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Mr. Motivation
Charlie and the doll.
- Forest Whitaker: Charlie Stickney has never had quite enough confidence to stand up for himself. But today is different. Today is a day of reckoning, a test of character, a battle of wills, thanks to a very unusual toy made in the Twilight Zone.
- Directed by Deran Sarafian
- Written by Brent V Friedman and Steve Aspis
Charlie Stickney is just your typical pushed around office worker at a pharmacy. One day, his boss gives him a doll that's supposed to help motivate it... but it has a mind of its own who tells him to stick up for himself.
Tropes for this segment include:
- Creepy Doll: Zig-Zagged, which is ironic considering how "Living Doll" is considered one of the most classic Twilight Zone episodes. Mr. Motivation is alive and has an unsettling appearance, but he does give Charlie some much-needed Brutal Honesty and helps him take down his abusive boss.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Unlike many episodes, this one ends on an unambiguously happy note. Charlie manages to expose his boss's illegal practices and ends up getting his job. He also scores a date with the woman he has a crush on. And he still has Mr. Motivation on his desk to keep him on his toes and prevent him from abusing his employees.
- Forest Whitaker: By listening to that little voice, Charlie Stickney won the battle of wills with his boss and with himself. Another success story courtesy of...Mr. Motivation: The Twilight Zone.
Sanctuary
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- Forest Whitaker: Meet Scott Turner, a hotshot sports agent who thinks he knows the path to success is happiness. But Scott will discover that these two things don't necessarily go hand in hand as he makes a detour off the beaten path and into the Twilight Zone.
- Directed by Creator/ Patrick R Norris
- Written by James Crocker
Tropes for this segment include:
- Disappointed in You: Ricki is rather upset that Scott took the bait and called his client instead of a doctor, denying him and Marisa of this wonderful paradise.
- Downer Ending: Due to Scott taking the phone to call his client, both he and Marisa are ejected out of the home and find themselves right back where they came from, losing their memories of the time spent and falling in love with each other. They also go right back to their miserable lives of Scott losing his client and Marisa with her less-than-favorable fiancé.
- Everybody Lives: For once, an episode that doesn't feature a character dying ends on a somber note, since both Scott and Marisa have no memory of their time together.
- Foreshadowing: Marisa is the first of the two to accept what's become of them, along with expressing how she's getting tired of all the stress of being "part of the game". Scott, however, accepts the stress and thinks it's crazy to accept being stuck in the house, taking longer than her to toss his stuff in the fire. This hints that of the two, Scott is the most likely to ruin the paradise they've found themselves in.Forest Whitaker: Most of us dream of paradise at one time or another. Scott Turner actually found his. Unfortunately, he was unable to hold onto it and found himself back in the game of modern life.
