Episode Review: The Twilight Zone - One For The Angels

In this classic Twilight Zone episode written by series creator Rod Serling, Ed Wynn plays Lou Bookman, a street-corner salesman who is beloved by the neighborhood children. After a day spent in the summer heat on a street corner trying to make some sales, he heads home, stopping on the doorstep to hand out some toys to a few of the neighborhood kids. Upon entering his apartment, he finds someone waiting for him: a well-dressed man who just so happens to be Death himself. Death tells Lou that his time has come, but Lou bargains with Death for a little more time -- time to make a great sales pitch, or, as he calls it, "One for the angels". No sooner does Death show Lou some mercy then Lou welches on the deal. But Death tells Lou that if he won't come with him, someone else will have to. And it just so happens that someone else is one of the neighborhood kids.

But Lou has a conscience -- he's a good soul -- and he doesn't want this to happen. So he puts on that sales pitch that he mentioned: to Death himself. He knows that if he can make this sales pitch, the one that he bargained for to save his life, Death will take him instead of the little girl he plans to take in Lou's place.

This was a great episode. The pacing during the conversation/bargaining between Lou and Death near the beginning of the episode was a little slow and I felt maybe went on a little longer than it should have, but the story -- and the character of Lou -- has a lot of heart. A great episode.