"The Twilight Zone (2002)" Retro Recap: "Dream Lover"

​Written by Scotty

No matter who you are, you have to agree that deadlines suck.  Some people are able to prepare for these, but most of us hold off until the last minute and have to work our butts off to make sure everything is done at the last minute.  Deadlines are especially hard for writers who are experiencing writers’ block, as most of us know, there is no way to force a story if it is not there.  But there is another profession that I have not thought about, the artists who are on the same time schedule who need inspiration to draw.  It is the same for them and although I am not able to draw, not even a decent stick figure, I know the troubles that they feel, especially when they do not have any inspiration.

Andrew Lomax is trying to get into the spirit of things once again, but is having a hard time getting inspired.  After his first graphic novel made the New York Times Top 100 list, he knows that his next project will have to be something out of this world.  Failing to come up with any ideas that will work for him, he starts daydreaming about a woman that could be his muse and get him through this hard time, but he needs something more.  After throwing away another page, Andrew looks at the drawing he has made of his dream girl and she suddenly comes to life.

After making love, the two sit at Andrew’s drawing table and try to come up with an idea of what he can do to top his last novel.  Knowing that this new idea is exactly what he needs to break his writer's block, Andrew is inspired once again and gets back to work.  Between drawing and making love, Andrew knows that he will make his deadline without a problem, but when he sees his dream girl outside of the house flirting with the cable man, he knows he will have to start laying down some ground rules for his girl.  After Sondra leaves the house in a huff, Andrew finds a way to track her down at the local gas station and sees that she is pursuing her own intentions. 

Being frustrated, Andrew sees Sondra sitting at his table and working on the graphic novel he has been slaving over for the past few days.  Even with the proper technique being used and the fact that her drawings as good as his, Andrew wants to make sure that his dream girl will respect his wishes and not those of someone else.  But when he hears Sam, the cable guy in the back room, Andrew has to come to terms with what is happening to him.  As he tries to be angry with Sondra, he has to be receptive to what she is telling him about what is really happening.  When he knows that Sondra will not respect his wishes of being his dream girl, he threatens to erase her, but what he does not know will change his outlook on comics and love for the rest of his days.
​
After meeting several artists and authors over the years, I can see how easy it could be to get caught up and need a muse to keep the fresh ideas flowing.  Thankfully, none of these people have told me that they have experienced this kind of event…yet.  It is hard to keep your eye on the prize when you do not have someone giving you a helpful push to greatness, I mean, ideas run out after a little while and you need to find them somewhere. One could see this as a depressing episode, but I see it as a glimmer of hope if you are able to create someone or something that can help you get out of your rut, and if that idea becomes toxic you should let it go, rather than taking it out on those people that you have real feelings for.  Starring Adrian Pasdar as Andrew and Shannon Elizabeth as Sondra, you are able to feel the true pain of an artist when they both take to the screen. It is easy to look forward and see the end result, but when you start looking at the details, you may be dumbfounded with what you find.

---