Into the Light (The Twilight Zone)
Encyclopedia
"Into the Light" is the thirtieth episode of the science fiction
television series 2002 revival
of The Twilight Zone
. The episode aired February 12, 2003 on UPN
. The episode is loosely based on the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "The Purple Testament
".
but they are all dull and uninterested. One of them, Ben, turns in a blank report and shrugs it off. As Rachel leaves, she complains to her boyfriend and the school gym teacher that her students do not care and she is glad that she's quitting in a week because she no longer cares either. She goes outside and sees one of her students, Jose, go by on a skateboard. His face gives off a golden light that only Rachel can see. Puzzled, she gets on a bus and a passenger complains about one of the kids playing his music loudly. Rachel sees the same glow on his face and then he collapses from a heart attack brought on by the stress. She tries to revive him but the glow fades from his face.
At home, Rachel tries to explain to her boyfriend what happened. He figures she is hallucinating due to guilt at resigning, but Rachel insists that the kids will be better off without her.
The next day, Rachel is discussing Romeo and Juliet with her students when they get word that Jose died in a car accident. One student, Brian, callously laughs it off and Rachel sends him to the principal's office. None of the students seem concerned except one, Tony, who quotes Shakespeare on death.
Interested in testing her ability, Rachel goes to the hospital ICU and looks for the glowing light. She finds it on the face of a dying man. Rachel tells the nurse that she is the man's niece and sits with him. Later she returns home and tells her boyfriend that the dying man had no family so she stayed with him. She is convinced she's not hallucinating but does not know what the light means.
The next day at school, Rachel sees the glow on many of the students' faces. She tries to warn Principal Carnes, who does not believe her. He figures she is hysterical and notes that it is a good thing she is leaving in a few days. He calls for her boyfriend but Rachel insists that her students are in danger. He ignores her and Rachel starts packing to leave. Ben comes in and, having heard about her claims, asks her how many students she thinks are going to die. He asks if she sees the glow on his face and she admits she does not. He leaves but Rachel realizes something is wrong. She gets the combination for his locker and discovers journals filled with notes and pictures depicting murder. Carnes arrives but before she can explain, the fire alarm goes off.
Carnes takes her out of the building as Rachel sees more of the lights. Looking up, she sees Ben preparing to shoot down from the roof using a rifle. She runs inside but as she heads for the roof, she sees her own face in a glass case, and it has the same glow. She continues to the roof and confronts Ben. He wonders why she cares, saying the kids hate her just as much as they hate him. He starts to fire at the crowd below, but before he can hit anyone Rachel charges him and they both fall off the roofs to the parking lot below. As she lies dying, Rachel sees the glow fade from the students she saw earlier. Her boyfriend rushes over to comfort her and she says that it's all right. She looks up and says she sees the light and dies.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series 2002 revival
The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is a 2002 revival of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone. It aired for one season on the UPN network, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host....
of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
. The episode aired February 12, 2003 on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. The episode is loosely based on the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "The Purple Testament
The Purple Testament
"The Purple Testament" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It's "the story of a man who can forecast death."-Synopsis:...
".
Opening Narration
Synopsis
Teacher Rachel Stark is testing her students on Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
but they are all dull and uninterested. One of them, Ben, turns in a blank report and shrugs it off. As Rachel leaves, she complains to her boyfriend and the school gym teacher that her students do not care and she is glad that she's quitting in a week because she no longer cares either. She goes outside and sees one of her students, Jose, go by on a skateboard. His face gives off a golden light that only Rachel can see. Puzzled, she gets on a bus and a passenger complains about one of the kids playing his music loudly. Rachel sees the same glow on his face and then he collapses from a heart attack brought on by the stress. She tries to revive him but the glow fades from his face.
At home, Rachel tries to explain to her boyfriend what happened. He figures she is hallucinating due to guilt at resigning, but Rachel insists that the kids will be better off without her.
The next day, Rachel is discussing Romeo and Juliet with her students when they get word that Jose died in a car accident. One student, Brian, callously laughs it off and Rachel sends him to the principal's office. None of the students seem concerned except one, Tony, who quotes Shakespeare on death.
Interested in testing her ability, Rachel goes to the hospital ICU and looks for the glowing light. She finds it on the face of a dying man. Rachel tells the nurse that she is the man's niece and sits with him. Later she returns home and tells her boyfriend that the dying man had no family so she stayed with him. She is convinced she's not hallucinating but does not know what the light means.
The next day at school, Rachel sees the glow on many of the students' faces. She tries to warn Principal Carnes, who does not believe her. He figures she is hysterical and notes that it is a good thing she is leaving in a few days. He calls for her boyfriend but Rachel insists that her students are in danger. He ignores her and Rachel starts packing to leave. Ben comes in and, having heard about her claims, asks her how many students she thinks are going to die. He asks if she sees the glow on his face and she admits she does not. He leaves but Rachel realizes something is wrong. She gets the combination for his locker and discovers journals filled with notes and pictures depicting murder. Carnes arrives but before she can explain, the fire alarm goes off.
Carnes takes her out of the building as Rachel sees more of the lights. Looking up, she sees Ben preparing to shoot down from the roof using a rifle. She runs inside but as she heads for the roof, she sees her own face in a glass case, and it has the same glow. She continues to the roof and confronts Ben. He wonders why she cares, saying the kids hate her just as much as they hate him. He starts to fire at the crowd below, but before he can hit anyone Rachel charges him and they both fall off the roofs to the parking lot below. As she lies dying, Rachel sees the glow fade from the students she saw earlier. Her boyfriend rushes over to comfort her and she says that it's all right. She looks up and says she sees the light and dies.