Found and Lost

"Found and Lost" is the twenty-second episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on November 27, 2002, on UPN.

Opening narration

Plot

Sean Moore is a successful businessman who one day begins to see objects he had in the past. Realizing that he has a second chance, he decides to trade his money for one girl's affection.

Moore is preparing to sell his coffee company to a multi-national conglomerate. His secretary Kate passes on his messages and reminds him that it is his mother's birthday. Moore tells Kate to send flowers and Kate tells him that he has an interview with reporter Elizabeth Carter. He agrees to meet her in his office and she asks him why he is selling the company. Moore is happy to admit that he is in it for the money. Carter then switches to more personal questions, asking about his father Paul's baseball (which was signed by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins) that he sold for $8,000 to start his career. Irritated, Moore starts to get a headache and ends the interview. Afterward, he opens his desk drawer for aspirin and finds the baseball. He wonders if Carter planted it, but Kate insists that the reporter was never out of her sight.

That night, Kate calls to tell him that no one in the office knows about the baseball. Carter calls to set up a follow-up interview and Moore lets the answering machine take it. He then gets a call from another woman, Alicia, asking to come over. They make love and afterward Alicia emphatically says that she loves him and couldn't live without him. Once she has finished, he tells her to leave and pays her. Sean reminds her not to go so heavily on the "I love you". As she dresses, Moore finds his old high school jacket in his closet, the jacket he burned years ago. He thinks Alicia is responsible but she denies having ever seeing it and leaves. He finds a letter in the pocket from his first girlfriend, Elizabeth "Bess" Wicker. It talks about how she could not forgive him and she is not going to California with him.

When Moore goes back to his office and parks in the sub-basement, Carter comes out of the shadows. She accuses him of being afraid to look at his past, and that now he does not care about anyone and no one cares about him. She steps into the light and says she loves him, and he realizes that it's Bess. Kate comes out of the elevator and when Sean turns back to Bess, she has vanished.

Moore calls the magazine and asks them about Bess. The editor-in-chief tells him that they did not schedule an interview and that Bess died three days ago in a car accident. He wonders why Bess is showing him things from his past and figures that Bess is somehow trying to give him a second chance. He goes to see his mother, Jessica. She is surprised to see him as he wishes her a happy birthday. When he mentions Bess, she says it was a shame that he let her go. Moore shows his mother the baseball and Jessica says that he stole it, breaking his father's heart. He tries to give it to her but she says it is too late to change things and throws it in the sewer before leaving.

Moore gives his sales meeting but the film is home video of his father Paul making a record of their new home. A teenage Sean and Bess are there, clearly in love. On the film, Sean takes the camera and films his mother and father kissing, and Bess saying she loves him. He walks out of the meeting and drives to the house, now empty and abandoned. Bess appears behind him and says she hoped she would find him there. Moore says that they had planned to get married and buy the house from his parents, but says it's too late to change things. He wonders what Bess wants to give him now but she says that he has to take what he really needs. Moore turns toward the front door and Bess disappears. He walks inside and finds himself in the past, as a teenager on the day he stole his father's baseball. The teenage Sean takes the baseball and starts to leave, but hears Bess calling his name. He puts it back as his parents and Bess arrive. Bess admits she was not sure if he would be there. Moore, given a chance to do things over, leaves with Bess for their date where they might catch Who Framed Roger Rabbit at the duplex. When Paul asks if he needs any money, Sean says he has everything he needs.

As Sean and Bess leave, Forest Whitaker appears and narrates that Sean has traded his fortune for a clean slate while starting life anew.

Closing narration

External links

• "Found and Lost" at TV.com
• "Found and Lost" at the Internet Movie Database