| "Upgrade" | |||
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| The Twilight Zone episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 14 |
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| Directed by | Joe Chappelle | ||
| Written by | Robert Hewitt Wolfe | ||
| Production code | 113 | ||
| Original air date | October 30, 2002 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of The Twilight Zone episodes | |||
"Upgrade" is the fourteenth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode aired October 30, 2002 on UPN.
Contents |
| “ | Perfection. Isn't that something we all yearn for? Annie Macintosh does. She wants the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect life. But she's about to learn that perfection is an illusion, and a terrifying one at that, in The Twilight Zone. | ” |
Annie is a mom who wished for the perfect family. She, her husband, two unruly teenage children, and untrained dog move into a large house with plans to start their lives over. As they unpack, she hangs a large portrait of the family in the living room.
Upon seeing their dog urinating on the floor, Annie expresses her wish for the "perfect" family. Her husband comforts her and Annie calms down, until she notices a strange poodle in the house. When she wonders where their own dog went, her husband is confused and tells her that the poodle is their dog. Only Annie however appears aware of the change.
The next day, Annie's son changes, going from being a sloppy annoying boy to being much more respectful, well behaved, and better looking. Again, Annie is the only one who notices the change and becomes convinced that the new son is a stranger. She tries to find her old son, but in the process falls down the steps and suffers a mild concussion. Shortly after, her teenage daughter changes from a sullen girl to being much sweeter and prettier. Finally, her husband changes into a younger, handsomer man. None of the family notices these changes and believe that Annie is crazy when she tries to point it out to them.
Annie notices that the family portrait changes to reflect the changes in the family, however this does not convince them either, as they don't notice the changes in the portrait. Frightened and having overheard the family discussing having her sent to a hospital for her "delusions", Annie tries to escape from the house. Whenever she tries to leave however, she finds herself in a strange darkness that leads back to a different part of the house. Finally, Annie finds herself back in the living room. To her horror, she finds that her own part of the portrait has changed. She suddenly turns into a younger, better looking woman who has no memory of her former self. When her husband finds her, she tells him that she feels lucky to have such a wonderful family.
At this point, it is revealed that the entire series of events that have taken place were nothing more than the events of a computer game that a young girl was playing - a game in which the player must "upgrade" a family. The girl saves the game and leaves for dinner.
After Forest Whitaker gives the closing, a "save and quit" icon appears and it is revealed that he too is a part of a computer game. Shortly after, the screen goes blank as the game is shut off.
| “ | Just a game? Or is it? How do we know we aren't all just characters in some computer game called life? And at any moment, each of us could be replaced by someone a little smarter, a little younger, a little more...perfect. | ” |
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