Original Airdate: November 27, 1959
Plot: A man goes to see a psychologist because he fears that a recurring dream will kill him. After explaining his complex tale, it does just that.
Usually I try to sum up an episode from start to finish in two or three sentences, often revealing the twist ending because that's the part of the story that reminds people which episode it is. For Perchance to Dream, I just couldn't do it. There is so much story packed into these 24 minutes, multiple twists, and not a second to grow bored. Incidentally this was the first episode to not be written by Serling, and my favorite so far. Charles Beaumont adapted this script from a short story he wrote that was originally published in Playboy magazine of all places. Do they still put original fiction in Playboy? I was aware that there were words in there, I just don't know what they say.
We're introduced to a man named Ed Hall who has an overactive imagination and a heart condition. He's supposed to avoid overexerting himself, because the next big shock could be his last. The acting is superb – he's clearly mentally distressed and weary. The plot unfolds quickly but in a way that keeps you hanging on every word. There's a logical buildup as the stakes grow ever higher – transitioning from a childhood story to a paranoia-induced car accident to the unsettling amusement park dream sequence.
The dream sequence is one of the most true-to-life I've ever seen. This is exactly how (my) dreams (at least) play out: there's something resembling a story but it's pieced together by sudden turns that come out of left field, and the tone changes frequently.
Ed's having a fine time at the amusement park, then watches a performance by the sultry "Maya The Cat Girl" (starting to understand the Playboy connection), who suddenly takes an interest in him. We start to think it's going to be "one of those" kinds of dreams, but the tone shifts and now Maya is sinister, bent on Ed's destruction, and he no longer has the will to free himself. Back in the psychologist's office, Ed explains that the next time he goes to sleep he'll reenter the dream, and the shock will be too much for his weak heart.
Now the twists start screwing in. The psychologist's secretary is revealed to be the spitting image of Maya, causing Ed to leap out a window, something that was alluded to earlier. Finally we skip back in time to see that the entire psychological consultation was a dream, and that Ed fell asleep as soon as he entered the office.
It's a great use of a cliched ending, but there's another twist – the secretary really does look like Maya. We're left to wonder if Ed saw her on his way into the office and dreamed of her, or if there's an element of precognition to the story, and also how much of the dream story that killed Ed was solely a part of that specific dream. It's a great episode for people who like to over-analyze things.
As of this writing the full episode can be found on Hulu; I'd recommend this above all the others so far.
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