|
"The Misfortune Cookie" is the third segment of the fourteenth
episode from the first season (1985-1986) from the television series
The New Twilight Zone.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Harry Folger is a
snobby and arrogant food critic for a major newspaper. Restaurants
literally live or die by his reviews - Folger's hobby is to collect
matchbooks of restaurants he's dished. One day he hears about a
mysterious new Chinese restaurant, "Mr. Lee's Chinese Cuisine", and
- without ever visiting the place - immediately begins typing a
review: "If you love your Pekingese, don't ask for a doggie bag..."
However, being the gourmand he is, Harry decides he simply must
visit the establishment in person. When he enters the restaurant, he
immediately asks for the check before trying any food. Though
disappointed, the owner, Mr. Lee, presents Harry with a fortune
cookie, which he says is magical. Harry reads the fortune: "You will
receive a grand reward just around the corner", and exits.
As he is walking
through the alley, a bank robber knocks him down and drops $10,000
in diamonds before he runs off. The detective says that Harry
deserves $1,000—that was supposed to be a raise for the police
officers who failed to catch the crook—as a reward (a "grand"
reward). Realizing the fortune cookies are magical, Harry returns
for more. At lunch he receives a fortune that says: "April arrives
today bringing romance." Harry knows it is September, so he storms
out. But before he can get to his office, he meets a woman asking
for directions. He shows her the way, and asks her out for dinner.
When he asks her name, she replies, "April."
At their dinner,
April's fortune tells her that she will soon recognize her error in
judgment. Harry's message says "You're Going To Die." Outraged,
Harry swears at Mr. Lee, causing a scene. April is driven away by
his behavior, seeing him for who he truly is, and leaves him. Mr.
Lee tells him the fortune cookie delivers due fortune. As he exits
the restaurant, Harry clutches his stomach and exclaims that he has
never been this hungry. He looks up and finds that he is surrounded
by Chinese restaurants. He goes into one restaurant, but no matter
how much he eats, he can't seem to satisfy his hunger. At the close
of the meal, Harry receives a fortune that informs him why he is
perpetually hungry: "You're Dead." The last scene shows Folger's
matchbook collection-the latest one has Folger's name on it.
Note. This episode is
based on the story of the same name by Charles Fritch, first
published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (November,
1970).
|
