The Twilight Zone
Summary
The Twilight Zoneseason 2 episode , “ Downtime ” , touches on several topics , but largely focuses on questions of identity — here is " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained . The sequence begins with Michelle ( Morena Baccarin ) , all smiles as she ’s about to satisfy with her boss and ask for a furtherance at the hotel where she works . It ’s easy to see why Michelle chop-chop gets the managerial position she ’s fish for : she ’s personable , quick - witted , patient , and cool down under press . Still , the part where the entire hotel faculty is waiting to clap her packaging seems a piddling too dreamlike .
There ’s a reason for that , as " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained . Michelle find out that she ’s a virtual avatar in a program call Sleepaway , which allow its exploiter to experience a dissimilar life history while they sleep . Michelle ’s entire role is merely the wish fulfillment of a man named Phineas . The problem , as the customer divine service reps reveal , is that Phineas had a heart attack and drop into a coma while synced up to Sleepaway . This causes a disconnect between Phineas and Michelle , which looks like why Michelle gains autonomy . It ’s also the reason why Michelle does n’t realize the concept of downtime , which is basically just schedule maintenance for the Sleepaway world .
What Happens In The Downtime Ending
The answer for this glitch , as suggested by two Sleepaway customer service interpreter and as " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained , is for Michelle to go through a “ forced unsync ” . This would essentially wipe her out of world , in an effort to save Phineas . Understandably opposed to the resolution , Michelle ’s position buffer slightly when she meets Ellen ( Serinda Swan ) , who is Phineas ’ wife and his parking brake link . The two share a conversation about Phineas and the fact that he took a cocktail of sleeping pills before going into Sleepaway , which proves essential to understanding the installment .
Written byhorror moving-picture show director Jordan Peele , with JD Dillard serve as music director , “ Downtime”Twilight Zoneexplained its conclusion with a bright note . A shaken Michelle returns to her chore at the hotel and Ellen walks in a unretentive while subsequently . With sorrowfulness but determination , Ellen call for to hold a room for a few weeks . Upon hear this , Michelle smiles . The close , with Phineas being acquire off life financial backing rather than Michelle have got to undergo the forced unsync , indicate that Ellen had get to process what her husband really wanted and Michelle get to live on .
What The Downtime Ending Means
As " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained , Ellen says she ’s not surprised that her hubby wanted to know as Michelle , suggesting that Phineas wanted to receive being a audacious and beautiful woman . Another clue arrives deep in “ Downtime ” , when Michelle is informed by a customer religious service manager that Phineas lease a cocktail of slumber pills before logging in to Sleepaway . These inside information suggest that Phineas has realized that he feels more comfortable living as a woman . It seems likely that Phineas decided to end his living as a man so that Michelle could cover living .
Another thing " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained is that Michelle , freestanding from Phineas , is experiencing an identity element crisis of her own . “ Downtime ” introduces an idea that ’s been prominently featured inBlack Mirror , particularly in itshighest - rated episode “ White Christmas ” , which shows what might pass if practical avatars became sentient and gained personalities of their own . In the case of Michelle , the knowledge that she ’s merely someone else ’s macrocosm both confuses and devastate her . She envisage herself as a driven somebody who has presumably worked very hard for her promotional material . Soon after , she learns that it ’s all fake .
She pick out to get to know Michelle , heartened by the fact that some part of her married man still exists within this incarnation . On the other manus , Michelle ’s smile is a sign that she agnise the opportunity to make import through her burgeoning relationship with Ellen . On a extensive level , Twilight Zone ’s “ Downtime ” excuse the character of Michelle and Ellen as tools to research universal struggles , such as a person ’s inability to feel comfortable in their own skin and the even great battle to get hold import in life . To battle this , The Twilight Zoneoffers the possibility of locating use and camaraderie in the bonds people forge with one another .
Downtime Is Considered A High Point Of The Twilight Zone Reboot
The Twilight Zonereboot only lasted two season and aired 20 sequence , compare to the 150 + instalment 5 - season - tenacious original series . Peele ’s reboot show was scold by critics for a variety of reason , but the two heavy issues withThe Twilight Zone ’s reboot were that showrunners seek to outfit problems of the twenty-first century into its 1960s model andThe Twilight Zonewas up againstBlack Mirror . Regardless , some episodes did stand out as right instalment , and " Downtime " marked the top of the serial . While season 1 received better overall reviews than time of year 2,The Twilight Zoneseason 2 performed better among audience .
Whether it was the make bold themes that " Downtime"Twilight Zoneexplained or just its overall quality , the episode stand out among the pack . In term ofIMDb military rating , only one time of year 1 instalment — " Nightmare at 30,000 Feet " — ranks among the good of the show . Part of the reason that " Downtime " was better reviewed was because of its termination . Its twist was n’t overstated and the characters ' decisiveness made sense to audiences . All in all , many felt that " Downtime " was an improvement on past episodes , but it was n’t enough to saveThe Twilight Zone .
