‘The Twilight Zone’ (2019) Recap: ‘Downtime’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

If there is one thing, we can all agree upon when it comes to the crazy ride that is everyday life, it would have to be, that it can be quite the grind, and sometimes escaping it sounds like a real treat. Which is why we plan vacations that take us as far away from home as possible. So, we can disconnect from email and social media and enjoy a little peace and quiet, so our minds can reset and refresh. But while that tends to fix the frustration that comes with daily life for most folks, there are some people out there who are beyond desperate for a break from their everyday lives. For the situations they face are so incredibly painful, that they would give anything to be someone else if only for a moment, so they can finally enjoy a world where they are free from the stress they are currently dealing with. But alas, that simply isn’t possible in reality and those tortured souls must continue along.
​
But that certainly doesn’t stop the human mind from pondering upon such a concept when the going gets rough. Because just thinking about another life and what it might be like to live it, can be a healthy and necessary way to escape those harrowing moments of stress and it just so happens that the next episode of The Twilight Zone takes the time to dive into this concept in a supremely fascinating fashion. Because initially, ‘Downtime’ doesn’t seem as though it is going to explore this notion in the slightest. Instead, we spend a little time getting to know a woman named Michelle Weaver, who is having a wonderful day when we catch up with her. Because she’s finally being promoted to the manager position at the hotel, after years of dedicated and hard work, and this red-letter day has her spirits soaring.

However, the joy she’s experiencing comes to a screeching halt when a giant robotic eye appears in the sky, since it seizes and hypnotizes the world around her, because of something known as downtime. Which leaves her searching for answers since she is desperate to know what that means exactly and that’s when the escape twist comes into play. For eventually Michelle comes to learn that she isn’t who she thinks she is. She’s actually nothing more than an avatar for a man named Phineas Lowell, and she exists within the framework of a grandiose game that people use to get away from their everyday lives and unfortunately there is quite the complication in regard to her future. In that, Phineas is in dire straits health wise, and passed out whilst connected, meaning that Michelle needs to exit the game as quickly as possible, or risk having her, and Phineas’ consciousnesses trapped within the confines of this digital world for all eternity, once downtime comes to a close. 

But while that plot is quite delightful and fascinating and filled to the brim with unique twists and turns, what matters more here is all the underlying meaning present within this tale. For in many ways this story serves as a warning, one that reminds us that while it is okay to fantasize about a better life, there is no escape in regard to our problems and we have to tackle them if we expect them to go away. Plus, this episode makes a fine point of teaching us that if we do indeed need to make some serious changes to our lives, that we also need to be willing to put in the work to make that happen, since there are no easy paths to happiness and it was quite incredible to find such blunt yet borderline positive messaging in a story that snuck in some seriously dark moments. Such as the fact that Phineas’ corporeal body doesn’t make it to the end of this tale and that how that goes down is handled in a kind of vague manner that leaves the final determination in the audience’s hands. 

But outside of that, this really was quite the incredible episode. One that felt quite similar to the classic iteration of this series since it was fast-paced and full of fascinating twists. Plus, you cannot go wrong with the cast in this tale either since Morena Baccarin puts on an acting clinic with the range and depth she provides the viewer with, and even Colman Domingo is impactful during his limited screen time in this story. If anything, it just goes to show how quickly this show has grown in a single year, since we are getting fresh and original and timely stories that just so happen to have that classic flavor thrown in for good measure. But while these more meaningful stories are quite delightful, what season two of this series has to yet to provide us with, is a story that is grounded in the fantastical and it should be interesting to see what that will look like when it finally arrives. But in the here and the now, we can bask in another wonderful tale, one that definitely took the whole notion of ‘what if?’ to the Nth degree. Until next time.  

---