The Collection

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The Collection is the 38th episode of The Twilight Zone. It first premiered on the UPN Network on April 23, 2003.

Synopsis[]

Miranda's (Jessica Simpson) night of babysitting turns to cold terror when she realizes that the child‘s eerily lifelike doll collection may explain the mysterious disappearance of the previous sitters.

Opening Narration[]

Miranda Evans has a bond with children. She understands their problems, their fears. But tonight, she will meet a special little girl with a very unique problem that will stretch Miranda's bond with reality itself.

Plot[]

Danielle Randall is a little girl left home with her babysitter, Miranda, one night. She talks of her Barbie dolls as if they were real. They leave the dolls to make hot chocolate. The doll named Shelley somehow manages to escape, and the key is missing. As they search, they hear a crash down stairs: the mug of chocolate is broken, and Danielle blames the doll. Miranda stops humoring Danielle and blames her for the accident, trying to make sense of things from lessons taken from her psychology book. She talks with Danielle, and tells her not to blame things on the dolls, which makes Danielle upset. She then trips over Shelley and cuts herself on the broken mug. Miranda calls Danielle's mother to ask where the first aid kit is.

Miranda holds Shelley, patches Danielle up, and takes her to her room to return Shelley - but when she does, now all the dolls are gone. Danielle insists on finding them before something bad happens, but Miranda doesn't believe her, and thinks Danielle hid them. They go downstairs to find them scattered all over, and Miranda asks how Danielle did it, when one doll appears to push a vase over the mantel - which then breaks.

Miranda turns her back as she says she'll phone Danielle's parents, and then notices the dolls appear to have moved on their own. Suddenly scared, Miranda makes the call and states her plans to take Danielle to her place for the evening. The phone line is suddenly cut, so she tries her cell phone - only to find the batteries are gone. Danielle then disappears and Miranda suddenly notices a page of her textbook is torn out, held to the refrigerator by letter magnets that spell the word "leave."

Miranda decides that she'll just leave with Danielle anyway, and when she hears Danielle scream, she rushes to her aid, only to be slowed down by renewed effort from the dolls. She finally makes it into Danielle's closet to find her scared. Miranda insists the dolls can't hurt her, just as one attacks the closet door. Danielle yanks a stuffed animal out of Miranda's grip, as a wallet falls out, revealing a terrible secret: "Shelley" was a former babysitter named Shelley Porter. In fact, all the dolls are her old babysitters. As the dolls make increasingly aggressive efforts to attack the closet door, Danielle sobs about how she loved them even though they left her. As the truth dawns on Miranda, she panics and tries to leave, but Danielle grabs her and hugs her and transforms her into a doll herself.

After Danielle's parents return, her dad calls the agency that hired Miranda to complain about her. Her mom is upset that Danielle was irresponsible, and grounds her as she puts her to bed. Danielle gets up and adds Miranda to the collection and says they're all punished forever.

Closing Narration[]

Miranda Evans thought she could help a little girl overcome her fears. Now Miranda will be able to ponder the true meaning of fear from inside a glass prison known as the Twilight Zone.