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, 2003 |
| Guest actors | |
|
Wood Harris as Marvin Gardens/Dwayne Grant | |
"Another Life" is the twenty-seventh episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on February 5, 2003, on UPN.
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 police officer that he is innocent but the man does not believe him and starts choking him. Marvin then finds himself back in the exercise room, gasping for breath.
When Jasmine finds out, she is concerned about Marvin but he insists it is just stress from trying to get his new album out on deadline. She tells him that she will 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 police officer who asks to see his license. As Marvin does so, he finds himself back in the room being beaten by police officers, 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 is 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 a psychologist named Dr. Sinclair 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 is 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 is 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. Detective Jasmine examines "Dwayne" and says there is nothing they can do: he's still alive, but his mind is broken. Sinclair is not particularly upset until a police officer comes in and informs them that the real shooter has been arrested and has confessed to his crime. Detective Jasmine goes over to Dwayne's body and finds a piece of paper with his lyrics: Marvin's lyrics, talking about his dreams of becoming a famous rapper. The final scene shows a close-up of Dwayne's face and visions of his life as Marvin Gardens.
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. | ” |