'The Twilight Zone (2002)' Retro Recap: 'Future Trade'

​Written by Scotty

People always say that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but is it really? When you look at people that seem to have it all, you may be envious of them, but you never know what is really happening behind closed doors. Everyone has the occasional dream to have everything, but with great riches can come great pain as well. It is always safer to try and find out what is happening that makes someone’s life look so much better than yours, especially if you are looking to trade places with them.

Martin Donner not happy with how his life has turned out.  With a wife that never leaves him alone and blames him for everything that goes wrong, he is looking for a change. Turning on his computer, Martin keeps getting ads for a company called Future Trade, but just thinking that it is a common popup, he pays it little to no attention. But when he receives the same ad on his work computer, Martin decides that it might be time to check it out. Writing down the address, Martin drives to the office to see what Future Trade is really all about.

Being taken on a tour by Gordon, Martin has many questions that he would like answered, but they will all come in due time. Gordon explains to his prospective client what the company does, it trades futures, but not in the conditional sense. With a massive list of clientele, Future Trade is able to put a person in someone else’s life for the immediate future and possibly for the rest of their days. Finding the perfect trades based on answers of the questionnaire, the company makes a small commission, but the deal can be taken back if the person is not happy with their new life.

Martin starts off hesitant, but when he is able to get everything that he has ever dreamed of, he jumps in feet first. Getting the keys to his new life, Martin finds that he has a smoking hot wife who can cook, a swimming pool for his daily workout and a job that will pay him more money than he has ever seen. Thinking that there is a catch to this new life, Martin heads back to Future Trade to see what the deal really is, since this life seems too good to want to give up. Not being able to get an answer, Martin is also told that someone else has taken his place when it comes to his old life. Checking up on his former wife, Martin does not seem to want to return home for the foreseeable future, but what he finds when he arrives to his new home may give him second thoughts. 

You never know what is really happening with somebody else’s life, even if they seem to be on top of the world, there may be a secret that they are hiding from everyone else. As Martin tries to get accustomed to his new life, he has no idea what is really happening behind the curtain and winds up out of place. As his new wife Francesca seems to be the goddess he has been looking for his entire life, she does not know Martin’s past, only her husband's and wants to get even for all of the hardships he has put her through. You really have to love the Future Trade’s employee Gordon, being a salesman, he does not need to pressure anyone into signing the contract, only prove to them that there is a better life out there for anyone that wants it, besides it is Dean Winters who plays Mayhem in the commercials. Looking through your own eyes, you are able to see what the future has in store, but when looking through somebody else’s, your tunnel vision will miss all of the important things that are happening around you.

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