History Recap / TheTwilightZone1985S1E20

One clean background check later, Ray takes Joseph to meet Kennedy himself. Kennedy expresses his gratitude to Joseph and invites him to the White House for dinner. As Kennedy returns to Air Force One, Vice President UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson (Creator/JerryHardin) arrives to tell the President that he's staying in Texas for the time being, as two tornadoes have appeared seemingly out of nowhere and insitagted a crisis. Kennedy and Joseph have a nice chat aboard the Presidential Aircraft, where Kennedy reminisces about his life and what he's learned from being leader of the free world, causing Joseph to comment on how the former is far ahead of his time. They are interrupted by a call from Defense Secretary [=MacNamara=], who informs them that Oswald has been arrested by the Dallas police. Joseph starts fiddling with his lucky coin, accidentally dropping it in the process. It rolls towards Ray, who picks it up and looks at it with suspicion. Kennedy returns and informs Joseph that the Soviets have captured West Berlin, and are demanding that America pull out from Germany. Joseph remarks that [[UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev Preimier Khrushchev]] would never do such a thing, to which Kennedy reveals that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier that day.

Even though dinner is cancelled, Kennedy insists that Joseph stay the night in the White House as a security precaution. When asked for his camera, Ray claims that Joseph must have left it on Air Force One, but assures him that it will be returned. Joseph consults his wristwatch/time machine/computer, which details that the tornadoes and Khrushchev's assassination were futile attempts of the timestream to undo "massive rips in spacetime" caused by Joseph's prevention of the assassination. Joseph asks the computer for the "best and worse case scenario" for this timeline going forward, and learns that the results are grim:

Joseph is then summoned to the Oval Office, where Kennedy angrily demands to know where he got the coin. Joseph finally comes clean and explains that it's been in his family for 200 years. He further demonstrates the use of his holographic camera to prove he's actually a historian from the future. Kennedy then guesses that Joseph is a descendant of his, to which the historian admits. Kennedy asks Joseph why exactly he chose this period in particular, guessing it was to observe his reaction to the crisis. Joseph replies that he legitimately didn't know about the crisis, prompting Kennedy to look at the coin again and notice the year of manufacture: 1964. Kennedy then discovers the truth: he was supposed to die in Dallas, the tornadoes and the Soviet occupation were never meant to happen, and the ongoing crisis will ultimately lead to the end of the world. He also guesses that the only way to fix everything is to go back earlier that day and let Oswald shoot him. Preparing to do what must be done, Kennedy begs Joseph to send him back. The historian tearfully prepares to give Kennedy his time travel watch, but suddenly changes his mind and gives the President his emergency recall ring, which sends Kennedy to 2172. Joseph tells Ray that they're going back, but they're going to make a few changes. Earlier that day, back in Dealey Plaza, Joseph teleports inside the Presidental Motorcade, replacing Kennedy and letting himself take Oswald's bullets.

Sometime later, Joseph's body is examined by Dr. Wang, who reveals to Ray that she's not only from the future as well, but she's from a period in the future even farther than Joseph was. Knowing that whatever actions committed during time travel become part of established history, she knew that Jospeh would sacrifice himself, and was sent to study his actions as he did with Kennedy. She looks to the body and repeats the Chinese phrase she told him earlier, revealing that it translates: "Goodbye, old friend... Goodbye." Meanwhile, in 2172, Kennedy has since assumed the role of a Harvard professor, and is shown giving a speech implicitly lauding Joseph's sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices of other honorable men like him.

* AlternateTimeline: Joseph, a time traveling historian from 2172, manages to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The resulting changes to the timeline lead to the creation of significant distortions, as well as temporal rifts of unprecedented proportions. A pair of tornadoes appear without warning in Texas as part of the universe's initial attempt to counterbalance the temporal damage. Nikita Khrushchev is also assassinated by Soviet insurgents, who are sent by the new Preimier to capture West Berlin in an attempt to force the Western powers out of the rest of Germany. Joseph's wrist computer determines that the worst case scenario from the disruptions will be a nuclear war breaking out between the United States and the Soviet Union. The ''best'' case scenario is that Western Europe will surrender to the Soviets within six years. Military costs will then cause the Soviet economy to collapse, leading them to blackmail the West for food, and the subsequent agro-bacterial war will completely destroy the biosphere within a century. The remaining 11% accounts for all other probabilities in which the world ends. From this, Joseph learns that Kennedy's death must occur as history recorded it if humanity is to live.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: Kate, Joseph's fellow time traveller, actually comes from a period in the future farther than him, and is hinted to have been sent to study Joseph's actions just as Joseph was sent to study Kennedy's. She tells Ray that she knew what he would do in Dallas and that he would ultimately sacrifice himself, but couldn't interfere since events occuring during time travel become part of history.

* HeroicSacrifice: Joseph allows himself to be assassinated in Kennedy's place to return the timeline to normal and prevent the end of the world. Before this, he sends Kennedy to his home year of 2172 to allow him to live a new life, as the President realized the rammifications of his continued existence and volunteered to take Oswald's bullets.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy is a major character of the episode, as Joseph prevents his assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald. UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson, Jacqueline Kennedy, John Connally, and Oswald himself also make brief appearances. Nikita Khrushchev isn't shown onscreen, but he plays an important role when he is said to have been assassinated in a coup.
* {{Hologram}}: Joseph intends to record the assassination of John F. Kennedy on his holographic recorder, which is disguised as an ordinary 1960s movie camera. After seeing Lee Harvey Oswald taking aim in the Texas School Book Depository, however, he instinctively shouts for JFK and his entourage to take cover and averts the assassination. Secret Service agent Ray grows suspicious of Joseph, believing him to be a Soviet sleeper agent, and has his camera analyzed by the Department of Defense. Their metallurgists have discovered the camera to be made from an unknown alloy harder than steel and impervious to X-Rays. When confronted, Jospeh admits that he is a time traveler from the future, showing Kennedy and Ray a holographic recording of the Dallas motorcade to prove his story.

* RuleOfThree: All three of Joseph's computer's predictions of the future of the timeline where Kennedy lives going forward result in "total annihalition of biosphere".
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Once he realizes the ramifications he's brought about by letting Kennedy live, Joseph ultimately takes his place in the Dallas motorcade and lets Lee Harvey Oswald shoot him, but not before letting Kennedy travel to his distant future world to live a new life.

* TimeTravelEscape: Instead of letting himself be assassinated, Joseph gives President Kennedy his recall ring and sends him to his home year of 2172. With the assistance of Ray, Joseph takes Kennedy's place in the motorcade and allows himself to be shot by Lee Harvey Oswald. In the meantime, Kennedy becomes a history professor at Harvard in the distant future.

Arthur and Norma Lewis (Creator/BradDavis and Creator/MareWinningham) are a married couple living in a rundown tenement and facing severe financial difficulties. One day, a package with no return address arrives on their doorstep. The package contains a mysterious device comprised of a wooden box with a red button on top, shielded by a locked plastic dome. On the bottom of the box is a note saying that someone named "Mr. Steward" will arrive at 8:00 P.M. that evening. Later that night, while Arthur is at work, Mr. Steward (Creator/BasilHoffman) arrives. He hands Norma an envelope with the key to open the dome of the "button unit", which will allow her to push the button, as well as an explaination of the button's purpose:

* BreatherEpisode: Even though the episode focuses on a very strong moral quandry, Norma and Arthur's hamminess make it far more comedic than the previous episode.

* ColdHam: Mr. Steward peppers all his dialogue with heavy dramatic pauses and a needlessly creepy deameanor.

* MortonsFork: Once she learns the button will reprogrammed and given to someone she doesn't know, Norma comes to the conclusion that she or her breadwinner husband will die. Whoever dies, it's clear that she's screwed.

* NothingIsScarier: The titular button causes a total stranger of its current owner to die. Arthur cracks it open to find no circuitry inside, but it still manages to kill someone offscreen when pushed. How exactly pressing it causes someone to die without any mechanisms is left unexplained.

* SetRightWhatOnceWasWrong: Once he realizes the ramifications he's brought about by letting Kennedy live, Joseph ultimately takes his place in the Dallas motorcade and lets Lee Harvey Oswald shoot him, but not before letting Kennedy travel to his distant future world to live a new life.

* MythologyGag: Several hours after Joseph prevents Kennedy's assassination, the television in the room where Ray and a metallurgist are discussing Joseph's coin, has the anchor announce "We will now return to our regular programming", followed by the theme of the original ''Twilight Zone''. This is a reference to the fact that the original series episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E139NightCall Night Call]]" was originally intended to air on November 22, 1963, but was rescheduled due to coverage of the assassination.

* ExactWords: As Mr. Steward tells her, Norma is given $200,000 for pressing the button and causing a total stranger to die, telling her that she and Arthur are to to spend the money. Since it's hinted that she or her husband are next to die when the button is reprogrammed and redistributed, Steward didn't say anything about whether Norma would actually have the chance to spend the money after getting it.

->'''Joseph''': You mean there's only 11% probability of avoiding total war in this timeline?

->'''Computer''': There exists only one viable option: [[SetWrongWhatWasOnceMadeRight the Kennedy presidency must end as history originally recorded it]].

->'''Mr. Steward''': It's an unexpected act. Takes some getting used to. But let me finish... so the person who dies will be someone you don't even know. Then afterward, you will receive, $200,000, tax free. And that's all there is to it.

Arthur returns home soon afterwards, and his wife, who has stayed awake all this time, fills him in on the situation. Naturally, the Lewises find their situation absurd, and wonder whether the whole thing is some sort of survey to see who is willing to let someone die for $200 grand. Norma suggests that they push the button since they desperately need the money, but Arthur is firmly against it. Norma argues that thousands of people die every day all over the world, and that the person who dies could be some random Chinese peasant or a dying cancer patient, whereas Arthur rebuts that it could be someone's newborn baby. He then takes apart the bottom of the box, whereupon he and Norma learn that the inside is completely empty. Regardless, Arthur throws the box in a dumpster.

HenpeckedHusband: Arthur, whom Norma constantly belittles at the simplest provocation, shows no affection of any kind to, and relies on him to be the sole breadwinner of the home.

* ExactWords: As Mr. Steward tells her, Norma is given $200,000 for pressing the button and causing a total stranger to die. Since it's hinted that she or her husband are next to die when the button is reprogrammed and redistributed, Steward didn't say anything about whether Norma would get to ''spend'' the money after getting it.
* HenpeckedHusband: Arthur, whom Norma constantly belittles at the simplest provocation, shows no affection of any kind to, and relies on him to be the sole breadwinner of the home.

* MythologyGag: Several hours after Joseph prevents Kennedy's assassination, the television in the room where Ray and a metallurgist are discussing Joseph's coin, has the anchor announce "We will now return to our regular programming" is heard on Creator/{{CBS}}, followed by the theme of the original ''Twilight Zone''. This is a reference to the fact that the original series episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E139NightCall Night Call]]" was originally intended to air on November 22, 1963, but was rescheduled due to coverage of the assassination.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Once they learn that Joseph is from the distant future, Kennedy and Ray decide that they need drinks, the former even granting his bodyguard to go off duty so he doesn't violate Secret Service regulations.

* ExactWords: As Mr. Steward tells her, Norma is given $200,000 for pressing the button and causing a total stranger to die. Since it's hinted that she or her husband are next to die when the button is reprogrammed and redistributed, Steward didn't say anything about whether Norma would get to ''spend'' the money after getting it.

* AlternateTimeline: Joseph, a time traveling historian from 2172, manages to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The resulting changes to the timeline lead to the creation of significant distortions, as well as temporal rifts of unprecedented proportions. A pair of tornadoes appear without warning in Texas as part of the universe's initial attempt to counterbalance the temporal damage. Nikita Khrushchev is also assassinated by Soviet insurgents, who are sent by the new Premier to capture West Berlin in an attempt to force the Western powers out of the rest of Germany. Joseph's wrist computer determines that the worst case scenario from the disruptions will be a nuclear war breaking out between the United States and the Soviet Union. The ''best'' case scenario is that Western Europe will surrender to the Soviets within six years. Military costs will then cause the Soviet economy to collapse, leading them to blackmail the West for food, and the subsequent agro-bacterial war will completely destroy the biosphere within a century. The remaining 11% accounts for all other probabilities in which the world ends. From this, Joseph learns that Kennedy's death must occur as history recorded it if humanity is to live.

Professor Joseph Fitzgerald (Creator/LaneSmith) is a historian from the year 2172 who has traveled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard from 1960 to 1963 to study the times of the UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy administration. In the privacy of his office, he is visited by his colleague Dr. Kate Wang (Creator/BarbaraBaxley), where they discuss his mission. Fitzgerald is somewhat disturbed at the thought of witnessing Kennedy's (Creator/AndrewRobinson) assassination which will take place the following day, especially since not only has he researched him in detail (even getting to meet him once) but Kennedy is also his ancestor. Kate then notices Fitzgerald's "good luck charm", a half dollar coin with Kennedy's profile marked 1964, and rightfully points out its anachronistic nature, which Fitzgerald dismisses. Kate then returns to the future while saying something in Chinese which Fitzgerald doesn't understand.

At Dealey Plaza the following day, Fitzgerald films the President's arrival with his future holographic camera (disguised as a regular camera of the time period). When he films the upper floor of the Dallas Book Repository and spots Lee Harvey Oswald getting ready to take the shot, Fitzgerald cannot contain himself and screams at Kennedy to get down. Kennedy and the First Lady do so, causing Oswald to miss. Secret Service Agent Ray Livingstone (Louis Giambalvo) takes Fitzgerald into custody while the latter recoils in horror over what he just did.

One clean background check later, Livingstone takes Fitzgerald to meet Kennedy himself. Kennedy expresses his gratitude to Fitzgerald and invites him over to dinner at the White House. UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson (Creator/JerryHardin) arrives to say he'll stay behind to deal with a crisis caused by two tornadoes that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Kennedy and Fitzgerald have a nice chat in Air Force One where Kennedy reminisces about his life and what he learned, which causes Fitzgerald to comment on how the former is ahead of his time. They are then interrupted by a call from Secretary [=MacNamara=] and the information that Oswald has been captured by Dallas Police. Fitzgerald starts fiddling with his coin which he then absentmindedly drops and it rolls towards Livingstone, who picks it up and looks at it with suspicion. Kennedy returns and informs Fitzgerald that Soviet forces have captured West Berlin and are demanding that the U.S. pull out from the rest of Germany. Fitzgerald remarks that [[UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev Khrushchev]] would never do such a thing, and Kennedy replies that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier in the day, shocking Fitzgerald.

Even though the dinner is obviously cancelled, Kennedy insists that Fitzgerald stay at the White House overnight as a security precaution. Fitzgerald asks about his camera and Livingstone claims Fitzgerald must have left it on Air Force One but it will be returned to him. Fitzgerald consults his time machine computer who relates that the tornadoes and Khrushchev's assassination were caused by the timeline's futile attempts to undo the "massive rips in spacetime" caused by Fitzgerald's intervention. Fitzgerald asks for a "best and worse case scenario" for the timeline and the results are grim:

-->'''Computer''': Worst case scenario: [[WorldWarIII nuclear exchange between the superpowers]] results in [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt total annihilation of biosphere]]. Probability: 77%. Best case scenario: [[CrapsackWorld surrender of Western Europe within six years. Military costs collapse Soviet economy. Soviets blackmail West for food culminating in agro-bacterial war]]. Result: total annihilation of biosphere within century. Probability: 12%.
-->'''Fitzgerald''': You mean there's only 11% probability of avoiding total war in this timeline?
-->'''Computer''': 0%. 11% include all other scenarios leading to...
-->'''Fitzgerald''': ...[[MortonsFork total annihilation of biosphere]]. Since this timeline is not viable, give me all options for repairing the original timeline.
-->'''Computer''': There exists only one viable option: [[SetWrongWhatWasOnceMadeRight the Kennedy presidency must end the way history originally recorded it]].
-->'''Fitzgerald''': Oh dear God...{{What have I done}}?

Meanwhile, Livingstone has taken Fitzgerald's coin to an expert who remarks it's the most perfect counterfeit he has ever seen. And it HAS to be a counterfeit since it's illegal under U.S. law to depict a living person in currency. Livingstone also remarks that despite Fitzgerald having "all the right papers in all the right places", the latter couldn't find anyone who knew the former before he started teaching at Harvard. Livingstone strongly suspects Fitzgerald to be a Soviet sleeper agent.

Livingstone takes these suspicions to Kennedy who is skeptical, pointing out that it doesn't make sense for a Soviet agent to carry around a coin with Kennedy's face on it. Livingstone adds that Fitzgerald's camera was inspected by metallurgists who discovered that it's made of some unknown alloy stronger than steel and impervious to X-Rays.

They summon Fitzgerald and Kennedy angrily demands to know where he got the coin. Fitzgerald explains it's been in his family for 200 years and demonstrates his camera's use to prove he's a historian from the future. Kennedy then guesses Fitzgerald is a descendant of his, which he admits. Kennedy asks why choose this period in particular-was it to observe his reaction to the crisis? Fitzgerald replies he didn't know about it, which stumps Kennedy until he looks at the coin again and notices the year: 1964. He then figures out the truth: Kennedy was supposed to die, none of the subsequent events were supposed to happen, and the current crisis will lead to the end of the world. He also guesses that the only way to fix this is to go back and get shot. Kennedy begs Fitzgerald to send him back and the latter tearfully prepares to give Kennedy the time travel watch...but then changes his mind and gives him his emergency recall ring, which sends Kennedy to Fitzgerald's time period. He explains to Ray that they are going back...but they're going to make a few changes. We then cut back to Dealey Plaza... only now Fitzgerald beams to Kennedy's place in the motorcade at the last minute, and is fatally shot by Oswald.

Fitzgerald's body is then examined by Dr. Kate, who reveals to Ray that she's also from the future... even farther than Fitzgerald's, and that she knew that he would sacrifice himself. She also repeats the sentence in Chinese she told Fitzgerald at the beginning and translates it: "Goodbye, old friend... Goodbye."

{{Meanwhile in the future}} of 2172, a Harvard instructor is shown giving a speech implicitly lauding Fitzgerald's sacrifice and the sacrifices of other honorable men like him. The camera pans to the instructor, revealing him to be none other than John F. Kennedy.

Arthur (Creator/BradDavis) and Norma (Creator/MareWinningham) Lewis are a couple living in a rundown tenement and facing severe financial difficulties. One day, a package with no return address arrives addressed to both of them. The package contains a mysterious device comprised of a wooden box with a BigRedButton on top shielded by a locked plastic dome. On the bottom of the box is a note saying that a Mr. Steward will arrive at 8 PM.

Later that night, while Arthur is away working, the well dressed and incredibly creepy Mr. Steward (Creator/BasilHoffman) arrives. He hands Norma an envelope with his card and the key to open the dome of the "button unit" which allows her to push the button. And what does the button do?

-->'''Steward''': When you push the button, two things will happen. First, someone whom you do not know will die.
-->'''Norma''': You're kidding.
-->'''Steward''': It's an unexpected act. Takes some getting used to. But let me finish... so the person who dies will be someone you don't even know... then afterward... you will receive...$200,000...tax free. And that's all there is to it.

Arthur arrives late at night and Norma, who has stayed awake all this time, fills him in. Naturally they find the situation absurd, and wonder if it's some sort of survey to see who will and who won't push it. However, Norma then suggests they push the button since they need the money while Arthur is against it. Norma argues that thousands die every day all over the world and that the person who dies can be some random Chinese peasant or a cancer patient. Arthur points out it could be someone's newborn baby. He then takes apart the bottom of the box and they find that the inside is completely empty. Arthur throws the box in a dumpster.

While Arthur is asleep, Norma gets the box back from the dumpster. The next morning, Arthur finds her repairing the bottom of the box, claiming that Mr. Steward said that he would eventually return to recover the box since they are "reprogrammed" and reused. Arthur mockingly dares her to push the button but she sends him away.

Norma then spends most of the following days transfixed by the box. Finally, she eventually pushes the button...and apparently nothing happens, while Arthur walks away in disgust.

Mr. Steward later arrives to retrieve the box, and gives the Lewises a [[BriefcaseFullOfMoney briefcase with the money]]. He also confirms that yes, someone did die. Norma then asks what's going to happen now...

-->'''Steward''': Why, you spend the money! And I hope you enjoy it. The button unit will be reprogrammed and offered to someone else, with the same terms and conditions.
-->'''Norma''': Wait, someone ''else''?
-->'''Steward''': Yes. I can assure you it will be offered to someone... ''[[LaserGuidedKarma whom you don't know]].'' Good day.

The episode ends with a close up on Norma's [[OhCrap terrified face]] as Steward walks away.

!!This episode contains the following tropes:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Profile In Silver]]
* CloseEnoughTimeline
* FamousAncestor: Professor Joseph Fitzgerald, a time traveling historian from 2172, is a descendant of UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy is a major character while UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson and John Connally appear briefly. Nikita Krushchev plays an important off-screen role.
* MythologyGag: Several hours after Fitzgerald prevents JFK's assassination, the announcement "We will now return to our regular programming" is heard on Creator/{{CBS}}, followed by the theme of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''. This refers to the fact that "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E139NightCall Night Call]]" was originally intended to air on November 22, 1963 but the coverage of the assassination resulted in it being rescheduled. It eventually aired on February 7, 1964.
* WorldWarIII: UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy's [[WhoShotJFK assassination]] is averted by Professor Joseph Fitzgerald. This creates an AlternateTimeline in which Soviet troops invade West Berlin, resulting in World War III. In order to restore the proper timeline, Fitzgerald takes Kennedy's place and allows himself to be killed. Kennedy is [[TimeTravelEscape transported forward in time to 2172]].

[[folder:Button, Button]]
* HenpeckedHusband: Arthur.
* HereWeGoAgain: Once the button is reprogrammed, another person will be offered the same choice.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Norma pushes the button, causing the death of someone she doesn't know...and then Mr. Steward tells her that the button will be offered next to someone she doesn't know.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Mr. Steward spends his entire meeting with Norma getting creepily close to her, even as she tries to back away.
* SadisticChoice: Be responsible for someone's death, or lose out on a BriefcaseFullOfMoney that you could definitely use.
* SchmuckBait: A couple is given a box with a button on it. They're warned that if they push the button they'll receive $200,000, and a person they don't know will die. They finally push the button and receive the money. Then they're told that the box will be re-programmed and given to someone they don't know.
[[/folder]]

Professor Joseph Fitzgerald (Lane Smith) is a historian from the year 2172 who has traveled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard from 1960 to 1963 to study the times of the UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy administration. In the privacy of his office, he is visited by his colleague Dr. Kate Wang (Barbara Baxley), where they discuss his mission. Fitzgerald is somewhat disturbed at the thought of witnessing Kennedy's (Creator/AndrewRobinson) assassination which will take place the following day, especially since not only has he researched him in detail (even getting to meet him once) but Kennedy is also his ancestor. Kate then notices Fitzgerald's "good luck charm", a half dollar coin with Kennedy's profile marked 1964, and rightfully points out its anachronistic nature, which Fitzgerald dismisses. Kate then returns to the future while saying something in Chinese which Fitzgerald doesn't understand.

Arthur (Brad Davis) and Norma (Mare Winningham) Lewis are a couple living in a rundown tenement and facing severe financial difficulties. One day, a package with no return address arrives addressed to both of them. The package contains a mysterious device comprised of a wooden box with a BigRedButton on top shielded by a locked plastic dome. On the bottom of the box is a note saying that a Mr. Steward will arrive at 8 PM.

Later that night, while Arthur is away working, the well dressed and incredibly creepy Mr. Steward (Basil Hoffman) arrives. He hands Norma an envelope with his card and the key to open the dome of the "button unit" which allows her to push the button. And what does the button do?

Arthur and Norma Lewis are a couple living in a rundown tenement and facing severe financial difficulties. One day, a package with no return address arrives addressed to both of them. The package contains a mysterious device comprised of a wooden box with a BigRedButton on top shielded by a locked plastic dome. On the bottom of the box is a note saying that a Mr. Steward will arrive at 8 PM.

Later that night, while Arthur is away working, the well dressed and incredibly creepy Mr. Steward arrives. He hands Norma an envelope with his card and the key to open the dome of the "button unit" which allows her to push the button. And what does the button do?

Professor Joseph Fitzgerald is a historian from the year 2172 who has traveled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard from 1960 to 1963 to study the times of the UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy administration. In the privacy of his office, he is visited by his colleague Dr. Kate Wang, where they discuss his mission. Fitzgerald is somewhat disturbed at the thought of witnessing Kennedy's assassination which will take place the following day, especially since not only has he researched him in detail (even getting to meet him once) but Kennedy is also his ancestor. Kate then notices Fitzgerald's "good luck charm", a half dollar coin with Kennedy's profile marked 1964, and rightfully points out its anachronistic nature, which Fitzgerald dismisses. Kate then returns to the future while saying something in Chinese which Fitzgerald doesn't understand.

At Dealey Plaza the following day, Fitzgerald films the President's arrival with his future holographic camera (disguised as a regular camera of the time period). When he films the upper floor of the Dallas Book Repository and spots Lee Harvey Oswald getting ready to take the shot, Fitzgerald cannot contain himself and screams at Kennedy to get down. Kennedy and the First Lady do so, causing Oswald to miss. Secret Service Agent Ray Livingstone takes Fitzgerald into custody while the latter recoils in horror over what he just did.

One clean background check later, Livingstone takes Fitzgerald to meet Kennedy himself. Kennedy expresses his gratitude to Fitzgerald and invites him over to dinner at the White House. UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson arrives to say he'll stay behind to deal with a crisis caused by two tornadoes that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Kennedy and Fitzgerald have a nice chat in Air Force One where Kennedy reminisces about his life and what he learned, which causes Fitzgerald to comment on how the former is ahead of his time. They are then interrupted by a call from Secretary [=MacNamara=] and the information that Oswald has been captured by Dallas Police. Fitzgerald starts fiddling with his coin which he then absentmindedly drops and it rolls towards Livingstone, who picks it up and looks at it with suspicion. Kennedy returns and informs Fitzgerald that Soviet forces have captured West Berlin and are demanding that the U.S. pull out from the rest of Germany. Fitzgerald remarks that [[UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev Khrushchev]] would never do such a thing, and Kennedy replies that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier in the day, shocking Fitzgerald.

One clean background check later, Livingstone takes Fitzgeral to meet Kennedy himself. Kennedy expresses his gratitude to Fitzgerald and invites him over to dinner at the White House. UsefulNotes/LyndonJohnson arrives to say he'll stay behind to deal with a crisis caused by two tornadoes that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Kennedy and Fitzgerald have a nice chat in Air Force One where Kennedy reminisces about his life and what he learned, which causes Fitzgerald to comment on how the former is ahead of his time. They are then interrupted by a call from Secretary [=MacNamara=] and the information that Oswald has been captured by Dallas Police. Fitzgerald starts fiddling with his coin which he then absentmindedly drops and it rolls towards Livingstone, who picks it up and looks at it with suspicion. Kennedy returns and informs Fitzgerald that Soviet forces have captured West Berlin and are demanding that the U.S. pull out from the rest of Germany. Fitzgerald remarks that [[UsefulNotes/NikitaKhrushchev Khrushchev]] would never do such a thing, and Kennedy replies that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier in the day, shocking Fitzgerald.

-->'''Computer''': There exists only one viable option: [[SetWrongWhatWasOnceMadeRight]] the Kennedy presidency must end the way history originally recorded it]].

-->'''Computer''': There exists only one viable option: [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong the Kennedy presidency must end the way history originally recorded it]].