The Twilight Zone (1959) s01e09 Episode Script
Perchance to Dream
Will the defendant please rise? In the matter of The People vs.
Stanley Coe having found the defendant guilty of the murder of Nicholas Janus the jury has recommended that you not receive the death penalty.
Given the mitigating factors in your case it is the order of this court that you serve no less than 15 years and no more than the term of your life.
Case closed.
Jury is dismissed.
No! That son of a bitch killed my husband.
You don't deserve to live.
This isn't justice.
It's a joke.
Born into a life of wealth and privilege Laurel Janus has always gotten exactly what she wants.
But with the murder of her husband Laurel's life of luxury has been shattered.
Now, all she wants is to see justice done a justice that can only be found in The Twilight Zone.
How could you blow it like this? What kind of a D.
A.
are you, Lew? I know it's not what you were hoping for but I did the best I could with the evidence I had.
Great.
So Nick had his brains bashed in and Coe gets free meals, pay-per-view.
Who knows? Maybe he'll even write his memoirs.
Laurel, it's over.
You won.
You've got my card, Laurel.
If you need anything, just call me.
OK? My husband's things.
When can I have them back? Well, that's hard to say.
It's not exactly proper procedure.
I'm not asking for the evidence.
I just want the things he wore that night.
Please, Lew.
OK.
Let me drive you home.
Come on.
You know me.
I'm a pillar of strength.
Uh-huh.
We can get your car in the morning.
I'm fine, Becca.
Really.
Are you sure? Hey, I've been clean for sixteen weeks and three days.
No pills, no booze.
God knows I've been tempted.
OK, well, you call me the minute you get home.
Yes, Mother.
Becca.
Thanks for being there.
What are mothers for! Nick? You're traveling to another dimension.
A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are only that of the imagination.
You're entering Becca, I know what it sounds like.
I hardly believe it myself, but he was there staring back at me in the rearview mirror.
Well, I don't see anything now.
Yeah, I know.
When I took the glasses off, he was gone.
I've tried again and again, but Look, before you ship me back to detox check the house.
Check the medicine cabinet.
Check all my favorite hiding places.
I only wish I had been wasted.
Laurel, you've been through hell for two years.
It's no wonder you're seeing things.
It was just so freaky Iike I was seeing the world through Nick's eyes.
But you know that's not possible.
I miss him.
I really miss him.
I know.
Every time I fell apart Nick was there to put me back together.
I just wanted to give him the justice he deserved.
Do me a favor.
Do yourself a favor.
All these clippings and all these papers on the wall get rid of them and Nick's things-- Throw them out.
It's time to move on.
Nick.
-Nick.
-Oh, jeez, Stan.
What the hell are you doing here? Waiting to talk to my ex-partner who hasn't been answering my calls.
Oh, really? Sorry about that.
I haven't been checking my messages.
-Really? -Yeah.
And I want an answer, damn it! OK, listen, Stan, I've been jammed.
I had to check Laurel into rehab again.
She keeps leaving on her own.
Hey! That's your problem, not mine! OK, OK, listen, you want to talk? We can go out for drinks tomorrow night.
I know that you have been keeping separate books.
From the beginning you have been bleeding this company dry.
Give me a break, Stan.
I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
Aw, the hell you don't.
You know what I can't understand is why did you have to steal from me, huh? What, Laurel didn't have enough money for you? OK, you know what? You leave her out of this.
I never stole a dime from the company.
Now, Stan, you get the hell out of my house! I'm not going anywhere, you lying thief.
You ruined me.
I would've seen it all if those glasses hadn't nearly fried my brains.
I thought you were getting rid of those things.
Well, thank God I didn't.
Don't you see, Becca? Those glasses put me right there at the night of the murder.
Laurel, do you hear yourself? -You know what's really weird? -You mean there's more? The fight was taking place in the living room.
So? So the police found Nick's body in the upstairs bathroom.
Well, maybe Coe dragged him up there.
-Now, why would he do that? -Beats me.
It just doesn't make sense.
Honey, nothing you've said in the last five minutes makes any sense.
OK.
Let's say these visions were real.
Why torture yourself? It's not like you can change anything.
I just can't put this behind me until I know what happened.
But that's just it.
You already do know.
We all do.
Listen, I have a great idea.
Megan loaned me her cabin for the weekend.
Why don't you come with me? Hell, getting away from this house is bound to clear your head.
I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon.
Deal? Huh? Come on.
See you later.
You have one new message.
Laurel, this is Dana from the D.
A.
's office.
We're sorry, but it looks like the Court of Appeals will rule Coe deserves a new trial.
Lew Gallo is dealing with this now and while we'd hate to put you through it we want you to prepare yourself to testify again.
OK? Thanks.
Bye.
Good.
This time, I'll have more to say.
No! No! Don't! No! No! Come on! You know what? You're not worth it.
He didn't do it.
I'm telling you, Lew.
Everything Coe said in court was true.
He had the trophy in his hands but he didn't use it which means someone else must have picked it up later.
Let me get this straight.
For two years you've been yelling for Coe's head on a stick.
Now you're telling me the guy's innocent? I saw Coe leave the house while Nick was still alive.
-You saw a hallucination.
-No.
Laurel, I know what you're going through.
You just don't want to let go.
What I want is to find my husband's killer.
Now, I want you to release Coe and reopen the case.
I'm sorry, Laurel but visions aren't admissible in court.
Ow.
Stan? Is that you? Oh, come on, come on, come on.
Oh, it's you.
For a minute there, I thought it was-- You know what? Never mind what I thought.
I'm glad you're here.
I really need you tonight, Becca.
Laurel? Laurel? Laurel, are you upstairs? I hope you're packed.
I want to avoid traffic.
What are you doing here? I came to pick you up.
Pick me up To go to Megan's cabin.
Oh, don't tell me you forgot.
Laurel? Are you OK? UhI'm fine.
II just got this splitting headache.
You've been wearing those glasses again, haven't you? I think you should give them to me, Laurel.
You should have gotten rid of them when I asked you to before.
-Just leave me alone.
-Laurel.
-You broke them on purpose.
-What are you talking about? Did you think I wouldn't find out? -Find out what? -Don't play games with me! Were you sleeping with Nick? Oh, God.
You were screwing my husband.
I never meant for it to happen.
It was an accident.
You're my best friend.
I trusted you.
If I could change it, I would.
But you can't! You know, ever since we were kids you've always wanted everything I've owned.
You know what, Laurel? That's your problem.
You think you own everybody, and you don't.
What the hell do you know? You know, that's why Nick stole from that company.
He never wanted your money.
He just wanted enough so he could leave you.
Oh, yeah? You want to know what I think? I think he was all set to blow you off.
Only you could never handle getting dumped-- Oh, my God.
It was you.
-You did it.
-Did what? You killed Nick.
Are you crazy? No, I heard him call your name.
You were standing outside the bathroom.
-How could you-- -I saw it! Laurel, I wanted to end it.
He was dead when I got here, I swear.
Then why didn't you tell that to the police? Because I didn't want them to think I was involved.
Oh, so you just blocked it from your mind convinced yourself it never happened.
People don't just block things from their mind unless they're afraid of the truth.
Laurel! Laurel! Laurel, open the door.
Open the door, Laurel.
Laurel, talk to me.
Laurel! Laurel, open the door! Laurel, open the door.
Please talk to me.
Look, Becca, I want us to be together and whatever you decide I just want you to know I am still leaving Laurel.
I'm just--I'm tired.
I'm tired of checking her in and out of rehab.
If she wasn't so delusional, she'd realize that it was over.
Laurel! It can't be! I loved him.
I couldn't have.
Laurel, open the door.
Laurel, come on.
No.
No.
No! Laurel.
-Laurel, open the door! -Step aside, ma'am.
I know who the killer is.
It's me.
I killed him.
It's me.
I killed him.
It's me.
It's me.
It's me.
Laurel Janus's vision of justice has finally come into focus.
The verdict--guilty.
Guilty of a life lived in complete denial.
And now, serving out her sentence in a lonely corner of The Twilight Zone.
Stanley Coe having found the defendant guilty of the murder of Nicholas Janus the jury has recommended that you not receive the death penalty.
Given the mitigating factors in your case it is the order of this court that you serve no less than 15 years and no more than the term of your life.
Case closed.
Jury is dismissed.
No! That son of a bitch killed my husband.
You don't deserve to live.
This isn't justice.
It's a joke.
Born into a life of wealth and privilege Laurel Janus has always gotten exactly what she wants.
But with the murder of her husband Laurel's life of luxury has been shattered.
Now, all she wants is to see justice done a justice that can only be found in The Twilight Zone.
How could you blow it like this? What kind of a D.
A.
are you, Lew? I know it's not what you were hoping for but I did the best I could with the evidence I had.
Great.
So Nick had his brains bashed in and Coe gets free meals, pay-per-view.
Who knows? Maybe he'll even write his memoirs.
Laurel, it's over.
You won.
You've got my card, Laurel.
If you need anything, just call me.
OK? My husband's things.
When can I have them back? Well, that's hard to say.
It's not exactly proper procedure.
I'm not asking for the evidence.
I just want the things he wore that night.
Please, Lew.
OK.
Let me drive you home.
Come on.
You know me.
I'm a pillar of strength.
Uh-huh.
We can get your car in the morning.
I'm fine, Becca.
Really.
Are you sure? Hey, I've been clean for sixteen weeks and three days.
No pills, no booze.
God knows I've been tempted.
OK, well, you call me the minute you get home.
Yes, Mother.
Becca.
Thanks for being there.
What are mothers for! Nick? You're traveling to another dimension.
A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are only that of the imagination.
You're entering Becca, I know what it sounds like.
I hardly believe it myself, but he was there staring back at me in the rearview mirror.
Well, I don't see anything now.
Yeah, I know.
When I took the glasses off, he was gone.
I've tried again and again, but Look, before you ship me back to detox check the house.
Check the medicine cabinet.
Check all my favorite hiding places.
I only wish I had been wasted.
Laurel, you've been through hell for two years.
It's no wonder you're seeing things.
It was just so freaky Iike I was seeing the world through Nick's eyes.
But you know that's not possible.
I miss him.
I really miss him.
I know.
Every time I fell apart Nick was there to put me back together.
I just wanted to give him the justice he deserved.
Do me a favor.
Do yourself a favor.
All these clippings and all these papers on the wall get rid of them and Nick's things-- Throw them out.
It's time to move on.
Nick.
-Nick.
-Oh, jeez, Stan.
What the hell are you doing here? Waiting to talk to my ex-partner who hasn't been answering my calls.
Oh, really? Sorry about that.
I haven't been checking my messages.
-Really? -Yeah.
And I want an answer, damn it! OK, listen, Stan, I've been jammed.
I had to check Laurel into rehab again.
She keeps leaving on her own.
Hey! That's your problem, not mine! OK, OK, listen, you want to talk? We can go out for drinks tomorrow night.
I know that you have been keeping separate books.
From the beginning you have been bleeding this company dry.
Give me a break, Stan.
I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
Aw, the hell you don't.
You know what I can't understand is why did you have to steal from me, huh? What, Laurel didn't have enough money for you? OK, you know what? You leave her out of this.
I never stole a dime from the company.
Now, Stan, you get the hell out of my house! I'm not going anywhere, you lying thief.
You ruined me.
I would've seen it all if those glasses hadn't nearly fried my brains.
I thought you were getting rid of those things.
Well, thank God I didn't.
Don't you see, Becca? Those glasses put me right there at the night of the murder.
Laurel, do you hear yourself? -You know what's really weird? -You mean there's more? The fight was taking place in the living room.
So? So the police found Nick's body in the upstairs bathroom.
Well, maybe Coe dragged him up there.
-Now, why would he do that? -Beats me.
It just doesn't make sense.
Honey, nothing you've said in the last five minutes makes any sense.
OK.
Let's say these visions were real.
Why torture yourself? It's not like you can change anything.
I just can't put this behind me until I know what happened.
But that's just it.
You already do know.
We all do.
Listen, I have a great idea.
Megan loaned me her cabin for the weekend.
Why don't you come with me? Hell, getting away from this house is bound to clear your head.
I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon.
Deal? Huh? Come on.
See you later.
You have one new message.
Laurel, this is Dana from the D.
A.
's office.
We're sorry, but it looks like the Court of Appeals will rule Coe deserves a new trial.
Lew Gallo is dealing with this now and while we'd hate to put you through it we want you to prepare yourself to testify again.
OK? Thanks.
Bye.
Good.
This time, I'll have more to say.
No! No! Don't! No! No! Come on! You know what? You're not worth it.
He didn't do it.
I'm telling you, Lew.
Everything Coe said in court was true.
He had the trophy in his hands but he didn't use it which means someone else must have picked it up later.
Let me get this straight.
For two years you've been yelling for Coe's head on a stick.
Now you're telling me the guy's innocent? I saw Coe leave the house while Nick was still alive.
-You saw a hallucination.
-No.
Laurel, I know what you're going through.
You just don't want to let go.
What I want is to find my husband's killer.
Now, I want you to release Coe and reopen the case.
I'm sorry, Laurel but visions aren't admissible in court.
Ow.
Stan? Is that you? Oh, come on, come on, come on.
Oh, it's you.
For a minute there, I thought it was-- You know what? Never mind what I thought.
I'm glad you're here.
I really need you tonight, Becca.
Laurel? Laurel? Laurel, are you upstairs? I hope you're packed.
I want to avoid traffic.
What are you doing here? I came to pick you up.
Pick me up To go to Megan's cabin.
Oh, don't tell me you forgot.
Laurel? Are you OK? UhI'm fine.
II just got this splitting headache.
You've been wearing those glasses again, haven't you? I think you should give them to me, Laurel.
You should have gotten rid of them when I asked you to before.
-Just leave me alone.
-Laurel.
-You broke them on purpose.
-What are you talking about? Did you think I wouldn't find out? -Find out what? -Don't play games with me! Were you sleeping with Nick? Oh, God.
You were screwing my husband.
I never meant for it to happen.
It was an accident.
You're my best friend.
I trusted you.
If I could change it, I would.
But you can't! You know, ever since we were kids you've always wanted everything I've owned.
You know what, Laurel? That's your problem.
You think you own everybody, and you don't.
What the hell do you know? You know, that's why Nick stole from that company.
He never wanted your money.
He just wanted enough so he could leave you.
Oh, yeah? You want to know what I think? I think he was all set to blow you off.
Only you could never handle getting dumped-- Oh, my God.
It was you.
-You did it.
-Did what? You killed Nick.
Are you crazy? No, I heard him call your name.
You were standing outside the bathroom.
-How could you-- -I saw it! Laurel, I wanted to end it.
He was dead when I got here, I swear.
Then why didn't you tell that to the police? Because I didn't want them to think I was involved.
Oh, so you just blocked it from your mind convinced yourself it never happened.
People don't just block things from their mind unless they're afraid of the truth.
Laurel! Laurel! Laurel, open the door.
Open the door, Laurel.
Laurel, talk to me.
Laurel! Laurel, open the door! Laurel, open the door.
Please talk to me.
Look, Becca, I want us to be together and whatever you decide I just want you to know I am still leaving Laurel.
I'm just--I'm tired.
I'm tired of checking her in and out of rehab.
If she wasn't so delusional, she'd realize that it was over.
Laurel! It can't be! I loved him.
I couldn't have.
Laurel, open the door.
Laurel, come on.
No.
No.
No! Laurel.
-Laurel, open the door! -Step aside, ma'am.
I know who the killer is.
It's me.
I killed him.
It's me.
I killed him.
It's me.
It's me.
It's me.
Laurel Janus's vision of justice has finally come into focus.
The verdict--guilty.
Guilty of a life lived in complete denial.
And now, serving out her sentence in a lonely corner of The Twilight Zone.