Synopsis for
Past Tense (1994) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

Gene Ralston (Scott Glenn) wakes from what seems to be a nightmare of him struggling with another man in the dark at some sand quarry as he falls into the sand and is covered with sand as he suffocates. As he turns on his computer and begins writing his novel the next morning Gene turns over the memories in his mind as he notices a new neighbor has moved in to the house across the street. Introducing herself to him Tory Bass (Lara Flynn Boyle) exhibits a skittish manner and admits she is preoccupied by some feeling that someone has been murdered. Gene tells Tory that he is a cop, and she admits that she was involved with a man who is also a cop. Gene has dinner with his partner Larry Talbert (Anthony LaPaglia) and his wife Emily (Sheree J. Wilson) and they talk about Genes developing career as a writer, but Gene has his mind on Tory and occasionally glances over at her house across the street. The next day Gene goes to visit Tory and there is an immediate attraction as she opens up to him and they make love on her living room floor. Later in the day a delivery man brings Gene some roses with a note that say come over after dark, but when Gene goes to Torys house he discovers that shes been murdered. Larry, Genes partner heads up the murder investigation and orders Gene off of the case considering his involvement with Tory, but Gene investigates and discovers that the dead girls body isnt marked by a distinctive cut on her hand that Gene knows was there. Later we see Gene at work as a police detective in the squad room with Larry as he tells him about the strange murder but Larry says there was no murder, in fact it is as if Tory never existed. Gene goes to the house where he met Tory but a new woman answers the door. Gene consults help from a psychiatrist Dr. Bert James (David Ogden Stiers) who performs perfunctory tests on Gene but admits doesnt understand what Gene is experiencing. As Gene continues writing his novel he wonders whats going on and investigates further to discover that Tory went by a different name Sabrina James, and that Larry knows about the womans previous identity. Following Larry to a hospital Gene discovers that he has been dreaming as he awakens from a coma he has been in for 13 months, and has no memory of what has happened. As he puts the pieces together more memories come back in larger chunks and he is contacted by Tory who has been waiting for him to come out of his coma. They realize that there is someone conspiring against them and will have to confront the man in a final showdown before they can live together happily.