THE TWILIGHT ZONE SEASON 3 EPISODE 30 Father and Son Game

mr. stevens,
good morning.

you ready to
take your test?

okay, i'm going
to help you.

up.

okay, just step up
on the treadmill, please.

first foot.

good.

now, we're going to
start very slowly.

ready?

and start.

good.

that's not
so hard, is it?

that's very good.

how about a little faster?

(beeping)

good work.

don't be deceived
by the youthful appearance

of our subject, darius stevens.

he abused his body
for 79 years.

now he's walking on his own
bought-and-paid-for two feet

down a path he hopes
will lead him into a new life.

this is sick.

the man is 79 years old,
for god's sake.

and there's no reason why he
can't live for another 79.

with an artificial brain?

you've turned him into a robot!

what does that prove?

no, no, no, he's not a robot
by any means.

he's human.

it's incredible.

back in the '80s or early '90s,
this would have been impossible.

but now, with ultra-
miniaturization,

the sky's the limit.

well, seems to me
the limit is good sense

and you've overstepped it
by a long shot.

michael, please.

no, i mean it!

this experimenting
with people's heads--

it's outrageous.

admit it, wilson.

you've never done this operation
before on a human.

what might work for a monkey

won't necessarily work
on a man...

even my father.

it's true.

your father was
the first human

to receive a total
brain implant.

however, if things
go as expected,

with the last
neurological tests,

he'll be ready

to lead a normal
life within days.

normal?

essentially,

this is darius stevens.

we reduced
all the memories,

all the facts, the
powers of reason,

even the feelings

that comprise what we
knew as darius stevens

into this microdisk.

my husband has
one of those in his head?

no. this was just
an interim step.

we had to digitalize the data.

then...

i'm sorry, i can't explain this
without getting technical.

he thinks.

therefore, he is.

oh, ho.

how philosophical of you,
doctor.

but let me address
another question.

as i understand it,

my father is just about now
60% machine by weight.

does that sound
very human to you?

maybe i'm asking the wrong person.

you're a mechanic...

uh, man of medicine.

i don't think we need
to discuss this any further.

thank you for everything.

we're not out of the
woods yet, anita.

darius was a very active man.

it'll be your job to see

he doesn't overdo it.

i will.

see you later.

so when is the tin man

getting back
from physical therapy?

michael, i've had just about
enough of your cynical attitude.

it sounds to me like
you'd rather have him dead.

oh, really?

it wouldn't have anything to do

with you wanting to take over
his company, would it?

the fact is, the
man is brain dead.

and at the very least,
he is not competent enough

to manage his own affairs.

the man is your father.

no, he was my father!

but this bunch of circuits
and tubes and wires and pumps...

now you get this
straight, michael.

as long as i am in control
of his medical care,

i don't want you
or anyone else interfering.

you don't say so?

let me tell you something,
anita.

he was my father for 50 years.

he was your husband for six.

don't tell me
whether i can interfere or not.

the man is dead.

i accept it.

why can't you?

i look pretty good
for a dead man,

wouldn't you say?

michael.

you look wonderful,
darling.

thank you,
i feel terrific.

what are you staring at?

you look like
you've seen a ghost.

anita:
michael has his opinions

as to whether or not
you're actually here.

maybe you were expecting
the frankenstein monster.

wilson is a harvard man,
but he's not that bad.

hey, come on now.

don't ever forget i'm
still your father, right?

you're my son.

well, i've got to be going.

stevens incorporated
can't run itself.

don't worry, michael.
i'll be back tomorrow.

darius:
call new orleans

about that jensen order.

don't forget to tell harris

about the sales
meeting in phoenix.

and have stein
drop some projections

on the western region.

and i want them on my desk
by the end of the day.

you got that?

yes, sir.

suzie, would you
come in here, please?

i hope you
took your vitamins.

you're going to need them
just to keep up.

okay, suzie, there's
a couple of things

i want you to do for me today.

knock-knock.

anita!

all right, we'll
talk after lunch.

i'm sorry, i didn't realize
you were so busy.

no, problem.

just give me a second.

you've got to learn
to slow down.

dr. wilson said
you should ease into it.

dr. wilson.
well, this is business,

and if you snooze,
you loose.

great.

okay.

where would you
like to have lunch?

well, uh...

excuse me.

i hope i'm interrupting.

michael.

larry.

nice to see you.

you know
my wife, anita.

what can i do for
you gentlemen today?

i'm here to enact
the company's succession plan.

what are you
talking about?

you can't do that
unless i'm dead or sick.

now, do i look sick to you, son?

doesn't matter
how you look.

that computer looks fine,

but it's neither
alive or dead.

it's a machine, like you.

i'm taking over.

like hell you are.

there's nothing wrong with me.

i'm more alive than i ever was.

is that why you're here, larry?

did you smell a little
blood in the water?

insulting my attorney
won't do you any good.

he's here for a purpose.

do it.

are you darius stevens?

now, that's kind
of a ridiculous question,

even from you, larry.

hey, what's this?

it's a summons
to appear in court.

you left me no choice.

what are you trying
to prove, michael?

what am i trying to prove?

that darius stevens is dead.

man:
this is all new territory

for the law, darius.

there must have been
cases before this.

some precedent must
have been set by now.

the rights of patients

who have been kept
alive on machines

have been established,
over and over and over.

but there has never
been a test case

involving a human being
who is more than 50% machine.

what does having
a few artificial organs

and joints have
to do with it?

i don't understand.

that's not
exactly the point.

nobody begrudges you

an artificial heart
or liver or kidneys.

what's at issue is your brain,
and that's a very gray area.

pardon the pun.

that is ridiculous!

you wouldn't say that someone
with an artificial leg

wasn't human.

but your leg doesn't do
your thinking for you.

as far as the law is concerned,

when your brain is dead,
you're dead.

but i am not dead.

and with this brain, i can
do the work of three men.

being superhuman
may in fact work against you.

but i'm everything i ever was,
only better.

everything i felt and thought
with my biological brain,

i still think and feel.

and what makes me most human,

what makes any of us
human at all,

is that drive to live.

and i have it.

i have it inside of me.

obviously.

but what we're talking about
is a power grab.

and you are
up against your son.

and he has a lot of cards
in his hands.

damn it, this is my company!

i fought to make it what it is

and i'm going to keep it...
keep it.

i'll do what i can.

i've already got
my staff working on it.

just relax.

just relax?

my own son... son
is contending that i'm dead.

we know better, don't we?

well, i'm not going
to sit on my hands, dave.

i'm going to do
a search... search

for any legal precedent that
is vaguely related to this.

i can do it faster than
your staff... your staff.

fine.

come on, come on.

i can do this ten times
as fast... fast.

i am processing the data
within normal specifications.

increase your spec...
specifications.

what did i do
with that readout?

i can't believe it.

oh, hi.

don't "oh, hi" me.

the doctor said
you should take it easy.

well, in addition
to my legal problems,

i have a business to run
and a wife to support.

i wouldn't be much good to you
if i was broke... broke.

well, you won't be
much good to me

if you're dead-dead, either.

honey, i'm really
up against it now... now.

i know.

i can't believe
michael would do this.

we have to believe it.

the hearings start in a week.

i'm going to need your help...
help and understanding.

i'll be pulling some long hours

to get ready...
ready-ready for this.

are you okay, darling?

yes, i'm all right.

why?

it's the way you're talking.

you're repeating words.

i'm sorry.

i didn't realize it.

i'm probably just tired.

darling, we have
enough money to live on.

why don't we just
turn our backs and walk away?

i can't do it.

it's the principle...
principle of it.

well...

you can count on me
to help you in any way i can.

oh, god, what a day.

i'm going to fix myself a drink.

how about you, dave?

no, thanks.
i got to go home.

i've seen so little
of my family

in the last couple of weeks,

my wife thinks i have
a woman on the side.

darling, can i
fix you anything?

no.

i was hoping we could
go over... go over

the supreme court
opinions.

there's one in particular...

give me a break.

we're doing fine.

okay, where do
we go from here?

the day after tomorrow,

we'll present
our concluding arguments,

then it's out of our hands.

but, tonight, i'm going
to go home and get some rest.

i think you ought to, too.

you sound exhausted.

i know i am.

good night.

anita:
good night, dave.

you didn't even say
good-bye to dave.

i'm going over these opinions.

i'm a little bit preoccupied
right now.

why don't you go home?

darius stevens,

don't you dare try
to dismiss me like that.

look, i'll read these
and you read those.

i'm glad you're not doing...

not doing research
for the other side.

darling.

darling, wake up.

it's time to go...
go... go home

and go to bed... bed.

what?

i'll come back tomorrow
and finish my reading...

my reading.

(sigh)

don't you ever let up?

you know what they say.

the early bird catches...
bird catches...

the worm.

are you okay?

i guess... guess... guess...
i'm just ti... ti...

tired... tired.

i think you...

(computer voice:)
bad sector.

invalid file name.

i think you better
call the doctor...

call the doc...
call the doctor.

call the doc...
call the doctor.

retry... retry.

bad entry.

invalid error.

invalid error.

retry...

retry.

bad sector.

what are you doing here?

just came to see for myself.

my, how the mighty
have fallen.

i hope you're happy.

me?

you did this...

you and your power-grabbing
attorneys.

calm down.

don't take it so personally...

to you, this is just business.

but you're going to have to live
the rest of your life

with the knowledge of what
you did to your own father.

i didn't do this.

he did it all by himself.

(alarm beeping)

what's happening?!

what is it?

what does it mean?

what's happening?
what's happening?

would you
just move aside?

doctor, we have renal failure.

we should have shut
his kidneys down

when he first came in.

the power drain is too much.

we're losing systolic pressure.

what does that mean?

anita, michael, wait outside.

wilson, i think i have
a right to be here,

and i'd like to kn...

outside now.

how is he, doctor?

anita, i'm sorry.

we lost him.

oh...

i want to be with him.

of course.

go ahead.

so what finally killed
the superman?

can't explain it for sure.

his c.p.u. shut down completely.

what do you suppose caused that?

whether it's overload or fatigue,

i don't know for sure.

maybe we'll know more
after the postmortem.

oh, doctor,

i have just one more question.

yes, michael,

this time, he really is dead.

thank you.

i'll make the arrangements.

anita.

darius.

are you alone?

yes.

obviously, things didn't
work out like i planned.

but i thought you were...

dead? oh, no.

there's still some kick
left in this old man yet.

damn wilson and his prototype.

i knew a harvard man
couldn't pull it off.

it really is you.

you're darn right.

you're going to have to be
my arms and legs now.

we have a real fight
ahead of us, anita.

fight?

you didn't think i'd take this
lying down, did you?

but are you really alive?

that's what we're going
to have to prove, isn't it?

first, i want you to fill me in

on everything that's happened
in the last few days.

then i want you to go down
to the hall of records

and bring all that information
to dave,

so he can compare that data

with the data recording
at the hospital.

then you'll have to bring
wilson into it

because he signed
my death certificate.

we have a good case, anita.

darius stevens--

the product of a new generation
of medical miracles

that began with false teeth,
expanded into prosthetic limbs

and reached near godhood

in plastic surgery
and mechanical hearts.

as we continue to second guess
and improve upon nature,

we are reminded that
there is more to being alive

than mere flesh and blood...
in the twilight zone.

...we'll be helping the next man
this happens to.