History Recap / CreepshowS3E12ADeadGirlNamedSue

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Under his father's power, Cliven has gotten away with all sorts of nightmarish offenses for years. Thanks to Foster, the lynch mob, the zombie outbreak, and his father's little slip-up with the forensic scientist, he is finally killed in full view of the townsfolk he wronged by the reanimated corpse of a certain little girl he did unspeakable things to. If that isn't enough, Foster declares that Mayor Ridgeway himself is next on the his and the mob's hitlist.

* MayorPain: Cliven's father Mayor Ridgeway, who helped his son escape justice time and time again thanks to bribery and corruption. When Cliven finally dies, Foster leads the mob into looking for him, deciding that he is next on their hitlist.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: As part of his efforts to keep his son out of jail, Mayor Ridgeway bribed the Monroeville County police station's resident forensic scientist with a European vacation. Because of this, Sue's body needed to be moved to the neighboring county of Somerset for her autopsy, where her corpse was barely touched as they're backed up on cases. As such, she reanimated, and was collected by the townsfolk so they could watch as she kills her murderer in front of them.

* RageBreakingPoint: Foster discovers the chain Cliven kept Sue captive with, and one of her hairbands next to a bloody makeshift bed. When he puts two and two together, his faith in the law is shattered in a single moment, and he joins the lynch mob he had previously turned away.

** Sue's hairbands and ring providing the only drops of color in the entire episode is a reference to the Girl in the Red Coat from ''Film/SchindlersList''.

** Sue is one of Karen (Sarah on 1990 remake), the injured/zombified little girl from the original film. Tragically, the latter can consider herself lucky that getting bitten and reanimating is the ''only'' thing that happens to her.

** Sue is one of Sarah, the injured/zombified little girl from the original film. Tragically, the latter can consider herself lucky that getting bitten and reanimating is the ''only'' thing that happens to her.

** Sue is one of Judy, the injured/zombified little girl from the original film. Tragically, the latter can consider herself lucky that getting bitten and reanimating is the ''only'' thing that happens to her.

!!A Dead Girl Named Sue

* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the episode of the series to be set entirely in the universe of a pre-existing work of film.

** This is also the third episode of the series set in a post-apocalyptic world, after [[Recap/CreepshowS1E12TimesIsToughInMuskyHoller Times is Tough in Musky Holler]] and [[Recap/CreepshowS3E8MeterReader Meter Reader]].

While driving Cliven to the station, Foster radios one of his fellow officers to mention that Cliven has been apprehended and is being brought to the station, asking them to bring the rest of the townsfolk over. Cliven calls Foster out for calling in the very people he was supposed to be protecting him from, and vows that one of two things will happen: either the courts will reopen and the judge will hand him a "get out of jail free card", or the courts will never open again and Foster will be forced to let him go free. Either way, Cliven righteously boasts that he will never be put in jail. When he gets back to the station, Foster greets some of the townsfolk and asks them if they can go and "pick up Sue", to which they enthusiastically agree. Foster drags Cliven inside the station and brings him to a cell in the basement. Once he's locked up, Cliven boasts that he had nothing to do with Sue Donovan, even having eyewitnesses to back him up. In response to Cliven's claims that there is no evidence to his crime, Foster mentions that such is the case because Mayor Ridgeway had bribed the only forensic analyst at the station with an all-expense paid European vacation. With that, Foster gives Cliven a piece of his own advice by mentioning that the judge will come for him in the morning, and leaves him in the cell.

Sometime later, Foster leads the assembled citizens of Monroeville County down to the station's basement, where they greet Cliven with cold stares. Cliven assumes that Foster has assembled them all here to watch as he gets a bullet between the eyes, but Foster claims that that isn't his intention. Nonetheless, Cliven remains defiant of the people whose farms he's burned, whose stores he's robbed, the women he raped, and the people he's killed, refusing to answer for his many crimes. Just then, noises and voices can be heard upstairs. Foster ominously explains that because Mayor Ridgeway sent the town's only forensic analyst to Europe, Sue Donovan's body was moved to the neighboring Somerset County for the autopsy. Normally, the corpse would've had its brain removed and placed in a jar, but because the neighboring county has been so backed up on cases, they didn't even touch the corpse. Three men then bring a squirming burlap sack down the basement stairs, the sack's contents emitting unearthly shrieking as they do so. The sack is put inside Cliven's cell, and out of it crawls the reanimated corpse of Sue Donovan. While watching the scene, Foster is asked what exactly changed his mind about the idea of mob rule. Foster admits that he was scared when the dead began rising from the grave, thinking that it was the End Times, but he ultimately reveals that the discovery of Sue's missing hairband (which he shows them) changed his mind, and convinced him that there are indeed '''much''' worse things in this world than the dead.

* AbandonedWarehouse: Cliven's hideout is an abandoned wire factory. One of Foster's officers reveals this to him because they found Cliven's car parked outside it.
* ActorAllusion: Josh Mikel, who plays the psychopathic Cliven Ridgeway, also plays the equally psychopathic Jared from ''Series/{{The Walking Dead|2010}}'', which also deals with a zombie outbreak.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the short story the episode is based on, Foster isn't shown to have any conflict about the vigilante justice, having asked townsfolk to bring Sue to the jail before he had even caught Cliven. Here, while he eventually gives in, he initially tries to calm the mob and bring Cliven in by the book.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the end, after Cliven is killed, Foster leads the mob into hunting down Mayor Ridgeway, intending to give him the same treatment.
* ApocalypseAnarchy: Monroeville County's citizens have assembled themselves into a lynch mob after the law supposedly breaks down, hoping to use the chaos of the dead walking to kill Cliven themselves.
* AssholeVictim: Cliven is probably the biggest one in the series so far.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: At the beginning of the story, Foster is presented as a firm supporter of law and order, dispersing the lynch mob that is looking to kill Cliven for his many crimes since he wants Cliven to answer for them justly. It's even mentioned in the beginning that he's locked Cliven up in the proper way multiple times, even though he is repeatedly bailed out. When he discovers Sue's hairband and realizes the unspeakable things Cliven did to her, he quickly changes his stance on law and joins the lynch mob. Several characters comment on his sudden change in opinion, with the townsfolk being glad that he has joined them, and Cliven calling him out for joining the very people he was supposed to protect him from.
* BeingGoodSucks: The people of Monroeville County organize themselves into a lynch mob to find Cliven and kill him, and offer Foster to join their ranks. When he refuses, the townsfolk call him out for always acting so honest and upstanding, citing that he's locked Cliven up multiple times, but his habit of always taking the high road when his father bails him out means that it's never permanent. When Foster discovers the evidence of what Cliven had done to Sue, he finally realizes that mob was right.
* BeyondRedemption. Cliven, in spades. Foster has tried multiple times before and during the story to bring him to justice and hopefully get him to repent his many, many sins, but Cliven keeps shrugging him off and vows that he's never going to be thrown in jail.
* BittersweetEnding: Cliven finally answers for his crimes, but Foster's faith in the law is utterly destroyed. Of course, Foster and the townsfolk don't mind one bit.
* {{Bookends}}: This episode counts as this for season 3 of the series. Just like [[Recap/CreepshowS3E1Mums Mums]], it focuses on a person, or group of people in this case, utilizing the reanimated corpse of a loved one to exact vengeance on their killer. The key difference being is that the reanimated corpse is the ''child'' instead of the other way around.
* BreakTheHaughty: After spending the whole episode insanely preaching that he'll never stop committing crimes or be thrown in jail, Sue's corpse instantly turns Cliven into a sniveling wreck.
* ByTheBookCop: Foster has spent a good chunk of his life and the first half of the episode as a moral and upstanding officer. When he finds out what Cliven did to poor Sue Donovan, he instantly rebukes his morals and joins the lynch mob who have been trying to find and kill him.

** The town where the episode takes place, Monroeville County, is the same town where Fiorina Federal Prison is located in [[Recap/CreepshowS3E6OkayIllBite Okay, I'll Bite.]] And just like in that episode, the main characters of this story are a law enforcement officer and an incarcerated prisoner.
* TheCameo: Chief [=McClelland=], from the original film, can be seen on the station's TV set at the end of the episode, giving the famous interview where he cites that the walking dead are "all messed up".
* ColdBloodedTorture: Judging by the unearthly way she crawls, it's highly likely that Sue's legs were either broken or paralyzed by Cliven as part of his torture of her.
* CorruptPolitician: Mayor Ridgeway, who helps his son escape justice by acts of bribery, even though his son is clearly a criminally-insane psychopath.
* ContemplatingYourHands: Sue's flashbacks to her final moments have her repeatedly staring at her hands.
* DateRape: Cliven was a prom date for one of the townsfolks' sisters, and he is all but stated to have raped her during the event.
* DeathByIrony: Cliven is brutally murdered by the zombified little girl he did unspeakable things to.
* DecoyProtagonist: The story's title hints that Sue may be the protagonist. She actually only turns up in the end, where she uses the few minutes of screen time she has to murder her killer.
* DefiantToTheEnd: Cliven remains gung-ho about the fact that he will never be put in jail, and his response to the townsfolk looking to have him answer for his ''many'' crimes is a simple "Fuck you", thereby proving himself to be utterly irredeemable. Thankfully, when he is presented with Sue's corpse, he quickly becomes a blubbering wreck.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: In the spirit of the [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 original film]], the entirety of this episode is in black and white. The only exception to this rule are Sue's ring and her hairbands.
* DiedOnTheirBirthday: {{Implied|Trope}}. If the cupcake Cliven holds during her flashback is any indication, then poor Sue met her horrific death at his hands on her birthday.
* DirtyCoward: In spite of being so defiant to the townsfolk he had clearly wronged, when confronted with the reanimated Sue, Cliven desperately begs to be let out.

** Sue is one of Judy, the injured/zombified little girl from the original film. Tragically, the latter could consider herself lucky that getting bitten by a zombie and turning into one is the ''only'' thing that happens to her.
** With his despicable acts towards the townsfolk (Sue especially) and his manic demeanor, Cliven could easily be considered one of [[Literature/TheGreenMile Wild Bill.]]
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first instance of an installment of the ''Creepshow'' series to be set entirely in the universe of a pre-existing work.
* GreaterScopeVillain: While the zombies are still an active threat, the main GSV would be Mayor Ridgeway, who has helped his psychopathic son escape justice thanks to his mayoral power.

* HateSink: Cliven Ridgeway is, without question, one of the most '''''despicable''''' antagonists featured in the series to date. He's an unrepentant, criminally-insane psychopath who has vandalized buildings, burned down farms, robbed stores, raped innocent women, and killed family members of the townsfolk. He's always gotten out of legal trouble thanks to his equally crooked father Mayor Ridgeway, and is left in a perpetually manic and enthusiastic emotional state from the fact that being the mayor's son basically makes him untouchable. So heinous are his crimes, in fact, that when the moral and upstanding Foster discovers what he had done to Sue, he '''''instantly''''' rebukes his code of ethics and joins the lynch mob looking to kill him. By the end of the story, you can't help but cheer and applaud when Cliven gets his just desserts at the undead hands of his most infamous victim.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: While Ben, Barbara, and the others are holed up in that farmhouse, doing their best to stay alive during the outbreak, Chief Foster does all he can to find Cliven Ridgeway and assure that he answers for his crimes justly. Of course, that aspect doesn't last.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: While there are animate corpses devouring the flesh of the living, Cliven and his dad are the true monsters of the story.
* InsaneEqualsViolent: Cliven is very clearly criminally-insane, and that fact makes itself known through his spontaneous acts of arson, rape, and murder.
* {{Interquel}}: In a first for the series, this story is one, since it takes place during the events of ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968.''
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Under his father's authority, Cliven has gotten away with all sorts of nightmarish offenses for years on end. But thanks to Foster, the lynch mob, and the zombie outbreak, he is finally killed in full view of the townsfolk by the reanimated corpse of a certain little girl he did unspeakable things to. If that isn't enough, Mayor Ridgeway himself is next on the mob's hitlist.
* LargeHam: Being the psycho that he is, Cliven pours on the ham whenever he appears on screen, including his penchant for spitting at things that disgust him.
* LastSecondChance: Just before Sue's corpse is brought in to kill him, Cliven is given one last chance by Foster and the townsfolk to atone for his myriad of crimes so he can hopefully be spared. He plainly tells them "Fuck you.", cementing his fate.
* LowerDeckEpisode: This episode is set during the original ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', but it focuses on a completely different group of people in a different town. And this group of people were living under a monster's reign of terror long before the outbreak.
* MayorPain: Cliven's father Mayor Ridgeway, who has helped his son escape justice thanks to his bribery and corruption. When Cliven dies, Foster leads the mob into looking for him, deciding that he is next on their hitlist.

** The news reports from the [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 original film]] can be heard on Foster's car radio and glimpsed on the station's TV set.
** As mentioned above, Cliven's attitude and crimes make him (and possibly his father) a possible descendant of [[Literature/TheGreenMile Wild Bill.]]
** The [[Film/{{Creepshow}} "Father's Day" ashtray]] can be seen on Foster's desk in the opening. For once, it's ''actually'' holding a cigarette.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: As part of his efforts to keep his son out of jail, Mayor Ridgeway bribed the Monroeville County police station's forensic scientist with a European vacation. Because of this, Sue's body needed to be moved to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where her corpse was barely touched. As such, she reanimated, and was collected by the townsfolk so they could watch as she kills her murderer.
* NotUsingTheZWord: Much like the original film, the characters never refer to the zombies by name, instead calling them "those things".
* OutOfFocus: The zombies that made the film so infamous are hardly seen in the actual story. A group of them are seen silhouetted in a window, and Sue does become one herself, but that's about it. The episode focuses on humanity's response to the crisis instead.
* PaedoHunt: Cliven is heavily implied to have violated Sue, a little girl, when kidnapped, tortured, and killed her.
* POVCam: Sue's flashbacks about how Cliven kidnapped and killed her are seen from her point of view.
* {{Pyromaniac}}: Cliven is mentioned to have a penchant for burning things to the ground, having done so with one of the townsfolk's brother's silo.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Chief Foster starts the story as one, attempting to disperse the lynch mob looking to kill Cliven, and hoping to bring Cliven himself to the station not just to arrest him, but to protect him from their wrath. Once he discovers what Cliven had done to Sue, he quickly joins the mob and sics Sue's corpse on him.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Cliven has always been free to rape and kill as he pleased thanks to his corrupt father being the mayor of Monroeville County, and attempts to use the apocalypse as an excuse to keep on committing crimes. Of course, he meets his end soon after he is arrested for the final time.

** The story's title is a reference to Creator/ShelSilverstein's song "A Boy Named Sue", which was famously covered by various musicians like Music/JohnnyCash.
** Sue's hairbands and ring providing the only color in the entire story is almost certainly a reference to the Girl in the Red Coat from ''Film/SchindlersList''.
* SimultaneousArcs: The episode is shown to take place during ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968''. The end of the story, where the TV set in the station displays Chief [=McClelland's=] interview, reveals that the episode's events occur roughly halfway through the movie.
* SinisterSilhouettes: A parade of animate corpses produce this effect as they march past a window in the abandoned factory, forcing Cliven and Foster to huddle in a corner to avoid being spotted.
* SpitefulSpit: This is a frequent characteristic of Cliven, who does it to people who piss him off.
* SplashOfColor: The blue of Sue's hairbands and red of her ring provide the only drops of color in the entire story.
* UndeadChild: Sue becomes one when her corpse was sent to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where she was barely touched. When she reanimates, she kills Cliven by way of tearing his throat out.
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: Foster and the townsfolk show no emotion towards Cliven's death. When it's over, they just go out and hunt down Mayor Ridgeway without a second thought. Foster himself puts it best:

* VigilanteMilitia: The townsfolk assemble themselves into a lynch mob as they hunt for Cliven, hoping to use the zombie apocalypse and the collapse of the law as an excuse to kill him.
* VillainsWantMercy: When confronted with the now reanimated Sue, Cliven actually begs the townspeople to let him out. Anyone wanna guess what they do?
* WholePlotReference: From the deliberate B/W to the [[Creator/GeorgeRomero Romero-esque]] soundtrack, every single aspect of this episode is a loving homage to ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968''. It's astonishingly appropriate, given the fact that the episode actually takes place ''during the events of the movie.''
* WouldHurtAChild: Poor Sue definitely gets put through the wringer, being abducted, raped, tortured, and killed by a twisted psychopath. Thankfully, she gets her revenge.
* WouldHarmASenior: The last person Cliven kills before Foster finds him is Edda Winterson, an old lady.
* ZombieApocalypse: The episode is actually set during the very ''first'' zombie apocalypse.

* TheWoobie: Poor, poor, poor Sue Donovan.
** Sue's father Joe Donovan has it just as bad, if not worse, spending the whole story a blubbering wreck after what Cliven did to his beloved daughter.

* ABirthdayNotABreak: If the cupcake Cliven holds during her flashback is any indication, poor Sue met her horrific death at his hands ''on her birthday.''

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the short story the episode is based on, Foster isn't shown to have any conflict about the vigilante justice, having asked townsfolk to bring Sue to the jail before he had even caught Cliven. Here, while he' eventually gives in, he initially tries to calm the mob and bring Cliven in by the book.

* ActorAllusion: Josh Mikel, who plays the psychopathic Cliven Ridgeway, also plays the equally psychopathic Jared from ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', which also deals with a zombie outbreak.

In 1968, during [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 a sudden wave of corpses coming to life and devouring the flesh of the living,]] Evan Foster (Christian Gonzalez), Monroeville County's chief of police, is working his hardest to preserve law and order in spite of the catastrophe. Stepping outside the station, he meets several local townspeople armed with weapons, who explain that they are headed out to find Cliven Ridgeway (Josh Mikel), an unrepentant psychopath who has wronged the townsfolk in numerous horrific ways, and has always escaped the consequences of his actions thanks to his crooked father Mayor Ridgeway. They explain that they are using the undead invasion and the idea that society has collapsed in an effort to finally lynch him, claiming that no one will know what happened to him in the midst of the chaos. While Foster understands the mob's anger, he proclaims that the citizens should just wait until the National Guard arrives. The townsfolk claim that the military won't reach the area until Tuesday at the earliest, and they invite Foster to join them, claiming that no matter how many times he throws Cliven in jail, it will never truly stick as long as his father runs the town. Foster reiterates that Monroeville County is ''not'' a town that practices vigilante justice and sends the mob home, telling them that if they do anything, the law will come down on them. As the townsfolk drive away, one of them passive-aggressively calls Foster out for always taking the high road, reminding him that "there ain't no law no more."

In 1968, during [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 a sudden wave of corpses coming to life and devouring the flesh of the living,]] Evan Foster (Christian Gonzalez), Monroeville County's chief of police, is working his hardest to preserve law and order in spite of the catastrophe. Stepping outside the station, he meets several local townspeople armed with weapons, who explain that they are headed out to find Cliven Ridgeway (Josh Mikel), an unrepentant psychopath who has wronged the townsfolk in numerous horrific ways, and has always escaped the consequences of his actions thanks to his crooked father Mayor Ridgeway. They explain that they are using the undead invasion and the idea that society has collapsed in an effort to finally lynch him, claiming that no one will know what happened to him in the midst of the chaos. While Foster understands the mob's anger, he proclaims that the citizens should just wait until the National Guard arrives. The townsfolk claim that the military won't reach the area until Tuesday at the latest, and they invite Foster to join them, claiming that no matter how many times he throws Cliven in jail, it will never truly stick as long as his father runs the town. Foster reiterates that Monroeville County is ''not'' a town that practices vigilante justice and sends the mob home, telling them that if they do anything, the law will come down on them. As the townsfolk drive away, one of them passive-aggressively calls Foster out for always taking the high road, reminding him that "there ain't no law no more."

Sometime later, Foster leads the assembled citizens of Monroeville County down to the station's basement, where they greet Cliven with cold stares. Cliven assumes that Foster has assembled them all here to watch as he gets a bullet between the eyes, but Foster claims that that isn't his intention. Nonetheless, Cliven remains defiant of the people whose farms he's burned, whose stores he's robbed, the women he raped, and the people he's killed, refusing to answer for his many crimes. Just then, two more townsfolk bring in a squirming burlap sack, unearthly shrieking emanating from the sack as they go. Foster ominously explains that because Mayor Ridgeway sent the town's only forensic analyst to Europe, Sue Donovan's body was moved to the neighboring Somerset County for the autopsy. Normally, the corpse would've had its brain removed and placed in a jar, but because the neighboring county has been so backed up on cases, they didn't even touch the corpse. The burlap sack is put inside Cliven's cell, and out of it crawls the reanimated corpse of Sue Donovan. While watching the scene, Foster is asked what exactly changed his mind about the idea of mob rule. Foster admits that he was scared when the dead began rising from the grave, thinking that it was the End Times, but he ultimately reveals that the discovery of Sue's missing hairband (which he shows them) changed his mind, and convinced him that there are indeed '''much''' worse things in this world than the undead.

The undead Sue locks eyes on her killer, where she reminisces about how he kidnapped her, locked her in the factory, and proceeded to rape, torture, and kill her. Becoming enraged and ignoring Cliven's desperate pleas, Sue takes a chunk out of his leg, guaranteeing that he eventually reanimates, then finally kills the psychopath by tearing his throat out. After the deed is done, Foster leads the lynch mob to find Mayor Ridgeway, preferably to give him the same treatment. As they exit the police station, they pass a TV set displaying an interview with another police chief, who claims that the "things" plaguing the country are slow-moving and therefore "all messed up."

* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the end, after Cliven is killed, Foster leads the mob into hunting down Mayor Ridgeway, possibly to give him the same treatment.

* BookEnds: This episode counts as this for season 3 of the series. Just like [[Recap/CreepshowS3E1Mums Mums]], it focuses on a person, or group of people in this case, utilizing the reanimated corpse of a loved one to exact vengeance on their killer. The key difference being is that the reanimated corpse is the ''child'' instead of the other way around.
* BittersweetEnding: Cliven finally answers for his crimes, but Foster's faith in law is utterly destroyed. Of course, Foster and the townsfolk don't mind one bit.

* DateRape: Cliven once went to a prom as a date to one of the townsfolks' sisters, and he is all but stated to have raped her during the event.

* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first instance of an installment of the ''Creepshow'' series to be entirely set in the universe of a pre-existing work.

* MayorPain: Cliven's father Mayor Ridgeway, who has helped his son escape justice thanks to his bribery and corruption. When Cliven dies, Foster leads the mob into looking for him, as he is next on their hitlist.

** The [[Film/{{Creepshow}} "Father's Day" ashtray]] can be seen on Foster's desk in the opening. And for once, it's ''actually'' holding a cigarette. A lit one, at that.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: As part of his efforts to keep his son out of jail, Mayor Ridgeway bribed the Monroeville County police station's forensic analyst with a European vacation. Because of this, Sue's body needed to be moved to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where her corpse was barely touched. As such, she reanimated, and was collected by the townsfolk so they could watch as she kills her murderer.

* SinisterSilhouettes: A parade of corpses produce this effect as they march past a window in the abandoned factory, forcing Cliven and Foster to huddle in a corner to avoid being spotted.

* ZombieApocalypse: The story is actually set during the very ''first'' zombie apocalypse.

* ElsewhereFic: This episode is set during the original ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', but it focuses on a completely different group of people. A group of people who were living under a monster's reign of terror long before the outbreak.

In 1968, during [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 a sudden wave of dead people coming back to life and devouring the flesh of the living,]] Evan Foster (Christian Gonzalez), Monroeville County's chief of police, is working his hardest to preserve law and order in spite of the catastrophe. Stepping outside the station, he meets several townspeople armed with weapons, who explain that they are headed out to find Cliven Ridgeway (Josh Mikel), an unrepentant psychopath who has wronged the townsfolk in many horrific ways, and has always escaped legal consequences for his actions thanks to his crooked father, Mayor Ridgeway, explaining that they are using the idea that law and order has disappeared in an effort to finally lynch him. Foster mentions that while he understands the mob's anger, he proclaims that the citizens should just wait until the National Guard arrives. The townsfolk claim that the military won't reach the area until Tuesday, at the latest, and they invite Foster to join them, claiming that no matter how many times he locks Cliven in jail, it will never stick as long as his father runs the town. Foster reiterates that Monroeville County is not a town that practices vigilante justice, and sends the mob home, telling them that if they do anything, the law will come down on them. One of the townsfolk calls Foster out for always taking the high road, reminding him that there "ain't no law no more."

Foster then drives off in his squad car to search for Cliven, hoping to save him from the lynch mob and have him face his crimes justly. Foster then gets a broadcast on his radio from one of his officers, who mentions that Cliven's car was found outside an abandoned wire factory. Foster makes his way to the factory and opens the door, just in time to hear a gunshot and a thud. Foster arms himself and makes his way through the factory, where he discovers the corpse of Edda Winterson, with bite marks on her neck and arm, but also with a bullet hole in the back of her head. He orders whoever is inside to come out with their hands up, at which point he finally finds Cliven. Foster asks Cliven to explain Edda's corpse, prompting him to claim that he thought she was a crazed squatter coming at him, or one of those walking corpses on the news, claiming that it's "open season" on them. Foster reiterates that this isn't the way his town does things, only for Cliven to rebut that the town belongs to his father. Despite being tempted to let the mob have its way with Cliven, Foster orders him to put down his rifle and put his hands on the wall. Before Foster can cuff Cliven, he suddenly drags him into a corner as a parade of ghouls walk past the window. While they wait for the ghouls to pass, Foster suddenly notices a bloody chain with a bloody collar attached to it, a bloody makeshift bed in the corner, and a blue hairband on the floor, which he recognizes as a belonging of Sue Donovan, the young daughter of Joe Donovan (Bryan Bendle), one of the members of the mob. Incensed, Foster forcefully puts Cliven under arrest.

While driving Cliven to the station, Foster radios one of his officers to mention that Cliven is apprehended, and is being brought to the station, asking them to bring the townsfolk over. Cliven calls out Foster for calling in the very thing he was supposed to be protecting him from, and vows that one of two things will happen: either the courts will reopen and the judge will hand him a "get out of jail free card", or the courts will never open again and Foster will be forced to let him go free. Either way, Cliven righteously vows that he will never be put in jail. At the station, Foster greets some of the townsfolk and asks them if they can go and "pick up Sue", to which they enthusiastically agree. Foster drags Cliven inside the station and brings him to a holding cell in the basement. Once locked up, Cliven boasts that he had nothing to do with Sue Donovan, and has eyewitnesses to back him up. In response to Cliven's claims that there is no evidence, Foster mentions that such is the case because Mayor Ridgeway had bribed the forensic analyst at the station with a luxurious European vacation. With that, Foster gives Cliven his own advice by mentioning that the judge will come for him in the morning and leaves him in the cell.

Sometime later, the assembled citizens of Monroeville County descend to the station's basement, greeting Cliven with cold stares. Cliven assumes that Foster has assembled them all here to watch as he gets a bullet put in his brain, but Foster claims that isn't his intention. Nonetheless, Cliven remains defiant of the people whose businesses he vandalized and robbed, and the family members of those he raped and killed, refusing to answer for his many crimes. Just then, two more townsfolk bring in a squirming burlap sack, from which unearthly shrieking can be heard. Foster ominously explains that because Mayor Ridgeway sent the town's forensic analyst to Europe, Sue Donovan's body was moved to Somerset County for the autopsy, where its brain was merely measured and put in a jar. The burlap sack is placed inside Cliven's cell, and out of it crawls the reanimated corpse of Sue Donovan. While watching the scene, Foster is asked what exactly changed his mind about the idea of mob rule. He admits that he was scared when the dead began rising from the grave, thinking that it was the End Times, but reveals that the discovery of Sue's missing hairband changed his mind, and convinced him that there are worse things in the world than the undead.

The undead Sue locks eyes on her killer, where she reminisces about how he kidnapped, tortured, violated, and killed her. Becoming enraged and ignoring Cliven's desperate pleas, Sue takes a chunk out of his leg, guaranteeing that he reanimates, then finally kills him by tearing his throat out. After the deed is done, Foster leads the mob to find Mayor Ridgeway, who is next on their hitlist. As they exit the police station, they pass a TV displaying an interview with another police chief, who claims that the "things" plaguing the country are slow-moving and therefore "all messed up."

* AbandonedWarehouse: Cliven's hideout is an abandoned wire factory, as one of Foster's officers tells him that Cliven's car was found outside it.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the end, after Cliven is killed, Foster leads the mob into hunting down Mayor Ridgeway, presumably to give him the same treatment.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: At the beginning of the story, Foster is presented as a firm supporter of law and order, dispersing the lynch mob that is looking to kill Cliven for his many crimes, as he wants Cliven to answer for them justly. It's even mentioned that he's locked Cliven up multiple times the honest way, even though he is repeatedly bailed out. When he discovers Sue's hairband and realizes that Cliven had tortured, raped, and killed her, he quickly changes his stance on law and joins the lynch mob. Several characters comment on his sudden change in opinion, with the townsfolk being glad that he has joined them, and Cliven calling him out for joining the very people he was supposed to protect him from.
* BookEnds: This episode counts as this for season 3 of the series, for just like [[Recap/CreepshowS3E1Mums Mums]], it focuses on a person, or group of people in this case, utilizing the reanimated corpse of a loved one to exact vengeance on their killer. The only difference being is that the ''zombie'' is the child instead of the other way around.
* BittersweetEnding: Cliven finally answers for his crimes, but Foster's faith in law and order is shattered. Of course, Foster and the townsfolk don't mind one bit.
* CallBack: This is the second episode in the series to put heavy emphasis on ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', after the previous season finale, [[Recap/CreepshowS2E9NightOfTheLivingLateShow Night of the Living Late Show]].

* CorruptPolitician: Mayor Ridgeway, who helps his son escape justice by acts of bribery, even though his son is clearly a dangerous psychopath.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Cliven remains gung-ho about the fact that he will never be put in jail, and his response to the townsfolk looking to have him answer for his crimes is a simple "Fuck you."
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: In the spirit of the original film, the entirety of the story is in black and white. The only exception to this is Sue's ring and hairbands.

** Sue is one of Judy, the zombified little girl from the original film. Tragically, the latter could consider herself lucky that turning into a zombie is the ''only'' thing that happens to her.
** With his despicable acts towards Sue and his manic demeanor, Cliven could easily be considered one of [[Literature/TheGreenMile Wild Bill.]]
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This is the first instance of an installment of the ''Creepshow'' series to be set in the universe of a pre-existing franchise.

* HateSink: Cliven Ridgeway is, without question, one of the most '''''despicable''''' antagonists featured in the series to date. He's an unrepentant psychopath who has vandalized buildings, raped innocent women, and killed family members of the townsfolk. He's always gotten out of legal punishment thanks to his equally crooked father Mayor Ridgeway, and is left in a perpetually manic and enthusiastic disposition from the fact that being the mayor's son basically makes him untouchable. So heinous are his crimes, in fact, that when the moral and upstanding Chief Foster discovers what he had done to Sue, he '''instantly''' rebukes his code of ethics and joins the lynch mob looking to kill him. By the end of the story, you can't help but applaud when he gets his just desserts at the undead hands of his most infamous victim.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: While Ben, Barbara, and the others are holed up in that farmhouse, doing their best to stay alive, Chief Foster does all he can to find Cliven Ridgeway and assure that he answers for his crimes justly. Of course, that aspect doesn't last.
* {{Interquel}}: In a first for the series, this story is one, as it takes place during the events of ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968.''
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Under his father's authority, Cliven has gotten away with all sorts of nightmarish offenses for years. But thanks to Foster, the lynch mob, and the zombie outbreak, he is finally killed in full view of the townsfolk by the reanimated corpse of a certain little girl he did unspeakable things to. If that isn't enough, Mayor Ridgeway himself is next on the mob's killing list.
* LargeHam: Being the psychopath he is, Cliven pours on the ham whenever he appears on screen, including his penchant for spitting at things that disgust him.

** As mentioned above, Cliven's attitude and crimes make him a dead ringer for a possible descendant of [[Literature/TheGreenMile Wild Bill.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: As part of his efforts to keep his son out of jail, Mayor Ridgeway bribed the police station's forensic analyst with a European vacation. Because of this, Sue's body needed to be moved to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where her brain was put in a jar. As such, she reanimated, and was collected by the townsfolk so they could watch as she kills her murderer.

* OutOfFocus: The zombies that made the film so infamous are hardly seen in the actual story. A group of them are seen silhouetted in a window, and Sue does become one herself, but that's about it, as the episode focuses on humanity's response to the crisis instead.

* POVCam: Sue's flashbacks about how Cliven kidnapped, tortured, and killed her are seen from her point of view.

** The story's title is a reference to Creator/ShelSilverstein's song "A Boy Named Sue", which was famously covered by Music/JohnnyCash.

* UndeadChild: Sue becomes one when her corpse was sent to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where her brain was merely put in a jar. When she reanimates, she kills Cliven by way of tearing his throat out.

* VigilanteMilitia: The townsfolk assemble themselves into a lynch mob as they hunt for Cliven, hoping to use the apocalypse and the disappearance of law as an excuse to kill him.
* WholePlotReference: From the deliberate B/W, to the [[Creator/GeorgeRomero Romero-esque]] soundtrack, every single aspect of this episode is a loving homage to ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968''. It's astonishingly appropriate, given that the episode actually ''takes place'' during the events of the movie.
* TheWoobie: Poor, poor Sue Donovan.
* WouldHurtAChild: Sue definitely gets put through the wringer, being abducted, raped, tortured, and killed by a twisted psychopath. Thankfully, she gets her revenge.
* ZombieApocalypse: Set during the very ''first'' zombie apocalypse, in fact.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This is the first instance of an installment of the ''Creepshow'' series to be set in the universe of a pre-existing franchise.

Sometime later, the assembled citizens of Monroeville County descend to the station's basement, greeting Cliven with cold stares. Cliven assumes that Foster has assembled them all here to watch as he gets a bullet put in his brain, but Foster claims that isn't his intention. Nonetheless, Cliven remains defiant of the people whose businesses he vandalized and robbed, and the family members of those he raped and killed, refusing to answer for his many crimes. Just then, two more townsfolk bring in a squirming burlap sack, from which unearthly shrieking can be heard. Foster ominously explains that because Mayor Ridgeway sent the town's forensic analyst to Europe, Sue Donovan's body was moved to Somerset County for the autopsy, where its brain was merely measured and put in a jar. The burlap sack is placed inside Cliven's cell, and out of it crawls the reanimated corpse of Sue Donovan. While watching the scene, Foster is asked what exactly changed his mind about the idea of mob rule. He admits that he was scared when the dead began rising from the grave, thinking that it was the End Times, but the discovery of Sue's missing hairband changed his mind.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: At the beginning of the story, Foster is presented as a firm supporter of law and order, dispersing the lynch mob that is looking to kill Cliven for his many crimes, as he wants Cliven to answer for them justly. It's even strongly implied that he's locked Cliven up multiple times the honest way, even though he is repeatedly bailed out. When he discovers Sue's hairband and realizes that Cliven had tortured, raped, and killed her, he quickly changes his stance and joins the lynch mob. Several characters comment on his sudden change in opinion, with the townsfolk being glad that he has joined them, and Cliven calling him out for joining the very people he was supposed to protect him from.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: In the spirit of the original film, the entirety of the story, save for Sue's accessories, is in black and white.

* HateSink: Cliven Ridgeway is, without question, one of the most '''''despicable''''' antagonists in the series to date. He's an unrepentant psychopath who has vandalized buildings, raped innocent women, and killed family members of the townsfolk. He's always gotten out of legal punishment thanks to his equally crooked father Mayor Ridgeway, and is perpetually giddy, cocky, and enthusiastic in the fact that being the mayor's son basically makes him untouchable. So heinous are his crimes, in fact, that when the moral and upstanding Chief Foster discovers what he had done to Sue, he '''instantly''' joins the lynch mob looking to kill him. By the end of the story, you can't help but applaud when he gets his just desserts at the hands of his most notorious victim's reanimated corpse.

* LargeHam: Being the psychopath he is, Cliven pours on the ham whenever he appears on screen, including his penchant for spitting at things that disgust him.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Cliven finally gets his just desserts at the hands of the zombified little girl he murdered.

* MythologyGag: The news reports from the [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 original film]] can be heard on Foster's car radio and glimpsed on the station's TV set.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: As part of his efforts to keep his son out of jail, Mayor Ridgeway bribed the town's forensic analyst with a European vacation. Because of this, Sue's body needed to be moved to a neighboring county for the autopsy, where her brain was put in a jar. As such, she reanimated, and was collected by the townsfolk so they could watch as she kills her murderer.

* SplashOfColor: Sue's blue hairbands and red ring provide the only drops of color in the entire story.

* WholePlotReference: From the deliberate B/W, to the [[Creator/GeorgeRomero Romero-esque]] soundtrack, every single aspect of this episode is a loving homage to ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', which is astonishingly appropriate, given that the episode actually ''takes place'' during the events of the movie.
* WouldHurtAChild: Poor, poor Sue Donovan. Abducted, raped, tortured, and killed by a twisted psychopath. Thankfully, she gets her revenge.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This is the first episode of the series to be set in the universe of a pre-existing franchise.

In 1968, during [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 a sudden wave of dead people rising from the grave and devouring the flesh of the living,]] Evan Foster (Christian Gonzalez), Monroeville County's chief of police, is working his hardest to preserve law and order in spite of the catastrophe. Stepping outside the station, he meets several townspeople armed with weapons, who explain that they are headed out to find Cliven Ridgeway (Josh Mikel), an unrepentant psychopath who has previously wronged the townsfolk in many horrific ways, and has always escaped legal consequences for his actions thanks to his crooked father, Mayor Ridgeway, explaining that they are using the ideal that law and order has disappeared in an effort to finally lynch him. Foster mentions that while he understands the mob's anger, he proclaims that the citizens should just wait until the National Guard arrives. The townsfolk claim that the military won't reach the area until Tuesday, at the latest, and they invite Foster to join them, claiming that no matter how many times he locks Cliven in jail, it will never stick as long as his father runs the town. Foster reiterates that Monroeville County is not a town that practices vigilante justice, and sends the mob home, but tells them that if he finds Cliven, he will take matters into its own hands. In response to his threat that the law will come down on them if they try anything, one of the townsfolk tells Foster that there "ain't no law no more."

Foster then drives off in his squad car to search for Cliven, hoping to save him from the lynch mob and have him face his crimes justly. Foster then gets a broadcast on his radio from one of his officers, who mentions that Cliven's car was found outside an abandoned wire factory. Foster makes his way to the factory and opens the door, just in time to hear a gunshot and a thud. Foster arms himself and makes his way through the factory, where he discovers the corpse of Edda Winterson, with bite marks on her neck and arm, but also with a bullet hole in the back of its head. He orders whoever is inside to come out with their hands up, at which point he finally finds Cliven. Foster asks Cliven to explain the old woman's corpse, prompting him to claim that he thought she was a crazed squatter coming at him, or one of those walking corpses, claiming that it's "open season" on them. Foster reiterates that this isn't the way his town is doing things, only for Cliven to rebut that the town belongs to his father. ​Despite being tempted to let the mob have its way with Cliven, Foster orders him to put down his rifle and put his hands on the wall. Before Foster can cuff Cliven, he suddenly drags him into a corner as a parade of ghouls walk past the window. While they wait for the ghouls to pass, Foster suddenly notices a bloody chain with a bloody collar attached to it, a bloody makeshift bed in the corner, and a blue hairband on the floor, which he recognizes as a belonging of Sue Donovan, the young daughter of Joe Donovan (Bryan Bendle), one of the members of the mob. Incensed, Foster forcefully puts Cliven under arrest.

While driving Cliven to the station, Foster radios one of his officers to mention that Cliven is apprehended, and is being brought to the station, asking them to bring the townsfolk over. Cliven calls out Foster for calling in the very thing he was supposed to be protecting him from, and vows that one of two things will happen: either the courts will reopen and the judge will hand him a "get out of jail free card", or the courts will never open again and Foster will be forced to let him go free. Either way, Cliven righteously vows that he will never be put in jail. At the station, Foster greets some of the townsfolk and asks them if they can go and "pick up Sue", to which they enthusiastically agree. Foster drags Cliven inside the station and brings him to a holding cell in the basement. Once locked up, Cliven boasts that he had nothing to do with Sue Donovan, and has eyewitnesses to back him up. In response to Cliven's claims that there is no evidence, Foster mentions that Mayor Ridgeway had bribed the forensic analyst at the station to a luxurious European vacation. With that, Foster gives Cliven his own advice by mentioning that the judge will come for him in the morning and leaves him in the cell.

Sometime later, the assembled citizens of Monroeville County descend to the station's basement, greeting Cliven with cold stares. Cliven assumes that Foster has assembled them all here to watch as he gets a bullet put in his brain, but Foster claims that isn't his intention. Nonetheless, Cliven remains defiant of the people whose businesses he vandalized and robbed, and the family members of those he raped and killed, refusing to answer for his many crimes. Just then, two more townsfolk bring in a squirming burlap sack, in which unearthly shrieking can be heard. Foster ominously explains that because of Mayor Ridgeway sending the town's forensic analyst to Europe, Sue Donovan's body was moved to Somerset County for the autopsy, where its brain was merely measured and put in a jar. The burlap sack is placed inside Cliven's cell, and out of it crawls the reanimated corpse of Sue Donovan. When asked what exactly changed his mind about the idea of mob rule, Foster admits that he was scared when the dead began rising from the grave, but the discovery of Sue's missing hairband changed his mind.

The undead Sue locks eyes on her killer, where she reminisces about how he kidnapped, tortured, violated, and killed her. Becoming enraged and ignoring Cliven's desperate pleas, Sue takes a chunk out of his leg, guaranteeing that he reanimates, then tears his throat out, killing him once and for all. After the deed is done, Foster leads the mob to find Mayor Ridgeway, who is next on their hitlist. As they exit the police station, they pass a TV displaying an interview with another police chief, who claims that the "things" plaguing the country are slow-moving and therefore "all messed up."

* BookEnds: This episode counts as this for season 3 of the series, for just like [[Recap/CreepshowS3E1Mums Mums]], it focuses on a family member utilizing the reanimated corpse of a loved one to exact revenge on their killer. The only difference being is that the ''zombie'' is the child instead of the other way around.
* BittersweetEnding: Cliven finally answers for his crimes, but Foster's faith in law and order is shattered. Not that he minds, though.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: In the spirit of the original film, the entirety of the story is in black and white.

* HateSink: Cliven Ridgeway is one of the most despicable antagonists in the series yet. He's a giddy, cocky, unrepentant psychopath who has vandalized buildings, raped innocent women, and killed family members of the townsfolk. He's always gotten out of legal punishment thanks to the fact that he's the son of the equally crooked Mayor Ridgeway, and by the end of the story, you can't help but applaud when he gets his just desserts at the hands of his victim's corpse.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: While Ben, Barbara, and the others are holed up in that abandoned farmhouse, doing their best to stay alive, Chief Foster does all he can to find Cliven Ridgeway and assure that he answers for his crimes.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Chief Foster attempts to disperse the lynch mob looking to kill Cliven, hoping to bring Cliven himself to the station not just to arrest him, but to protect him from their wrath. Once he discovers what Cliven had done to Sue, he quickly joins the mob and sics Sue's corpse on him.

* ShoutOut: The story's title is a reference to Creator/ShelSilverstein's song "A Boy Named Sue", which was famously covered by Music/JohnnyCash.

* VigilanteMilitia: The townsfolk assemble themselves into a lynch mob as they hunt for Cliven, hoping to use the fact that the law is crumbling as an excuse to kill him.

* ZombieApocalypse: Set during the very first zombie apocalypse, in fact.