Another Life (The Twilight Zone)

"Another Life"
The Twilight Zone (2nd revival) episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 27
Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia
Written by Brent V. Friedman
Amir Mann
Production code 126
Original air date February 5, 2002 (2002-02-05)
Guest stars
Episode chronology
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List of The Twilight Zone episodes

"Another Life" is the twenty-seventh episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode aired February 5, 2003 on UPN.

Contents

Opening Narration

When you're at the top of your game like Marvin Gardens, the only thing left to conquer is fear, fear that your success won't last, that maybe, just maybe, you might fall back into a life you once escaped.

Plot summary

Rapper Marvin Gardens is rich and famous, and jogging down the street of his expensive residential district. After a police car passes him, its siren running, Marvin returns home to his beautiful wife Jasmine. After she leaves, Marvin conducts a phone interview with a reporter, who notes that Marvin is number three on the charts. After the interview is over, Marvin plays video games with his young son Marvin Jr., then goes to exercise. As he exercises, Marvin suddenly finds himself in a dark room as a police officer interrogates him about killing another cop. Marvin tells the policeman that he's innocent but the man doesn't believe him and starts choking him. Marvin then finds himself back in the exercise room, gasping for breath.

When Jasmine finds out, she's concerned about Marvin but he insists it's just stress from trying to get out his new album on deadline. She tells him that she'll love him no matter what and kisses him. After recording a session in the studio, Marvin drives home but is pulled over by a black cop who asks to see his license. As Marvin does so, he finds himself back in the room being beaten by cops, including the one who pulled him over. They demand to know what he did with the gun and call him "Dwayne." Marvin has no idea what's going on and denies shooting anyone and then he finds himself back in his car. The officer who pulled him over apologizes and asks for his autograph.

Marvin makes an appointment with Dr. Sinclair, a psychologist, and explains his experiences. He also talks about how he grew up in the ghetto but has worked his way off the streets and has never heard about anyone called "Dwayne." Sinclair wonders if Marvin is suppressing a memory and Marvin insists he's never going back to the streets.

Marvin returns home to find Marvin Jr. playing with a toy gun. Marvin angrily takes his son's toy gun (because of the violence Marvin had seen on the streets as a young man, Marvin has a deep loathing for firearms, be they toy or real). Later in bed, Jasmine talks about how she is glad that Marvin went to see Sinclair, and they make love. However, Marvin finds himself back in the dark room, where Sinclair is in charge of the interrogation. A female detective offers Marvin water and tries to help him: it is Jasmine. She only knows him as Dwayne but Marvin does not know what she's talking about. He finds himself back in bed with Jasmine. Angry, he snaps at her then apologizes and promises that when he is done with his album, he will be fine.

Marvin goes to the studio to finish his album but collapses when he finds himself back in the dark room again. He goes back to Sinclair and then finds himself back in the room with Sinclair demanding that he confess. The police beat Marvin again despite his protestations of innocence, and then he is back with Sinclair again. He insists that he does not need any help and he created the life he believes he deserves. He goes back home and tells Marvin Jr. and Jasmine that they are going to move to a larger place and that they are going to have everything he has ever wanted for them, and that the visions are over.

As Marvin exercises, he finds himself back in the dark room—unconscious. The female detective, Jasmine examines "Dwayne" and says there's nothing they can do: his mind has broken and he shows no physical signs of life. Sinclair is not particularly upset—until an officer comes in and informs them that the real shooter has been arrested. Jasmine goes over Dwayne's body and finds a piece of paper with his lyrics: Marvin's lyrics, talking about his dreams of becoming a famous rapper.

Closing Narration

For Dwayne Grant, a.k.a. Marvin Gardens, justice was just an illusion. So he escaped into an illusion of his own making. Dwayne Grant...living out his dreams...in the Twilight Zone.

External links