TZ: One for the Angels

The episode opens and we get a brief narration on Lew Bookman, the man who is standing on the sidewalk. He is a salesman who is around 60 years old, and it doesn't look like he is having much success. There is another man several feet away from him, taking down a few notes, whom the narrator refers to as "Mr. Death".

As Bookman returns home we see several children waiting by his house, and he appears to have much more success with selling toys to them. I wouldn't be surprised if that was his major source of income because he gets along with them so well. Bookman soon enters his house, only to find Mr. Death sitting there. Mr. Death informs him that he must die at midnight, but Bookman obviously resists. After a few failed attempts, he explains to Mr. Death that he needs to make one last sales pitch, "a pitch for the angels", in order to finish his business on Earth. His thinking is that as long as he is puts off this pitch, he will stay alive.

♪ Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? ♪

Mr. Death, however, is smarter than that. In retaliation, he switches his target to a girl that Bookman is especially good friends with. He causes a car to run her over, and she is rushed to the hospital. Bookman is not going to let her die at midnight, so he sits at the steps of the hospital, awaiting Mr. Death. When Mr. Death arrives, Bookman tries to distract him by making a few sales pitches, and closes off the deal by selling himself to Mr. Death.

Hello, Bella. Meet Mr. Death

This is one of the only problems I have with this episode: it actually works. Mr. Death is so distracted by these propositions much that he actually forgets about visiting the girl at midnight, and the girl survives. Although Bookman does take her place, which was what Mr. Death aimed for originally, it just doesn't make any sense that Mr. Death would be persuaded by Bookman's pitches. He's Death. How could he possibly miss this deadline?

All grievances aside, the episode is saved by Ed Wynn, who plays Lew Bookman. He plays the part of the bumbling salesman who just wants to escape death especially well, and it's entertaining to watch him to do it. The episode doesn't really have a twist, but it wasn't necessary for what it was trying to do. It would have been far more interesting if the episode had been more like "Masque of the Red Death", in which a man thinks he can escape death but ultimately cannot. This one had the same idea, but the "Mr. Death gets tricked" part ruins the episode for me.

Score: 4

Best Quote: "Depature time is set for midnight, and departure will be midnight."

Best Moment: Mr. Death and Mr. Bookman eerily walk off into the night.

Cheesy 60s Moment: Mr. Death turns to the camera on a dramatic note.