Opening Day (The Twilight Zone)
"Opening Day" is the third and final segment of the tenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
| "Opening Day" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone episode | |
 scene from Opening Day | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 10c |
| Directed by | John Milius |
| Written by | Gerrit Graham Chris Hubbell |
| Original air date | November 29, 1985 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Gary Hollis: Guest | |
Opening narration
The perfect crime is the one nobody realizes has been committed. Every day, we commit a dozen perfect crimes in our mind, and we never get punished, because those crimes never happen. That's the way it is in the real world. But murder, like a bad meal, has a way of repeating, especially when the bloody stroke is struck…in the Twilight Zone.
Plot
A young socialite named Sally Wilkerson and her wealthy husband named Carl are throwing a party. While they give the outward appearance of still being happy, poison has crept into their relationship. During the party, Sally runs into her apparent lover Joe Farrell and they discuss murdering Carl. Joe claims he may not be able to go through with it but Sally tells him he must commit to their plan, as the following day is the opening day of duck season. After rejoining the party, Carl and Joe talk about hunting together the next day.
The next day, Carl and Joe go duck hunting, and Carl tells Joe how much he appreciates his friendship. He especially likes that there is no money, no greed, no games or hatred between them. When Carl turns to shoot at some ducks, Joe slams his rifle butt into Carl's head, knocking him into the lake. Joe repeatedly hits Carl until he is dead. The police arrive, but Joe avoids suspicion.
After returning to Sally and Carl's house, two kids enter and calls Joe "Daddy." Sally, too, treats him as she treated Carl. In fact, he starts acting like Carl. During a party similar to the night before, Carl shows up in an outfit like Joe's and follows Sally into the kitchen. Joe is apparently reliving the night before and the morning after at the duck shoot in Carl's shoes. Joe, instead of being knocked into the lake, actually falls in and Carl truly tries to help him, but Joe panics and drowns. Carl goes to tell Sally what happened, and she comforts Carl, telling him "I'm glad it wasn't you," then looks at the framed photo in which Joe's image has been replaced again with Carl's.