Dennis (Colin Ferguson) is a devoted husband and father who has a well-respected job at a bank and volunteers to make pancakes for his church. Unfortunately for him, the more he has, the more he has to lose. After a horrific car accident, he is transported to the same emergency room as serial killer/rapist Brautigan (Clifton Collins, Jr.), also known as "The Family Man," for his penchant for wiping out entire familiesâ€his own included. When they both have an out of body experience at the same time, their paths irrevocably cross. Both of their bodies snap back to life, but with the wrong spirit/consciousness inside. Now, Dennis is trapped inside Brautigan and behind bars while a crazy killer is living his life and with his family. Not surprisingly, no one believes himâ€not his court-appointed attorney, not the vindictive sheriff and not his wife, whom he manages to call a few times. Brautigan knows what's going on, though, and he visits regularly with the idea that they can share information and help each other out. Finally, Dennis has one last chance and makes a desperate escape from police custody. He finds the killer in his home and, though wounded, fights with the savagery of a man defending the family he loves. After he wins, he wakes up in his own body. Momentarily relieved, he asks the medic about his family. By her reaction, he knows all is truly not well. After racing up the stairs he finds his dead wife bloody and tied to the bed. His son is also dead. But there is one last hopeâ€his young daughter is traumatized but still alive. Yet when he rushes to her side, she is terrified of the man she witnessed kill her family and he once again finds himself arrested for a crime he didn't commit. What Worked This was the best episode of the series. I suppose the third time really is the charm. Writer Dan Knauf's style shone beautifully in "Family Man." I especially enjoyed the dream sequence involving his daughter singing in her school play. Very "Carnivale"-ish. Knauf ("Carnivale," "Supernatural") is a man who knows how to make the audience's skin crawl and stomachs turn without relying on cheap shock tactics. Brautigan/Dennis referring to Dennis' daughter as "affectionate" was a cleverly primal way to trigger revulsion without showing us anything we didn't need to see. And director Ronny Yu ("Freddy vs. Jason") did a great job translating Knauf's script to the screen. Finally, a "Fear Itself" writer-director team that allowed the actors' talents to really shine through. Seeing Ferguson shed his "Eureka" everyman persona and delve into the dark mind of a killer was a real treat, but everyone brought their A game. What Didn't Work This seems to be a motif for the series, but the evil police officer stereotype is becoming a bit too predictable. "Family Man" carried off the Bizarro World Mayberry setting better than "Spooked" did, but I doubt the FBI would simply wait patiently and take direction from Andy Griffith's alter ego. And the probability of a Hannibal Lector cage sitting empty in anticipation seems unlikely, as well. Credit Where Credit is Due "Family Man" was written by Dan Knauf and directed by Ronny Yu. "Fear Itself" airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. on NBC.