your ass Twonked. Especially not in prison.
This plays out like an extended Twilight Zone episode. Obviously one of the more quirky ones. It throws in some Freud, some zappy effects, and a rather dark undercurrent of future authoritarianism. The TV only has one master, and it will do whatever it can to make sure that master is ok. And that he behaves. Because that’s what a good Twonky does. But it’s good for a few laughs, intentional or otherwise. And is a pretty good possible take on the evils of what television can be, sentient or otherwise.
