Burned (The Twilight Zone)
| "Burned" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone (2nd revival) episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 1 Episode 44 |
| Directed by | John T. Kretchmer |
| Written by |
Daniel Wolowicz Seth Weisburst |
| Production code | 136 |
| Original air date | May 21, 2003 |
| Guest actors | |
|
Jason Bateman as Scott Crane | |
"Burned" is the forty-fourth and final episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on May 21, 2003, on UPN.
Opening narration
| “ | Meet Scott Crane, a real estate mogul who thrives on the art of the deal. In Scott's world everyone has a price, and any problem can be solved through skillful bargaining. But he's about to learn that some debts aren't so easily settled in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
Plot summary
A real estate mogul named Scott Crane (Jason Bateman) is watching a newscast about the Penchenko family that was killed in a blaze, including their two children Dimitri and Sonia. He gets a call from Rick, the arsonist that he hired. Rick demands extra money since Scott did not tell him there was a family in the house. Scott stands to make a fortune from the land the house was on and refuses to pay. Rick says he knows where he can find Scott, because he knows that he is agoraphobic and never leaves his house. Scott insists he can leave his house any time that he wants, but Rick is unimpressed.
That night, Scott goes to bed but hears a noise outside. He puts a gun underneath his pillow and turns off the lights. The temperature starts to go up and Scott finally notices but is unable to get the thermostat to work. He hears noises downstairs and takes his gun to investigate. The TV is on but no one is there. Scott turns the TV off but it switches back on to a broadcast about the two dead Penchenko children. Scott calls out for Rick but there is no response. He hears a whistling noise and goes out to the kitchen where someone has put a teakettle on the stove. He turns off the stove and burns his hand on the teakettle. When he turns on the water at the faucet, it is boiling hot. A police officer named Kate Graham (Angela Featherstone) of the Arson Investigation Unit informs Scott that they have determined a faulty boiler caused the fire.
Scott goes to make a call but discovers the phone line has been cut. He braces himself to go out, calling out to Rick that he is going to bring the police back. However, Scott is unable to step outside. He hears footsteps above and runs upstairs, but does not find anyone. The lights flicker and Scott goes to the garage to check the fuse box. He finds Rick, electrocuted, standing at the fuse box.
Scott sits down and has a drink, and sees a reflection of the two dead children in the windshield of his car. Scott heads for the door and tries to explain that it was just business for him and he can try and help them. The doors start to open and shut on their own. Scott retreats to the kitchen and notices that the gas knobs are turning on by themselves. The fireplace starts up and Scott tries to turn the gas off. The knobs keep turning and Scott manages to go outside and inch his way around the house to the gas meter. He shuts it off then runs inside.
Someone knocks on the door and it is Kate Graham, who says that she set up the fire to look like a boiler. She is there to get her money from Scott, and he tells her about the ghost children and the dead Rick. He wants her to help him negotiate but Kate figures he is nuts and just wants her money so she can get out. When he refuses to pay her, she leaves and Scott tries to apologize to the ghosts. The Penchenko children appear and Scott offers them his house. When they do not respond, he tries to get out but the door knob turns red hot and then the door bursts into flames. Fires spread throughout the house and Scott runs upstairs only to find all the doors are locked. He finally gets into the bedroom only to find the two Penchenko children waiting for him. He locks himself in the closet as smoke and flames fill the house and the children just smile.
The next day, Kate comes to the house and finds the strongbox where Scott kept his money. She takes it back to her apartment. Later that night, Kate watches the news about Scott Crane's death and the fire at his house where there was no evidence of Scott's involvement in the arson at the Penchenko house. After opening the strongbox, Kate lights a cigarette and finds a lot of $100 bills in there. She dozes off with the money as her cigarette falls on the money. The fire starts to spread as the Penchenko children watch when the apartment starts to burn.
Closing narration
| “ | Scott Crane thought he could bargain his way out of any problem, but as he and his associates learned, the price of justice can never be negotiated, especially in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
External links
- "Burned" at TV.com
- "Burned" at the Internet Movie Database