An alien shapeshifter owns a unique curio shop whose merchandise possess strange powers; when a petty crook accepts a peculiar wallet he learns the hard way that money not earned comes at a price.
Opening narration[]
| "The desire to barter and acquire is as deep as any part of human nature, but what happens to values when one barters with a being whose nature is not human at all." |
Plot[]
An alien being runs a curio shop disguised as an enigmatic man (Alex Diakun) who sells unique items to unique customers. Meanwhile, Andy (Johnathon Schaech) and his wife Gabby (Michelle Harrison) are expecting a baby but Andy struggles to find a job. Desperate for money, he steals cash from a man who turns out to be an undercover police officer. He flees from the police and stumbles into the curio shop, where the shopkeeper tells him he dropped a wallet that does not belong to him. Andy accepts the wallet and leaves, all while the alien being continues to disguise itself as different people and follows Andy.
Andy stops at his local bar and opts not to chip in money for a football betting pool. While he claims he doesn't have money to even pay for a beer, he discovers that he suddenly has more cash in the wallet than he had before. Gabby needs medication and Andy uses the cash to help pay for medication and food. He continues to deny assistance with his job hunt, claiming he doesn't need low-paying work that is beneath him.
Later, Andy realizes that the possessions of others materialize in the wallet when he touches them. He uses the wallet's power to steal from people he encounters, and begins to feel good about using the wallet to clandestinely rob people. He buys a ring for his wife and new furniture, but Gabby believes he is engaging in illegal activity to pay for everything. When a mugger (the alien being in disguise) attempts to rob the wallet, he fights back and risks getting killed. He's forced to explain to Gabby about the wallet's power and she insists that he should get rid of it. He is determined to turn a new leaf and stop using the wallet, but when tempted by the money won by his friends in a betting pool, he steals from them as well. However, in the process he also takes the cancer from his friend, and he begins to deteriorate and falls unconscious in an alley.
Andy wakes up again back at his first meeting with the shopkeeper. Realizing he has been given a second chance to learn from his mistakes, he ends his life of crime and seeks honest employment, leaving the alien being to seek out new customers in need of a lesson.
Closing narration[]
| "The pursuit of material things is ultimately pointless if one loses the things that are truly valuable to the human spirit." |
Notes[]
- This was another of the final season backdoor pilots, demonstrating proof of concept for a possible replacement program. It is also very similar to several other "item of the week" anthology shows that had been tried during this same period of television history.
- The economic anxiety experienced by the protagonist is a rare plot point in episodes of the show, and like the protagonist of "Vanishing Act", the supernatural experience teaches a lesson about valuing human connection over money and material goods.
- This episode is included on The Outer Limits: Aliens Among Us Collection DVD set.
- This is the only episode directed by Peter DeLuise. He previously played a cop in "Black Box".
- Crocker Construction is named after James Crocker, one of the series' writers and producer.
- Of his eight appearances on the series, this was the only time that Alex Diakun played an alien.
Cast[]
- Johnathon Schaech as Andy Pace
- Michelle Harrison as Gabrielle "Gabby" Pace
- Alex Diakun as Shopkeeper
- Tom Heaton as Red
- P. Lynn Johnson as Lucy
- Arnie Walters as Father Pat
- Dee Jay Jackson as Joe
- Ralph Alderman as Phil
- Maxine Miller as Mrs. Fitzgerald
- Russell Ferrier as Cop
- Leanne Adachi as Dr. Healy
- Howard Siegel as Bum
- Kevin Blatch as Jewelry Salesman
- Dan Shea as Old Man / Cop
- Keith Provost as Dealership Manager
- Jeffrey Ballard as Young Boy
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)