Dream Lover (The Twilight Zone)
| "Dream Lover" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone (2nd revival) episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 1 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Peter O'Fallon |
| Written by | Frederick Rappaport |
| Production code | 105 |
| Original air date | September 25, 2002 |
| Guest actors | |
| |
"Dream Lover" is the fourth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on September 25, 2002, on UPN.
Opening narration
| “ | The blank page. For some, it's a nightmare. Our story tonight is about a writer caught in just such a nightmare. Desperately in search of inspiration, he has taken up refuge in a secluded chalet, dead center in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
Plot summary
Comic book graphic artist Andrew Lomax is plagued by dreams of his creation Sondra in bed with him. At first, he thinks he is simply hallucinating her due to stress, but soon begins to see signs of her presence around the remote cabin where he has gone to finish his project. Going through his sketches, he finds sketches of her and goes back to work. He is unable to come up with anything. Hearing a noise in the kitchen, he goes out and finds Sondra making breakfast for him. She says that they met last night in his dream and Andrew thinks he is going nuts. She says she is there to help him regain his confidence and points out that he needs to be inspired again.
Andrew's agent Lafe shows up with his girlfriend to ask for the promised pages, but Andrew refuses to open the door. Andrew runs out as Lafe drives away but the agent does not see him. He returns inside and finds that Sondra has cleaned up the place. He thinks about taking her out but realizes nobody can see him but her. She promises to be waiting for him in bed for when he finishes his work. Andrew starts drawing and churns out the pages, interspersed with sex with Sondra.
After finishing another batch of work, Andrew goes to look for Sondra and sees her outside flirting with the cable man. Andrew is shocked to realize someone else can see her. When she comes inside, Andrew tries to get answers from her but she jokes about it and refuses to explain. Things get uncomfortable in bed and Andrew starts to get artist's block again. The next day, Sondra dresses in casual clothing and leaves, driving off. He calls after her to come back but she keeps going. He walks down the road and finds her at a gas station. She wonders what he is doing there and walks off with the keys. He realizes that the cable guy is there and Sondra insists it is not working. The cable guy, Sam comes out and ignores Andrew entirely. Andrew swings at him and his fist goes right through him. Sam does not see Andrew and gets in the jeep and drives off with Sondra.
Andrew walks back to the cabin to find Sondra doing the work on the graphic novel. He tries to get her to settle down and she realizes that he does not know what's going on. Sam comes in from the shower and Andrew says that he is going to erase Sondra from his life. He takes the sketch of her only to find that it has transformed into a picture of Andrew. Sondra explains that she and Sam are real, but Andrew was created by Sondra as a dream lover to help her get over her artist's block. She starts to erase the sketch of Andrew and Andrew disappears still claiming that he loves Sondra. Sondra is relieved that Andrew is gone and is cured of her artist's block.
Closing narration
| “ | For some, the blank page can be a source of dread, but for Sondra Lomax it was on her way to another bestseller. That nightmare is in the past thanks to her own resolve and a sturdy eraser. Tools of the trade in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
Themes
This episode shares some similarities with the episode "A World of His Own", in that the main character is somehow able to make his characters come to life. The difference is that the character in the 1959 episode was able to do it willingly, along with being able to erase them from existence by burning the tape about them.