History Recap / TheTwilightZone1959S5E14YouDrive

Oliver "Ollie" Pope (Creator/EdwardAndrews) is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving and, as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy who's delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope doesn't stop to offer aid, but instead hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lilian (Helen Westcott), and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radcliff (Kevin Hagen), is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion.

Before long, the vehicle seems to take on a mind of its own. The vehicle itself rebels against its owner: at first, when Ollie is near the car, it honks its horn, flashes its lights, attempts to start on its own, drops its bumper, tries to close its hood on him and repeats the radio newsflash of Timmy's death in an attempt to get Ollie's attention. Then, while his wife is driving the car, it drives to the scene of the accident and stalls out, seemingly determined to get Pope to admit his guilt. Eventually, as Pope starts walking to work so the car isn't seen by police, the car leaves Pope's garage on its own, chases him down the street in a rain storm and seems to be about to run him down. It stops just before doing this and the passenger door opens; Pope gets in and the car then drives him to the police station, where he walks in to confess.

Oliver "Ollie" Pope (Creator/EdwardAndrews) is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving and, as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope doesn't stop to offer aid, but instead hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lilian (Helen Westcott), and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radcliff (Kevin Hagen), is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion.

Oliver ("Ollie") Pope is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving and, as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope doesn't stop to offer aid, but instead hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lilian, and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radcliff, is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': All persons attempting to conceal criminal acts involving their cars are hereby warned: check first to see that underneath that chrome there does not lie a conscience, especially if you're driving along a rain-soaked highway in the Twilight Zone.

* PoliceAreUseless: Zig zagged. The police take the hit-and-run very seriously, keeping watch at the corner in case the driver comes back and checking out leads. On the other hand, they arrest Pete who is not only innocent, but actually has a pretty good alibi.

* WhamLine: The news of the young victim's death becomes this to both Oliver and the audience. This marks the point where it's no longer a matter of coming forward and apologizing for wrong doings.

* HateSink: While Oliver Pope is understandably stressed over his job and livelihood, any hopeful redeeming traits he has evaporates by the end of the episode.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Oliver Pope is not a good person in the slightest and emphasized by each moment in the story that that gives Oliver ''any'' chance at redemption, he makes the wrong choice each time. He accidentally runs over the paper delivery boy on his bicycle, then cowardly runs away from the victim. When his coworker is arrested for the crime he committed, he sees it as an opportunity to save his job. Even hearing the news of his victim's death doesn't do much to sway Oliver and he continues carries on like nothing. His car is literally forced to take matters into its own hands to make Oliver pay for his crime.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Oliver Pope.

* CerberusSyndrome: For most of the episode, the car is more just a nuisance to Oliver Pope, throwing his crime in his face and keeping him up all night. When it's clear he would rather get rid of the car than confess, the car makes no secret of what it's trying to do and threatens to run him over and kill him unless he confesses to the police.

* CereberusSyndrome: For most of the episode, the car is more just a nuisance to Oliver Pope, throwing his crime in his face and keeping him up all night. When it's clear he would rather get rid of the car than confess, the car makes no secret of what it's trying to do and threatens to run him over and kill him unless he confesses to the police.

* TheSociopath: Oliver Pope is not a good person in the slightest and emphasized by each moment in the story that that gives Oliver ''any'' chance at redemption, he makes the wrong choice each time. He accidentally runs over the paper delivery boy on his bicycle, then cowardly runs away from the victim. When his coworker is arrested for the crime he committed, he sees it as an opportunity to save his job. Even hearing the news of his victim's death doesn't do much to sway Oliver and he continues carries on like nothing. His car is literally forced to take matters into its own hands to make Oliver pay for his crime.

* WhamLine: The news of the young victim's death becomes this to both Oliver and the audience. This marks the point where it's no longer a matter of coming forward and apologizing for wrong doings.

* WhamLine: The news of the young victim's death becomes this to both Oliver and the audience.

!!Tropes:

Oliver ("Ollie") Pope is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving and, as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope doesn't stop to offer aid, but instead hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lilian, and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radclifef, is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion.

** Pete Radcliffe, his coworker, says while visiting that the dead boy Timmy used to play with his children and was a very decent, ambitious kid, also in front of Pope.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Portrait of a nervous man: Oliver Pope by name, office manager by profession. A man beset by life's problems: his job, his salary, the competition to get ahead. Obviously, Mr. Pope's mind is not on his driving... Oliver Pope, businessman-turned killer, on a rain-soaked street in the early evening of just another day during just another drive home from the office. The victim, a kid on a bicycle, lying injured, near death. But Mr. Pope hasn't time for the victim, his only concern is for himself. Oliver Pope, hit-and-run driver, just arrived at a crossroad in his life and he's chosen the wrong turn. The hit occurred in the world he knows, but the run will lead him straight into The Twilight Zone.

Oliver ("Ollie") Pope is in a hurry. The nervous and distracted man's mind is not on his driving and, as a result, he slams his 1956 Ford Fairlane into Timmy Danbers, a young boy delivering newspapers on a bicycle, injuring him seriously enough that the boy eventually dies of his injuries. Pope doesn't stop to offer aid, but instead hurries off, trying to conceal his part in the accident. His wife, Lillian, and his co-workers notice that he is increasingly irritable. A co-worker, Pete Radcliff, is inaccurately identified by a witness and Pope does everything to foment that erroneous suspicion.

Before long, the vehicle seems to take on a mind of its own. The vehicle itself rebels against its owner: at first, when Ollie is near the car, it honks its horn, flashes its lights, attempts to start on its own, drops its bumper, tries to close its hood on him and repeats the radio newsflash of the boy's death in an attempt to get Ollie's attention. Then, while his wife is driving the car, it drives to the scene of the accident and stalls out, seemingly determined to get Pope to admit his guilt. Eventually, as Pope starts walking to work so the car isn't seen by police, the car leaves Pope's garage on its own, chases him down the street in a rain storm and seems to be about to run him down. It stops just before doing this and the passenger door opens; Pope gets in and the car then drives him to the police station, where he walks in to confess.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': All persons attempting to conceal criminal acts involving their cars are hereby warned: check first to see that underneath that chrome there does not lie a conscience, especially if you're driving along a rain-soaked highway in The Twilight Zone.

** Pete Radcliffe, his coworker, says while visiting that the injured boy used to play with his children and was a very decent, ambitious kid, also in front of Pope.
* PoliceAreUseless: Zig zagged. The police take the hit-and-run very seriously, keeping watch at the corner in case the driver comes back and checking out leads. On the other hand, the guy they arrest is not only innocent, but actually has a pretty good alibi.

* WhatTheHellHero: When Oliver expresses delight at hearing Pete was (wrongfully) convicted of the hit-and-run, Mrs. Pope expresses disgust that her husband would take pleasure from Pete's misfortune.

* MyCarHatesMe

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Portrait of a nervous man: Oliver Pope by name, office manager by profession. A man beset by life's problems: his job, his salary, the competition to get ahead. Obviously, Mr. Pope's mind is not on his driving... Oliver Pope, businessman-turned killer, on a rain-soaked street in the early evening of just another day during just another drive home from the office. The victim, a kid on a bicycle, lying injured, near death. But Mr. Pope hasn't time for the victim, his only concern is for himself. Oliver Pope, hit-and-run driver, just arrived at a crossroad in his life, and he's chosen the wrong turn. The hit occurred in the world he knows, but the run will lead him straight into the Twilight Zone.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': All persons attempting to conceal criminal acts involving their cars are hereby warned: check first to see that underneath that chrome there does not lie a conscience, especially if you're driving along a rain-soaked highway in the Twilight Zone.

Before long, the vehicle seems to take on a mind of its own. The vehicle itself rebels against its owner: at first, when Ollie is near the car, it honks its horn, flashes its lights, attempts to start on its own, drops its bumper, tries to close its hood on him and repeats the radio newsflash of the boy's death in an attempt to get Ollie's attention. Then, while his wife is driving the car, it drives to the scene of the accident and stalls out, seemingly determined to get Pope to admit his guilt. Eventually, as Pope starts walking to work so the car isn't seen by police, the car leaves Pope's garage on its own, chases him down the street in a rain storm and seems to be about to run him down. It stops just before doing this and the passenger door opens; Pope gets in and the car then drives him to the police station, where he walks in to confess.

Before long, the vehicle seems to take on a mind of its own. The vehicle itself rebels against its owner: at first, when Ollie is near the car, it honks its horn, flashes its lights, attempts to start on its own, drops its bumper, tries to close its hood on him and repeats the radio newsflash of the boy's death in an attempt to get Ollie's attention. Then, while his wife is driving the car, it drives to the scene of the accident and stalls out, seemingly determined to get Pope to admit his guilt. Eventually, as Pope starts walking to work so the car isn't seen by police, the car leaves Pope's garage on its own, chases him down the street in a rain storm and seems to be about to run him down. It stops just before doing this and the passenger door opens; Pope gets in and the car then drives him to the police station, where he walks in to confess.

* MyCarHatesMe