Into the Light (The Twilight Zone)

"Into the Light"
The Twilight Zone (2nd revival) episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 30
Directed by	Lou Diamond Phillips
Written by	Moira Kirland Dekker
Production code	128
Original air date	February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12)
Guest actors
Samantha Mathis: Rachel Stark Reed Diamond: Boyfriend

"Into the Light" is the thirtieth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on February 12, 2003, on UPN. The episode is loosely based on the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "The Purple Testament".

Opening narration

Meet Rachel Stark. She may think she's ready to quit her job and leave her students behind, but today this teacher's gonna learn a lesson in commitment, courtesy of the Twilight Zone.

Plot

At Sunnyvale High, a teacher named Rachel Stark is testing her students on Romeo and Juliet but they are all dull and disinterested. One of them, Ben, turns in a blank report and shrugs it off. As Rachel leaves, she complains to her boyfriend who works as the gym teacher that her students do not care and she is glad that she is leaving in a week because she no longer cares either. She goes outside and sees one of her students Jose go by on a skateboard after finding that her car has a flat tire. 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 named Brian callously laughs it off and Rachel sends him to the Principal Carnes' 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 is 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. Principal Carnes arrives but before she can explain, the fire alarm goes off.

Principal 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 after seeing Ben die, Rachel sees the glow fade from the students she saw earlier as they gather around and start to cry. Her boyfriend rushes over to comfort her and she says that it is all right while stating that help is on its way. She looks up and says she sees the light and dies. As everyone present mourns Rachel's death, Forest Whitaker appears and narrates that fate can reach out a cold hand to tap one's shoulder.

Closing narration

Rachel Stark didn't ask to be special. She didn't want to be a hero. But sometimes fate reaches out a cold hand to tap your shoulder from the Twilight Zone.

External links

• "Into the Light" at TV.com
• "Into the Light" at IMDb