The City Council announces the opening of a new Dog Park. They would like to remind citizens that dogs are not allowed in the dog park, and neither are citizens for that matter, as the hooded figures that habit the park are, for people's own safety, neither to be contacted nor disturbed in any way. Meanwhile, Old Woman Josie reports that she has recently been visited by a group of angels who helped her out with her daily chores, and she is offering to sell a lightbulb one of the angels changed for her, claiming that said bulb surely must have some resale value seeing how it has been touched by a divine being. A new scientist named Carlos comes to town, and his hair entrances everyone who looks at it. Teddy Williams, owner of The Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, discovers something strange beneath the pin-retrieval area of lane five. There is also a helpful guide to helicopter identification, and the community calendar.
Tropes present in Pilot include:
- Beneath the Earth: Teddy Williams discovers a vast underground city beneath The Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex.
- Black Helicopter: They're from the world government. You probably don't want your kids to play nearby. But the blue ones are only the Sheriff's Secret Police. They're perfectly safe.
- Blunt "Yes": Alligators: can they kill your children? Yes.
- Book Ends: Discussed when Cecil talks about death.I think the best way to die would be swallowed by a giant snake. Going feet first and whole into a slimy maw would give your life perfect symmetry.
- Establishing Series Moment: The opening statement describes Night Vale quite well.A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale.
- Flying Saucer: The lights in the sky above the Arby's, who are apparently very safe drivers.
- Immune to Bullets: The local chapter of the NRA would like you to believe the citizens of Night Vale are this.
- Look Behind You: Keep looking to the north. There's nothing coming from the south.
- Love at First Sight: Cecil to Carlos.
- Magical Native American: Invoked by the "Indian" tracker, despite being a white guy, of "maybe Slavic origin". What an asshole.
- Mood Whiplash: After finishing an unnerving description of the mysterious dangers posed by helicopters painted with murals of birds of prey, Cecil reminds listeners that gatorade is basically soda, so your kids should just drink plain water if you're going to let them play in the sand dunes.
- Non-Indicative Name: There are no dogs allowed in the Dog Park. Also, there is no water at the waterfront.
- Our Angels Are Different: Ten feet tall, radiant, and one of them was black. They appeared to Old Woman Josie and decided to come live with her.
- Salt Solution: Implied; Old Woman Josie makes her corn muffins with no salt because the angels took hers to use on a godly mission.
- Small Town Rivalry: Night Vale and Desert Bluffs. Cecil speculates that Desert Bluffs sent a commercial jet into the Night Vale Elementary gym to delay their basketball practice before a big game.
- The Treachery of Images: The house that looks like it exists but doesn't.
- World's Most Beautiful Man: Beautiful Carlos again.
