A Game of Pool (1989)
| "A Game of Pool" | |
|---|---|
| The New Twilight Zone episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 55 |
| Directed by | Randy Bradshaw |
| Written by |
George Clayton Johnson Will Bermender |
| Original air date | February 04, 1989 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Esai Morales: Jesse Cardiff |
|
Esai Morales: Jesse Cardiff
Maury Chaykin: Fats Brown
"A Game of Pool" is the fifty-fifth episode and the twentieth episode of the third season (1988–89) of the revived television series The Twilight Zone. It is a remake of the original series 1961 episode of the same name.
The owner of a pool hall collects the billiard balls during closing time. As some of the customers leave a couple of guys give the owner a hassle over letting Jesse Cardiff stay. Jesse, who one of the men said "thinks he's the next Fats Brown," slams a double shot on the pool table. Instead of enjoying completing such a difficult shot Jesse complains about being compared to Fats Brown. He offhandedly remarks that if he were alive and in the room he'd show Fats Brown that he could beat him. He turns around to see a portly gentleman sitting in the bar and he says, "At your service."
Fats Brown tells Jesse that he called for him and he did not come on his own. Stuttering and nervous Jesse tries to explain that he didn't really mean it, as he doubts his ability. Fats dresses him down and tells him he's not nearly as good as he claims to be. Jesse gets brazen and says he can beat him, but first they must decide what the stakes will be. Money means nothing to Fats since he's already dead and then reminds Jesse that he said he'd give anything to play with Fats, so he suggests the stakes of the game to be as high as possible for Jesse - his life. If Jesse wins, he can claim that he beat Fats Brown but if Jesse loses he will die. Jesse hesitates but then accepts.
They begin to play but both men are extremely competitive, revealing that the match is fairly even. When Jesse gets excited over sinking a tricky shot and Fats is unmoved, Jesse loses his temper lamenting that no one has ever given him his due. The match gets to be nearly even, then Jesse pulls ahead but Fats is unconcerned and blows Jesse away in the next game. At the end of the game, Jesse needs to only make one shot to win. As he begins to line up his shot, Fats begins to tell him that there is more to life than the pool hall. Jesse retorts that you do not become the best at what you do by sitting around. Fats agrees but he still had a life outside the pool hall and thinks that Jesse is rotting away. Jesse claims that Fats is trying to break his concentration, and when Fats shoots his final shot and misses Jesse gets excited. Jesse must simply sink his last last shot ... but he misses.
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