User Reviews

A quite elderly gentleman (Michael Gambon) intrigues a twenty one year old college student by suggesting him as a candidate to be an heir to his estate. Personally, if I was Edgar Egan (Luke Treadaway), I would have ascertained what I expected to inherit; just because Elvesham was an acknowledged philosopher didn't necessarily mean he had much of value to his name. Nevertheless, Egan agrees to change his name to Elvesham's, and undergo a series of mental and physical tests to prove is worth as an heir. The way the story proceeds makes it pretty easy to figure out where it's going. The old man introduces a spiked drink of 'kellum' to Egan, and while asleep that night, the minds of the two men switch places with their bodies. Egan obviously becomes frantic with the switch, while the bawdy Elvesham lives it up in debauchery as a young man. It doesn't end well for either one, as 'old' Egan seeks out 'young' Elvesham at a favorite restaurant, and stabs him to death. With the exertion, the older gentleman expires himself. The suitably nightmarish ending lends credence to the title of the series, but if you follow anthology shows like this, it wasn't much of a surprise.

A man close to death lures a careless young man into trading places with him. What the young guy doesn't realize is that to gain fame and position he gives his youth over to the other guy. I figured it out in two minutes. The storytelling was bleak and depressing.