What's in the Box

"What's in the Box" is episode 144 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on March 13, 1964 on CBS.

Plot

Joe and Phyllis Britt are an old married couple in New York City who do not get along. Joe gets home from his job as a cab driver late one night, and Phyllis accuses him of seeing another woman. In the meantime, a television repairman is in the next room fixing their broken set. Irritated, Joe harasses the repairman about the inconvenience and cost. The repairman abruptly closes the open TV panel and announces the TV is fixed. After stating the job is free, he leaves, and the TV starts getting channel 10—a station showing the past, present, and future of Joe and Phyllis's lives. However, only Joe can see it. The TV shows Joe seeing another woman, killing Phyllis in a fight, his trial and conviction for murder, and his execution in the electric chair. Phyllis seeks help from the family doctor, who informs her that it's most likely a delusion manifested by stress. Phyllis is convinced that Joe has lost his mind and taunts him. Joe, angered, attacks her—and kills her by accident by punching her out a window during a fight, just as he had seen on the television screen. As Joe is arrested by the police, he comes face-to-face with the TV repairman, who mockingly asks, "You will recommend my service, won't you?" The repairman breaks the fourth wall, smirking to the audience as Joe is taken away.