To say this was too "preachy" or "obvious" is an understatement. The best Twilight Zone episodes were those where the meaning was not obvious and was instead subtly conveyed via fantastical allegory. Serling was forced to go this route after suffering from censorship early in his career that prevented him from directly addressing current social concerns with criticism that might offend the advertisers. This episode fit the prevailing Cold War mindset of the time and was therefore free from their censors. In the end, it became proof that perhaps the censorship Serling often complained about was actually a good thing. It forced him to "hide" his messages in his fantasy stories and avoid preaching directly to the audience as he does in this episode. The main characters here are ridiculous caricatures of the evil tyrant and the saintly martyr. The whole plot strains the limits of believability time and time again. Serling's ending monologue feels like he's hitting us over the head. Those who strongly agree with its message might be able to overlook or even enjoy these things, but in the end, it is a weaker episode than if it had been more subtly executed.