Shatterday
Encyclopedia
"Shatterday" is the first segment of the first episode of the first season (1985–1986) of the television series The New Twilight Zone.
Peter Jay Novins sits in a bar. Intending to call someone else, he accidentally dials his own home phone number, and the phone is answered by Peter Jay Novins. Peter speaks to the man on the other end of the line, initially thinking that it is a joke, but eventually hanging up the phone in shock. Flustered, he heads out of the bar, goes to a phone booth on the street, calls his house and gets Novins again. Stunned, he begins to believe that the man he is speaking to is his own alter ego. He thinks about heading over to his apartment, but the man on the phone warns him against it. Peter asks if the two of them could just lead normal lives; the man on the other end tells him that Peter's life is terrible, and that he is going to change it. Peter threatens the man on the phone.
Day 2: Duesday
The next day, Peter cashes out his bank account, calls the grocery store and insults them to ensure that his alter ego cannot get any food delivered, and then calls his apartment again to gloat. The man on the other end tells him that Peter is too late because the man used the $200 that was stashed away to buy enough groceries to hold him for a long time. The alter ego tells Peter that what explains the whole situation was perhaps the result of something that happened in the Jack London
novel, The Star Rover
. The character used an astral projection to get out of his body. He figures that Peter is just a piece of him that wandered off while he was sleeping, that he is the real Peter. Peter, however, thinks that it's possible that when he went to a friend's lab and a picture was taken of his "aura" and somehow, it "stole" something from him, like a piece of himself that is now the alter ego in his apartment. The man also tells Peter his estranged mother phoned to try to patch things up, and that the man has invited her to live with him. Angry at the prospect of his alter ego stealing his mother, Peter hangs up.
Day 3: Woundsday
During a storm, a sick Peter stares into his apartment from the street. From a pay phone, he calls his alter ego and says he wants to work things out. The alter ego says that the more deserving of them should take over the entire life, and that he turned down an unethical advertising job that Peter had previously accepted. When Peter asks why the alter ego is doing this to him, he says that Peter did this to himself.
Day 5: Freeday
Peter sits in a hotel room, growing sicker. He receives a phone call from the alter ego, who tells him that he tried to make amends with a woman who he convinced to leave her husband and then put her and her son in an apartment but then dumped her when he got bored. He then goes on to tell Peter that he had a long discussion with his current girlfriend and that she was ready to dismiss him, but the alter ego convinced her that their relationship was worth saving. He even plans on marrying her and having children, something Peter had apparently not considered.
Day 6: Shatterday
A very ill Peter is lying in the hotel room when his alter ego arrives. His alter ego tells him that it is time to come to terms with the fact that he is being replaced, and that he is becoming a memory. Peter goes to the window and stares out. His alter ego reveals that things are going well with him, and that he has put his life in order. He asks Peter if there is anything he would have done if things had been different; Peter says no. As the alter ego leaves, Peter wishes him well, shakes hands with him, then disappears.
which was first published in September 1975 in Gallery
and later gave its title to a collection of his short stories
.
and Martin Milner
, where a woman in a bus station starts to believe a duplicate of herself is trying to make her crazy and take over her life.
It is also similar to the original series episode Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
, featuring a man who finds his life usurped by his stronger, more morally driven reflection.
It is also very similar to The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham
, a 1957 novel by Anthony Armstrong.
Opening narration
Plot
Day 1: SomedayPeter Jay Novins sits in a bar. Intending to call someone else, he accidentally dials his own home phone number, and the phone is answered by Peter Jay Novins. Peter speaks to the man on the other end of the line, initially thinking that it is a joke, but eventually hanging up the phone in shock. Flustered, he heads out of the bar, goes to a phone booth on the street, calls his house and gets Novins again. Stunned, he begins to believe that the man he is speaking to is his own alter ego. He thinks about heading over to his apartment, but the man on the phone warns him against it. Peter asks if the two of them could just lead normal lives; the man on the other end tells him that Peter's life is terrible, and that he is going to change it. Peter threatens the man on the phone.
Day 2: Duesday
The next day, Peter cashes out his bank account, calls the grocery store and insults them to ensure that his alter ego cannot get any food delivered, and then calls his apartment again to gloat. The man on the other end tells him that Peter is too late because the man used the $200 that was stashed away to buy enough groceries to hold him for a long time. The alter ego tells Peter that what explains the whole situation was perhaps the result of something that happened in the Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
novel, The Star Rover
The Star Rover
The Star Rover is a novel by American writer Jack London published in 1915 . It is a story of reincarnation....
. The character used an astral projection to get out of his body. He figures that Peter is just a piece of him that wandered off while he was sleeping, that he is the real Peter. Peter, however, thinks that it's possible that when he went to a friend's lab and a picture was taken of his "aura" and somehow, it "stole" something from him, like a piece of himself that is now the alter ego in his apartment. The man also tells Peter his estranged mother phoned to try to patch things up, and that the man has invited her to live with him. Angry at the prospect of his alter ego stealing his mother, Peter hangs up.
Day 3: Woundsday
During a storm, a sick Peter stares into his apartment from the street. From a pay phone, he calls his alter ego and says he wants to work things out. The alter ego says that the more deserving of them should take over the entire life, and that he turned down an unethical advertising job that Peter had previously accepted. When Peter asks why the alter ego is doing this to him, he says that Peter did this to himself.
Day 5: Freeday
Peter sits in a hotel room, growing sicker. He receives a phone call from the alter ego, who tells him that he tried to make amends with a woman who he convinced to leave her husband and then put her and her son in an apartment but then dumped her when he got bored. He then goes on to tell Peter that he had a long discussion with his current girlfriend and that she was ready to dismiss him, but the alter ego convinced her that their relationship was worth saving. He even plans on marrying her and having children, something Peter had apparently not considered.
Day 6: Shatterday
A very ill Peter is lying in the hotel room when his alter ego arrives. His alter ego tells him that it is time to come to terms with the fact that he is being replaced, and that he is becoming a memory. Peter goes to the window and stares out. His alter ego reveals that things are going well with him, and that he has put his life in order. He asks Peter if there is anything he would have done if things had been different; Peter says no. As the alter ego leaves, Peter wishes him well, shakes hands with him, then disappears.
Closing narration
Note
This episode is based on the short story of the same name by Harlan EllisonHarlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
which was first published in September 1975 in Gallery
Gallery (magazine)
Gallery is a men's magazine begun by Montcalm Publishing in 1972. It is one of the more popular "skin" magazines that arose on the Playboy magazine pattern in the 1970s...
and later gave its title to a collection of his short stories
Shatterday (book)
Shatterday is a collection of short stories by author Harlan Ellison. In the introduction, Ellison states that the stories reflect an underlying theme of fear of human frailty and ugliness. His goal is to shock his readers into seeing that this fear unifies all people...
.
Themes
This story is similar to the original series episode Mirror Image, starring Vera MilesVera Miles
Vera Miles is an American film actress who gained popularity for starring in films such as The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Psycho and Psycho II.-Early life:...
and Martin Milner
Martin Milner
Martin Sam Milner is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66....
, where a woman in a bus station starts to believe a duplicate of herself is trying to make her crazy and take over her life.
It is also similar to the original series episode Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
"Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. According to the book The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Serling wrote the teleplay in response to a request from CBS to write scripts...
, featuring a man who finds his life usurped by his stronger, more morally driven reflection.
It is also very similar to The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham
The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
The Strange Case of Mr Pelham is a 1957 novel by Anglo-Canadian writer Anthony Armstrong about a man involved in a serious car accident. The man recovers only to find himself being stalked by a seemingly identical version of himself...
, a 1957 novel by Anthony Armstrong.