Something in the Walls
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| "Something in the Walls" |
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"Something in the Walls" is the fifty-fourth episode (the nineteenth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
Opening narration
We direct your attention to the man with the sleek, black briefcase. His name: Dr. Mallory Craig. Occupation: psychologist, newly employed by the Crest Ridge Sanitarium. For the last two weeks, he has been visualizing his first day, looking forward to it with eager anticipation. But there's a terror behind those cold institutional walls that nothing in his education has prepared him for.
Plot
A taxi pulls up to the Crest Ridge Sanitarium and out steps Dr. Mallory Craig, psychologist and new member of the staff. He enters his office and soon is joined and introduced to Becky Robb, head nurse. She provides him with the files of the patients he is to be taking over. After looking into his files, he questions Becky about one Sharon Miles, who committed herself. Becky tells him of her proclivities about keeping her room painted white, she only wears solid colors, and will not leave her room except to eat and to attend her counseling sessions. When he asks what her general attitude is, she responds with one word: frightened.
Dr. Craig attempts to coerce her into attending counseling sessions again, since she has not been to one in over two months, she tells him that whenever she has something to talk about, she will. After leaving her room and discussing the matter with Becky Robb, a scream comes from Sharon's room. One of the orderlies brought her a blanket with a pattern on it and Sharon panics. Dr. Craig calms the situation but is still puzzled by her behavior. The next day, Sharon apologizes for her behavior and Dr. Craig wants to know more about what is frightening her. She tries to explain why patterns bother her. She talks about seeing faces in the patterns. Not just an optical illusion, but a real face looking back.
In the next few sessions, Sharon discloses that she is certain the faces are trying to hurt or kill her. She only feels safe when there are no patterns. She comes close to telling him what happened that convinced her of the faces' "evil intent", but she claims it's too much for her to handle. But in her dreams, she remembers the horrible faces coming out of the wall trying to get her. She feared for her son and tried to protect him, when a message came out of the wall, presumably from the faces..."tell no one". Later that night, Sharon calls Dr. Craig and tells him that she will tell him everything tomorrow and if something should happen to her, to find a way to protect her son. He comes in to find that she panicked in the night. But when he meets with her, Sharon, wearing regular clothing and talking in a dream state, tells Dr. Craig that it was all so silly of her to give in to some irrational fears and that she is checking herself out and going back to her husband and son. Dr. Craig comes in to Sharon's room to assist her to her cab. He realizes something happened in the night. The storm caused the roof to leak and the ceiling in Sharon's room has a pattern on it from the water leaking in. He suddenly hears something, but Sharon dismisses it and he leaves the room. Alone, Sharon looks at the ceiling and a voice that sounds like the "real" Sharon comes out, begging to be released. "Sharon" smiles and turns away.
Closing narration
Next time you're alone, look quickly at the wallpaper, and the ceiling, and the cracks on the sidewalk. Look for the patterns and lines and faces on the wall. Look, if you can, for Sharon Miles, visible only out of the corner of your eye or...in the Twilight Zone.