An extraordinary episode filled with darkly mystic atmosphere, it introduced one of the series' most original characterizations in Scott - the reclusive computer nerd whom Tom befriends and loses. Sometimes faulted for its pseudo-technology, those critics miss the point of a disturbingly powerful episode that explores the utter loneliness of Tom's and Scott's isolated worlds.Working as a pizza deliveryman, Tom happens on a computer hack who has cut himself off from the world and lives in darkness with his machines. Sickly and severely socially handicapped, Scott Hansen begins to warm to Tom's gentleness and becomes deeply intrigued when he realizes the extent of his erasure - so profound that even Scott's skills can't network up his files. In an eerie but emotionally potent scene Scott reunites Tom with Alyson through virtual reality, and then - determined to help his new friend - blusters his way into secured government files only to discover the accessed files trigger a counter-attack which will lead "them" directly to Scott's home! As Scott's computer jams, Tom realizes their lives are in danger and forces Scott outside, away from the bank of computers that has long constituted Scott's whole existence. Tom takes the terrified Scott to the only person who's ever cared about him -- his high school computer teacher, an attractive young woman, who takes them both in and then helps them access Tom's files in another virtual reality sequence in which they physically enter the inner workings of the computer. But just as Scott reaches Tom's file the room begins to shake and the files around them begin to delete. Racing for the exit Tom escapes, but Scott chooses to remain behind, unable to face life away from the computerized world he'd built for himself. When Tom emerges he finds Scott is a vegetable now, his mind completely deleted.
A dark and unsettling episode, the power of its message makes it a great favorite with the creator Larry Hertzog as well as many of the show's fans.
