Slippage
Screenplay By: Mark Durand
Story By: Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Directed By: Michael Gornick
Richard Hall (David Patrick Kelly) is a graphic designer with a comfortable life, but that changes one day when he slowly discovers that certain aspects of his identity are slowly being erased. Richard is convinced that his wife and best friend are cheating on him and plotting to get him out of the way, but when he discovers that his own mother not only doesn't recognize him, but claims that she never had any children, Richard discovers that whatever's aching to have him wiped from existence is something far from human.
Tropes:
- Despair Event Horizon: After his visit to his mother's house, Richard just gives up on trying to preserve himself, spending his last moments monologuing to Chris, in third person, that people like him just end up slipping.
- Downer Ending: Richard finally vanishes from existence at the end of the episode, and his wife and best friend, who no longer remember him, end up getting back together. We also see something open and close Richard's door at the very end, hinting that Richard may not be gone after all and is forced to wander the world as a forgotten soul.
- Foreshadowing: Elaine and Richard joke about how the former wants no other man to look after her. The ending sorely disproves that fact.
- Homage: The episode can be seen as one to the Twilight Zone episode "And When the Sky was Opened".
- It's a Wonderful Plot: Somewhat played for horror, as Richard discovers that he's slowly being erased by forces unknown and seeing everyone around him become better off for it.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Several people in Richard's life warn him that he doesn't want to be forgotten, so it's unclear whether his disappearance his him losing his mind with their claims, or genuinely the work of something inhuman.
- Missing Reflection: Before Richard vanishes completely, he points Chris to a mirror to show that he no longer has a reflection.
- Nice Guy: Richard has a steady job, a supportive friend, a wife who worships him, and a pleasant, well-meaning attitude. Seeing him erased for no reason whatsoever makes you feel the poor guy.
- Nothing Is Scarier: There's no indication whatsoever why Richard is being erased from existence, as well as who or what is responsible for it. All we know is that he just... vanishes without a trace.
- Not Quite Dead: The last seconds of the episode show that Richard may not have fully disappeared, as he opens and closes the door of his former house as his wife and friend make out.
- Riddle for the Ages: Why is Richard vanishing and who is responsible? And why do they think he deserves to be erased in the first place?
- Shout-Out: Richard's house has a poster of his favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life, which also deals with someone who sees his identity disappear. While life without George Bailey turns out to be worse for everyone involved, life without Richard Hall seems to make everything better.
- Un-person: Richard discovers that he's slowly disappearing from reality for reasons unknown. All records of his existence disappear, and by the end, his wife forgets that he ever existed and ends up getting together with his former best friend.
- Wham Shot: The scene where Richard's yearbook picture visibly disappears, revealing that whatever's erasing his identity is not only real, but it's not the work of anything human.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: Richard's vanishing could be the result of his overactive imagination, as people keep reminding him not to end up slipping, a series of coincidences cost him his documentation, and his senile mother claims not to have any kids.
