The Twilight Zone: Ovation Ending Explained

SPOILERS for The Twilight Zone season 2, episode 4, “Ovation”

In season 2, episode 4, “Ovation”, The Twilight Zone offers viewers a darkly comedic look at the perils of fame. The episode is reminiscent of “The Comedian”, the season 1 episode which starred Kumail Nanjiani as a struggling stand-up comic that gets everything he wanted only to regret it. Jasmine (Jurnee Smollett) goes through a similar, albeit arguably more surreal experience.

“Ovation” begins with a disenchanted pop star named Fiji (Sky Ferreira) giving Jasmine, who is performing in public, a large coin. Distracted by throngs of adoring fans, Fiji is hit by a bus as she crosses the street. The coin helps Jasmine get noticed. The song she sings in tribute to Fiji quickly gains traction, eventually leading her to win the world’s biggest singing competition. It all happens pretty fast, to Jasmine’s growing concern and confusion. To make matters worse, it becomes clear that the applause following her everywhere she goes has nothing to do with the quality of her talent. It’s all about the coin, which inexplicably earns Jasmine legions of devotees.

Jasmine’s new reality is illustrated in a number of ways, a few of which are bizarre and hilarious. It’s not just that she has fans camped outside her home or that she’s hounded for autographs whenever she goes out jogging. In one instance, the driver of Jasmine’s limousine nearly causes an accident because he can’t stop clapping the second he hears Jasmine’s hit song on the radio. In another, Jasmine goes looking for her sister Zara (Tawny Newsome). Zara is a doctor, currently in the middle of operating on a patient, but when the medical staff sees Jasmine, they all drop what they’re doing and clap for her. The patient on the operating table, who by all accounts should be dead, manages to lift his arms and applaud as well. It’s this display that convinces Jasmine to finally get rid of the coin.

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, who previously helmed The Twilight Zone season 1, episode 4, “A Traveler”, and is known for the horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, “Ovation” is a wry look into the perils and the precariousness of fame. Jasmine is forgotten and dismissed by the general public as soon as a new mysterious singer, referred to as Mynx, arrives on the scene. Fiji was also quickly replaced by Jasmine. Even more astutely, the episode pokes fun at a culture that worships celebrity. Though the scenes in “Ovation” might be over the top, anyone who has spent any amount of time on social media can attest to the fact that some fans hold up their favorite actors and performers as uncomplicated paragons of virtue. David Chappelle criticized this mindset in his recent Netflix special, arguing that society shouldn’t be so eager to look to famous people for moral guidance. By depicting Jasmine as a flawed person, who began snapping at her sister as soon as she found a whiff of success, “Ovation” makes a similar point.

“Ovation” is concerned that the toxicity of unchecked fame and adoration harms the celebrities themselves. Near the end of the episode, now disheveled and with nothing to lose, Jasmine seeks out Mynx and stabs her. It then turns out that Mynx is actually Zara, keeping her grip on the coin as she takes her last breath to rapturous applause. In the end, toxic fame cost Fiji and Zara their lives. For Jasmine, it cost her sanity and her sister.

Despite the bleak ending, “Ovation” is a funny installment of The Twilight Zone overall. Amirpour’s distinctive direction lends itself to memorable visuals, such as the operating room scene. It ends on a clever note, too: The Narrator (Jordan Peele) forgoes his usual closing summary, wordlessly picking up the coin and putting it in his pocket so that it won’t harm anyone else. That’s probably a good idea.

About The Author

Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
(1121 Articles Published)

Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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