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!! Maniac at Large
Changed line(s) 4,7 (click to see context) from:
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(dressed as a realtor and seated in front of an open briefcase, below a sign reading "Crypt Keeper Realty")'' City life got you down, kiddies? Looking for a home on ''derange?'' ''(shuts the briefcase)'' Well, look no further, because I've got exactly what you want. It's a charming ''tomb'' with a view. Think of it as your own little house on the ''scary.'' ''(cackles)'' You're not interested? What's the matter? Afraid you can't get a ''morgue''-age? Oh well, that's exactly how the woman in tonight's tortured tale feels. She's upset because there's a killer loose in her neighborhood. In a putrid property I call: '''Maniac at Large.'''
Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is a timid and mousey librarian who has recently begun working in an inner city library that is often frequented by an assortment of suspicious vagrants and ne'er-do-wells. Margaret is also inches away from a nervous breakdown after reading a newspaper headline saying that a serial killer is prowling the streets. Poor Margaret soon becomes even more frantic when head librarian Mrs. Pritchard (Creator/SalomeJens) insists that Margaret has to work late that day. It certainly doesn't help that she has to deal with Pipkin (Music/AdamAnt), a nutty and eccentric patron who loves to study serial killers. The library's power soon goes out, meaning that Margaret has to go down to the dark and narrow basement, where she starts sees silhouettes of someone with a knife stabbing something else. Security guard Grady (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII) and Lieutenant Jameson are able to disprove Margaret's claims of a person in the basement, but it doesn't calm her down or disprove her claims of a murderer in the building. As Margaret's paranoia climbs higher and higher, it begins to raise the question: just who ''is'' the killer lurking in the library?
Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is a timid and mousey librarian who has recently begun working in an inner city library that is often frequented by an assortment of suspicious vagrants and ne'er-do-wells. Margaret is also inches away from a nervous breakdown after reading a newspaper headline saying that a serial killer is prowling the streets. Poor Margaret soon becomes even more frantic when head librarian Mrs. Pritchard (Creator/SalomeJens) insists that Margaret has to work late that day. It certainly doesn't help that she has to deal with Pipkin (Music/AdamAnt), a nutty and eccentric patron who loves to study serial killers. The library's power soon goes out, meaning that Margaret has to go down to the dark and narrow basement, where she starts sees silhouettes of someone with a knife stabbing something else. Security guard Grady (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII) and Lieutenant Jameson are able to disprove Margaret's claims of a person in the basement, but it doesn't calm her down or disprove her claims of a murderer in the building. As Margaret's paranoia climbs higher and higher, it begins to raise the question: just who ''is'' the killer lurking in the library?
to:
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(dressed (''dressed as a realtor and seated in front of an open briefcase, briefcase; positioned below a sign reading "Crypt Keeper Realty")'' Realty"'') City life got you down, kiddies? Looking for a home on ''derange?'' ''(shuts (''shuts the briefcase)'' briefcase'') Well, look no further, because I've got exactly what you want. It's a charming ''tomb'' with a view. Think of it as your own little house on the ''scary.'' ''(cackles)'' (''cackles'') You're not interested? What's the matter? Afraid you can't get a ''morgue''-age? Oh well, that's exactly how the woman in tonight's tortured tale feels. She's upset because there's a killer loose in her neighborhood. In a putrid property I call: '''Maniac at Large.'''
Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is a timid andmousey librarian mousy woman who has recently begun working in at an inner city library that inner-city library, which is often frequented by an assortment of suspicious vagrants and ne'er-do-wells. Margaret is also soon grows inches away from a nervous breakdown after reading from a newspaper headline saying that a serial killer is prowling the streets. Poor Margaret soon streets, and then becomes even more frantic when head librarian Mrs. Pritchard (Creator/SalomeJens) insists that Margaret has she's to work late that day. night. It certainly doesn't help that she has to deal with Pipkin (Music/AdamAnt), a nutty and eccentric patron who loves ''loves'' to study serial killers. The library's power soon goes out, meaning that Margaret has to go down to the dark and narrow basement, where basement to switch it back on. Down there, she starts sees silhouettes of someone with a knife stabbing something else. Security guard Grady (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII) and Lieutenant Jameson (Creator/ObbaBabatunde) are able to disprove Margaret's claims of a person someone in the basement, but it doesn't calm her down or disprove her claims of a murderer in the building. As Margaret's paranoia climbs higher and higher, it begins to raise the a very important question: just who ''is'' the killer lurking in the library?
Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is a timid and
Changed line(s) 9,22 (click to see context) from:
!! This episode has examples of:
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Margaret genuinely unaware that she's insanely paranoid and kills people out of blind fear? Or is she fully aware that she's a bloodthirsty murderer who's constantly on the run and plays up the paranoia to cover her tracks? The monologue she partially gives to Grady at the end of the episode, where she casually mentions she'll have to resign after stabbing her boss to death, leans slightly towards the latter.
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of her wits by the fact that a serial killer is loose in her neighborhood. The end of the episode, where she rants about Mrs. Pritchard being "just like all the others" as she stabs her to death, reveals that she's been the serial killer all along, but was so wrapped up in her paranoia that she has no idea. Of course, her crazed speech at the end hints that she ''is'' aware of what she does and how it keeps ruining her life and forcing her to go on the run.
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is a pretty heavy bibliophile, especially with books on serial killers. The scene where he introduces himself to Margaret even has him asking if he could check out a reference book, which she says are for library use only. He's also revealed to have stayed in the library after closing time, having been wrapped up in his reading.
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret pockets. The end of the episode has her use the blade to kill Mrs. Pritchard after thinking she was going to kill her.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patrons consist of vagrants who aren't exactly all there, raising Margaret's suspicions that any of them could be the killer. One old lady even sings "Old [=MacDonald=]" in a soft, unnerving voice right to Margaret's face, and does so until Grady escorts her out.
* CreepyBasement: The library's basement. It's big, narrow, and poorly lit, and Margaret seems to witness someone or something stabbing something else in silhouette.
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serial killers and Margaret herself hints that he's the killer who's been running loose, and is plotting to kill her next. He isn't the actual killer, she is. Despite this, he did manage to predict her next move and her motives with complete accuracy.
** Another CRH comes in the form of Mr. Gartam, an employee who works the late shift at the library. He appears to Margaret as a hunched over homeless man who pounds on the door and begs to be let in, but Mrs. Pritchard clarifies that he only did so because he had books to drop off, as well as the fact that his posture is the result of a bone disorder.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric and borderline manic he was, most of Pipkin's advice regarding the killer turns out to be '''''100% correct''''', even managing to guess what their weapon of choice is, who their next victim would be, and why they kill people in the first place. The only thing he got wrong was that the killer is a man.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling the city streets? Margaret, the seemingly innocent and timid librarian we've been focusing on all episode.
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all of them red herrings by revealing that the killer is Margaret herself.
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he's British, eccentric, and studies serial killers with an intensive passion, he's not actually evil.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in the episode, including the fact that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Margaret genuinely unaware that she's insanely paranoid and kills people out of blind fear? Or is she fully aware that she's a bloodthirsty murderer who's constantly on the run and plays up the paranoia to cover her tracks? The monologue she partially gives to Grady at the end of the episode, where she casually mentions she'll have to resign after stabbing her boss to death, leans slightly towards the latter.
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of her wits by the fact that a serial killer is loose in her neighborhood. The end of the episode, where she rants about Mrs. Pritchard being "just like all the others" as she stabs her to death, reveals that she's been the serial killer all along, but was so wrapped up in her paranoia that she has no idea. Of course, her crazed speech at the end hints that she ''is'' aware of what she does and how it keeps ruining her life and forcing her to go on the run.
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is a pretty heavy bibliophile, especially with books on serial killers. The scene where he introduces himself to Margaret even has him asking if he could check out a reference book, which she says are for library use only. He's also revealed to have stayed in the library after closing time, having been wrapped up in his reading.
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret pockets. The end of the episode has her use the blade to kill Mrs. Pritchard after thinking she was going to kill her.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patrons consist of vagrants who aren't exactly all there, raising Margaret's suspicions that any of them could be the killer. One old lady even sings "Old [=MacDonald=]" in a soft, unnerving voice right to Margaret's face, and does so until Grady escorts her out.
* CreepyBasement: The library's basement. It's big, narrow, and poorly lit, and Margaret seems to witness someone or something stabbing something else in silhouette.
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serial killers and Margaret herself hints that he's the killer who's been running loose, and is plotting to kill her next. He isn't the actual killer, she is. Despite this, he did manage to predict her next move and her motives with complete accuracy.
** Another CRH comes in the form of Mr. Gartam, an employee who works the late shift at the library. He appears to Margaret as a hunched over homeless man who pounds on the door and begs to be let in, but Mrs. Pritchard clarifies that he only did so because he had books to drop off, as well as the fact that his posture is the result of a bone disorder.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric and borderline manic he was, most of Pipkin's advice regarding the killer turns out to be '''''100% correct''''', even managing to guess what their weapon of choice is, who their next victim would be, and why they kill people in the first place. The only thing he got wrong was that the killer is a man.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling the city streets? Margaret, the seemingly innocent and timid librarian we've been focusing on all episode.
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all of them red herrings by revealing that the killer is Margaret herself.
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he's British, eccentric, and studies serial killers with an intensive passion, he's not actually evil.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in the episode, including the fact that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
to:
!! This episode has examples of:
Tropes:
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Margaret genuinely unaware thatshe's insanely paranoid and she kills people out of blind fear? Or is she fully aware that she's a bloodthirsty murderer who's constantly on the run run, and only plays up the paranoia to cover her tracks? The monologue she partially somewhat gives to Grady at the end of the episode, where she casually mentions she'll have to resign after stabbing her boss to death, leans slightly towards the latter.
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of herwits mind by the fact that a serial killer is loose in her neighborhood. The end of the episode, where she rants about Mrs. Pritchard being "just like all the others" as she stabs her to death, reveals that she's ''she's'' been the serial killer all along, but and was so wrapped up in her paranoia that she has had no idea. Of course, However, her crazed speech at the end hints that she ''is'' aware of what she does and does, as well as how it keeps ruining her life and forcing forces her to go on the run.
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is apretty heavy bibliophile, especially with in regards to books on serial killers. The scene where he introduces himself to Margaret even has him asking if he could check out a library-use-only reference book, which she says are for library use only. book. He's also revealed to have stayed in the library after closing time, time after having been wrapped up in his reading.
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchbladesbehind, which behind when they flee. Margaret pockets. The pockets the object, and at the end of the episode has her use the blade episode, she uses it to kill Mrs. Pritchard after thinking she was going to kill her.
''her''.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patronsconsist of are vagrants who aren't exactly all there, raising Margaret's suspicions that any one of them could be the killer. One suspicious old lady even sings "Old [=MacDonald=]" in a soft, unnerving voice right to Margaret's face, and does doing so until Grady escorts her out.
* CreepyBasement: The library'sbasement. It's big, basement is large, narrow, and poorly lit, and Margaret seems to witness someone or something stabbing something else in silhouette.
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serialkillers and killers, as well as his interest in Margaret herself herself, hints that he's the killer who's been running loose, loose and is plotting to kill her next. He isn't the actual killer, she is. Despite this, but he did manage to predict her their next move and her motives with (almost) complete accuracy.
** AnotherCRH example comes in the form of Mr. Gartam, an employee who works the late graveyard shift at the library. He appears to Margaret as a hunched over homeless man who pounds and dressed as a vagrant, pounding on the door and begs begging to be let in, but in. When she tells Mrs. Pritchard about him, she clarifies that he only did so wanted to get inside because he had books to drop off, as well as the fact and reveals that his hunching posture is the result of because he suffers from a rare bone disorder.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric andborderline manic he was, most of Pipkin's advice regarding the killer turns out to be '''''100% correct''''', correct,''''' even managing to guess what their weapon of choice is, who their next victim would be, and why they kill people in the first place. The only thing he got wrong was that the killer is a man.
killer's gender.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling thecity streets? city? It's Margaret, the seemingly innocent seemingly-innocent and timid librarian we've been focusing on all episode.
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all ofthem those people red herrings by revealing that the actual killer is Margaret herself.
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he'sBritish, eccentric, eccentric and studies serial killers with an intensive passion, he's not actually evil.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in theepisode, including the fact episode:
** It's said that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Margaret genuinely unaware that
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of her
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is a
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchblades
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patrons
* CreepyBasement: The library's
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serial
** Another
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric and
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling the
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all of
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he's
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in the
** It's said that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
Changed line(s) 24,54 (click to see context) from:
** Mrs. Pritchard also drops one final hint that leads to TheReveal: the killer may not actually be a man.
-->'''Pritchard:''' [[LampshadeHanging That'd surprise everyone, wouldn't it?]]
* ForWantOfANail: It's likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if those teens hadn't swiped the old man's newspaper and left behind one of their pocket knives.
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for the late shift, Margaret begs her not to leave her alone when there's a potential murderer in the building.
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killer kills people because of life in the city, where strangers of all sorts could touch or attack them. Margaret reveals this to be part of her motive when she's revealed as the killer, even screaming at Mrs. Pritchard not to touch her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty" attitude, if Grady is to be believed.
* TheKillerInMe: An amnesiac version of the trope. Margaret spends the whole episode panicking when she believes the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that she herself is the killer and doesn't even know it, because she thinks ''everyone'' is out to get her. Case in point, Margaret's rant to her latest victim, Mrs. Pritchard, reveals that she's borderline insane and thought her boss was "just like all the others" out to get her.
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''Alone With the Devil'', the reference book Pipkin wanted to check out, has a man's eyes grimly staring at the viewer
* LibraryEpisode: The episode is set entirely inside the inner-city library where Margaret works.
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard. She's strict, stingy, and authoritarian, but only because she wants what's best for her library. At the same time, she's pretty friendly to Margaret when the two of them are alone, inviting Margaret to her office to talk and share some coffee when her mental state gets progressively worse.
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scratch the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged monologue at the end is any indication, she's aware that her paranoia has led her to kill people, move to a new town, and get a new identity several times before.
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he's a pretty decent guy, hating how Mrs. Pritchard bosses everyone around, and even trying to convince her to let the library's largely homeless patrons spend the night there to avoid the killer loose in the streets.
* NothingIsScarier: Margaret witnesses a silhouetted hand with a knife stabbing something in the basement. She soon finds that there's no one there, but discovers a reference book that has had its pages slashed. Whatever or whoever it was that actually slashed up the book is never revealed.
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violently and viciously paranoid, to the point where she kills people because she thinks they'll kill her first.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she's unable to do so because he's a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, only comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer that's been terrorizing the city. As ultimately revealed by Pipkin, she kills people because she's horrifically paranoid about living in the city, to the point where she fully believes that everyone around her is going to kill her first (even slashing the throat of a homeless man after he innocently asked her for change). After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, Margaret, casually mentions that she'll have to resign, her tone revealing that she's had to move to different towns and adopt different identities because of her little habit.
* SanitySlippage: Margaret's little monologue at the end hints that she's gone fully insane, and admits that she'll have to resign and move to a new town, like she has several times before.
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in the ending, when it's revealed that she's the serial killer who's been plaguing the city without even being aware of it.
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
* SinisterSilhouettes: A shadow of a man with a knife stabbing something is glimpsed by Margaret while she's in the basement.
* SlasherSmile: Margaret gives off a deranged one when she reveals herself to be the maniac, having fully succumbed to insanity after stabbing her boss to death.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaper detailing the maniac loose in the city, which gets Margaret's paranoia flared up. They also leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret uses at the climax of the episode.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christie_(serial_killer) John Christie]], who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode's namesake maniac.
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seen on the front page of a patron's newspaper.
* TragicVillain: Margaret is a serial killer, yes, but she only kills people because she's violently paranoid and thinks that they'll kill her if she doesn't kill them first. It's even revealed that this habit of hers has forced her to move from job to job, city to city, and perhaps even identity to identity.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Security guard Grady has a short attention span, drinks on duty, and is said to think pretty lowly of his boss. The only reason he's still employed is because he's a civil servant, and Mrs. Pritchard has found it impossible to replace him after trying several times.
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could be said that it's up to the viewers to determine what comes out of all this.
----
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(standing in front of a corpse partially stuffed in a meat locker, which rests under a sign reading "SOULED")'' Well, kiddies, I guess that's ''knife'' in the big city for you! ''(cackles)'' Boy, do I feel sorry for Margaret. Looks like it's just one ''dead''-end job after another. ''(cackles)'' You'll be happy to know that I made a sale. The ne-''ghost''-iations were fierce ''(pushes the corpse's leg inside)'', but after I threw in a couple of ''ache''-rs, the rest was easy. ''(cackles and shuts the locker)'' There goes the neigh-''boo''-hood! ''(cackles)''
-->'''Pritchard:''' [[LampshadeHanging That'd surprise everyone, wouldn't it?]]
* ForWantOfANail: It's likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if those teens hadn't swiped the old man's newspaper and left behind one of their pocket knives.
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for the late shift, Margaret begs her not to leave her alone when there's a potential murderer in the building.
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killer kills people because of life in the city, where strangers of all sorts could touch or attack them. Margaret reveals this to be part of her motive when she's revealed as the killer, even screaming at Mrs. Pritchard not to touch her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty" attitude, if Grady is to be believed.
* TheKillerInMe: An amnesiac version of the trope. Margaret spends the whole episode panicking when she believes the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that she herself is the killer and doesn't even know it, because she thinks ''everyone'' is out to get her. Case in point, Margaret's rant to her latest victim, Mrs. Pritchard, reveals that she's borderline insane and thought her boss was "just like all the others" out to get her.
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''Alone With the Devil'', the reference book Pipkin wanted to check out, has a man's eyes grimly staring at the viewer
* LibraryEpisode: The episode is set entirely inside the inner-city library where Margaret works.
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard. She's strict, stingy, and authoritarian, but only because she wants what's best for her library. At the same time, she's pretty friendly to Margaret when the two of them are alone, inviting Margaret to her office to talk and share some coffee when her mental state gets progressively worse.
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scratch the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged monologue at the end is any indication, she's aware that her paranoia has led her to kill people, move to a new town, and get a new identity several times before.
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he's a pretty decent guy, hating how Mrs. Pritchard bosses everyone around, and even trying to convince her to let the library's largely homeless patrons spend the night there to avoid the killer loose in the streets.
* NothingIsScarier: Margaret witnesses a silhouetted hand with a knife stabbing something in the basement. She soon finds that there's no one there, but discovers a reference book that has had its pages slashed. Whatever or whoever it was that actually slashed up the book is never revealed.
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violently and viciously paranoid, to the point where she kills people because she thinks they'll kill her first.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she's unable to do so because he's a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, only comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer that's been terrorizing the city. As ultimately revealed by Pipkin, she kills people because she's horrifically paranoid about living in the city, to the point where she fully believes that everyone around her is going to kill her first (even slashing the throat of a homeless man after he innocently asked her for change). After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, Margaret, casually mentions that she'll have to resign, her tone revealing that she's had to move to different towns and adopt different identities because of her little habit.
* SanitySlippage: Margaret's little monologue at the end hints that she's gone fully insane, and admits that she'll have to resign and move to a new town, like she has several times before.
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in the ending, when it's revealed that she's the serial killer who's been plaguing the city without even being aware of it.
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
* SinisterSilhouettes: A shadow of a man with a knife stabbing something is glimpsed by Margaret while she's in the basement.
* SlasherSmile: Margaret gives off a deranged one when she reveals herself to be the maniac, having fully succumbed to insanity after stabbing her boss to death.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaper detailing the maniac loose in the city, which gets Margaret's paranoia flared up. They also leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret uses at the climax of the episode.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christie_(serial_killer) John Christie]], who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode's namesake maniac.
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seen on the front page of a patron's newspaper.
* TragicVillain: Margaret is a serial killer, yes, but she only kills people because she's violently paranoid and thinks that they'll kill her if she doesn't kill them first. It's even revealed that this habit of hers has forced her to move from job to job, city to city, and perhaps even identity to identity.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Security guard Grady has a short attention span, drinks on duty, and is said to think pretty lowly of his boss. The only reason he's still employed is because he's a civil servant, and Mrs. Pritchard has found it impossible to replace him after trying several times.
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could be said that it's up to the viewers to determine what comes out of all this.
----
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(standing in front of a corpse partially stuffed in a meat locker, which rests under a sign reading "SOULED")'' Well, kiddies, I guess that's ''knife'' in the big city for you! ''(cackles)'' Boy, do I feel sorry for Margaret. Looks like it's just one ''dead''-end job after another. ''(cackles)'' You'll be happy to know that I made a sale. The ne-''ghost''-iations were fierce ''(pushes the corpse's leg inside)'', but after I threw in a couple of ''ache''-rs, the rest was easy. ''(cackles and shuts the locker)'' There goes the neigh-''boo''-hood! ''(cackles)''
to:
** Mrs. Pritchard also drops one final hint that leads directly to TheReveal: the killer may not actually be a man.
-->'''Pritchard:''' -->'''Mrs. Pritchard:''' [[LampshadeHanging That'd surprise everyone, wouldn't it?]]
* ForWantOfANail: It's very likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if thoseteens young punks hadn't swiped the that old man's newspaper and left behind one of their pocket knives.
switchblades.
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for thelate graveyard shift, Margaret begs her to not to leave her be left alone when while there's a potential murderer in the building.
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killerkills murders people because of life in the city, where all sorts of strangers of all sorts could touch can grope or attack them. Margaret reveals this to be part of her own motive when she's ''she's'' revealed as the killer, even screaming at Mrs. Pritchard not to touch her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: If Grady is to be believed, Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty"attitude, if Grady is attitude. The scenes where she and Margaret are alone together seems to be believed.
suggest otherwise.
* TheKillerInMe: An amnesiac versionof the trope. Margaret is shown in Margaret, who spends the whole episode panicking when she believes that the killer is out to kill her, but it her. It turns out that she herself is the killer and doesn't even know it, killing everyone she comes across because she thinks ''everyone'' is they're the ones out to get kill her. Case in point, Margaret's rant to her latest victim, Mrs. Pritchard, Pritchard reveals that she's borderline insane and thought her boss was "just like all the others" out to get her.
others".
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''AloneWith with the Devil'', the reference book Pipkin wanted wants to check out, has features a man's eyes grimly staring at the viewer
reader.
* LibraryEpisode: The episode is set entirely inside the inner-city library where Margaretworks.
works, which is often frequented by young delinquents and crazed vagrants.
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard.She's According to Grady, she's strict, stingy, and authoritarian, but we see that that's only because she wants what's best for her the library. At the same time, she's She's actually pretty friendly to Margaret when the two of them are alone, inviting Margaret her to her office to talk and share some coffee when as her mental state gets progressively worse.
* MythologyGag: The rowdyteens teen gang in the opening scene scratch are shown to have scribbled the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for of the series) into onto one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
tables.
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged ending monologueat the end is any indication, she's well aware that her paranoia has led her to kill people, move to a new town, and get start a new identity several times before.
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he'sa pretty decent guy, decent, hating how Mrs. Pritchard bosses everyone around, around and even trying tries to convince her to let the library's largely homeless patrons clientele spend the night there to avoid the killer loose in the streets.
killer.
* NothingIsScarier: In her growing paranoia, Margaretwitnesses watches as a silhouetted hand with a knife stabbing stabs something in the basement. She soon finds that there's no one there, but discovers a reference book that has had with its pages slashed. Whatever or whoever it was that actually slashed up the book is never revealed.
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violentlyand viciously paranoid, to the point where she kills people in blind fear because she thinks they'll kill her first.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on thejob.clock. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she's been unable to do so because he's a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, only comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.servant.
** It's subverted with Lt. Jameson, who only comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, and further notes that he can most likely only pick up whoever or whatever slashed the reference book Margaret finds on vandalism charges.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer that's been terrorizing the city. Asultimately revealed alluded by Pipkin, she kills people because she's horrifically paranoid about living in the big city, to the point where she fully earnestly believes that everyone around her is going to will kill her first (even slashing the throat of a homeless man man's throat after he innocently asked her for change). After When Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, Margaret, succumbing to her insanity, casually mentions that she'll have to resign, the tone of her tone voice revealing that she's had to move to different towns and adopt different identities because of her little habit.
many times before.
* SanitySlippage: Margaret'slittle deranged monologue at the end hints that she's gone fully insane, and admits admitting that she'll have to resign and move to a new town, like she presumably has several times before.
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in theending, end, when it's revealed that she's the serial killer who's been plaguing the city without even being aware of it.
* ShoutOut: The newspaperrevealing that reveals the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
* SinisterSilhouettes:A The shadow of a man with a knife stabbing something is glimpsed by Margaret while she's in the basement.
basement. She finds no one down there when she restores power to the building, but ''does'' discover a reference book with its pages mysteriously slashed.
* SlasherSmile: Margaret givesoff a deranged one when she reveals herself to be the titular maniac, having fully succumbed to insanity after stabbing her boss to death.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaperdetailing headlining about the maniac loose in the city, which gets Margaret's paranoia flared up. They also leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret uses to kill her boss at the climax of the episode.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's booksdetails that describes how serial killers are capable of acting often act and looking look just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christie_(serial_killer) John Christie]], who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
person by all accounts.
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode'snamesake titular maniac.
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seenon as the front page headline of a patron's newspaper.
* TragicVillain: Margaret is a serial killer, yes, but she only killspeople because she's violently paranoid and thinks that they'll kill her if she doesn't kill them first. It's even revealed that this habit of hers has forced her to move from job to job, city to city, and perhaps even identity to identity.
take on new identities in new places numerous times.
* UltimateJobSecurity:Security guard Grady The library's security guard, Grady, has a short attention span, drinks on duty, and is said to think pretty lowly of his boss. The only reason he's still employed is because he's a civil servant, and Mrs. Pritchard has found it impossible to replace him after trying to do so several times.
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself to be the killer and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could be said that it's up to the viewers to determine what comesout of from all of this.
----
-----
->'''Crypt Keeper:'''''(standing (''standing in front of a corpse partially stuffed in a meat locker, which rests under a sign reading "SOULED")'' "SOULED"'') Well, kiddies, I guess that's ''knife'' in the big city for you! ''(cackles)'' (''cackles'') Boy, do I feel sorry for Margaret. Looks like it's just one ''dead''-end job after another. ''(cackles)'' (''cackles'') You'll be happy to know that I made a sale. The ne-''ghost''-iations were fierce ''(pushes (''pushes the corpse's leg inside)'', inside''), but after I threw in a couple of ''ache''-rs, the rest was easy. ''(cackles (''cackles and shuts the locker)'' locker'') There goes the neigh-''boo''-hood! ''(cackles)''(''cackles'')
* ForWantOfANail: It's very likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if those
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for the
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killer
* ItsAllAboutMe: If Grady is to be believed, Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty"
* TheKillerInMe: An amnesiac version
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''Alone
* LibraryEpisode: The episode is set entirely inside the inner-city library where Margaret
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard.
* MythologyGag: The rowdy
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged ending monologue
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he's
* NothingIsScarier: In her growing paranoia, Margaret
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violently
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on the
** It's subverted with Lt. Jameson, who only comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, and further notes that he can most likely only pick up whoever or whatever slashed the reference book Margaret finds on vandalism charges.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer that's been terrorizing the city. As
* SanitySlippage: Margaret's
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in the
* ShoutOut: The newspaper
* SinisterSilhouettes:
* SlasherSmile: Margaret gives
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaper
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode's
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seen
* TragicVillain: Margaret is a serial killer, yes, but she only kills
* UltimateJobSecurity:
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself to be the killer and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could be said that it's up to the viewers to determine what comes
->'''Crypt Keeper:'''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
to:
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E8TimeEnoughAtLast [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scribble the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
to:
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scribble scratch the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac John Christie, who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
to:
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christie_(serial_killer) John Christie, Christie]], who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1,3 (click to see context) from:
A mousey librarian named Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII), Pipkin, a patron who loves to study serial killers (Creator/AdamAnt), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Creator/SalomeJens)?
----
----
to:
[[caption-width-right:350:The price of paranoia is quite hefty.]]
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(dressed as a realtor and seated in front of an open briefcase, below a sign reading "Crypt Keeper Realty")'' City life got you down, kiddies? Looking for a home on ''derange?'' ''(shuts the briefcase)'' Well, look no further, because I've got exactly what you want. It's a charming ''tomb'' with a view. Think of it as your own little house on the ''scary.'' ''(cackles)'' You're not interested? What's the matter? Afraid you can't get a ''morgue''-age? Oh well, that's exactly how the woman in tonight's tortured tale feels. She's upset because there's a killer loose in her neighborhood. In a putrid property I call: '''Maniac at Large.'''
Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is a timid and mousey librarian who has recently begun working in
----
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Changed line(s) 5,10 (click to see context) from:
* TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
* LibraryEpisode: The story takes place in the library, where Margaret works.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span and drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she can't dismiss a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer. As implied by Pipkin, she kills people because she's paranoid enough to believe that they're going to kill her. After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, a possibly insane Margaret casually mentions that she'll have to resign. Who knows just how many jobs she's had and lost due to her mental instability?
* TragicMonster: Margaret is a Serial Killer, but in her mental state she only killed her victims because she perceived them to be threats to her.
----
* LibraryEpisode: The story takes place in the library, where Margaret works.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span and drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she can't dismiss a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the killer. As implied by Pipkin, she kills people because she's paranoid enough to believe that they're going to kill her. After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, a possibly insane Margaret casually mentions that she'll have to resign. Who knows just how many jobs she's had and lost due to her mental instability?
* TragicMonster: Margaret is a Serial Killer, but in her mental state she only killed her victims because she perceived them to be threats to her.
----
to:
* AmbiguousSituation: Is Margaret genuinely unaware that she's insanely paranoid and kills people out of blind fear? Or is she fully aware that she's a bloodthirsty murderer who's constantly on the run and plays up the paranoia to cover her tracks? The monologue she partially gives to Grady at the end of the episode, where she casually mentions she'll have to resign after stabbing her boss to death, leans slightly towards the latter.
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of her wits by the fact that a serial killer is loose in her neighborhood. The end of the episode, where she rants about Mrs. Pritchard being "just like all the others" as she stabs her to death, reveals that she's been the serial killer all along, but was so wrapped up in her paranoia that she has no idea. Of course, her crazed speech at the end hints that she ''is'' aware of what she does and how it keeps ruining her life and forcing her to go on the run.
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is a pretty heavy bibliophile, especially with books on serial killers. The scene where he introduces himself to Margaret even has him asking if he could check out a reference book, which she says are for library use only. He's also revealed to have stayed in the library after closing time, having been wrapped up in his reading.
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret pockets. The end of the episode has her use the blade to kill Mrs. Pritchard after thinking she was going to kill her.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patrons consist of vagrants who aren't exactly all there, raising Margaret's suspicions that any of them could be the killer. One old lady even sings "Old [=MacDonald=]" in a soft, unnerving voice right to Margaret's face, and does so until Grady escorts her out.
* CreepyBasement: The library's basement. It's big, narrow, and poorly lit, and Margaret seems to witness someone or something stabbing something else in silhouette.
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serial killers and Margaret herself hints that he's the killer who's been running loose, and is plotting to kill her next. He isn't the actual killer, she is. Despite this, he did manage to predict her next move and her motives with complete accuracy.
** Another CRH comes in the form of Mr. Gartam, an employee who works the late shift at the library. He appears to Margaret as a hunched over homeless man who pounds on the door and begs to be let in, but Mrs. Pritchard clarifies that he only did so because he had books to drop off, as well as the fact that his posture is the result of a bone disorder.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric and borderline manic he was, most of Pipkin's advice regarding the killer turns out to be '''''100% correct''''', even managing to guess what their weapon of choice is, who their next victim would be, and why they kill people in the first place. The only thing he got wrong was that the killer is a man.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling the city streets? Margaret, the seemingly innocent and timid librarian we've been focusing on all episode.
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all of them red herrings by revealing that the killer is Margaret herself.
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he's British, eccentric, and studies serial killers with an intensive passion, he's not actually evil.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in the episode, including the fact that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
** As described above, Pipkin's theories about how the killer operates, who their next victim would be, and their motives for killing all come to fruition when Margaret snaps and stabs Mrs. Pritchard to death.
** Mrs. Pritchard also drops one final hint that leads to TheReveal: the killer may not actually be a man.
-->'''Pritchard:''' [[LampshadeHanging That'd surprise everyone, wouldn't it?]]
* ForWantOfANail: It's likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if those teens hadn't swiped the old man's newspaper and left behind one of their pocket knives.
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for the late shift, Margaret begs her not to leave her alone when there's a potential murderer in the building.
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killer kills people because of life in the city, where strangers of all sorts could touch or attack them. Margaret reveals this to be part of her motive when she's revealed as the killer, even screaming at Mrs. Pritchard not to touch her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty" attitude, if Grady is to be believed.
* TheKillerInMe:The An amnesiac example actually. All this time, version of the trope. Margaret is in a panic believing spends the whole episode panicking when she believes the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all she herself is the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her it, because she thinks ''everyone'' is out to get her. Case in point, Margaret's rant to her latest victim victim, Mrs. Pritchard, reveals that she's borderline insane and thought her boss was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going "just like all the others" out to kill get her.
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''Alone With the Devil'', the reference book Pipkin wanted to check out, has a man's eyes grimly staring at the viewer
* LibraryEpisode: Thestory takes place in episode is set entirely inside the library, inner-city library where Margaret works.
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard. She's strict, stingy, and authoritarian, but only because she wants what's best for her library. At the same time, she's pretty friendly to Margaret when the two of them are alone, inviting Margaret to her office to talk and share some coffee when her mental state gets progressively worse.
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scribble the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged monologue at the end is any indication, she's aware that her paranoia has led her to kill people, move to a new town, and get a new identity several times before.
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he's a pretty decent guy, hating how Mrs. Pritchard bosses everyone around, and even trying to convince her to let the library's largely homeless patrons spend the night there to avoid the killer loose in the streets.
* NothingIsScarier: Margaret witnesses a silhouetted hand with a knife stabbing something in the basement. She soon finds that there's no one there, but discovers a reference book that has had its pages slashed. Whatever or whoever it was that actually slashed up the book is never revealed.
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violently and viciously paranoid, to the point where she kills people because she thinks they'll kill her first.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, butshe can't dismiss she's unable to do so because he's a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at comes to the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is thekiller. killer that's been terrorizing the city. As implied ultimately revealed by Pipkin, she kills people because she's horrifically paranoid enough about living in the city, to believe the point where she fully believes that they're everyone around her is going to kill her.her first (even slashing the throat of a homeless man after he innocently asked her for change). After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, a possibly insane Margaret Margaret, casually mentions that she'll have to resign. Who knows just how many jobs resign, her tone revealing that she's had to move to different towns and lost due to adopt different identities because of her mental instability?
little habit.
*TragicMonster: SanitySlippage: Margaret's little monologue at the end hints that she's gone fully insane, and admits that she'll have to resign and move to a new town, like she has several times before.
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in the ending, when it's revealed that she's the serial killer who's been plaguing the city without even being aware of it.
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
* SinisterSilhouettes: A shadow of a man with a knife stabbing something is glimpsed by Margaret while she's in the basement.
* SlasherSmile: Margaret gives off a deranged one when she reveals herself to be the maniac, having fully succumbed to insanity after stabbing her boss to death.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaper detailing the maniac loose in the city, which gets Margaret's paranoia flared up. They also leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret uses at the climax of the episode.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac John Christie, who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode's namesake maniac.
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seen on the front page of a patron's newspaper.
* TragicVillain: Margaret is aSerial Killer, serial killer, yes, but in her mental state she only killed her victims kills people because she's violently paranoid and thinks that they'll kill her if she perceived doesn't kill them first. It's even revealed that this habit of hers has forced her to move from job to job, city to city, and perhaps even identity to identity.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Security guard Grady has a short attention span, drinks on duty, and is said to think pretty lowly of his boss. The only reason he's still employed is because he's a civil servant, and Mrs. Pritchard has found it impossible to replace him after trying several times.
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could bethreats said that it's up to her.
----the viewers to determine what comes out of all this.
----
->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(standing in front of a corpse partially stuffed in a meat locker, which rests under a sign reading "SOULED")'' Well, kiddies, I guess that's ''knife'' in the big city for you! ''(cackles)'' Boy, do I feel sorry for Margaret. Looks like it's just one ''dead''-end job after another. ''(cackles)'' You'll be happy to know that I made a sale. The ne-''ghost''-iations were fierce ''(pushes the corpse's leg inside)'', but after I threw in a couple of ''ache''-rs, the rest was easy. ''(cackles and shuts the locker)'' There goes the neigh-''boo''-hood! ''(cackles)''
* AmnesiacDissonance: Margaret spends the whole episode frightened out of her wits by the fact that a serial killer is loose in her neighborhood. The end of the episode, where she rants about Mrs. Pritchard being "just like all the others" as she stabs her to death, reveals that she's been the serial killer all along, but was so wrapped up in her paranoia that she has no idea. Of course, her crazed speech at the end hints that she ''is'' aware of what she does and how it keeps ruining her life and forcing her to go on the run.
* {{Bookworm}}: Pipkin is a pretty heavy bibliophile, especially with books on serial killers. The scene where he introduces himself to Margaret even has him asking if he could check out a reference book, which she says are for library use only. He's also revealed to have stayed in the library after closing time, having been wrapped up in his reading.
* ChekhovsGun: The teenagers in the opening scene leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret pockets. The end of the episode has her use the blade to kill Mrs. Pritchard after thinking she was going to kill her.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: A hefty chunk of the library's regular patrons consist of vagrants who aren't exactly all there, raising Margaret's suspicions that any of them could be the killer. One old lady even sings "Old [=MacDonald=]" in a soft, unnerving voice right to Margaret's face, and does so until Grady escorts her out.
* CreepyBasement: The library's basement. It's big, narrow, and poorly lit, and Margaret seems to witness someone or something stabbing something else in silhouette.
* CreepyRedHerring: Pipkin's maniacal interest in serial killers and Margaret herself hints that he's the killer who's been running loose, and is plotting to kill her next. He isn't the actual killer, she is. Despite this, he did manage to predict her next move and her motives with complete accuracy.
** Another CRH comes in the form of Mr. Gartam, an employee who works the late shift at the library. He appears to Margaret as a hunched over homeless man who pounds on the door and begs to be let in, but Mrs. Pritchard clarifies that he only did so because he had books to drop off, as well as the fact that his posture is the result of a bone disorder.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In spite of how eccentric and borderline manic he was, most of Pipkin's advice regarding the killer turns out to be '''''100% correct''''', even managing to guess what their weapon of choice is, who their next victim would be, and why they kill people in the first place. The only thing he got wrong was that the killer is a man.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true identity of the killer prowling the city streets? Margaret, the seemingly innocent and timid librarian we've been focusing on all episode.
* EveryoneIsASuspect: Everyone who Margaret interacts with seems to have hints and motives that they could be the serial killer. The end of the episode renders all of them red herrings by revealing that the killer is Margaret herself.
* EvilBrit: Averted with Pipkin. Even though he's British, eccentric, and studies serial killers with an intensive passion, he's not actually evil.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints relating to Margaret's actual identity dropped early in the episode, including the fact that she's been working at the library for only two weeks and she's never once mentioned her family.
** As described above, Pipkin's theories about how the killer operates, who their next victim would be, and their motives for killing all come to fruition when Margaret snaps and stabs Mrs. Pritchard to death.
** Mrs. Pritchard also drops one final hint that leads to TheReveal: the killer may not actually be a man.
-->'''Pritchard:''' [[LampshadeHanging That'd surprise everyone, wouldn't it?]]
* ForWantOfANail: It's likely that the events of the episode would've never happened if those teens hadn't swiped the old man's newspaper and left behind one of their pocket knives.
* HatesBeingAlone: When Mrs. Pritchard goes out to grab some sandwiches and coffee for the late shift, Margaret begs her not to leave her alone when there's a potential murderer in the building.
* HatesBeingTouched: Pipkin implies that the serial killer kills people because of life in the city, where strangers of all sorts could touch or attack them. Margaret reveals this to be part of her motive when she's revealed as the killer, even screaming at Mrs. Pritchard not to touch her.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mrs. Pritchard is a stern and self-centered employer with a "high and mighty" attitude, if Grady is to be believed.
* TheKillerInMe:
* KubrickStare: The cover of ''Alone With the Devil'', the reference book Pipkin wanted to check out, has a man's eyes grimly staring at the viewer
* LibraryEpisode: The
* MeanBoss: Downplayed with Mrs. Pritchard. She's strict, stingy, and authoritarian, but only because she wants what's best for her library. At the same time, she's pretty friendly to Margaret when the two of them are alone, inviting Margaret to her office to talk and share some coffee when her mental state gets progressively worse.
* MythologyGag: The rowdy teens in the opening scene scribble the name "Creator/ECComics" (the source material for the series) into one of the library's tables in the opening scene.
* NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: If Margaret's deranged monologue at the end is any indication, she's aware that her paranoia has led her to kill people, move to a new town, and get a new identity several times before.
* NiceGuy: For all his ineffectiveness, Grady shows that he's a pretty decent guy, hating how Mrs. Pritchard bosses everyone around, and even trying to convince her to let the library's largely homeless patrons spend the night there to avoid the killer loose in the streets.
* NothingIsScarier: Margaret witnesses a silhouetted hand with a knife stabbing something in the basement. She soon finds that there's no one there, but discovers a reference book that has had its pages slashed. Whatever or whoever it was that actually slashed up the book is never revealed.
* TheParanoiac: Margaret is violently and viciously paranoid, to the point where she kills people because she thinks they'll kill her first.
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the library's security guard, has a limited attention span and actively drinks while on the job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but
* TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is the
*
* ScaryLibrarian: Margaret is revealed to be one in the ending, when it's revealed that she's the serial killer who's been plaguing the city without even being aware of it.
* ShoutOut: The newspaper revealing that the killer is still at large is [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS1E8TimeEnoughAtLast The Daily Chronicle.]]
* SinisterSilhouettes: A shadow of a man with a knife stabbing something is glimpsed by Margaret while she's in the basement.
* SlasherSmile: Margaret gives off a deranged one when she reveals herself to be the maniac, having fully succumbed to insanity after stabbing her boss to death.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: The teenagers in the opening scene, who swipe a newspaper detailing the maniac loose in the city, which gets Margaret's paranoia flared up. They also leave one of their switchblades behind, which Margaret uses at the climax of the episode.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: One of Pipkin's books details that serial killers are capable of acting and looking just like any other person. It even carries a picture of killer and necrophiliac John Christie, who Pipkin says looks like an ordinary person.
** This is also demonstrated properly in the ending, where Margaret, our innocent-but-frightened main character, is revealed to be the episode's namesake maniac.
* TitleDrop: The episode's title is seen on the front page of a patron's newspaper.
* TragicVillain: Margaret is a
* UltimateJobSecurity: Security guard Grady has a short attention span, drinks on duty, and is said to think pretty lowly of his boss. The only reason he's still employed is because he's a civil servant, and Mrs. Pritchard has found it impossible to replace him after trying several times.
* WhatNowEnding: The episode ends as Margaret reveals herself and guesses she'll have to move on to another new life, right after Grady discovers his employer's dead body in her office. It could be
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->'''Crypt Keeper:''' ''(standing in front of a corpse partially stuffed in a meat locker, which rests under a sign reading "SOULED")'' Well, kiddies, I guess that's ''knife'' in the big city for you! ''(cackles)'' Boy, do I feel sorry for Margaret. Looks like it's just one ''dead''-end job after another. ''(cackles)'' You'll be happy to know that I made a sale. The ne-''ghost''-iations were fierce ''(pushes the corpse's leg inside)'', but after I threw in a couple of ''ache''-rs, the rest was easy. ''(cackles and shuts the locker)'' There goes the neigh-''boo''-hood! ''(cackles)''
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*TragicMonster: Margaret is a Serial Killer, but in her mental state she only killed her victims because she perceived them to be threats to her.
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A mousey librarian named Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII), Pipkin, a patron who loves to study serial killers (Creator/AtomAnt), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Creator/SalomeJens)?
to:
A mousey librarian named Margaret (Creator/BlytheDanner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII), Pipkin, a patron who loves to study serial killers (Creator/AtomAnt), (Creator/AdamAnt), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Creator/SalomeJens)?
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Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
A mousey librarian named Margaret (Played by Blythe Danner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Played by Clarence Williams III), a patron who loves murder mysteries (Played by Adam Ant), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Played by Salome Jens)?
to:
A mousey librarian named Margaret (Played by Blythe Danner) (Creator/BlytheDanner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Played by Clarence Williams III), (Creator/ClarenceWilliamsIII), Pipkin, a patron who loves murder mysteries (Played by Adam Ant), to study serial killers (Creator/AtomAnt), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Played by Salome Jens)?
(Creator/SalomeJens)?
* TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
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* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span, according to Miss Prichard, and he drinks while on the job. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
* TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
to:
* PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span, according to Miss Prichard, span and he drinks while on the job.job. Mrs. Pritchard has considered firing him, but she can't dismiss a civil servant. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
* TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret *TheReveal: ''Margaret herself'' is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed killer. As implied by Margaret Pipkin, she kills people because she thought they were she's paranoid enough to believe that they're going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom After Grady discovers Mrs. Pritchard's body, a possibly insane Margaret believes was going casually mentions that she'll have to kill her.
resign. Who knows just how many jobs she's had and lost due to her mental instability?
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Added DiffLines:
A mousey librarian named Margaret (Played by Blythe Danner) is in a panic because there is a serial killer loose in her neighborhood. With being forced to work late, bumps and thumps in the night, anyone could be the serial killer, but who? Grady the security guard (Played by Clarence Williams III), a patron who loves murder mysteries (Played by Adam Ant), or the head librarian, Miss Prichard (Played by Salome Jens)?
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!! This episode has examples of:
*LibraryEpisode: The story takes place in the library, where Margaret works.
*PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span, according to Miss Prichard, and he drinks while on the job. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
*TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
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!! This episode has examples of:
*LibraryEpisode: The story takes place in the library, where Margaret works.
*PoliceAreUseless: Grady, the security guard, has a limited attention span, according to Miss Prichard, and he drinks while on the job. Lt. Jameson, on the other hand, was only at the library because of a report of stolen typewriters, so it's subverted in his case.
*TheKillerInMe: The amnesiac example actually. All this time, Margaret is in a panic believing the killer is out to kill her, but it turns out that all the victims in the park we killed by Margaret because she thought they were going to kill her. She's the serial killer and doesn't even know it. Her latest victim was Miss Prichard, whom Margaret believes was going to kill her.
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