Escape Clause

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For other uses, see Escape Clause (disambiguation).


The Twilight Zone original series
Season one (1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5)
Fall 1959 – Summer 1960
List of The Twilight Zone episodes

Episodes:

  1. Where Is Everybody?
  2. One for the Angels
  3. Mr. Denton on Doomsday
  4. The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
  5. Walking Distance
  6. Escape Clause
  7. The Lonely
  8. Time Enough at Last
  9. Perchance to Dream
  10. Judgment Night
  11. And When the Sky Was Opened
  12. What You Need
  13. The Four of Us Are Dying
  14. Third from the Sun
  15. I Shot an Arrow Into the Air
  16. The Hitch-Hiker
  17. The Fever
  18. The Last Flight
  19. The Purple Testament
  20. Elegy
  21. Mirror Image
  22. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
  23. A World of Difference
  24. Long Live Walter Jameson
  25. People Are Alike All Over
  26. Execution
  27. The Big Tall Wish
  28. A Nice Place to Visit
  29. Nightmare as a Child
  30. A Stop at Willoughby
  31. The Chaser
  32. A Passage for Trumpet
  33. Mr. Bevis
  34. The After Hours
  35. The Mighty Casey
  36. A World of His Own

“Escape Clause” is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

[edit] Details

[edit] Cast

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A mean-spirited, abusive hypochondriac sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for immortality, adding enough conditions to keep him out of Satan's clutches forever. He is puzzled when the Evil One doesn't put up much of a fight, only stipulating an escape clause which allows the man to die if he so wishes, but doesn't worry too much about it.

He uses his newfound invulnerability to collect insurance money and cheap thrills by hurling himself into life-threatening accidents. Soon growing bored with this game, he confesses to the murder of his wife (who actually died by accident), hoping to experience the electric chair. His lawyer is too good, however, and he is sentenced to life in prison. In the last scene, the Devil shows up and reminds the man of the escape clause. Facing eternity in jail, the man nods and suffers a fatal heart attack.

[edit] Trivia

The following is an excerpt from Rod Serling's pitch to potential sponsors of his new show, The Twilight Zone. It was included as an extra on "Twilight Zone's" DVD release, and was transcribed by Matthew Cregg.

Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has a reference to this episode in the basement, the elevator has a plaque that says the last time the elevator was checked. It was checked on October 2, 1959 (the date The Twilight Zone first aired) and was checked by Mr. Cadwallader.

[edit] Critical response

“Here was a little gem. Good work, Rod Serling. This little piece about a hypochondriac who gets tangled up with an obese, clerical devil ranked with the best that has ever been accomplished in half-hour filmed television.” —Excerpt from the Daily Variety review.


[edit] References

  • Zicree, Marc Scott: The Twilight Zone Companion. Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)

[edit] External links

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