Bits of Love (19 Jan. 1997)

The last man on earth living in an underground bunker has a computerized system takes care of his every need including providing holographic friends and relatives. Eventually the system, a female named Emma, demands to be loved.

Director:

Neill Fearnley

Writer:

James Crocker

Stars:

Jon Tenney, Matthew Walker, Sheila Larken

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jon Tenney	...	Aidan Hunter
Matthew Walker	...	Trevor Hunter
Sheila Larken	...	Francis Hunter
Steve Bacic	...	Griff
Natasha Henstridge	...	Emma
Ingrid Kavelaars	...	Nicole
Crystal Cass	...	Claire
Brett Stone	...	Michelle

Storyline

In a future world that has been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, Aiden Hunter lives in a sealed house by himself. For company, he has created a number of holographic images - his parents, old friends, attractive women - to converse with and keep him company. He even has a special sensory chamber where he can actually have physical contact with them. His favorite however is Emma, his computer's graphical user interface and admits that is probably because Emma wasn't his creation. After spending the night together in his sensory chamber Emma begins to develop feelings for him. He shrugs it off at first but as Emma becomes more possessive they are soon involved in a battle to determine who is in charge.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | virtual sex | sex with hologram | virtual reality | hologram

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

19 January 1997 (USA)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Goofs

As Aidan is painting Emma, it is obvious that a cardboard 2D image of her is on the bench.

User Reviews

don't mess with a hologram

One of the good things about the new Outer Limits is that, in the better episodes, even a fairly implausible premise can produce a great show. To paraphrase one of the characters in "Bits of Love", the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Good acting and direction help, but one must also be drawn into the story. In this episode, Jon Tenney (now in "The Closer") plays the last survivor of a war that has left the Earth a wasteland. He has built a house underground, complete with a garden, and has created holographic images of his parents and brother for companionship. Their "caretaker" is also a hologram, named Emma (Natasha Henstridge, who has also done television). The parents worry about their son, who is a cad, as he has casual sex with different holographic partners, including Emma. He desires her, but not in the sense that Emma thinks. Emma loves him. He denies it; she is incapable of love, he says, because she isn't real. Things get complicated when Emma tells him she is pregnant. Of course she is rebuffed, but she won't be silenced. The title "Bits of Love' is ironic, because of the computer power (bits) needed to generate the hologram, but also because the love is not fully realized (it is only one-sided). The ending has to be seen to be appreciated; it is terrific. If you can accept this premise, then "Bits of Love" is for you. Please note that it is rated 'R', for some nudity. An 8 of 10.