Street of Shadows (The Twilight Zone)

"Street of Shadows" is the fifty-third episode and the eighteenth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Opening narration[]

Steve Cranston, a man living what Thoreau called 'a life of quiet desperation'. A man once successful, once firmly ensconced in the American Dream, only to have it turned into a nightmare. Steve Cranston, a statistic, whose number is about to be called...from the Twilight Zone.

Plot[]

A man named Steve Cranston is living in a homeless shelter with his family and becomes angry when he learns that it is about to close. Without a job, he and his family's outlook is bleak. After an argument with his wife, Steve takes a walk and stops in a wealthy neighborhood. He comes upon a house where he learns the alarm system has failed and manages to slip inside the gate before it closes. Inside, the owner of the house —Frederick Perry— ruthlessly discusses with his lawyer how to cut expenses in his business, including cutting personnel. Outside, Steve is crossing the grounds and near the pool when he notices the patio door is open. He lets himself inside and fixes himself a drink. Perry soon notices that someone has come into the house and grabs his gun while Steve finds a load of money. Just then, Perry bursts in and threatens to call the police, but Steve begs him not to and throws a bottle at the man knocking him out. Perry, in response, shoots Steve.

Steve awakens the next morning in Perry's bed. The butler comes in and wishes him a good morning. The butler apparently thinks Steve is Frederick Perry, even though Steve sees his own reflection in the mirror. He calls the shelter to discover that his wife Elaine is at the hospital where he is told her husband was shot. Steve goes over to the hospital and tries to talk to Elaine, but she and his daughter only see him as Perry. He goes into the room to see the real Perry but Elaine kicks him out. Steve goes back to Perry's home and later he goes down to the shelter and attempts to talk to Elaine again. However, he decides against it.

Steve, as Perry, meets with the lawyer and wants him to help him save the shelter. Later on, sitting at the bar Steve becomes disoriented and collapses. He wakes up in the hospital with Elaine and their daughter in the room and they once again know him as Steve. He learns from Elaine that "Perry" dropped the charges and donated the money to save the shelter but Steve knows it was he who changed the course of events. Then Elaine tells him that the director of the shelter wants to hire him to do work on the building now that they have extra money.

Closing narration[]

It has been a time of changes for Steve Cranston. And the hard times are by no means over. But perhaps now the decisions ahead will be a little easier to make. There are no easy answers, here...or in the Twilight Zone.

External links[]

• "Street of Shadows" at IMDb