Twice in a Lifetime

- Season 2

(2000)

Paramedic and fireman Ray Patterson pulls a man out of a burning church, the body which was underneath a statue of a guardian angel. The man does not survive. In death, the man cannot remember who he is, and in life the body had no identification. Othniel dubs him "Mr. Smith". The fire chief recovers a lighter from the fire scene, Ray who knows to whom the lighter belongs: his father, taken by his delinquent sixteen year old son, Ritchie. Before Ray can approach Ritchie, Ritchie fires a gunshot through the closed door, on the other side being Ray. Ray dies from his ...

Nancy Waldron is a stereotypical reclusive, crazy "cat lady". She blames the state of her life on her upbringing at the Pentwater Orphanage under the strict eye of Miss Hannah Steele, the Negro administrator of mostly Caucasian children. Nancy became attached to cats because besides Miss Hannah, there were no other constants in her life at the orphanage. To teach Nancy how to love her fellow man, Othniel sends her back thirty-seven years to the orphanage when she was a child. She is returned as Peggy McIntyre, the new matron of the orphanage under Miss Hannah's ...

Rhonda Finkelstein has instilled in her daughter, Molly, a hatred for men because of her own failed marriage; Rhonda's husband, Ira, walked out on her when Molly was a child. Because of this hatred, Molly, now an adult, does not know how to love. Othniel will give Rhonda a second chance only if she can help Molly find a man who will love her and who will love her back. Othniel sends Rhonda back three years earlier as Sadie Arnstein, the manager of a video dating service. In her capacity as Sadie, Rhonda learns that Molly can only find true love if Rhonda herself first...

With his father Ben and mother Julie watching, Max Bogart is practicing his batting in preparation for the Little League World Series. Max is not having fun because of the pressure Ben is placing on him - Ben's view is to win at all cost - and because of the arguments between Ben and Julie from this pressure. Ben is always telling his son of his winning hit during the big game when he was a child. Both Ben and Max are hit in the head by a baseball, Max the one who doesn't make it. Max proclaims that he wished he'd never been born or that in another life he didn't have...

Officer Danny Payello is a second generation police officer, his father, Russ, who still is on active duty. Danny is a dirty cop who has been taking kickbacks and falsifying evidence among other bad deeds. Othniel decides that Danny can redeem himself if he goes back to that defining moment in his life and resultantly alter what was his misdirected path toward bad. Othniel sends him back ten years prior when he took his first bribe, but sends him back as Detective Phillip Barbosa with Internal Affairs. Although Barbosa is able to convince Danny not to take that ...

Mark and Mindy Posey are married psychotherapists who own a joint practice, but who could use some marriage counseling of their own. They are on the brink of divorce. Othniel can see that despite their outward problems, they still have true love for each other in their hearts. He sends them back to the start of their troubles - their honeymoon. They are Ralph and Alice Bliss, the managers of Swept Away, the hotel where they had their honeymoon. Although Mark and Mindy knew that each became angry with the other during the honeymoon, it's not until they look on as Ralph...

Tony Tremaine spent sixteen years on death row and was ultimately executed for the murder of his sister, Vicki Tremaine, who was at the time his only living family. Tony, aka the Amazing Tremaine, was a magician who specialized in escape artistry. Tony was destined for professional greatness, despite languishing in his magic act at a local club which featured Vicki as his assistant. Vicki on the other hand, had a possessive attitude toward her brother and wanted to continue only working at the club without moving the act forward. Vicki is found stabbed to death on ...

A once aspiring serious journalist, Kat Lopez is now a sleazy tabloid journalist, happy with the money she is making. Her reporting has ruined many a career, the first among that list being Dorothy Ireland, once a famous actress who Kat reported of having a lesbian relationship with her personal assistant, Anna. Othniel sends Kat back to the beginning of her tabloid life as Gloria Rodriguez, Dorothy's personal assistant following Anna's tenure. Kat as Gloria needs to protect Dorothy from a younger Kat. In doing so, Gloria learns the truth behind the story she reported...

Opera loving dentist Dr. Sandy Greiner is a womanizing cad who treats women merely as objects. He amuses himself not only with treating women like sexual toys, but also with the occasional hit of laughing gas. Othniel sends Sandy back to November 1986, the time when he first started using laughing gas, which is part of his sexual gratification process. Sandy is sent back as his receptionist, Mandy - he can only save himself if he understands what life is like from a woman's perspective. Because of male sexual stereotypical comments he makes, Smith is also sent back as...

A dead spokesperson from a shady pesticide factory has the chance to go back to the Nineties and set the past right. He has to try to expose the factory's polluting practices, and form a stronger bond with his disabled son in the process.

As with many people in her business, used cars sales-spokesperson Darcy Green was constantly lying about the products she sold. Her defense?: she was selling dreams. Smith and Othniel learn that Darcy naturally came about her lying ways in wanting the approval of her father, a con artist who sold jewelry door to door. Othniel sends her back to the time just prior to a car sale Darcy made to Harry Kincaid for his sixteen year old sister Rebecca, that car which had mechanical problems which resulted in Rebecca's death later that day, her sixteenth birthday. Darcy is ...

Writer Ruth Harper grew up in a family with strong Christian ideals, but one where poverty was primary since her father, Luke, was always away helping other families using his construction skills. Ruth ran off as a teenager to escape the poverty, wanting to live a fantasy life in far away lands. She wanted to take her brother Paul with her. Ruth's primary regret in life was advice given to Paul: instead of wearing their grandmother's shoes - the only shoes the family had for Paul - Paul should work out in the family farm's field barefoot, burying his grandmother's ...

Reese and Ethan O'Malley are brothers. Reese, wealthy and the success, whereas younger brother Ethan has decided to run the family business, a bar, which is always in desperate need of money to operate. Reese has always grumbled about the handouts he gives his brother to run the bar. But Othniel sees the brotherly relationship a bit differently: Reese is jealous of Ethan. Othniel highlights one specific incident, where Reese, as fraternity pledge supervisor, causes Ethan, a pledge, to be injured during a fraternity hazing stunt resulting in Ethan losing his football ...

Delia Harmony was once one half of a country music singing duo, the Harmony Sisters, the other half being her fraternal twin sister, Amanda. Delia was the showy sister in the act, Amanda its heart and soul standing in the background. Delia lost her zest for life, family, singing and Christmas when at Christmas 1981 Amanda accidentally died. Amanda was in love with the band's drummer, womanizer Jake Connor, who Amanda saw kissing Delia. Amanda ran off, stealing Delia's motorcycle, which Amanda didn't know how to drive. Othniel sends Delia back as Dana Rudolph, a ...

Therapist Dr. Steven Weaver is an angry man. Othniel sends him back to the day Steven believes is the primary source of his anger: when he was an overweight fourteen year old figure skating student, pushed down on the ice by Buzzy Walsh in front of the girl Steven liked, Misty Reynolds, just as Steven and Misty were about to kiss for the first time. The fall was not the most embarrassing aspect: the resulting fart was. Misty and Buzzy eventually became sweethearts and married as adults. Steven has wanted to get back at Buzzy and marry Misty himself ever since. Steven ...

Eighty-seven year old Charley Freeman was a gangster during the Great Depression, running a Harlem located speakeasy in which he dealt in moonshine. But he was also an aspiring jazz trumpeter in the club. His career came to a halt when he was arrested for his illegal activities, spending twenty years in prison. Since his release, he has spent his time primarily educating youth on the perils of the gangster life. Being shot by a street punk, Charley's dying word is "Rose". Not because of his atonement for his past gangster life, but because of Rose that Othniel sends ...

Grifter card shark Bobby Kremsky decided early on in his life that he was not going to be a family man (that literally killed his father when he was fourteen). However at nineteen, Bobby did father a child, Renetta, who he never saw as he ran out on Renetta's mother, Colleen Moore, when she was pregnant. In order for Bobby to learn the meaning of 'unconditional love' especially for his daughter, Othniel sends Bobby back to the day of Colleen's funeral when Renetta was ten. She was about to be shipped off to Colleen's straight-laced sister and brother-in-law, Jane and ...

Caucasian Jimmy O'Connor was abandoned by his parents at an early age and ended up growing up in his neighbor's home, Mabel Jamal, a black woman who eventually adopted Jimmy. Mabel treated Jimmy like a son. Jimmy and Mabel's biological son, Jimmy's "brother" Henry, both grew up as boxers. Henry was a champion, a natural boxer, whereas Jimmy was more of an up and comer - a boxer with less natural skill but with heart. However, in a championship bout between the two, Jimmy deals Henry a fatal blow. Although crowned champion, Jimmy could not handle what he did and ...

Roger Hamilton is a wealthy and self-absorbed entrepreneur who grew up in poverty and worked his way through his youth solely to make money. Now, he thinks he can buy his way through life. With a failing kidney, he even attempts illegally to buy a kidney. On Smith's urging, Othniel decides to send Roger back to see if he can regain his humanity and true love for his fellow humans. Othniel sends him back to a time just prior to his kidney failure diagnosis. Roger returns as Dr. Lenny Shalton, a liver transplant surgeon upon whom others rely to survive. Through this new...

Camilla Bianco was a good Italian mother to her daughter, Severina. She was a good surrogate mother to her granddaughter, Severina's daughter Lucy. Camilla took on this role while Severina focused on her career (being a single mother). Smith and Othniel believe that Camilla made it easy for Severina to give up on her marriage to Tony, although Camilla saw him as a good man, husband and father. As such, Severina and Lucy don't know how to survive without Camilla. To empower Severina with the skills to be a parent, Camilla is sent back to a time when Lucy was a baby and...

Commercial airline pilot Captain Luke Sellars has a successful career but an unfulfilled personal life. He is on his second marriage to an ex-flight attendant named Connie and does not have the respect of his eighteen year old son, Ricky. Othniel sends him back ten years earlier as Willie, a flight attendant on Luke's first transatlantic flight as a pilot - the flight when he first lost the respect of his son. Largely an absentee father and husband, Luke was escorting his then wife, Phoebe, a French woman with a zest for life, and Ricky to Paris. Luke and Phoebe are ...

In many respects, Smith sees the Storeys - parents David and Marcy, and children Ryan and Rachel - as the perfect example of a truly loving family. Ryan had thought about going to seminary school, but decided instead to go to medical school in an effort to save his father, himself a general practitioner. Dr. Storey underwent a simple heart valve replacement surgery, but complications from several surgeries later resulted in him suffering permanent brain damage. Ryan feels responsible as he both convinced his father to have the surgery, and now wishes that his father ...