Shadow Play

Adam Grant – Dennis Weaver
Henry Ritchie – Harry Townes
Paul Carson – Wright King
Jiggs – William Edmonson
Carol Ritchie – Anne Barton
Coley – Bernie Hamilton
Phillips – Thomas Nello
Father Beaman – Mack Williams
Judge – Gene Roth
Narrator – Rod Serling

We fade up to a courtroom. Two men are sitting at a table. The defendant and his lawyer. The lawyer nudges his client and says they’re coming. A jury is filing out of a room and into the jury box. They must be getting ready to render the verdict. The judge asks if they have reached a verdict and the foreman replies that they have. I’m guessing it’s not very good news…the foreman looks deadly serious. The judge asks the defendant to rise. He asks Adam if he has anything to say before sentencing. Adam does not. He is, however, very sweaty. As the judge reads the sentence – for the crime of first degree murder Adam will be sentenced to death by electrocution. As the judge is saying the words Adam is moving his lips along as though he’s heard it before, many times.

When the judge is finished speaking Adam breaks into manic laughter and then yells, “No!” and slams his hand down on the table. Everyone looks quite surprised. Then he totally loses it and says “No! I won’t die again! You can’t make me die again!” and rushes the bench. The bailiff’s try to drag him off and Adam begs the District Attorney to tell everyone they are a dream he’s having. The DA looks reasonably surprised at this, as well one would if they were informed they were a dream. Adam goes on to say that when he dies they’ll all die, too. Then he tells the newspaper man, Mr. Carson, to convince everyone that they’re a dream.

SERLING:
Adam Grant, a nondescript kind of man found guilty of murder and sentenced to the electric chair. Like every other criminal caught in the wheels of justice he’s scared right down to the marrow of his bones. But it isn’t prison that scares him, the long silent nights of waiting, the slow walk to the little room or even death itself. It’s something else that holds Adam Grant in the hot and sweaty grip of fear. Something worse than any punishment this world has to offer. Something found only in the Twilight Zone.

We get the full-on jail scene, harmonica and everything. There’s an awful lot of guys on death row. Must have had a bad year. Adam’s lying on his cot. He’s writhing around with his hands over his ears. The harmonica’s not that bad. Adam yells at Coley to lay off the harmonica. Coley obliges and lays off. Adam says it’s ok, it’s not his fault but his. He got Coley out of a bad movie that he saw once, the same as the rest of the corny dream. Across the way one of the prisoners advises him to not think about it or he’ll crack up like the guy a few cells down. Phillips is talking to his “mother”. Jiggs says that Philips was fine until he started thinking about it. Adam says it’s different with him. Jiggs wants to know why? He got a death wish or something? Jiggs says it isn’t different and that even he wonders what it’ll be like. Adam says he knows exactly what it’ll be like: “You walk out of your cell, pass two gray doors, 78 steps to the final door. It’s painted green. There’s a guard that opens that door for you and you go into a room. It’s tan. It’s all tan. There’s nothing in it except one chair. It’s like a chair you used to sit in school when you were a kid. It’s hard and solid.” Jiggs interrupts him to tell Adam to knock it off. Adam goes on: “They strap your arms and legs. Then they attach the electrodes.” Adam goes on to describe it more and Jiggs says he sounds like he’s been through it before. He says the electrodes feel cold at first then you wait, listening for it to happen.

They do a fancy cut from his description of the chair to two huge porterhouses cooking in the oven. A woman flips them then fiddles with the oven. The doorbell rings and the newspaper man is standing there, totally snockered. He invites himself in and pours himself more gin. They tell him to take it easy and he responds that when he dies he wants to see no empty bottles. They tell him it’s not funny and he says he wasn’t trying to be. He says he was making a comment on the short and unhappy life of Paul Carson. He kindly pours them drinks and brings the tray to them. Carson starts to say “For tomorrow we…” but Henry cuts him off, sounding irritated. They must have taken what Adam said to heart. And I just noticed that on a desk behind Henry there’s a stone llama. Carson plunks himself down on the coffee table and reminds them that it’s only a few more hours. Henry’s wife gets irritated and tells him thanks for the newsflash. Like they’re not nervous enough as it is. Carson says he’ll leave and breathe his last elsewhere. Henry’s wife pushes him back down on the table and says she’s going to bed. Henry wants to know what about dinner and she says she lost her appetite. I guess that means that he doesn’t get to eat either and those gorgeous steaks are going to go to waste.

Carson wobbles his way over to Henry’s chair and perches on the arm of the chair. He says he’s scared. Henry asks if Carson actually believes what Adam says and Carson says that as crazy as it sounds, he does. Carson says he can’t prove it’s true. Henry says that doesn’t prove anything. He can’t prove the world isn’t going to end but that doesn’t mean it will. Henry says that Adam killed a man in cold blood and he’s going to pay for it and those are the facts. Carson says that Henry is just as worried as he is because there’s a tiny little part of him that does believe it. Carson says isn’t there a little part of him that thinks he can’t be married to a lovely wife like Carol, money in the bank and a lovely house? Henry says of course, if you’re a success that you’re bound to think it’s a dream. And if things are bad then you think it’s a nightmare. That’s what’s wrong with Adam. Carson says he’s been talking to Adam and he makes a lot of sense. Then he begs Henry to go and talk to Adam.

Back at the jail Adam asks Jiggs what time it is. Jiggs wants to know if Adam has a date or something. Adam says no, he’s just expecting someone. Jiggs asks if he’s waiting for the governor with a big fat pardon in his hand. Adam says he’s waiting for the district attorney. He usually comes around nine. Adam paces frantically around and then punches the wall. Henry is right on time. He says hello to Adam and steps into the cell. The guard leaves them alone for a bit. Henry says that Adam doesn’t seem surprised to see him. Adam says that he’s not. The District Attorney always comes at nine but it isn’t always Henry. Henry wants to know if Adam is sticking to his dream story. Henry starts to talk and Adam says the words with him. he grins grimly and tells Henry that after dreaming it night after night he should know all the words. Adam says that it’s simple. When he dies they’ll die, the whole world dies because this world does not exist except in his nightmare.

Henry says that he can’t accept it because it doesn’t make any kind of logical sense. Adam says that’s the only kind of sense it does make. Would the DA visit a man alone before he’s about to e executed? Or take himself. He says that Henry doesn’t know anymore about him than when it started. Henry starts to say there are vagrants and strangers in every town. Adam says it with him and Henry tells him to knock it off. Henry says that he can prove it. What about their parents? And his parent’s parents? Adam says a dream world is built complete. Henry wants to know what about when they sleep? Is that when Adam is supposed to be up and around? Adam says they sleep because he dreams them sleeping. Henry asks if it’s just a dream then what does it matter? Why doesn’t Adam just relax and enjoy it? This makes Adam giggle like a crazy guy. I think he caught a case of over-acting while he was in jail. Adam wants to know if Henry has ever dreamed of being tortured or drowned or killed? And didn’t Henry feel like it was? So real he would wake up screaming? Adam says it feels that way for him every single night because he dreams the same dream every single night.  The only thing different is the people are switched around a bit. Sometimes Henry will be the DA, sometimes the judge. Which makes me wonder…even if this were true what the heck is Henry supposed to do about it? He’s only a figment of Adam’s imagination. Henry goes to leave and Adam says he’ll prove it to him. Henry’s wife has a steak cooking for him at home. He says to go home and look in the oven, it’ll be something else. If he can change that then why can’t he change the bigger dream? Henry comes barreling in the house and Carson wants to know what’ up? Henry yanks open the oven door to find a pot roast instead of the steaks that were there.

Jiggs calls across to Adam and asks if he woke him up. Adam laughs…again…and Jiggs wants to know why he’s laughing. What’s so funny? Adam says that nothing’s funny. Jiggs says that he’s been thinking about what Adam said about it being a dream and if he told the governor about it they might let him out on a psycho. Adam says that the governor wouldn’t believe him. Jiggs doesn’t believe him, does he? Jiggs says that doesn’t matter. If Adam thinks it’s true then he must have a screw loose somewhere. He says he’ll prove it to Jiggs. Who gets tried, sentenced and executed in the same day? No one. But that’s how he puctured it so that’s how it happened in his dream. dam says he pictured Philips, Cooley and Jiggs but real death houses aren’t like that. He’s never seen one so he just imagines it that way.

Back at Henry’s house Henry and Carson are hanging out by the fire. Mrs. Henry comes down. I guess she wasn’t able to sleep. They all are antsy, waiting for midnight. Henry asks why midnight? Carson says it’s because Adam has only see it in movies and it always happens at midnight in the movies.

Back at the prison they’re getting Adam ready. A priest comes in to give him the last rites or whatever it is they do. The priest asks if there’s anything Adam wants to say. Adam says no. the priest asks if he wants to pray and Adam says not to bother. The priest says there’s always a need but Adam disagrees. It might be necessary in real life but not in a nightmare. Adam wonders where he got the priest’s face from. He almost recognizes it each time but never quite gets it. He gets it at last and says now he remembers. Father Beaman from Spring Hill. No wonder he didn’t recognize him. The priest looks confused. He says that Father Beaman died when he was ten and was replaced by a younger priest, That’s where he got the newspaper editor from. As Adam’s trying to figure out where he got other people from the priest gives up and throws a cross at Adam before he leaves. They start escorting Adam to the chair.

Back at home Henry’s pacing up a storm. Carson asks if Henry can get at least a week’s stay of execution? Forget the dream stuff. Whether it’s real or not doesn’t matter . The kid believes it so they should get a stay because Adam might be legitimately crazy. Carson asks Henry if he’s wiling to send a mental incompetent to the chair? Henry says he regrets it and will as long as he lives but he grabs the phone anyway and calls the governor.

Back at the prison they’re getting Adam into the chair. It’s a very tense scene flashing back and forth between Adam getting strapped into the chair and Henry talking to the governor. Henry’s trying to get the governor to grant a stay of execution. Adam’s all strapped in and they throw the switch just as the phone rings. Just like in the movies.

The clock disappears, the people freeze and the lights fade down. The lights fade back up on a courtroom. Jiggs is the judge now. Carson is the jury foreman. They find him guilty and the whole ‘Shadow Play’ starts all over again.

SERLING:
We know that a dream can be real. But who ever thought that reality could be a dream? We exist, of course, but how? In what way? As we believe, as flesh and blood human beings or are we simply parts of someone’s feverish, complicated nightmare? Think about it and then ask yourself…Do you live here, in this country, in this world, or do you live instead in the Twilight Zone.

This episode has always been pretty meh to me. what about you guys? Do you like it? It makes me wonder exactly what Adam wants the people in his dream to do to help him. it’s his head, his dream. Which, if he can control parts then he should be able to control all of it. I dunno. I rarely remember my dreams and when I do they’re more like watching a movie.

Stay tuned next Tuesday for The Mind and The Matter which isn’t too bad of an episode. It’s actually pretty funny. And we’re only two episodes away from one of my favorite episodes, The Obsolete Man.