- "In all the universe, can there be creatures more strange than the species called Man? He creates and destroys; he fumbles and makes mistakes. But the thing which distinguishes him is the ability to learn from his mistakes."
- ―Control voice
| "The Duplicate Man" | |
|---|---|
| Series The Outer Limits Season 2, Episode 13 | |
| |
| Air date | December 19th, 1964 |
| Writers | Robert C. Dennis Clifford D. Simak |
| Director | Gerd Oswald |
| Producers | Ben Brady |
| Starring | Ron Randell; Constance Towers; Mike Lane; Steven Geray |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" |
Next "Counterweight" |
Synopsis[]
In the year 2011, a tour guide takes a group through the Cygnus IV Division museum, showcasing strange alien creatures that had come to Earth in the past thirty years. He shows them preserved specimens of imwarfs, puudlies and finally the Megasoid - a primal killer that was declared so dangerous that the last specimen was destroyed in the mid-1980s. As he leads the group into another part of the museum, he fails to see the Megasoid open its eyes.
Later, a scientist and millionaire named Henderson James pulls up to his house in a panic. He consults with his gardener Murdock who indicates that the door to the lab was accidentally left open. Henderson rushes to his study and begins placing a telephone call. His wife Laura asks him what is the matter, but he ignores her. He tries to get a hold of a colleague named Basil Jerichau at the Federal Duplication Bureau, but the secretary tells him that Jerichau left the company more than six months ago. She is more than happy to provide Henderson with his home address however. After he hangs up, he tells Laura that their Megasoid specimen has escaped. He fears that it might try to reproduce.
Henderson goes to Jerichau's home, but the elderly scientist has trouble recalling him. After re-introductions are made, Henderson asks him he still has access to the duplication center. Jerichau asks him why and Henderson tells him that he wants a bootleg duplicate of himself. Jerichau is reluctant to engage in such a highly illegal endeavor, but every man has his price and Jerichau's is $100,000. Henderson tells him that he wants the duplicate to track and kill a Megasoid. Basil is astonished to hear that there is a living Megasoid on Earth.
Time passes and a duplicate of Henderson James is created. The duplicate does not possess self awareness and believes himself to be the true Henderson James, albeit with a cloudy, fogged memory. First he stops by the Federal Duplication Bureau to inquire about the life expectancy of a duplicate. He finds that they are only programmed to live for five hours. With little time to complete his mission, he then goes to the museum. A security guard finds him and notices that he is in a daze. As the museum is now closing, the guard asks him to leave. On his way out, he passes through the display room where the Megasoid has been hiding. The creature tries to communicate with Henderson and brings to his attention the fact that he is actually a duplicate. Henderson shoots him in the leg and the two grapple. The Megasoid breaks free of his grasp and lumbers off.
Unable to relocate him, the Henderson duplicate makes his way to the towering apartment suite of his friend Karl Emmett. Emmett is the space captain who first helped Henderson smuggle the Megasoid to Earth in the first place and he has the scars to prove it. The duplicate tells Emmett about his experience at the space zoo and warns him that the Megasoid is entering its reproductive cycle. He tells him that he shot the creature, but didn't kill it. He asks for his help in tracking it down and finishing it off. Emmett has no intention of meeting another Megasoid and he threatens to go to the police. The duplicate clubs him over the back of the head, knocking him out.
The duplicate telephones Henderson's wife, Laura, but Laura knows that her husband is at home. She is shocked to hear the duplicate refer to her as "Princess", a pet name that Henderson used to call her many years ago. When the real Henderson James finds out that his duplicate is beginning to develop memories, he storms out of the house.
He goes to Emmett's apartment and finds him only recently recovering from the blow the duplicate gave him. Emmett is sharp-witted and realizes what is going on. He confronts Henderson with the fact that he had a duplicate made and that it was he who had visited him earlier. He deduced it by the unflattering notion that the real Henderson James would never be able to muster up the courage needed to go after a Megasoid on his own. He tells Emmett that the duplicate is begining to develop memories and that he has now become a liability. He wants Emmett's help in finding him and killing him.
Henderson and Emmett return to Henderson's house. James goes inside, leaving Emmett out near the front with his gun. When he goes to the study he finds the duplicate armed with a gun. The duplicate is acquiring even more of Henderson's memories and is now completely self-aware. He even remembers how it felt when he first fell in love with Laura. Self awareness breeds a sense of compassion and he cannot bring himself to shoot his progenitor.
Outside, the Megasoid appears and attacks Emmett. The two grapple with one another and the Megasoid claws at him. Finally, he takes his body and hurls it upon ground. The Megasoid then leaps through the window of the study. The real Henderson James grabs his own gun and fires several shots into the beast. It's not enough to kill it, but it is sufficient to at least blast it clear of the window. The duplicate, still programmed to carry out its mission, goes out the front door to find the creature and finish it. Laura admonishes her husband for allowing the duplicate to go out there alone. Henderson musters his courage and walks outside.
One of the two men, now nearly indistinguishable from one another, finds the Megasoid and fights with it. The Megasoid kills the one Henderson James while the other empties his gun into it, finally killing it. Inside the house, Laura receives a telephone call from Basil Jerichau. Jerichau tells her that the duplicate was programmed with a slow-acting poison that should take effect at midnight.
Henderson James comes into the study after Laura gets off the phone. He calls her "Princess" and sits down on the couch. Laura kneels down beside him as the clock strikes midnight. Is this the real Henderson James or the duplicate?
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ron Randell | Henderson James |
| Constance Towers | Laura James |
| Mike Lane | The Megasoid |
| Steven Geray | Basil Jerichau |
| Sean McClory | Karl Emmett |
| Konstantin Shayne | Murdock, the gardener |
| Alan Gifford | The guide |
| Jeffrey Stone | The cop |
| Jonathan Hole | The pedestrian |
| Ivy Bethune | Miss Thorsen |
| Vic Perrin | Control voice |
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode aired on the same evening as "The Waking Ally" episode of Doctor Who.
- Although telephones in the future are equipped with video monitoring, they still use rotary dials.
See also[]
External Links[]
- "The Duplicate Man" at AMG
- "The Duplicate Man" at IMDB
- "The Duplicate Man" at Wikipedia
- "The Duplicate Man" at TV.com Episode guide
- "The Duplicate Man" at TV Rage.com Episode guide