What You Need - Twilight-Tober Zone

Based on a 1945 short story of the same name, "What You Need" follows an old street peddler who has a knack for knowing exactly what people need when they need it. Does The Twilight Zone do justice for this short story? Find out now on a new episode of the Twilight-Tober Zone.
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"What You Need" is episode 12 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It is based on the short story of the same name by Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore).
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[@ChannelAwesome]

We just gave Walter a bus ticket to Scranton for his slander against the Cubs. Watch more Twilight-Tober Zone here - bit.ly/TwilightToberZone Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

[@darkwolf719]

You know the last general manager who took the Cubs to the WS was from the Scranton Area

[@squeaktheswan2007]

Walter no! NOT THE CUBS!

[@WalterCulture]

@@squeaktheswan2007 Exactly! Not the cubs.

[@borochifox]

Ouch I knew that Cubs comment would hit home. XD

[@Kentrc11]

Moral of the story: If you meet someone with mystical powers, it's probably not a good idea to get on their dark side

[@masonwheeler6536]

Reminds me of the climax of the first Paul Twister book...

[@Daviticus042]

Their bad side, you mean.

[@crystalgemgirl731]

Or, alternately, the more you take, the less you have.

[@el-kiote]

@@Daviticus042 they said what they meant. whats the difference?

[@philipportelli7700]

Serling loved those street peddlers! Also, he did not shy away from using elderly actors when needed. This is also an episode about second chances and choices, good and bad.

[@claytonrios1]

Serenity, Peace of Mind? I could definitely use that in this dumpster fire of a year!

[@anthonycerulli5524]

Couldn’t we all lol

[@ryangreen6255]

Do I have an offer!

[@theeyeoftheyinyangs]

The year now is no better.

[@Oppeldeldoc1]

The girl at the bar is Arlene Martel, a really wonderful character actress. She's also the scary nurse in the TWILIGHT ZONE episode "Twenty-Two" and Mr. Spock's fiancee in that famous STAR TREK episode, and a whole lot of other things. But she really "disappears" into every role, so it's hard to realize it's the same actress.

[@pointless104]

She was also in many Hogan's Heroes episodes, as Tiger Lily.

[@chapablo]

I loved her performance in 22!!

[@Jezzikah287]

She was also on an episode of The Monkees, "The Spy Who Came in From the Cool".

[@julieporter7805]

She had range in these episodes alone playing a mousy sweet woman in this episode and a creepy almost femme fatale in 22

[@Oppeldeldoc1]

@@julieporter7805 And a refined English girl in one Columbo and a "dumb blonde" (who isn't really dumb) in another Columbo.

[@iamliterallyme]

The Office bit made me lol, it was exactly what I was thinking

[@iamliterallyme]

Sorry if this sound fanboy-y, BUT OH MY GOD, CHANNEL AWESOME LIKES MY COMMENT!!!!!!1!!!1!!!!!

[@nobodysdawn493]

I always found the scene where the scarf almost strangles him unintentionally hilarious. Only one side is caught in the elevator and it’s not a particularly fast one either. I always feel compelled to yell at the screen, “Just take the stupid thing off!”

[@JustinY.]

We just need to find a way to make 2020 go faster without the world imploding

[@ravenaussie3760]

I was here at 3 likes.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Sadly, we still have some time to build the time machine. So we can make the year 2020 faster or rewinding.

[@legorocketraccoon8297]

You can always sleep when you've got a chance.

[@Starfals]

I'm sure there is a way to do that, in the Twilight Zone of course :)

[@Demon666x3]

What you need...is more gun. -Engineer

[@Gabreya]

I've always found this particular episode to be criminally underrated. It's a great morality tale about helping others, being selfish, and to not take advantage of people's kindness. The scene I've always found disturbing was when Renard broke into Pedott's apartment after he used the scissors to cut the scarf that was choking him in the elevator and he surprised Pedott when Pedott finally came home. Long before Pedott's revelation, that scene told me that Renard is a dangerous, sinister individual.

[@starkman78]

Very much this. I'm not sure how many times I've seen this episode, but it gives me the chills every time. Renard is just so menacing and he gets scarier each time he shows up. And Pedott is so demure, trying to reason with him and being so kind. He seems so vulnerable and the episode makes you afraid for him. It was a relief to see that he knows how to save himself.

[@Gabreya]

+starkman78 Exactly! I don’t know why this episode isn’t talked about as much as the pig face episode, the Anthony episode, or the neighborhood hysteria episode. This is one of the best Twilight Zone episodes ever. Renard is absolutely menacing. As you said, it’s like as the episode goes on, he gets scarier and scarier each time he shows up, and this may have been done on purpose. The biggest example being the aforementioned scene where he had broken into Pedott’s apartment. I really felt the sinister vibe from him then because no sane, upstanding person would break into someone else’s apartment for any reason. Also, I forgot to mention about the notion of how exactly did he know where Pedott live which makes the situation even more disturbing. He’s a stalker and criminal. I agree that Pedott is so demure and is full of warmth that’s akin to a saint. All he wants to do is to help people and spread goodness through small gestures. RenardIs the kind of person that has no problem taking advantage of a kind person’s good nature. Earlier in the episode, something about the way Pedott first looked at him when he was making his rounds and became fearful said it all. He could sense the evil from Renard. Hence, he did his best to avoid him, even if Renard had to be ultimately killed in order for Pedott and possibly anyone else to be no longer in danger due to him.

[@starkman78]

@@Gabreya about the pig face people, my mom watched that episode when it first aired and says that it was genuinely jarring. She was very drawn in and hadn't even actually noticed that no one's face had been shown. So the bandages came off and it was like, 'Wait, that's Ellie May, what's going on....OMG!!' All these years later, she still feels a bit of a jolt upon the reveal. =)

[@suzannerider9460]

Gabreya Bradley that is my opinion to that as well.

[@mst3KGf]

The opening narration for this episode has a line that would later get reused for the "Twilight Zone" movie. "You're looking at Mr. Fred Renard, who carries on his shoulder a chip the size of the national debt."

[@masonwheeler6536]

"Used to pitch for the Cubs and now gets drunk seven nights a week? Yeah, that checks out." 🤣

[@mst3KGf]

"Mark Prior only comes in on Wednesday and Thursdays, but Lefty's an every day of the week man."

[@the16thGemini]

This story really makes the viewer look at themselves. As Pedott so brilliantly states the things we need most come from within us. After that statement immediately comes set the aha or light bulb moment for the audience. Fred was too hardened by the hardships of life to receive that. But for the audience much inspiration and self reflecting was found came after Pedott's revelation. Great art doesn't just entertain or reflect us but shows us how to be better as people. One of my all time favorite episodes.

[@thehillisalive]

When he said "Now what's in Scranton, Pennsylvania old man?" I was picturing the Office intro in my mind and then I literally screamed when you guys actually did it. 😂😂😂

[@therandomartist3201]

Another favorite of mine, in a way to be a person who knows what someone needs is almost a curse.

[@pyronuke4768]

Reynard is French for fox, which is a subtle hint towards Fred's scheming character.

[@trinaq]

This episode is an underrated gem. I reckon that most of us would need Pedott to give us a time machine to get out of this pandemic in one piece! 😉 I love the twist of the shoes being what PEDOTT needed! 😏

[@Center-For-I.E.D.Mismanagement]

Pedamic?

[@peterglen8396]

I’ve always appreciated the use of light and shadow in the Twighlight Zone! And I really enjoyed this episode. Thank you!

[@iamliterallyme]

You must like Eye of the Beholder a lot.

[@hayleyelise7144]

I always appreciate your perspectives, research, and insight into each episode you analyze, Walter, and in this particular case I believe you beautifully captured the poignant melancholy and intricate human realities which comprise this deceptively simple tale of a man with prognosticative abilities. Pedott is generally characterized as a rather unobtrusive individual leading a prosaic existence dedicated towards providing others with the seemingly meretricious trinkets that he predicts will provide some minor though positive change to the beneficiary’s life. Renard entertains the prospect of abusing Pedott’s predictive capabilities for more expansive and significantly lucrative reasons, yet the old man ardently refuses, preferring to influence lives through his smaller, intimate gestures. As Pedott himself implies in the clip you showcased, his powers are confined to tangible attributes of life such as acquiring wealth or looking presentable for a photograph, which are sufficient to satisfy the needs of his chosen subjects. Renard represents a man dissatisfied with his existence, desperately in need of all that he perceives will suffice to ameliorate his status as a lonely and bitter man, yet, his true need is for the intangible, the happiness and tranquility born from within, which can never be assuaged by all the trinkets and money in the world. Despite this selfish and callous nature to his personality, I agree that Renard’s characterization still elicits some sympathy for the unlucky and misguided trajectory that his life has always assumed. The pitiable solemnity of the ending arises from the recognition of the veracity of Pedott’s words; sometimes, what we need most cannot be simply gifted by another. Sometimes, significant change to our lives and perspectives must be wrought from within. Thank you, Walter, for wonderfully presenting the somber depth of this episode, and for your suggestion about Tales of Tomorrow!

[@christopheralthouse6378]

Ooooo...such writing, the very turns of every phrase to emulate the most prosaic styles of the time which these days has become sorely missed... Truly legend...😍😁

[@DocZFlux]

Another one I love, particularly how the old man figures out how to do away with Renard in the end!

[@PlutoniumBoss]

I think this might just be my favorite TZ episode. I didn't know about the sci-fi device in the previous versions, but I'm glad it was changed. The story works so much better this way.

[@TheNeonTheater]

In my opinion...one of the best episodes.

[@tittat5989]

Imagine if they panned over and just saw Dwight or Michael in the corner.

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

Me: "I am pretty alone. I think a chick in my life would be good" Pedott: "Sorry, boy. But even a God can't give you such thing"

[@CalciumChief]

He'd have given me a fluffy toy of a young chicken.

[@drrichardew7878]

"Maybe a chick isnt what you need... but a rooster..."

[@ivanakum61]

@@drrichardew7878 another name for a rooster lol

[@theeyeoftheyinyangs]

God told me a similar thing, but told me this… “If I didn’t have so many preferences, it’d be easier.”

[@ChrisOnStage2]

One of my favorites!! The only beef I have was the way the bad guy (Fred) was "strangled" by his scarf at the elevator. It was done badly; the scarf wasn't positioned IN ANY WAY to strangle Fred! All he had to do was to easily untie it. You can even see the actor TRYING to keep the scarf on! LOL!

[@TAROTAI]

when you panic . . . you get dumb

[@BrowningThirty]

One of the most memorable episodes in my opinion, but Pedott's monologue at the end always bugged me since he's publicly talking to a dead guy 20 feet away from him. I always thought what he said about seeing his own death and how slippery shoes are what he needed to get away would have been better suited in the end monologue from Rod Serling and not from the Pedott character himself.

[@sojoboscribe1342]

It's a little clearer in the original story. There the Pedot (whose first name is Peter, which is important) gives him the shoes because he sees the death is better for the world. And that's what he is REALLY doing trying do, to make the world a better place (he basically thinks he is St. Peter and has "been given the keys to Heaven") He COULD have given him shoes with rough rubber soles (in the story he needs the shoes to protect him from an electrical cable) but he sees that it isn't in the worlds best interest for the guy to live.

[@sarafontanini7051]

well after all the man was giving Pedott SUCH a rough time the man just needed an excuse to get some cathartic backlash against him.

[@MandleRoss]

I can see some parallels in Stephen King's "Needful Things" and the "Objects" in the TV show "The Lost Room" which also featured a bus ticket and a pair of scissors.

[@Merit2397]

I think that "What You Need" is an okay episode with a nice moral. It's a more of a down to earth tale only told in... the Twilight Zone.

[@johnhaladay5541]

As a die-hard TZ fan, I'm enjoying Walter's videos. I know he's only doing these through Halloween, but I wish he'd review all of them, especially the one-hour episodes.

[@HououMinamino]

I love this episode. The only thing that bothered me was the idea of the spot cleaner lady and the former baseball star getting together, because he is going off to a coaching job in Scranton. Is the lady going to get a ticket too, and follow him? I always wondered about that. Maybe she goes to see Pedott after that, and he gives HER a ticket to Scranton, too. Hmm. When Renard breaks into Pedott's apartment and bullies him, it made me think of the kind of guy who is abusive to everyone he meets--family, girlfriends, etc. I could see him getting arrested for doing the same to an ex after being broken up with. Scary. I feel like the reason he has had such bad luck, as he puts it, is because he has such a bad character. Don't sociopaths or narcissists tend to think that the world is against them? I agree that the way they did the car scene was really badly done, but I definitely liked the episode overall. It has a good moral.

[@Gabreya]

+HououMinamino I also love this episode. With all due respect, though, I kind of don’t find it hard to believe that the cleaner lady and the former baseball star would end up getting together. I got the vibe that the baseball player wanted to start a new life and he seemed to like the lady. That scene where Renard breaks into Pedott’s apartment always disturbed me because that showed me that this guy is nothing but trouble. If he feels comfortable breaking into a stranger’s apartment and harassing him, what’s stopping him from trying to do even worse crimes like murder? And he eventually did try to do that when Pedott decided to stop helping him. Maybe this scene was kind of a subtle hint that Renard is a dangerous individual.

[@starkman78]

@@Gabreya yes, you can sense the danger increasing each time Renard appears.

[@Gabreya]

+starkman78 Precisely. Even though we as the audience don’t have the power that Pedott had, we could also sense that Renard is a dangerous individual judging by his personality and actions. It’s a shame that he allowed life’s troubles and hardships to turn him into a monster.

[@Nasser851000]

What I need is a way to escape 2020 XD

[@trinaq]

I couldn't agree with you more! 💯

[@ThePa1riot]

I mean, time moves forward by itself so that will happen inevitably.

[@Center-For-I.E.D.Mismanagement]

Just stay alive.

[@oliverdelica2289]

@@Center-For-I.E.D.Mismanagement that would be enough

[@thejaredchannel1169]

3 more months including this one, you got this buckaroo.

[@miroslavtomic7038]

In Tales of Tommorrow version of this story, the old man was played by Edgar Stehli, who appeared as Prof. Kittridge in TZ episode Long Live Walter Jameson. He is even shown at one point during this video.

[@FflawedMetalhead]

This was one of the first episodes of TZ I ever saw, and it really intrigued me to look further into the series. Definitely a solid favourite, maybe even top 10.

[@jawarholol4651]

Mark E Smith of the English band The Fall was a huge fan of the Twilight Zone as evidenced by his songs "What You Need," and "Paranoid Man in Cheap Shit Room."

[@fromthesidelines]

Very clever references to Rod and his production crew as "Jockeys" in the "Nelson's Selections" newspaper close-up at 4:20.

[@Omar-wq9dz]

I can't wait for you to get to episodes like Twenty Two and Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. I think those are some of the best episodes of the entire series

[@Fairygoblet]

I read the teleplay for monsters on maple street when I was younger for English. In the teleplay, the aliens never explain their master plan. We only get a brief glimpse of them at the end.

[@zenchristos]

@@Fairygoblet Hey, me too!!

[@crystalgemgirl731]

This is one of my favorite episodes, not sure why.

[@KhanGarth]

“What’s in Scranton?” I knew at that moment what was about to happen

[@richewilson6394]

The reason why they speed it up at the scene where the bad guy gets hit is that it was a good way of making it seem like a sudden event at the same time not hurting the actor

[@JohnnyPaisan]

One of my favorite episodes. I use to live near scranton so when I first heard him say theres nothing but coal mines In scranton i almost died. The triple a team for the Yankees still play there but they changed their name to the rail riders.

[@darqjade]

What you need and what you want are two very different things and one tends to be a lot more destructive than the other.

[@Smacgregor88]

Fun fact: The title card for Tales of Tomorrow was done by a then unknown, Arthur Rankin.

[@keithdean9149]

My favorite episode

[@BrienMalone]

I’m loving this curated twilight zone. I’ve got all of the episodes, but never made time to watch them all. Watching these eps after you talk about them has been great!

[@lO_-_Ol]

I love watching these episodes then watching it here with the commentary of this channel it is like a treat seeing this every day! Keep it up!

[@dole8001]

My favorite Twilight Zone episode is The Hunt.

[@TheGoodWario]

The Cubs and The Office one two punch really got me XD

[@v.v365]

I love this episode

[@cassyblack3346]

I do remember this one pretty well, especially Serling's opening narration.

[@pvtjhon]

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! stay healthy and thanks for uploading daily.

[@lazyjoka8079]

I really hope that they do the obsolete man one of my favorites

[@joshnunya324]

Love this episode

[@justanotherchannelonyoutub126]

This is one of my favorites

[@Rojiace]

This is a good episode and hearing about it again makes me think of a later episode where a little jukebox told the future for a quarter

[@amarikristopher8409]

1. I seriously gotta watch this series 2. Yess play that awesome Kevin Macleod music ❤️

[@josuearriaza3952]

Thats cool I dont live to far from scanton and camped there for a few days on the mountain.

[@ScaryStoriesNYC]

You guys do your research. Another excellent job!

[@julieporter7805]

The streets call to mind noir films and it makes sense that these people would be down on their luck and need extra help to put themselves out of their bad luck. Pedott is a sweet character who knows his power can be a curse. Fun fact: In Rod's narration he describes Renard as having a "chip on his shoulder the size of the national debt". That line is repeated in the opening narration Segment One Time's Out of Twilight Zone The Movie about William Connor, the bigoted character played by Vic Morrow

[@ThatPurpleGirl81]

I am binge-watching TZ on Hulu, there are so many I can't wait for you to talk about! 💜

[@TheCreepypro]

a love tales like this cause too often in real life we confuse things we want with what we actually need

[@jeremydebow7860]

Excellent breakdown and analysis- thank you.

[@O5-XIV]

4 People are stuck in the outterlimits

[@dobrinaleksiev4943]

Very good episode !

[@dogthebountyhunter8504]

Channel awesome really up’d there budget this year for Halloween, the whole corona virus just for ambience well done

[@bruceeng3376]

I needed that.

[@rainyfeathers9148]

That music (especially that piano bit) sounds like something out of SMT III: Lucifer's Call

[@cheespng3310]

I didnt think I needed it but I kinda want a top 10 twilight zone episodes

[@smugsneasel]

Reminds me of the Wander Over Yonder episode where Wander explains that his hat always has something he'll need, not necessarily want.

[@rainpooper7088]

*stress ball*

[@dancepiglover]

It reminds me of the story of the goose that laid golden eggs. The goose was killed in the story but in this episode, the supplier of the “golden eggs” prevents that from happening by killing the other person first.

[@aliso-pv7ll]

Those of us who first saw these TWs in 1959, were in a unique position of being over whelmed and unable to get some episodes out of our minds. Rod Serling was America's Shakespeare and wrote drama plays that are pure genius.

[@ShotgunGabe]

This reminds me of a show in japan where a shady salesman with doramon like power gives you a gift that beefits you with no charges but the person get's bad karma if he exploit the gift for greed.

[@isabellaearnhardt6380]

Great

[@jonnybaze]

What’s in Scranton Pennsylvania? Me 😁

[@francisfatta]

1:21 ouch

[@Icalasari]

Seems like this could be easily recut. Right when it would cut from the guy's face to the car crashing into him, edit it so instead it has the peddler's face from later in the scene, but with the audio from the accident. Then it cuts to the body in the road, and the rest is as is

[@DanBrizuela]

Love those classic '50s anthology stories. Though I wonder why they did them live.

[@Nazo-kage]

Well I do agree that the slightly sped up footage for the car hitting the guy is weird and does look like it would be at home in a slapstick video it’s obvious that the reason they did that was because everything was done very very slowly. There doesn’t seem to be any trick outside of the film speed so it was most most likely a cost saving method instead of getting some dummy.

[@Nazo-kage]

Kairu Hakubi they might’ve only had one shot. So in order to edit it without ruining the film was why it was cut the way it was. Something to keep in mind back in the day there was actually no concept of preserving film. There are a lot of films made back in the day that no one today will ever get to see because in order to save money some studios just decided to record over a previous movie film. It’s actually one of the reasons why there are lost episodes of the original Doctor Who series.

[@zvimur]

2:02 Arlene Martel aka T'Pring (ST TOS "Amok time")

[@legojedi626]

Despite being low-tech, the quality of black-and-white film has improved exponentially since it's introduction. The quality difference between the old version of this and the new version of this is quite impressive.

[@v1de0gamr23]

I found elements of this episode very reminiscent of the story of The Fisherman and His Wife. Just me?

[@mleighqs8773]

Very interesting idea. I think I've also seen it used in an Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction story as well as on the show Charmed in one of their episodes. In each of these example's they too used a super natural aspect for the person knowing what other's need :) .

[@chelsea1062]

Yaaaaassss!!!! The Office!!!!

[@starkman78]

I look forward to this every day and I'm going to be so sad when it's over. Would you consider making this a (semi) permanent series? Just keep going until you cover all of the episodes? It's too hard to pick and choose because there are just no "bad" Twilight Zone episodes!

[@seraphim_croc]

I hope they do “Deaths-Head Revisited” that’s my favorite one next to “Third Planet from the Sun” and “Midnight Sun.”

[@anubusx]

Serenity now!!!

[@joshshaffer3684]

Please do night of the meek i know it is a Christmas episode but its one of my favorites

[@LittleFireflyDeanna]

Чудесный эпизод, ничего не скажешь. Зачин занимательный, повествование выдержанное и интригующее, развязка толковая и почти кармическая, хахаха )) Спасибо за обзор ^______^

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

Renard sure got what he needed, not what he truly wanted .

[@ontheroos5023]

I just watched this not to long ago

[@henrypatterson3021]

i think when i saw this episode i either missed the beginning or it was edited down because don't remember the part with the pitcher.

[@brendakrieger7000]

I look for those Tales of Tomorrow🎃

[@davidarellano9931]

Can you the one of the After Hours, that’s one of my favorite

[@Delirious365]

5:32 Christine Stephen King RELEASED December 09th, 1983

[@ZackRToler]

It's not as bad as the car scene in the old Great Gatsby movie. When I saw that in High School sometime in 2010-2011 I laughed at how it looked as did about half the class

[@DigiRangerScott]

Wow, Tales of Tomorrow is public domain? Hopefully it was kept well!

[@austinburras2993]

That creed lol

[@CaptainRiterraSmith]

Oh if only there was such an individual handing out what people need. Course if there were, he would be swamped with beggars every hour of every day. Wonder what he would give me when I finally get a turn.

[@zachgullion595]

You should mention about the con

[@thevine2010]

What does everyone need? For this damn pandemic to be over!

[@revacohen]

I always liked this episode, but I always felt there were problems. I honestly never thought a street peddler could carry in his suitcase things people needed before he even met them (i.e., the bus ticket). And then the former pitcher getting called on a payphone in the bar he was drinking at to be told he was offered a job: how did those people even know he would be there? And how did Reynard know where the old man lived, and how did he know where to find the old man later? And the pen that helped Reynard win was in the peddler's pocket, not the suitcase. So there really were a lot of flaws in this episode.

[@charliebreland4068]

I knew what was gonna happen right when he said Scranton Pennsylvania