Shatterday
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Shatterday” | |
|---|---|
| The New Twilight Zone episode | |
 Bruce Willis as Peter Jay Novins |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Guest stars | Bruce Willis |
| Written by | Alan Brennert |
| Directed by | Wes Craven |
| Original airdate | September 27, 1985 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "None" | "A Little Peace and Quiet" |
Shatterday is an episode of the television series The New Twilight Zone.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
Peter Jay Novins: Bruce Willis
Alter Ego: Seth Isler
Clerk: John Carlyle
Bartender: Dan Gilvezan
[edit] Plot
Down-and-out businessman Peter Jay Novins (Bruce Willis) calls home accidentally and his phone is answered by someone that claims to be him.
[edit] Opening Narration
"Some push for what they need; some push for what they want. Some people, like Peter Jay Novins, just push. If they do it hard enough and long enough, something might just push back... from the Twilight Zone."
[edit] Synopsis
Day 1: Someday
Peter Jay Novins sits a bar. Intending to call someone he accidentally dials his home phone number. Unfortunately, the phone is answered by Peter Jay Novins. Peter speaks to the man on the other end of the line and initially thinks that it is a joke. Eventually in shock he hangs up the phone. Flustered, he heads out of the bar. Peter heads to a phone booth on the street. He again calls his house and again gets Novins. Stunned he begins to believe that the man he is speaking to is his own alter ego. He thinks about heading over to his apartment. The man on the phone warns him against it. Peter asks if the two of them could just lead normal lives. The man on the other end tells him that his life is terrible and that he is going to change it. Peter threatens the man on the phone.
Day 2: Duesday
The next day, Peter cashes out his bank account. He then calls the grocery store and insults them to ensure that his alter ego can't get any food delivered. Peter calls his apartment again. He begins to gloat. The man on the other end tells him that he has been talking to his estranged mother. The man on the other end reveals that he is trying to patch things up with her and that he has invited her to live with him. Upset about the prospect of his alter ego stealing his mother, Peter hangs up angrily.
Day 3: Woundsday
During a storm, Peter stares into his apartment from the street. Using a payphone, he calls his alter ego. Peter is getting sick. Peter says he wants to work things out. The man in his apartment says that one of them deserves to take over the life of Peter Jay Novins. The man in the apartment says that Peter is a hypocrite. He tells him that his latest advertising job is unethical. The man in the apartment says that he isn't going to do the job.
Day 5: Freeday
Peter sits in an hotel room growing sicker. He receives a phone call from the man in the apartment, the man tells him that he is trying to make amends with the woman that Peter has neglected. He tells Peter he isn't going to live his life like the other Peter Jay Novins.
Day 6: Shatterday
Peter lays in a hotel room when his alter ego arrives. His alter ego tells him that it is time to come to terms with the fact that he is being replaced. His alter ego tells him that he soon will just be a memory. Peter stares out the window. His alter ego reveals that things are going well with him and that he has put his life in order. He asks Peter if there is anything he would have done if things had been different. Peter says no. The alter ego tells him that he has to go. Peter wishes him well. They shake hands and as the alter ego is leaving, Peter disappears.
[edit] Closing Narration
"Peter Jay Novins, both victor and victim, of a brief struggle for custody of a man's soul. A man who lost himself... and found himself... on a lonely battlefield, somewhere in the Twilight Zone."
[edit] Themes
- Represents man's two halves: one of virtue and goodness and the other of isolation and arrogance. It shows the outcomes which thoughts produce and the triumph of good over evil.
[edit] Trivia
- This is the first episode of The Twilight Zone revival.
- This episode is based on the short story "Shatterday" by Harlan Ellison. The story was first published in Gallery in September 1975.
[edit] References/External links
Back to: The New Twilight Zone, Episode List, Season 1
