Philip K. Dick’s, Electric Dreams. Episode 3, The Commuter.

THE COMMUTER.

DIRECTED BY TOM HARPER.

STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, AS ED JACOBSON, and Tuppence Middleton as Linda. 

Production and Design.

The Commuter is vastly different from the two previous episodes that I have watched from Electric Dreams. The background is more realistic to the sights and sounds that I experience every day while living in England. The streets seem dangerous, the train station is sterile, and you can view life in its most morbid form. I love the doom and gloom, and this view of England works well to create the atmosphere and set the scene for the episode. Alternatively, there is Macon Heights, hidden away in the rolling hills of the British countryside, looking all clean, fresh and friendly. The episode deserves praise for beautifully demonstrating the vast difference between the countryside and inner-city living in modern England. I applaud the visual effects used to create Macon Heights. In one scene, you become aware that the buildings are not real. This reminded me of the old Western television studio sets of the 1940s, and it was faultless. I was impressed with the production value of this episode. I still have some of the beautiful scenes circulating in my brain.

Story.

The story begins with Ed Jacobson, a train station employee, who looks to be a little bit downtrodden by life. A mysterious young woman tries to buy a ticket for Macon Heights. Ed explains to her, there is no destination by that name, and then she disappears. Ed returns home from work later that evening to find a police car parked outside his house. Ed’s son, Sam is going through some emotional trouble, which is becoming an issue within the family.  Ed’s relationship with his wife is unravelling, because of his reluctance to deal with the problems they should face together. The next day, the mysterious girl appears again, still talking about Macon Heights, and then leaves again. Ed starts to become curious about this destination, and eventually, that curiosity leads him right to the place. Macon Heights is a town where problems never seem to occur. Not only that, the tea tastes better, and the cake is free. After Ed visits Macon Heights a few more times, and with more obscure moments happening in his life, Ed realises that this paradise is not meant for him, and he wants to return home. The mysterious girl now sits beside him as he realises this. She tells him that this is the life he always dreamed about. Ed explains that dreaming is not the same as wishing it’s true. Finally,  Ed returns to the normality of his everyday life, and he also manages to find the love he remembers for his family.

Conclusion.

The Commuter was emotional, and it hit a nerve with me. The underlying theme I felt from this story is that it reminds me of trauma. I guess there are times when you are in a situation in life that you have no control over, and your brain creates an alternative but unrealistic scenario to help deal with that problem. However, if the problem you are dealing with is too much to cope with, will you want to believe in that alternative reality full-time? That is the beginning of a serious mental health issue. I like that Ed turns his back on Macon Heights and returns home. Life isn’t going to be easy for him, but you can’t avoid reality. I wonder what Philip K. Dick was thinking about when he wrote this? I think he is saying that people can create their own version of paradise, but if you want to survive, you can’t stay there forever. During the episode, you have little flashbacks of his family during the good times, and it’s those precious moments that make life worthwhile. I have strong feelings about mental health, and it is something that we all suffer from at some point in our lives, regardless of our background. I loved this episode, and I cannot wait to start episode four now.

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