The Twilight Zone (1959–1964): Season 1, Episode 21 - Mirror Image - full transcript

Millicent Barnes is waiting in the bus station waiting for her bus to Cortland to arrive. The weather outside is dreadful and the bus is over half an hour late already. When she inquires the station clerk chides her for constantly asking when it will arrive. The only thing is (she thinks) it's the first time she's asked him anything. When she goes to the ladies room the cleaning lady suggests she was just in there, she begins to worry that she's going mad. A good Samaritan, Paul Grinstead, tries to help her out but soon realizes that there may be an explanation for what is happening after all.

Mirror Image
First Aired: 26 February 1960

English Subtitles by
Pandorafilm - Heerlen

You're traveling
to another dimension.

A dimension not only of sight
and sound, but of mind.

A journey into a wondrous land
of imagination.

Next stop: The Twilight Zone

Excuse me.

The bus to Cortland.
-What about her?

Well, it was due a half an hour ago.
-Yup, half hour ago.

When will it be in?
-Hard to say. Been raining hard.

Road's slick.
Maybe a bridge or two out.



That'll play hard with the schedule.

When do you think it will be in?

She'll be in when she'll be in.
That's all.

I told you that the last
time you asked.

The last time I asked was now. All
I want from you is a civil answer.

You're getting a civil answer.

The trouble is every ten minutes
you're up here requiring one.

Situations just don't
change that rapidly.

And you want to know about
the Cortland bus.

It was late when you asked
a half hour ago.

Late when you come back 15
minutes later. And it's late now.

And all the asking in the world
ain't going to push it none.

But this is the very first time
I've been up here.

Either you need your eyes...



Now what's the matter?

Nothing.

Nothing's the matter.

Millicent Barnes, age 25.

Young woman waiting for a bus.

Not a very imaginative type
is Ms Barnes.

Not given to undue anxiety of fears
or temporal flights of fancy.

Like most young career women,
she has a generic classification...

as a 'Girl with a head
on her shoulders.'

All of which is mentioned now
because in just a moment...

the head on Ms Barnes's shoulders
will be put to a test.

Circumstances will assault
her sense of reality...

will put her sanity on a block.

Millicent Barnes, who in one minute
will wonder if she's going mad.

Shall we run through it again, miss?

No. I was just saw, but that bag...
-What about it?

It's just like mine. It's identical,
even to the broken handle.

Is this, some kind of a game?
-What?

That is your bag. You checked it.

No, it looks just like my bag,
but...

Will you go over there and sit down?

You're either walking in your sleep
or hung over or something.

Go back and sit down, breathe
through your nose and let me read.

When the Cortland bus comes there'll
be a loud sound of an engine...

a door opening,
people will come in here.

Then you'll know the bus is here.
-But I didn't check my bag.

And anyway, when I saw that,
my bag...

All you all right, miss?
-Yes, of course I'm all right.

I'm perfectly all right.
Why? Don't I look all right?

You look just fine. It's just...

that when you were in here before...
-Before? What do you mean before?

I've never been in here before.
-You were in here a few minutes ago.

Me? I've never been in here before.

What's the matter with
this place anyway?

Somebody keeps taking my bag. Somebody
says I keep asking about the bus...

and you say I've been in here before.
-Easy. It's going to be all right.

Of course it's going to be all right.
Nothing wrong to begin with.

The only thing wrong with you people
is you need some sleep or something.

Let me get you a cold cloth, honey.
I don't think you're well.

No, I don't need that.
No, I'll be all right.

I must be overtired
but I'll be all right.

Excuse me.
-Yes?

I wonder if you saw someone
sitting in my seat.

I don't thinks so, miss.
I wasn't looking very close.

What's the trouble?
-No, no trouble.

I just thought I saw
somebody I knew.

In here?
-Thank you.

I'm sorry to have disturbed you.

What's the matter with me?

What on earth is the matter with me?
What's happening?

Delusions, that's what they are.

I must be sick.
I must be running a fever.

I'm not even warm.
I don't have any fever.

Excuse me, miss.
-Yes, what is it?

Your bag, I think you dropped it.
-Oh, thank you.

The bus is late, isn't it?
-Yes, over a half an hour late.

You do mean the bus to Cortland?
-That's the one.

I was supposed to be in Syracuse
tonight by 10:00.

The planes were all grounded
so I took a cab from Binghamton.

It skidded into a tree
a few miles outside of here.

I had to walk into town to get here.

Forgive me, you're not ill, are you?

I really don't know
what's wrong with me.

Is there something I can do?
-Well, I don't know.

It's just that all sorts of queer
things have been happening to me.

I've been seeing things.
-Seeing things?

What sort of things?

I'm not sure I should tell you.

You'd probably want to move
to another part of the room.

Or call the police or an ambulance.

Well, why don't you tell me.
Maybe I can help.

My name is Paul Grinstead.
I'm from Binghamton.

How do you do?
I'm Millicent Barnes.

At least I was Millicent Barnes.

I'm a private secretary.
I quit my job here on Thursday.

And I've got another job in Buffalo.
That's where I'm going tonight.

Everybody keeps telling me
that I've been here before.

That man who takes the tickets, he
says I keep asking about the bus.

The woman in the powder room says
I've been there before, and I haven't.

And my bag here... My bag!
-There it is.

Thank god. For a minute I thought
it was starting all over again.

That man said I checked it
and I hadn't.

But there was a bag,
almost identical to mine.

And then when I came out of the
powder room it wasn't there.

Go on.

It sounds very strange but...

when I came out of the powder room,
I looked in the mirror...

and I could see the whole
waiting room. In the mirror.

And I...

What did you see, Ms Barnes?

I saw myself sitting right
here on this bench.

It's delusions.
-Yes.

Yes, that's what it must be.
Delusions, some sort of delusions.

But I'm not sick.
I'm not running a fever.

But it's not just seeing things
that don't exist.

Why did that man and that woman say
that they had seen me before?

I don't know.
This one's tough to figure out.

What's happening to me? What's wrong?
I'm not some sort of kook.

I've never had any trouble like this.
I mean, trouble with my mind.

Of course you haven't.
There's an explanation some place.

There's a reason. Maybe...
-Maybe what?

Maybe there's someone here who
resembles you. That could be it.

Or maybe someone is playing some
kind of a joke or something.

Is that possible?

That's too fantastic. And that
doesn't explain about the bag.

And anyway, if there is
such a person, where is she?

Bus to Cortland,
Syracuse, Buffalo, now arriving.

Let me take that. Looks heavy.
-Thank you. You're very kind.

No, you are more than just kind.

We better get on the bus.

I'll take your bag.
-All right.

Ms Barnes! Millicent.
What's the matter? Wait a minute.

On our way.
You and the lady coming or aren't?

No, we'll wait for the next one.
-That's due at 7:00 in the morning.

You've got a long wait.
-That's all right.

I'm shutting off some
of these lights.

'When not in use,
turn off the juice.'

That's what I always say.
-I best be getting home.

I sure hope she feels better.
-Thank you. You've been very nice.

It's all right. But I'd say she
needed some looking after.

You know what I mean.

You feeling better?

The bus.
-It had to leave.

There'll be another before too long.
-You didn't get on.

I'm this late already. A few more
hours won't make any difference.

I've been thinking about something.

It's very odd, but...

I've been remembering.

Remembering what?

About something I read or
heard about a long time ago.

About different planes of existence.

About two parallel worlds.

That exist side by side.

And each of us has a
counterpart in this world.

And sometimes through some freak,
through something unexplainable...

This counterpart,
after the two worlds converge...

Comes into our world and
in order to survive...

It has to take over.
-Take over?

Replace us.
Move us out so that it can live.

That's a little metaphysical for me.

I remember reading it somewhere.

Each of us has a twin
in this other world.

An identical twin.

Maybe that woman I saw...

Millicent, there has to be
another explanation.

One that comes with more reason.

I can't explain it.

But I know that's what's happened.

This other woman, my counterpart...

Forget about it, please.
Don't think about it.

I just thought of something. I've got
a good friend who lives in Tully.

I'll call him. Maybe he'll
bring his car down here for us.

He might even drive us
into Syracuse.

All right, Millicent?
Shall I call my friend?

I'll tell you what I think. I'd say
she's got a leak in her attic.

Parallel planes.
Counterparts from another life.

You got a thing about sick people?
Is that it?

Poor, poor kid.
I don't know what's going to happen.

Go call your friend.
Your friend in Tully with the car.

I don't have any friend in Tully.

She needs help, medical help.

I figured it would be easier this way.

Poor kid.

Can I use it?
-Go ahead.

Who're you going to call?
-The police, I guess.

They're the ones that could help us.

To tell you the truth, she
kind of gives me the willies.

I'd as leave she got
outta here somehow.

Where are you?

Where did you go?

What do you want?

Where are you?
-Millicent.

Are you all right?

Yes.
I'm all right.

How about getting some fresh air?
-All right.

Did you get her off all right?
-Yeah.

They're gonna take her to the
hospital for observation.

What was she talking about?
Something about another life.

I don't know.
That's part of her illness, I guess.

You said the next bus is at 7:00?
-You got about 4.5 hours, pal.

You can take a snooze on that bench.
You'll be all alone, no noise at all.

This place is like a tomb
between night and morning.

Maybe I will get some sleep.

Hey.

Hey!

Hey, where are you?

Obscure and metaphysical explanation
to cover a phenomena.

Reasons to explain away that,
which can not be explained.

Call it parallel planes
or just insanity.

Whatever it is, you find it
in the Twilight Zone.

English Subtitles by
B. Cornelis - Pandorafilm - Heerlenn