A Nice Place to Visit

Description: Season 1, Episode 28

Air Date: April 15, 1960

Plot Summary: After a thief is gunned down by the police, he finds himself getting everything he wants in the afterlife.

Review: Now this is a little more of what we've come to expect from TZ. Although the twist is painfully obvious, it's still amusing to witness and is sort of unintentionally thought-provoking. This was also the first episode that was bordering on risque (for the time) with a few choice lines. The story is straightforward-- involving a career thief who is killed during his most recent gig. Though, do the police typically shoot first and ask questions later? Wait, don't answer that. Believing he's simply waking up, the thief, nicknamed Rocky, is met with a man dressed in all white. Rocky acts like a huge douche to the man in white, simply referred to as Pip, as Rocky is led to a massive penthouse that Pip claims has been prepared for him. Since Rocky doesn't trust anyone or anything, he is reluctant to let down his guard despite being offered whatever he desires. I think this part also demonstrates how stupid Rocky is since he honestly believes anyone would go to this much trouble just to simply poison him. Really, dumbass?! After throwing a tantrum, Rocky tries to shoot Pip only to discover he cannot be killed. Pip tries to explain that Rocky is dead and that this is the afterlife; Rocky makes the assumption that it's heaven since it's so nice and shiny.

Rocky is told he can have whatever he wants whenever he wants--something he greatly relishes. My favorite thing, of course, is that he asks for a "stacked" girl. Hilarious. And you know they wanted to say more but toned it down. Unfortunately, that chick is busted as hell (pun intended). For a time, Rocky does everything he ever wanted which includes winning huge at a casino. Huh...was that the same demonic slot machine from "The Fever?" Rocky eventually wants to meet up with friends, or whoever else could have made it to heaven, but learns everyone is in their own personal afterlife. This is followed by Rocky realizing that nothing is real nor are any of the people he believes he's interacting with; the only real people are he and Pip. Questioning the situation at hand, Rocky wants to know what he did that was good enough to land him in heaven as he and Pip look at his record. As you might easily predict, Rocky's life has been nothing but douchebaggery and asshole behavior. Because he's an imbecile, Rocky tries to live it up but he realizes he can't tolerate heaven any longer. There was an especially provocative moment when one of Rocky's harem girls was like "is there anything else I can do for you" and they zoom in on a seductive look. That's a good one...not gonna lie. So Rocky whines to Pip about going to "the other place" since he doesn't think heaven is working out. He can't stand getting whatever he wants, being unable to lose, dealing with people who aren't real, etc. Rocky is all like, "take me to the other place" and Pip wonders where Rocky thinks he's been at all this time and says something along the lines of, "welcome to hell, bitch!" Well, that's what he wanted to say. The episode ends with Pip cackling like a son of a bitch. Mr. Serling wraps things up nicely explaining how Rocky is going to get everything he ever wanted for eternity.

I mean we could cycle through all the typical concepts like be careful what you wish for, too much of a good thing, etc. but the episode goes a little deeper whether it was intended or not. Since many people envision their heaven to be like Rocky's, this should indicate the gravity of that situation being a reality. Sure, having everything you've never had would be nice, but you will get bored of it over time especially if it's forever. TZ actually managed to provide an interesting understanding of how heaven could be considered hell-like while simultaneously addressing an existential hell as being something beyond fire and brimstone. That's not too shabby. Of course we could assume a real heaven wouldn't leave a person with a sense of time, thus, weakening any sensation of boredom, but Rocky most certainly experienced time. Overall, the moral of the story provides food for thought that can influence you far beyond the simplistic plot. The twist is almost impossible to not realize immediately, but this doesn't deter from the buildup as that is the more important aspect to focus on.