Mr. Motivation

"Mr. Motivation"
The Twilight Zone (2nd revival) episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 19
Directed by	Deran Sarafian
Teleplay by	Brent V. Friedman
Story by	Steven Aspis
Production code	118
Original air date	November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20)
Guest stars
Wallace Langham Christopher McDonald Pat O'Brien
Episode chronology
← Previous "Hunted" Next → "Sanctuary"
List of The Twilight Zone episodes

"Mr. Motivation" is the nineteenth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode aired November 20, 2002 on UPN.

Opening Narration

“

Charlie Stickney has never had quite enough confidence to stand up for himself. But today is different. Today is a day of reckoning, a test of character, a battle of wills, thanks to a very unusual toy made in the Twilight Zone.

”

Plot

Charlie is afraid to stick up for himself, so his boss, Rick, gives him a doll called Mr. Motivation to boost his self-confidence. Mr. Motivation appears to be a cheesy toy with cheesy phrases, until it says a phrase, out loud, that helps Charlie ask his coworker Linda out on a date. Rick then gives Charlie a nearly impossible task: find a shipping manifest on a birth control pill, Ovatril, so that Rick can change dates to avoid any legal liability to the company, but more importantly cover himself; due to the fact he committed fraud. Charlie tells Rick that it would be wrong, but he still wants to go through with it. Later, Charlie's boss comes to get the document from Charlie's cubicle. However, the toy stands up to his boss for him by putting a wire out from under Charlie's desk so that Rick will trip.

Charlie, who is fed up of hearing Mr. Motivation talk, throws him down a garbage chute. Somehow, Mr. Motivation wound up in Rick's office with a piece of paper on him, taunting Rick. Thinking Charlie did this to blackmail him, Rick forces Charlie to cancel his date with Linda, by making him work on an even more impossible task. She tells Charlie that he needs to stand up to him. Charlie reacts by finding a document that would prove that Rick had committed fraud. However, Rick catches him and chases him. Rick takes the folder from Charlie and beats him to the ground in front of his coworkers. However, Charlie still has the document and Rick only got the folder from him. Rick goes back after Charlie but he trips on a wire that the doll put down again.

Charlie comes in as the new boss a few days later. He bumps into an employee named Carl in the hallway. Ironically, he threatens him by saying that if Carl can't do his job right, Charlie will find someone who will.

When Charlie goes back to his office, Mr. Motivation rebukes him for talking that way to Carl. Chastened, Charlie calls Carl and praises him for doing a good job.

Closing Narration

“

By listening to that little voice, Charlie Stickney won the battle of the wills with his boss and with himself. Another success story courtesy of...

”

“

The Twilight Zone.

”

External links

• "Mr. Motivation" at TV.com
• "Mr. Motivation" at the Internet Movie Database