User Reviews

Played with a comical twist this episode of "The Twilight Zone" is an amusing look at a hypochondriac (David Wayne) who literally makes a deal with the devil (Thomas Gomez) to sell him his soul for complete health and immortality. Along the way, Wayne purposely falls onto a train track as a speeding train approaches, lives to file a claim and ends up in prison after accidentally killing his wife when he had intended to jump off a roof himself. Hoping to experience surviving the electric chair, Wayne finds that the twist aren't exactly what he expected, and Gomez may just be able to cash in before the thousands of years have passed.

Realizing that at least when he was sick (or thought he was), Wayne realizes that the promise of immortality is not such a good idea when everything happens to him that simply just leaves him facing a world of boredom. He delivers a fine performance with Gomez delightfully over the top and laughing outrageously as he realizes that once again in the realm of humanity, there is indeed a sucker born every minute. I would not call this a classic of the series but it is truly enjoyable in a light-hearted manner and does have a few surprises along the way.

Self-absorbed hypochondriac Walter Bedeker (well played to the obnoxious hilt by David Wayne) sells his soul to the sinister Cadwallader (a wonderfully robust performance by Thomas Gomez) in exchange for immortality.

Director Mitchell Leisen keeps the entertaining story moving at a quick pace and maintains a neat tongue-in-cheek tone throughout; it's a riot to watch the selfish and irritating Bedeker take initial greedy advantage of his new found immortality by doing stuff like jumping off train platforms so he can collect insurance claims before he eventually gets bored with his indestructibility. Rod Serling's clever script bristles with sharp witty dialogue and has a spot-on solid central message about accepting mortality as a necessary part of human existence. Virginia Christine lends sound support as Walter's worried wife Ethel. The nicely ironic ending wraps things up in a satisfying way. A real hoot.

Perhaps the darkest episode yet, 'Escape Clause' is not without its charm, showcasing many likable qualities that would go on to define the series. Although not perfect per se, this is still amongst my most treasured of TZ episodes, and was actually one of the very first experiences I had with the show.

The episode begins with an absolutely flawless first act which is perfectly paced to allow Wayne and Gomez to bring out their characters, and get the chemistry going. Just watching these two men (even Wayne alone) share the excellent dialogue penned by Serling is enough to justify watching this entire episode, which sadly doesn't live up to its opening act. Furthering the charm of this act however is the containment of the action within the one room, with heavy reliance on dialogue and characterisation which work to episodes advantage in many ways. The themes present here too are amongst my favourite of Twilight Zone concepts, and I feel that although similar to the earlier episode 'One for the Angels', this one goes so much further in analysing the true psychological impact of being granted immortality. It eventually goes on to paint a rather tragic character in Bedeker, who seems to be a man who never gets to really live: whilst mortal he develops an obsession with living and stays in bed, too scared to do anything that might kill him; and then whilst immortal he desperately seeks a 'thrill' of testing death, over and over to no avail. I could go on and on: this is probably just another reason why I love the opening scenes of 'Escape Clause' so much; it's simply a feast for thought! Indeed if act one is the consciousness of the episode then act two is surely the psychological side, showing the eventual break-down of all such rational thought within a man given all he has ever wanted. This undoubtedly leads to some rather wacky and surreal situations that are sadistically humorous, showing a great deal of wit and dark comedy that until now has been largely underused in the show. Some characterisation in this act is where the episode falters, taking large leaps in all directions without any real development to get there. Wayne's character eventually makes some rather brash decisions that are fuelled by motives not particularly clear, and even though they bring down the episode's seriousness, they also do a wonderful job of lightening things up a bit. Well, as best as Serling could do at least. I admittedly could do with a little less absurdities (such as wishing for the electric chair), but I absolutely loved the fact that he calls the police and calmly confesses to murdering his wife; fantastic writing, and Wayne pulls it off magnificently.

If there is one major thing that puts me off 'Escape Clause' it's the absolutely terrible score which goes to undermine any real sense of intelligent, dark humour; instead slapping an unnecessary slapstick sticker on top with its rather idiotic tone. A small gripe yes, but one that I believe strongly hurts the integrity of the episode quite a bit, and stops it from being that much closer to perfection.

Nevertheless I do adore 'Escape Clause' no doubt thanks to its wonderful sense of humour, thought-provoking themes, excellent written and performed dialogue and it's dark tone which eventually leads up to what is perhaps one of the bleakest ending monologues I've ever heard in a Twilight Zone show. A lot of people don't seem to like it for some weird reason far beyond my reasoning, but for me, this will always be one of the best Serling had to offer.

Most people say that the early episodes in a show's lineup are usually the best ones, and even when the show in question is the Twilight Zone, I have to agree with this. The show had a lot of memorable episodes, even in its final season when it was clearly running out of ideas, but this early installment is among my favorites because it does what TZ is best at: providing a mysterious plot that contains some elements that simply can't be explained, as well as having a twist ending. The episode focuses on Walter Bedeker (David Wayne), a man who is convinced he is dying of some undiagnosed illness. He's mad at everyone for having wronged him in some way. He hates his doctor for not finding out what's wrong with him, he hates his wife for her alleged insincere affection towards him, and he hates himself because of his mortality. Even if there's nothing wrong with him, he'll still die one day. Another character named Mr. Cadwallader (Thomas Gomez) inexplicably appears in the room from out of nowhere, having overheard Walter's monologue about how he's frustrated that human lifespans are so short. Cadwallader turns out to be Satan and wants Walter to give up his soul in exchange for never being able to die. He also includes an escape clause in the immortality contract that says if Walter still wants to end his life for any reason, he can enact it by talking to him again. After the deal is complete, Bedeker puts his hands on a scalding radiator to test his newfound powers and discovers the devil hasn't slighted his request. Walter then uses his immortality to do normally suicidal things, like throwing himself in front of subways and drinking ammonia and rubbing alcohol. However, it's not long before Walter starts to get bored of being unkillable. He confesses to his wife that nothing thrills him anymore, and that at least when he was mortal, there was a certain excitement in knowing he could die at any moment. Walter says he's going to jump off the top of his apartment building just for the fun of it, and his wife tries to stop him, but she ends up falling off instead. Walter, wanting to give the electric chair a try, calls the police and admits to killing his wife. However, when he's actually convicted, Walter is given a life sentence without parole instead of death. Now realizing he's going to be in prison until it rots, Walter summons Cadwallader and says he wants to use the escape clause. Immediately after, Walter drops dead from cardiac arrest. This episode is really simple, but it shows that the simple ones are also the greatest. David Wayne portrays a man who has a very common complaint, that being life isn't long enough. He wants to have time to do the things he enjoys, and the devil answers his call. After Walter has his abilities though, he finds out that being immortal is basically torture. You have to put up with your family dying before your eyes, you have to witness humanity slowly destroy itself, and there is no point in doing healthy activities anymore. That's essentially all there is to Escape Clause, but the moral of this one is a saying that will always be relevant: be careful what you wish for.

Despite not boasting a particularly favourable reputation among TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, "Escape Clause" is a tremendously enjoyable episode in my humble opinion. It ranks high among the episodes thus far in terms of amusement factor and the episode, is by large, a dark comedy about the nature of life and its mortal curse. It helps having two rather memorable and charismatic lead performances in David Wayne as the hypochondriac protagonist and Thomas Gomez as the Devil who acquires the former's soul in exchange for immortality.

In many ways, "Escape Clause" reminds me of the show's second episode, "One for the Angels" which was a light-hearted tale about an aging man's confrontation with Death and his gradual acceptance of his life reaching its expiration. "Escape Clause" however, is much darker, and this is evident in the tonal shift from pure comedy to dark comedy. The episode begins with the bedridden, but perfectly healthy protagonist, paranoid about his health and his constant agitating of his loyal and receptive wife is amusing to watch. His encounter with the Devil is amusing and when the deal is made that he will achieve immortality in exchange for his soul, the episode takes a rapid turn. The protagonist no longer has cause for the paranoia that had previously consumed his every thought. The fear of death and illness is eliminated with this fortuitous offer that had come his way and he now exercises his liberation by performing death defying 'stunts' that ultimately ends with the accidental murder of his wife.

Where that goes with the protagonist landing in prison, only to reveal that his next ambition in his immortal life is to reach the electric chair is another example of the episode's fine sense of dark humour. It was written by Rod Serling, no doubt one of the great minds of the television medium and his script here is very sharp. Even today, near six decades after the episode first aired, it holds up almost perfectly and it is a testament to Serling's unhinged imagination as well as his great control in his writing. No element of the script appears dated and that is quite an accomplishment.

The performances of David Wayne and Thomas Gomez, even if the latter has only a short appearance in this episode, are fantastic and both performances and on-screen chemistry reminded me of "One for the Angels" which paired Ed Wynn and Murray Hamilton even if this particular episode, in my opinion, does not reach the earlier heights.

"Escape Clause" was an immensely satisfying experience for me and watching the episode evolve from a broad comedy to a dark comedy suited the narrative of the episode as one about life and death. An exceptionally well-paced, wonderfully well-acted and superbly written episode, "Escape Clause" is one of my favourites in the few episodes of the show so far.

An enjoyable piece of whimsy in which hypochondriacal David Wayne, who believes he will die any moment, is granted immortality by the devil, who appears in the form of the jovial Thomas Gomez. Wayne will live for thousands of years, guaranteed, unless he chooses to exercise the escape clause in the contract, in which case he dies painlessly and at once.

Wayne, who has confined himself to his bed, and who has done nothing but insult his wife, Virginia Christine (Mrs. Olson, the Folger coffee lady) and the doctors, is a new man. He presses his palms against the radiator. Nothing! So far, so great. He throws himself under a subway train and sues the company for a lot of money. The same with the bus company. But he's getting bored. Life is losing its zest. Even drinking a bottle of iodine doesn't help. It tastes like weak lemonade. He's about to throw himself off the roof when his wife, in a desperate attempt to stop him, falls to her death. Wayne decides to try out the electric chair and see if he can extract a volt of excitement from the experience. He gets "life without parole" instead and can only look forward to thousands of years behind bars. "Boredom is the root of all evil," as Kierkegaard observed. Wayne exercises the escape clause.

We usually think of David Wayne, if we think of him at all, as an ensemble player (the effete reporter in Billy Wilder's "Front Page") or as a second lead (Frank Sinatra's pal in "The Tender Trap"). But, given a chance, he's pretty good on his own, as he is here -- fussy, arrogant, sly. Likable and ironic story with some clever lines and good acting.

If he is immortal and indestructible, why didn't he just take the guard's gun, and walk out of the police station and go where ever he wanted. If the police couldn't kill him and he couldn't die then he could have just walked away, changed his name and became a fugitive. might have even given him some excitement.

*** Some minor spoilers *** Walter Dedeker is a hypochondriac who believes he is sick and dying. The doctor examines him and says he's in perfect health, but Walter doesn't believe him. His wife Ethel is worried sick however and even the doctor sees her distraught. He decides to give her a prescription for some vitamins. Walter then scoffs, "See, I'm dying, but she gets vitamins!". Enter the Devil (Thomas Gomez), who has a proposition for Mr. Dedeker. He will give him unlimited immortality for his soul. This way Walter will never have to worry about death or dying. The Devil even includes an "escape clause" as the title says. If Walter wishes to end his mortality, he can at anytime.

So you would think that someone with immortality would use it to try to get rich and live his life in luxury with lots of friends for 1000's of years right? No... not Walter. Instead he tries over and over again to kill himself. Of course none of it works. The ending is pretty predictable. It baffles me why someone with immortality would continually try to kill himself, even after he has proved that it won't work? How can anyone be bored when you are able to meet new people all the time and get new technology. The only downside to immortality is the world will eventually end and be destroyed. Watching the Earth be demolished isn't something I'd want to see. Roaming out in space until eternity probably wouldn't be fun either.

Okay, before watching this episode, I'll admit that this show is not a great example of Biblical scholarship. Sure, it's all very silly and flies in the face of Christian, Jewish and even Muslim teachings--but still, it's highly entertaining. While not as good as the wonderful "To Serve Man", this is indeed one of the best episodes of the series.

David Wayne plays a terribly neurotic man who is completely wrapped up in himself and his supposed impending death. He's perfectly healthy and young but is obsessed with every little ache and pain. As a result of this obsession, the Devil appears to him and offers him a contract--he can live a million healthy years just for the cost of his soul. This deal leads to some very dark and twisted humor (my favorite type)--and shows him doing many dangerous things just for kicks (such as jumping in front of a subway train). Naturally, since this is Satan we are talking about, it all comes with a wonderful twist. I won't say more, as it would ruin the suspense, but thanks to a great script it's a real keeper.

This is the sixth "Twilight Zone" episode I watched in a row and, even though I truly loved every single one of them, there's one major thing I've missed so far! Dead people! How is it possible that nobody died in the previous five episodes? Sure, strictly speaking Lou Bookman had an appointment with death in the second installment "One for the Angels", but that doesn't count really. But then here, finally, in episode number six we have a couple of casualties at last! Perhaps "Escape Clause" isn't rated as high as the majority of the series, but personally I found it a fantastic story and I'm quite sure that it will remain one of my favorites even though I have 150 episodes left to watch. "Escape Clause" is a blackly humorous episode with a terrifically narcissist protagonist, a handful of awesome sequences and a fabulously ambiguous climax! Walter Bedeker is a whiny and selfish hypochondriac who treats his doctor and especially his caring wife Ethel with giant disrespect. Most of all Walter is frustrated because he thinks his lifespan isn't big enough, so when he receives a sudden visit from The Devil (an eloquent and chubby bastard going by the name of Cadwallader) he promptly accepts the offer of one million years of immortality in exchange for his soul. With the assurance that he cannot die and due to a lack of soul, Walter quickly turns into an even more loathsome person who swindles with insurance claims and people's emotions. Since even throwing himself in front of trains gets boring quite fast Walter thinks up new thrills, but his latest plan for excitement doesn't work out like he wanted. I truly love "Escape Clause" in spite of a few obvious defaults, and I think it's mainly because of the putrid Walter Bedeker character! His nonchalant behavior right before and after jumping in front of a train or even his nihilist reaction to the death of his wife is just delightful and exactly like you'd expect someone without a soul to behave. It's definitely not the most original Twilight Zone installment, as the concept of closing pacts with the devil have existed since the earliest phases of cinema, but the Rod Serling approach is fresh and inventive. Terrific performances of David Wayne as Bedeker and Thomas Gomez as Cadwallader.

You know what's really unbelievable about this episode? - the doctor telling the patient he's a hypochondriac! Of course back in 1959, it was a lot rarer for a person to sue their physician for malpractice for not prescribing an entire battery of tests to diagnose their condition. But today, forget about it. Bedeker would have taken the Doc to court and been awarded a hefty sum by a sympathetic jury. Now I have to admit, I'm watching this episode on the eve of the President about to make another pitch for a largely unpopular national health care plan, so I'm just a little bit wired.

Which brings me to another point. Cadwallader (Thomas Gomez) convinces Bedecker (David Wayne) that he'll never know his soul is gone. Doesn't that sound a lot like our current members of Congress?

As I watch my newly acquired set of the 'Twilight Zone' Definitive Edition in series episode order, it strikes me that this was the first one that didn't feature a name celebrity in the cast, at least with the perspective of hindsight. One could argue that a number of the feature players in the first five episodes weren't significant names at the time, but they acquired further notoriety as their careers progressed. David Wayne (Bedecker) had a relatively distinguished career considering his credits, but I don't recall him much beyond his work as a character actor. Which is not meant to disparage, I thought he did a fine job here, especially the way he reacted to poor Ethel (Virginia Christine) going over the balcony.

Well you can see the outcome of this episode from a mile away, but that's the beauty; it never even crossed Bedecker's mind that things might not go according to HIS plan. Life has a way of working like that, but when you come right down to it, so does death.

I agree that this one misses something given that Walter can break out of prison and evade the police and give himself some excitment that he craves. I get it though they are going for a lesson here but it could have been achived in another way. Walter however is well played by David Wayne and we get another interesting version of the devil. It's somewhat entertaining and is going for dark humor but I thought it was one of the episode that takes an interesting idea and doesn't do as much with as it could .

We get the first of The Twilight Zone's long suffering wives who really wasted her concern for him as he had none for her.

Not a classic but a decent episode.

The insufferable, hypochondriac Walter gave up his soul when he signed on the dotted line. I figured Cadwallider took it right away because who would take a new lease on life and throw it down the crapper. He was a selfish, thoughtless lout to begin with. His poor put-upon wife had to deal with him day in and day out and gave her life for it. Vitamins won't help her now!!!

The dark humor is effective. It always makes my stomach churn when he makes the household caustic substances cocktail and drinks it. It's lemonade!!!!! Yuck!!

I found the episode pretty good and the whole thing with the guy who give immortality make us wonder if life its not better when we know that we will have an end of it and that make life exciting and that make life pretty unique and pretty rare . And i enjoyed also to see the guy who when he become immortal , life seem tasteless and empty of meaning and i really love that kind of lesson and make us remember that life is pretty precious and limited . So i found the episode pretty good and really enjoyed it the lesson behind the episode . Very nice.

Escape Clause After three weighty episodes in a row, 'Escape Clause' is Serling's attempt at some light relief. Serling's attempts at overt comedy rarely work but 'Escape Clause' is one of his better attempts. It's still pretty weak but it has a black edge that is missing from his later goofy comedies like 'Mr. Bevis' and 'Mr Dingle, the Strong'.

Concerning a hypochondriac named Walter Bedeker who makes a deal with the Devil to obtain immortality in exchange for his soul, Serling's script immediately comes a cropper by taking too long to explain its premise. Over half the episode is spent outlining the ins and outs of the deal and it makes for a pretty tedious first act. The characters play their parts with broad, cartoonish strokes as demanded by the script. These are all two dimensional roles: Thomas Gomez is suitably sleazy and suspicious as the Devil and Virginia Christine is clucky and despairing as Bedeker's long suffering wife. David Wayne is the undoubted standout in the role of Bedeker. Although he has little to work with, he seizes the few great moments with both hands. The highlight of the episode is when his wife falls off the roof to her death and Wayne calmly lights a cigarette, glances over the edge and muses "I wonder what it felt like."

Having taken so long in its set-up, 'Escape Clause' fails to capitalize on its concept. On a quest to find something exciting in a life without danger, Bedeker throws himself in front of trains and buses, drinks ammonia and finally claims the accidental death of his wife as his own doing so he can experience the electric chair. In a neat twist, Bedeker's lawyer manages to get him off with imprisonment for the rest of his natural life, which of course will be forever. This is where the episode should have ended but instead Bedeker is allowed to utilise the escape clause of the title, which manifests itself in the form of a fatal heart attack. For me, the ending would have been much more memorable had Bedeker just been left trapped in his immortality and stuck behind bars.

There are other weaknesses in 'Escape Clause'. For instance, Bedeker is horrified when he is given life imprisonment but exactly what was he expecting to happen after the electric chair didn't work? Did he really think they would let a self-confessed murderer walk free simply because he wouldn't fry. Still, with a simple comedy like this it's best not to dwell on the details and just allow the show to entertain you. Sadly, for the most part 'Escape Clause' is not particularly funny and the episode ultimately fails on most counts.