ALLISON: I have a theory.
Everyone who has ever lived has thoughts and experiences
that they carry with them their entire lives.
Most people think these thoughts and experiences
die with the person when they pass on.
But I believe there are certain individuals
who are especially sensitive
to the thoughts of the living and the dead.
Now if you buy into my theory,
that means there's a kind of
collective consciousness out there,
a kind of giant filing cabinet
filled with all the thoughts of everyone who has ever lived
just floating around waiting to be received by someone.
And the challenge for people like me
would seem to be
how do you sort through the din?
How do you know
which of the millions of voices to listen to?
Normally it's not a problem.
I hear one voice at a time, see one vision at a time.
And whatever I'm hearing or seeing
is usually being shown to me for some important reason--
a crime,
a missing person,
a crisis of the heart.
Except when I get sick,
and I start taking medicine.
Then there's no telling
whose head I'm going to pop into
or out of.
MAN: Off with her head.
MAN 2: Down with Versailles.
MAN 3: Let her eat cake.
Ungrateful bastards.
Have you actually tried cake?
It's not like I said, "Let them eat brussels sprouts."
What's going on?
You okay?
( congested ): Yeah, I'm okay.
I just have a sore throat.
BRIDGETTE: Say "donuts" again. Say "donuts" again.
( congested ): Dodut. Dodut, dodut, dodut.
JOE: What are you doing out of bed?
I'm standing.
It's good.
When I was laying there, I couldn't breathe.
The alarm goes off, I pour cereal.
It's Pavlovian.
You still have a temperature.
Did you take your medicine yet?
I don't like it.
It makes me sleepy, and then I have weird dreams.
Really?
You? How can you tell?
Ha, ha, ha.
You know, you don't take your medicine,
you're never going to shake this thing.
I know.
Believe me, once everyone's fed and out of here,
I am going to park myself on that couch,
have lots of fluids and watch lots of TV.
And take your medicine.
And take my medicine.
MAN ( on TV ): Up next on TV Time Capsule,
it's I Married A Mind Reader
starring real-life husband and wife
Abigail Marsh and Henry Stoller.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, Henry.
You're home early.
Happy Anniversary.
And here I was starting to think you'd forgotten.
Me? Never.
Go ahead, open it.
Oh, Henry, they're beautiful.
Aren't they though?
HENRY ( to self ): Real imitation pearls.
Saved myself a bundle
and she'll never know the difference.
Henry, you shouldn't have.
( to self ): You can say that again.
Only the best for you, honey.
Let's try them on.
Yeah.
Hello?
JOE ( on phone ): Hey, it's me.
Hey, Me.
Listen, I just spoke to the Perellis and Valerie said
I could drop the girls off with her after school
so you can get a break.
No, it's okay, you don't have to.
Um, it's done, so thank me later.
Um, what are you doing?
Resting, I hope.
Absolutely.
You're not going to believe what I just stumbled across--
this show I used to love when I was a kid,
I Married a Mind Reader.
You're kidding, there's a show like that?
I'm suing for invasion of privacy.
Come on, you never heard of it?
It's an old show from the '60s.
It starred Abigail Marsh and Henry Stoller?
You know, they were married in real life.
Hey.
Okay, I've heard of it, I guess.
Um, wasn't that, like, years before you were born?
I used to watch the reruns.
They haven't shown them in years.
I guess because of the scandal.
Oh, okay, I'll ask--
What scandal?
Henry Stoller, the husband?
At the height of the show's popularity,
he shot his wife to death.
I'll bet that hurt the comedy.
Okay.
I can hear how bored you are, but this is serious.
Until I found out
that he killed his wife,
I had the biggest crush on him.
Oh, well, who am I to stand in the way of true love?
I'll just let you two get reacquainted.
Oh, it's so nice to have a husband who understands.
All right. Say "hi" to Henry for me.
What do you know?
He says "hi" back.
Oh, honey, you look beautiful.
So tell me, where did you get them?
Why Tiffany's, of course.
They'll need to be insured.
Why don't I take them into the city tomorrow
and have them appraised?
( to self ): Oh, boy, my goose is cooked now.
Tell you what.
Why don't I do it, save you the trip?
I'm sorry, give me that again.
You know what?
Why don't I do it, save you the trip?
That's not it.
What, that's not what?
I'm lost.
For God's sake, Abigail.
I need a script.
Dorothy, where's my script?
Dorothy?
Here you are, Mrs. Marsh.
Thank you, dear.
I've got it.
From your line.
DIRECTOR: Quiet everyone.
And we're rolling.
And...
...action.
I'll take them in, save you a trip to the city.
I have a better idea, darling.
I'll come into town for lunch
and afterwards we can take them in together.
DIRECTOR: And cut!
Fabulous, Abby.
Great work, Henry.
All right, people,
that's a wrap.
Damn you, Henry.
You do it on purpose.
What's what?
Change the damn lines.
Oh, lover, just trying to keep things fresh.
Well, it throws me off.
Why don't we just stick to the damn script.
HENRY: All right.
Come here.
It says here it's time to go to the Dresden for drinks.
Now we're on the same page.
Mmm.
ABIGAIL: Give me ten minutes.
Why don't you come along, Dorothy?
Me? Sure.
Ever been to the Dresden?
No, I didn't think someone like me
could even get in.
Well, you'll like it.
It's fun.
Okay.
Good.
You can help me with my nails in the car.
Oh, darling, did I tell you?
The network called and asked
if we'd like to participate in the opening ceremonies
at the New York World's Fair next year.
Mm.
DOROTHY: That's exciting.
I heard that's going to be amazing.
Yeah.
I love that sort of thing.
Progress.
The future.
Something wrong, dear?
You two.
You're so excited.
One of the advantages
of being ever so slightly older
is that you realize that
the future is nothing more than another today.
It's just that when you get there
you have more yesterdays behind you
and fewer tomorrows to look forward to.
That's my Abigail.
Her glass is perpetually half empty.
ABIGAIL: There's Sean Connery.
Wow!
Boy,
I'd like to be his cigarette.
Yeah, they talked to me about James Bond.
Locked into
our television show.
Couldn't get out.
I wouldn't want to.
Gee, Mr. Stoller, you would've been amazing
in that part.
Well, we'll never know.
Oh, please, you don't have
to stroke his ego, Dorothy.
His ego,
along with every other part of him,
has been stroked quite enough in this lifetime.
Well, thank you for bucking me up, darling.
Now, if you two ladies will excuse me,
I do believe I see my agent
sitting across the room.
And he has to be nice to me.
I pay him ten percent.
Excuse me.
Have you ever been in love, Dorothy?
I don't know, Mrs. Marsh.
I guess not.
It's the ultimate performance.
I need to visit the powder room.
Would you excuse me?
You're excused.
God, you scared me.
See, I remembered you like it scary.
You like it dangerous.
Really?
Really.
God, seriously, aren't you afraid someone will see?
No. You?
God, I hate her.
I wish she was dead.
Don't say that.
America loves her.
So what's the problem?
They can love her when she's dead.
Didn't hurt Jimmy Dean's career.
Now you're scaring me.
Good.
Oh... what are you doing?
Dorothy?
C'mon...
What are you doing?
ARIEL: What are you doing?
Mom...
Are you okay?
Mom...
Mommy, are you okay?
Mom... are you okay?
Wow.
Talk about a fever.
What are you looking for this hour of the night?
Drugs from Canada?
A fast and convenient way out of credit card debt?
Ah.
A thicker, longer penis?
Ew.
Who's that?
My preteen crush,
Henry Stoller, one of the stars
of I Married a Mind Reader.
Hmm.
I had a torrid little scene with him this afternoon
while you were picking the girls up from school.
Really? The famous wife killer?
You two got together,
and he rubbed Vapo Rub on your chest?
This guy's got to be, like, 100 by now, right?
He's 84, but it was this Henry,
the young one, that I...
You don't want to know.
Uh-huh.
Um, so what are we talking here?
Some-Some kind of a dream?
Answer slowly,
'cause I want to remember this
so that I can repeat it to a divorce lawyer
in the morning.
I don't know. I was watching TV,
and then next thing I knew, I worked there.
Making the show.
My name was Dorothy.
I told you this medicine had a strange effect on me.
I have a confession to make.
I had a dream once.
It was after I saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
It involved Phoebe Cates.
Oh.
There. Now you know everything.
Dirty boy.
Here's the weird thing.
You can't possibly say that with a straight face.
When I was on that I Married a Mind Reader Web site,
I looked at the credits for the show,
and it said "Assistant to Mrs. Marsh,
Dorothy Graybridge."
Dorothy. That's who I was.
Dorothy Graybridge.
Mm-hmm.
I didn't make her up.
She's a real person.
Okay. So obviously, you saw her name
on the credits of the show,
and it stuck in your subconscious and...
I don't think so.
I don't remember seeing the credits.
Okay. So, what's your explanation?
You had an imaginary hot time
swapping phlegm with a guy you've never met,
but had a thing for since you were 12.
Where are you going with this, Allison?
You're right.
I don't know.
You're right, you're right.
I think you're right.
Say banana.
Badana, badana, badana.
I mean,
why can't I have a dream that's just a dream?
Why does everything have to mean something?
There you go.
Say toothpaste.
Doothpaste, doothpaste, doothpaste.
Yeah.
I think that's what it was.
It was just a dream.
Just some crazy, hot kind of dream.
Did you have a bad dream, Mom?
No.
( laughs ): I'm just taking this medication.
Say toilet paper.
Stop it!
That is totally obnoxious. You're obnoxious.
Uh, uh.
BRIDGETTE: Why? Cause I said toilet paper?
Toilet paper's not bad.
It's natural.
Right, Mommy?
ARIEL: Dad?
Okay. Enough about toilet paper.
Okay? I'm driving you guys to school again today,
so, let's wash up
and get going.
The only thing is that Dorothy thing.
I explained that.
Right.
Saw it, retained it, used it in my dream.
Ew!
Thanks so much for helping me with this, Marilyn.
I've always wanted to throw a surprise party for Abigail.
Ah.
The ballroom at the Roosevelt Hotel?
Well, that sounds like a fine idea.
Why don't we meet there in half an hour and have a look?
I'm just going
to dash off and do a few errands.
Be back in a couple of hours.
All right, dear.
HENRY: Perfect! I can spend an hour
with Marilyn at the hotel,
and she won't even know I was gone!
ABIGAIL: So, what is it you're doing today, darling?
HENRY: Oh, it's so, uh,
beautiful out, I-I thought I might go hit
a bucket of balls.
Aha. That sounds like a fine idea.
MAN: Give me that again, Abby.
This time, uh, play it
a little more hurt.
You know what?
I'd really rather not.
Did I not give you
the right line, darling?
You're always giving me a line, Henry.
Is there anything I can do, Mrs. Marsh?
Is there anything you can't?
I guess I'm not feeling very well.
If you have what you need, I'd really like to go home.
Of course, Mrs. Marsh.
That's a wrap.
Would you like me to drive you, dear?
I'll be fine.
That's why we have a driver, darling.
I'll gather your things and meet you
in the limo, Mrs. Marsh.
That won't be necessary.
I'm gonna go home and rest.
Perhaps Mr. Stoller could use a hand this afternoon.
Actually, Dorothy,
why don't you come by the house tonight
around 7:00? You and I can run lines
together.
Of course, Mrs. Marsh.
7:00.
I just know, she knows.
Okay.
DOROTHY: Come on, let's get this
over with.
I'm sorry.
I can't do it.
I can't go in there.
I know it has to be done.
I know there's no other way, but I...
I-I can't be there.
I can't do it with you.
But you want this, too, right?
You're the one who said that she was a monster.
Yeah.
You're the one who said
that she and the show are holding you back.
Yeah.
You're the one who said that your future was with me.
Yeah,
all that's true...
but I can't.
Well then, I'll just have to do it myself.
( screaming ): Henry!
Hi.
Good Morning. Hey, I didn't expect to see you today.
I heard you weren't feeling well.
I'm feeling much better, thanks.
I really need to see him.
You killed her?
Well, not me. Dorothy.
Dorothy Graybridge.
The woman that I was being in my dream
or my vision or whatever.
I see.
And... why do I care?
You sound like my husband.
I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend you.
And there's no one who believes
in getting to the truth more than I do,
but you're talking over 40 years ago.
All these people could well be dead.
And I don't hear a hue and cry to reopen this case,
and I'm guessing
this all took place in California.
I'm not even licensed to practice law in California.
I know that.
But if you could just get someone
to see if these people are alive.
Dorothy or Henry.
I would really like to see them.
JOE: California?
You're going to California?
Well, they haven't found Dorothy yet, but it turns out
that Henry Stoller is still alive
and he's in prison there.
And Devalos
pulled some strings and arranged for me
to meet with him tomorrow.
Great. Maybe you could bring along one
of your old stuffed animals,
and you can get him to sign it for you.
That's not nice.
and you can get him to sign it for you.
That's not nice.
Good. It wasn't meant to be.
The guy's been in prison for the last 40 years.
Hey, I've been taking
the kids back and forth to school all week.
Oh, so that's what this is?
I didn't kill anyone.
Joe is feeling tired.
That came out the wrong way.
What I meant to say was...
You pick them up from school.
you just got over being sick...
Valerie's gets them from there.
If, in fact, you're really over it.
Then you swing by
and pick them up...
She has a long way to go.
Then you swing by
and pick them up...
She has a long way to go.
...whenyou're coming back from work.
It's an awful lot of trouble to go to...
...make sure Ariel does her math homework...
give Marie her ear drops...
...reaction to some bad medication...?
You know what, if you did this every day
for the next five years we still wouldn't be even.
What am I doing? If you have to go, you have to go.
Thank you.
Hey, if your boss thinks this is worthy of a plane trip
and a hotel room...
Actually, he's not paying for it.
Excuse me?
It's not official business.
It didn't even happen in the state of Arizona.
Wait a second, who's paying for the ticket?
Who's paying for the hotel?
We are.
I'm using some of the money
that I've been making.
That's my cab.
Could you get the girls
so I could say good-bye to them please?
I'm sorry?
You are?
Mr. Stoller... I'm Allison Dubois.
I'm with the District Attorney's office in Phoenix, Arizona.
Strange.
You look familiar.
But I don't know anyone in Arizona.
Of course, I don't know anyone anywhere anymore.
Thank you for meeting with me today.
I want you to know
it's such an honor to meet you.
I used to watch you on television.
They're starting to show them again, you know.
The reason that I'm here today, is...
I've been investigating your wife's murder...
and I believe there's been a gross miscarriage of justice.
With your help, I think we can reopen the case
and get to the truth.
Miss...
I'm sorry, I... I just can't hold names in my head anymore.
As much as I'd like to say that were true,
I'm afraid it just isn't.
There's been no miscarriage of justice.
I was properly tried, and convicted
a long, long time ago.
I know that you confessed to her murder, but...
What else is there to know?
I shot my wife in cold blood.
There's not a day goes by
that I don't wish I could undo it,
but I can't.
I'm an old man.
And frankly, this is not something
that I wish to discuss.
Thank you for the visit,
but I... I'm really rather tired right now.
I feel like a jackass.
Well, unfortunately,
I don't know where to buy a good jackass in California,
so I think you're just plumb out of luck.
Don't you do that-- don't you be nice,
don't you be funny, not when I've been so...
How did it go in Alcatraz,
or Folsom, or wherever the hell it is you are?
Oh, Joe...
The dream you dreamt is not the life he lived?
I'm sorry.
So how are the girls?
Happy. Eating pizza.
Pizza? What about my lasagna?
I'm just hazarding a guess here,
but when you said 15 minutes,
you meant the "oven" oven, right?
not the microwave?
So, anyway, I guess I'll fly home tonight.
Now listen, the District Attorney's office called here
and they said that they found that Dorothy Graybridge
you were looking for.
I left the address at your hotel.
So, if you wanted to stay over and maybe try
and see her tomorrow.
I got this completely under control here.
See, there you go again-- being nice.
May I help you?
I was wondering if it might be possible
to speak with Dorothy Graybridge?
Oh, are you family?
No, no, I'm more like a distant acquaintance.
Oh, I'm sorry,
but Miss Graybridge passed away yesterday.
She did?
I'm terribly sorry.
If you want to leave your phone number, I could give it
to the family and see if anyone's interested in talking to you.
No, no, no. I didn't really know her that way.
I just wanted to ask her about a TV show
she used to work on.
I Married a Mind Reader?
We know all about that.
You know, she'd been
in a deep coma for that past six weeks.
But when we heard they were showing that series again,
we started to turn on
her TV every afternoon
and turn the volume up.
Now I don't know whether or not she could hear it,
but I'm here to tell you, her brain wave activity--
when that show was playing
it spiked like crazy.
Really? Yeah.
Would you excuse me?
MAN: I'll be back for the rest tomorrow.
Excuse me, sir?
I'm sorry.
Are you speaking to me?
I am perplexed, young lady.
Did we not speak yesterday?
What could possibly be different other than that I'm a day older.
I met your son.
The son that you had
with Dorothy Graybridge.
He told you that?
He told you he was my son?
No.
In fact, it was clear to me
that he has no idea that you are his father.
The doctor said that she died peacefully
yesterday morning.
Although I'm not so sure.
You didn't kill your wife, did you?
I didn't even know Dorothy had a gun.
I had no idea that was in the cards.
All I knew was that she was pregnant,
and we were in love...
and she was determined to tell Abigail.
Okay, come on, let's get this over with.
I'm sorry. I can't do it.
Well, then I'll just have to do it myself.
Oh, my...
I-I-I didn't do this.
It's not what you think.
Oh...
What?
I know it looks crazy.
It is crazy, but...
You believe me...
don't you?
Let's not worry about what I believe.
Let's worry about what the police are going to believe.
What are you doing?
Why are you doing that?
Get out of here, Dorothy.
Go somewhere.
Have our baby.
What... what about us?
What about our future?
I'm taking care of our future.
I'm going to call the police and confess.
You just promise me one thing.
You'll never tell our child about any of this.
You'll never tell our child about me...
or any of this.
HENRY: "Just promise me...
"that you'll never tell our child about me,
"or any of this.
Just promise me."
So you took the blame.
The only honorable thing I've done in my entire life.
Please, I beg you--
don't take that away from me now.
I know you.
I'm not sure
that's necessarily something you want to brag about.
Welcome home.
Thank you.
For what it's worth, you sound better.
I mean, I don't hear your cold anymore.
Yes, I seem to have stumbled upon
an amazing cure.
First, you have to investigate a murder
that no one cares about,
but you got to be sure to arrive
just as the guilty party dies.
And yet, still in time for the falsely imprisoned
to tell you to leave them the hell alone.
Hey, whatever it takes.
I missed you.
Dorothy Graybridge...
Hmm.
She was in a coma.
I'm guessing she knew she was close to death.
And every day the people at the nursing home
would turn on the show and play it in her room.
She must have carried that guilty secret
her whole life.
Hearing the show brought back memories,
and me with my crazy thought antenna.
You must have just snatched it
out of the air every day.
You were watching the show,
she was hearing the show.
I knew what everybody looked like
except Dorothy, so I made Dorothy look like me.
So what was the point?
What do you mean?
There has to be a point.
Whenever I see these things,
it's for a reason.
But this time?
Hey, you got me.
You can't prove he's innocent.
And even if you could, he doesn't want you to.
Maybe it's what you said last week.
Maybe it's just a dream...
a nightmare.
It came to you for no particular reason at all.
Hmm.
Don't do that.
I like that light.
The sound is hideous.
You keep that off,
but I like that light,
that white light.
Switch it back on, would you?
I heard you talking in the bedroom earlier.
You don't look anything like her, by the way.
Dorothy?
The woman who murdered you?
Dorothy committed any number of sins,
but murder wasn't one of them.
I'm sorry. I don't understand.
I didn't really
ask Dorothy to come over to the house
that night to run lines with me.
Look at the television.
Mrs. Marsh? It's Dorothy.
Mrs. Marsh?
Come in, Dorothy.
I'm sorry I didn't get up to let you in.
I guess I'm still not feeling a hundred percent.
Mrs. Marsh, there's something I need to talk to you about.
Oh?
I just...
I want you to know
that I genuinely appreciate the opportunity
you've given me with this job,
but something has happened.
Something I never could have anticipated.
My goodness.
I mean, the last thing in the world
I would want to do
is hurt you,
but, but you need to know the truth.
And the truth is, Henry and I...
Henry?
Henry and I have fallen in love. and...
And?
And we're going to have a baby.
I see.
Well...
Actually, Dorothy,
I have a confession to make--
I knew that.
Are you all right, Dorothy?
Something the matter?
I don't know.
What is that?
That? That's where you shot me, dear.
About three minutes before you got here.
Now you're going to shoot me again.
No!
Henry!
I didn't do it.
It's not what you think.
Oh, my God.
Wait a second.
So you want me to believe it was you?
That you would do that to yourself?
But why?
Have you ever been in love, Mrs. Dubois?
I am in love, Mrs. Marsh.
But what if you were the only one?
What if you were in love... alone?
And what if you had lymphoma and nobody knew about it?
Not even your husband?
I'd been seeing a doctor in Nevada.
I didn't want anyone to know.
Not the studios, not the network.
There was no treatment for it... back then.
Finally, the tests came back.
He gave me three months.
Three short months.
And I wanted to tell Henry.
I was planning on it.
I was.
But then when I found out about him and Dorothy...
found out about the baby...
I need you to do something for me, Mrs. Dubois.
Hey, what's going on?
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to frighten you.
I... I think I have to go back
to California tomorrow.
What am I looking at here, young lady?
Why are you here again?!
Those are your wife's medical records.
She was dying of a terminal illness.
And this...
is a receipt for a gun
that she purchased two days before her death.
Oh, my God...
I had no idea.
How did you find this?
A friend of the family's pointed me towards
a safety deposit box in Nevada.
The point is...
with this information,
I'm fairly certain that we could reopen your case.
If we can demonstrate
that Abigail took her own life
and if you're willing to recant your confession,
you could go free.
I'm an old man.
What does it matter now?
It may not matter to you,
but I asked someone to come here with me
to whom it will matter a great deal.
Thank you.
Dorothy?
Ma'am?
We can't have you loitering in the hallway.
I-I was just talking to...
Ma'am?
Captioning sponsored by PARAMOUNT and NBC
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org .