Her Pilgrim Soul/I of Newton 

In "Her Pilgrim Soul," two scientists must discover why the spirit of a woman is reliving a previous life within their holographic computer. "I of Newton" showcases a mathematician in a battle of wits with the Devil for his soul.

Directors:

Wes Craven, Kenneth Gilbert

Writers:

Rod Serling (created by), Alan Brennert

Stars:

Kristoffer Tabori, Anne Twomey, Gary Cole

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Kristoffer Tabori	...	Kevin Drayton (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Anne Twomey	...	Nola Granville (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Gary Cole	...	Daniel Gaddis (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Wendy Girard	...	Carol Drayton (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Betsy Licon	...	Nola - Age 5 (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul") (as Betsy Jane Licon)
Danica McKellar	...	Nola - Age 10 (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Katherine Wallach	...	Susan (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Richard McGonagle	...	Lester (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Nelson Welch	...	Ruskin (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
Sherman Hemsley	...	Sam (segment "I of Newton")
Ron Glass	...	The Devil (segment "I of Newton")
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Aidman	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

In the episode "I of Newton", Sam is a math professor who, in a moment of frustration, offers to sell his soul to the Devil in exchange for the solution to an equation. The Devil appears and Sam must figure out how to save his soul from eternal damnation.

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Plot Keywords:

devil | equation | spirit | scientist | computer | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller | Horror

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1985 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Persistence of Vision Films (I),CBS Entertainment Production

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alan Brennert wrote the short story "Her Pilgrim Soul", which is included in his short story collection of the same name. He adapted the story to be used on The Twilight Zone (1985).

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Goofs

Kevin says that Nola is aging 10 months per hour, and that this equates to 10 years per day. 10 months per hour times 24 hours is 240 months, or 20 years per day.

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Quotes

[The Devil offers a mathematics professor a challenge to win back his soul.]
The Devil: Now finally, ask me! A question I can't answer or a task I can't perform!
Sam: Not a question. A command.
The Devil: [excited] Lay it on me, babe!
Sam: Get lost.

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Connections

References Gremlins (1984)

User Reviews

Good premise, but where does it go?

HER PILGRIM SOUL is a rare beast for THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE: a romance-flavoured story, despite the sci-fi trappings of the premise. It's a decent premise, actually, involving a couple of scientists who are surprised when the ghost of a young woman appears inside their computer.

The woman's spirit seems to age at an incredible rate, but the scientists are confused by her presence. Sadly the story never seems to go anywhere after that promising opening, although at least there's a definite atmosphere here; I was surprised to see that director Wes Craven handled the material in such a restrained manner. Watch out for a youthful Gary Cole, playing one of the scientists.

I OF NEWTON is a much more straightforward, battle-of-wits with the devil type story. A frustrated mathematician calls on the power of evil to help him out with a problem, and then he has to do a deal with the devil. Except the devil wants much more than he's willing to offer. This short segment is focused around wordplay and is quite funny; it's light, forgettable material.