The Card (The New Twilight Zone)

The Card is the first segment of the thirty-second episode (the thirteenth episode of the second season (1986–87) of the television series The New Twilight Zone.

Opening narration

Plot

After having a number of credit cards revoked for lack of payment, Linda Wolfe, a mother of three, apparently is invited to become a cardholder from a credit company called The Card. Entering the office of The Card, she notes a woman clutching a baby coming from a door labeled Acquisitions, then entering a door called Disbursements. During her appointment with Catherine Foley, the office manager, she discovers they have reviewed her credit and because it is poor, she will have to agree to special terms of payment. She will be required to make payments weekly. Nevertheless, they want her as a cardholder and she immediately signs.

Linda's husband, Brian, soon discovers the new card and that Linda has used it already to buy herself a bottle of perfume. He begs her to be very careful this time. One week later, she is delinquent on one payment, and her cat mysteriously disappears, but when she asks her family about it no one seems to remember that they ever had a cat, nor is there any evidence the cat existed. Then Linda and Brian attempt to buy a refrigerator and she discovers she neglected to make the first payment. The next week, once again, Linda neglects to pay and their dog is the next thing to disappear and, as before, none of the family remembers ever owning the dog. Then, Linda's car breaks down and she needs a mechanic. Since she only has twelve dollars in cash, she uses her credit card. As a result of her not keeping current with the payments, Linda's three children disappear. Of course, Brian doesn't know anything about the children and this pushes Linda over the edge.

Linda starts to realize that the credit card company might be behind it all. She goes to The Card and Catherine informs her that because she is behind in payment they are repossessing items to cover her bills, along with all memories that anyone but her have of them. She tries to buy back her children with a check from her joint account and Catherine accepts it but warns that if the check doesn't clear another penalty will be assessed.

Linda arrives home to tell Brian about the check but he tells her the bank already called about it and he had stopped payment on it. Everything then starts to disappear around her—car, furniture, and her husband. She ends up cutting up the credit card to keep things from disappearing but it's too late. As the card falls to the ground her house and everything remaining in it, including her, disappears...

External links

• "The Card" at the Internet Movie Database
• tv.com Twilight Zone (1987): The Card