"The Path" is the twenty-fifth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2003, on UPN.
Opening narration[]
"The future. We'd all like to know what's in store for us. Ali Warner has just been given a glimpse into hers. Now she's about to go down a path that will lead her deep into the Twilight Zone."
Plot summary[]
Allison "Ali" Warner (Linda Cardellini) works as a reporter for a tabloid newspaper. She and co-worker Seth (Colin Cunningham) are commiserating at a local cafe over her not being able to get a new job, with Ali lamenting that she has "lost her path". A young enigmatic West African named Kamayo (Method Man) sitting nearby overhears and offers to help her find her path by looking into her future. Ali is skeptical, but agrees as Kamayo is not charging her for his services. He looks into her future and tells her she can find her path if she keeps looking.
Ali is back at work and receives a call from a major magazine. They had attempted to contact her via e-mail but as Ali's e-mail was down for several days she never received it. She is told the magazine wants to interview her for a job. Ali is pleased, and goes to the cafe to thank Kamayo. She asks him if the interview will be successful. He reads her future and tells her not to worry — she has a secret admirer.
Ali arrives for the interview and, to her surprise, it turns out to be an old co-worker Brad from her high school newspaper. Brad had a crush on her in those days, but tells her she got the job on merit. Ali is delighted — but worried since the job means she must move to Chicago. Her boyfriend Devin seems to be ambivalent about moving there, so Ali consults Kamayo once more. He tells her to go home where she will find the answer. Sure enough, Ali discovers Devin and another woman in bed and decides to go without him.
Ali makes a flight reservation and gives her two weeks' notice at the tabloid. But she becomes worried if the flight will be all right and consults Kamayo again. This time, Kamayo appears troubled and though he assures Ali that any decision she makes is hers, he advises against traveling.
Seth calls Ali on the day of the flight (which she had missed) and tells her to turn on the news. She sees to her horror that the plane she was supposed to be on had crashed, killing all aboard. The incident makes Ali fearful and indecisive and she consults Kamayo again. She is so upset that he cannot get a clear reading and asks her to return later, which only makes her more upset.
Later, Seth and Ali argue over her increasing dependence on Kamayo, with Seth bitterly warning that it will reach the point where she asks Kamayo whether it is safe to cross the street. Ali spends the rest of the day and night at the cafe until it closes, with the sympathetic waiter telling her that Kamayo would be there tomorrow morning. Ali cannot sleep and ignores a call from Seth.
Ali wakes late the next day and runs to the café to find that she has just missed Kamayo. Frantic, she looks for him on the streets, finally catching up just across the street from him. He turns, starts towards her, and is hit by a car. Ali pleads with Kamayo to be OK because she can't find her path without him. Kamayo tries to say something as he dies. Ali is heartbroken and terrified as she mourns Kamayo's death. People gather at the sight of the accident.
Closing narration[]
"By seeking a path to her future, Ali Warner put her destiny into the hands of another. And now that path has become a dead end filled with helplessness, despair, and boundless dread. Miss Ali Warner, facing the bleakest of futures in the Twilight Zone."
Themes[]
This episode is based loosely on the original series episode "Nick of Time", starring William Shatner and Patricia Breslin as a couple who become more and more obsessed with a fortune telling machine.
| v • e The Twilight Zone (2002) episodes | |
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| Season 1 | "Evergreen" • "One Night at Mercy" • "Shades of Guilt" • "Dream Lover" • "Cradle of Darkness" • "Night Route" • "Time Lapse" • "Dead Man's Eyes" • "The Pool Guy" • "Azoth the Avenger is a Friend of Mine" • "The Lineman, Part 1" • "The Lineman, Part 2" • "Harsh Mistress" • "Upgrade" • "To Protect and Serve" • "Chosen" • "Sensuous Cindy" • "Hunted" • "Mr. Motivation" • "Sanctuary" • "Future Trade" • "Found and Lost" • "Gabe's Story" • "Last Lap" • "The Path" • "Fair Warning" • "Another Life" • "Rewind" • "Tagged" • "Into the Light" • "It's Still a Good Life" • "The Monsters Are on Maple Street" • "Memphis" • "How Much Do You Love Your Kid?" • "The Placebo Effect" • "Cold Fusion" • "The Pharaoh's Curse" • "The Collection" • "Eye of the Beholder" • "Developing" • "The Executions of Grady Finch" • "Homecoming" • "Sunrise" • "Burned"
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