A blind man undergoes a procedure to allow him to see again. But his new sight also grants him visions of a mysterious, ethereal woman.
Opening narration
| "It is said that what we behold with our eyes is merely the surface of reality. But if we could see beneath that façade, what would lie within?" |
Plot
The episode begins as Patrick Tarloff, a blind humanities professor, volunteers to undergo a medical operation that will allow him to see for the first time since childhood. Soon after the operation he begins to see a ghostly woman in the hospital. After he returns home she reveals herself to be an alien named Kyra who has been stranded on Earth and wishes to go home. Patrick's psychiatrist Dr. Louise Burrows is told by the doctors that the drug that cured his blindness was manufactured in space and can also enhance his senses.
Dwight Borden--a scientist from British Intelligence working for the NSA--reveals that they have been using the drug iridium, used in treating stroke victims, in order to trace and lure Kyra. The next day Kyra meets Patrick in the park and gives him a demagnetizing shock which allows him to hear and feel her as well. After a few weeks (wherein they share tactile and empathic moments and make love), Louise is told by Dwight and Patrick's doctor that they wish to investigate Kyra's origins and possibly send her home. Patrick and Kyra know she will be in danger if the doctors are allowed near her.
In a lab, Patrick acts as an intermediary between the scientists and Kyra. It is revealed that Kyra is a peaceful alien from a neutron star system out of our reach. The scientists trap her in a magnetic field, causing her great pain. Despite some of the scientists' and Patrick's pleas to stop, Dwight Borden asks to continue the experiment. Knowing that they will never help her, Patrick fakes that Kyra has complications and unplugs the magnetic field, releasing her. Patrick is given the last iridium on Earth and goes to the park to destroy it. Kyra appears and tries to stop him as it would mean she would be all alone and isolated again. Moreover, Patrick would lose his sight if he proceeds.
As a selfless act of love for her, he continues to destroy the iridium and is soon caught by Dwight and the police. In the final scene, Patrick, once again blind, in his class giving a lecture to his students. Kyra appears again, unseen by Patrick, gently caresses his face, and Patrick appears to sense it, perhaps giving evidence that their perceptual bond is not completely broken.
Closing narration
| "Of all the gifts his maker has bestowed on man, none is more precious than his ability to love another." |
Notes
- Patrick Tarloff's dog Molly Bloom is named after a character from the 1922 novel Ulysses by James Joyce, which is referenced during his lecture on stream of consciousness.
Cast
- Mackenzie Astin as Patrick Tarloff
- Rebecca Jenkins as Dr. Louise Burrows
- Claire Rankin as Kyra
- Peter Wingfield as Dwight Bordon
- Obba Babatundé as Dr. Joseph Lennox
- Tatiana Turner as Kyra Look-Alike (as Tatiana Szalay)
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)