Edward Hall knows that he’s a dead man. He has a heart condition that allows for no excitement and little stress. The episode takes place in the office of Dr. Eliot Rathmann, a psychiatrist. Edward wants pills to stay awake. He’s been having dreams of a woman that would have him go on a roller coaster, thus ensuring his demise sooner rather than later. Edward knows that he’s going to have to fall asleep eventually, but he wants to put that off as long as possible.
Edward recounts recent events to Dr. Rathmann, telling of how he could make a picture of a boat look like it was moving. He even tells of the woman, Maya, who’s very attractive, but won’t leave him alone. Dr. Rathmann points out that it’s just a dream, but it doesn’t matter. Edward asks if pain is any less painful if it’s imagined.
When Edward eventually realizes he’s not getting any help from the doctor, he leaves only to find Maya is the receptionist. He turns around and jumps out the window. We cut to Dr. Rathmann calling said receptionist into the room where Edward is lying on the couch, having laid down and screamed two second later. Dr. Rathmann says that at least Edward went peacefully in his sleep.
This is one of those episodes that I didn’t quite get as a small child. It seemed like just a basic story with the twist ending. What I’ve come to realize in time is that we all are Edward. We’re all trying to avoid the inevitable. We all feel like we’re about to die.
The thing is that it never comes the way we expect. We spend so much time worrying about the obvious things, like taking our vitamins and exercising, that we never see the bus we’re about to step in front of. Granted, Edward does have a rather immediate threat. He has a real dilemma in that both options will lead to an immediate demise. Still, no one gets out of life alive. The question is how you spend what time you have.
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