History Recap / CreepshowS3E9TimeOut

* AnAesop: As Lauren herself says, while making an honest living is important, it's ''equally'' important for us to make time to spend with our loved ones, and to treasure those moments while we still have the opportunity to enjoy them.

* NiceGuy: Tim is a genuinely good guy who wants to have achieve his dream job and be a good husband/father to his family to honor his late father, who wanted to do the same but died young. The worst negative traits he ever had were a big amount of hubris about his time management skills and an insatiable desire to get his work done. It's a horrifically shocking change of pace for the universe to condemn him to an undeservedly-cruel death for not even doing anything wrong.

* PrematurelyGreyHaired: It gets more of a very faded blonde near the end, but early in the episode, Tim discovers a single grey hair that he pulls out during his first promotional party, hinting of the fate that befalls him.

!!Time Out

* NothingIsScarier: It is never revealed what actually gave the armoire that weird energy field able to accelerate time housed inside it, nor as to who owned it before Joseph and what it was doing among all those antiques. All we know is that, for all intents and purposes, it just '''has it.'''

* IgnoredAesop: Tim is taught several times that while his good standing with work mean more money and notoriety, his family takes just as high a priority as his job. While he remembers this, he keeps getting calls from Bob telling him to do more work, making him forget his lesson.

* FormulaBreakingEpisode: The episode features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares. It instead decides to go in an existential/sci-fi route by showcasing how time iteslf can be an effective source of horror, and what abusing it could spell for people if they were given the chance to do so.

* EurekaMoment: As he's stressing out after oversleeping, Tim looks back at his grandmother's letter and realizes that he ''doesn't'' have time, so he enters it and learns about its special properties for the first time.

** David Alexander Kaplan, who plays Henry's nine-year-old self, previously played Rose's brother Joseph in [[Recap/CreepshowS1E12ByTheSilverWaterOfLakeChamplain By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain]].

** The monkey's paw from [[Recap/CreepshowS1E9NightOfThePaw Night Of The Paw]] is seen among the collection of antiques Joseph's company discovers, one of the soldiers taking it as a keepsake.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: If Catherine wasn't so needlessly cryptic in her warnings about the armoire to Tim, or had it delivered to him when she died, the episode's tragedy could've been avoided.
** Similarly, if Saul hadn't invited Lauren and Mia over for drinks, the resultant party could've been avoided and Tim wouldn't have discovered the armoire's powers over time.

** The monkey's paw from [[Recap/CreepshowS1E10NightOfThePaw Night Of The Paw]] is seen among the collection of antiques Joseph's company discovers, one of the soldiers taking it as a keepsake.

** The teens at the impromptu party in Tim's dorm are seen drinking bottles of [[Recap/CreepshowS1E6GrayMatter Harrows Supreme]], as well as using the stuff for a round of beer pong.
** A snazzy suitcase is also among the antiques taken by a soldier in Joseph's platoon. One can only hope that a certain [[Recap/CreepshowS1E9TheManInTheSuitcase gold-spitting man]] isn't inside.
** David Alexander Kaplan, who plays Henry's nine-year-old self, previously played Rose's brother Joseph in [[Recap/CreepshowS1E3ByTheSilverWaterOfLakeChamplain By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain]].
** Like [[Recap/CreepshowS1E5TheFinger The Finger]] and [[Recap/CreepshowShapeshiftersAnonymous Shapeshifters Anonymous]], the series gives us another monster named Bob. The difference is that ''this'' Bob is a monster in the form of an unsympathetic boss who keeps Tim from seeing his family.
** During the war, Joseph was assigned to Bravo Company, the same company that was later turned into werewolves in [[Recap/CreepshowS1E2BadWolfDown Bad Wolf Down.]]

*** Upon his promotion to Junior Partner, the whiteboard is changed, so it now says that the firm's Wi-Fi password is [[Film/BackToTheFuture DocBNov51955]], and that all files of a certain type be sent to one [[Film/DonnieDarko D. Darko]].

Young Timothy Denbrough (Grant Feely) attends the funeral service of his grandfather Joseph. While rummaging through a drawer of his grandfather's old keepsakes, Tim discovers a strange and inviting key. He soon realizes that the key unlocks a hand-carved armoire that his grandfather had brought back to the United States from Germany. Joseph had initially discovered the armoire as a young man during his service as a private in World War II, when he and his company discovered a large collection of antiques stolen by the Nazis that had been hidden away in an abandoned farmhouse. As Tim slowly unlocks the armoire and opens its doors, his grandparents' cat Kitty leaps inside it. Before Tim can step inside the armoire himself, his grandmother Catherine (Shannon Eubanks) pulls him away from it, firmly reminding him that he isn't meant to use the armoire until he's older. Despite Tim mentioning that he once saw his grandpa step inside the armoire with a book and appeared to be fine when he stepped back out, Catherine cryptically reminds Tim that even though a person can play tricks with time, they can't cheat it, then sends the boy to join his mother. When Catherine opens the armoire again, she witnesses Kitty disintegrating into a pile of dust before picking up her collar.

Five years later, an older Tim (Garrett Zehner) is playing catch with his now six-year-old son (Emmerson Bennett), not minding the fact that he struggles to get back to his feet after a bungled catch. When Lauren arrives with food, Tim gets a call from work, in which Bob asks him to close an account by Monday, having appointed the task to him because of how good he is with time management. Nonetheless, Tim agrees to handle the job, boasting to his wife and son that he doesn't even have to leave home. Eventually, Tim is promoted to Junior Partner at the firm, but during his promotional celebration, he suddenly collapses. At the doctor's office, Tim is told that he suffered a mini-stroke, but will fortunately recover. The doctor also voices her concern about the fact that Tim's body appears to be physically older than Tim himself, and advises him to dial back on the work to decrease what is believed to be hypertension. After Lauren drives Tim home, she tells him that he has finally achieved what his late father was unable to achieve in life, but she warns Tim that he needs to stop working himself to death if he wants to keep what he has. Tim takes Lauren's words into consideration and puts the armoire's key into a box, then meets her and Henry in the kitchen to play a board game.

Three years later, Saul and an even older Tim discuss the list of candidates for Senior Partner at the firm. Saul reveals to Tim that he isn't on the list, while Saul himself is. Saul apologizes to Tim, but he takes it in stride, claiming that his friend deserved the promotion. That night, after being forced to miss dinner with his family, Lauren urgently informs Tim that Mia told her about the Senior Partner list. She reiterates that she doesn't care about his position with the firm, instead wanting him to focus on their family and cherishing the time they have left to enjoy it. During the early morning, while Lauren is asleep, Tim descends to the garage, reminiscing about how he was told that an important account with the firm needed a crucial task completed by Wednesday at the latest. Tim attempts to argue that he may not be able to accomplish this task, but Bob shares rumors that Tim may have lost his drive after years of service to the firm, and forcefully insisting that if said rumors are true, he shouldn't bother coming in tomorrow unless he has the work done, prompting Tim to accept the responsibility. As he approaches the armoire and opens it up, the eight-year-old Henry (David Alexander Kaplan) approaches him, mentioning that he got thirsty. Tim tells his son to wait in the kitchen, promising to meet him there.

* AnAesop: As Lauren herself says, while making an honest living is important, it's ''more'' important for us to make time to spend with our loved ones, and to treasure that time while we still have the opportunity to enjoy it.
* ArcWords: "Time", which is written in several locations throughout the story.
* {{Bookends}}: The story starts and ends with a young boy unlocking the armoire. Tim at first, then his son.
* {{Bookworm}}: Tim is shown to be a studious young man when in college, hoping to pass the bar exam and become a lawyer to honor his father.

** The monkey's paw from [[Recap/CreepshowS1E10NightOfThePaw Night Of The Paw]] is seen in the collection of antiques Joseph's company discovers, with one of the soldiers taking it as a keepsake.
** Much like [[Recap/CreepshowS2E7PipeScreams Pipe Screams]], the first casualty of the episode's supernatural element is an innocent cat.
** The teens at the impromptu party at Tim's dorm are seen drinking bottles of [[Recap/CreepshowS1E6GrayMatter Harrows Supreme.]]
** A snazzy suitcase is also taken by a soldier in Joseph's platoon. One can only hope that a certain [[Recap/CreepshowS1E9TheManInTheSuitcase gold-spitting man]] isn't inside.

** Like [[Recap/CreepshowS1E5TheFinger The Finger]] and [[Recap/CreepshowShapeshiftersAnonymous Shapeshifters Anonymous]], we get another monster named Bob. The difference is that this Bob is a monster in the form of an unsympathetic boss who keeps Tim from seeing his family.
** Joseph, during the war, was assigned to Bravo Company, possibly the same company that was later turned into werewolves in [[Recap/CreepshowS1E2BadWolfDown Bad Wolf Down.]]
** The key used to unlock the armoire is the same key used to lock the Necronomicon in [[Recap/CreepshowS2E2PublicTelevisionOfTheDead Public Television of the Dead.]]
* ClocksOfControl: Clocks are repeatedly glimpsed throughout the episode, almost as if the universe itself is subliminally bombarding Tim with reminders that he needs to listen to his wife and enjoy the time he has left with her and his son.
* CrypticConversation: All of Catherine's dialogue, including the letter she writes to Tim, is needlessly cryptic. It could have potentially saved a lot of drama and trouble if she had been straight with him and simply told him that the armoire speeds up time.
* DeathOfAChild: Horrifically played straight. Henry is undoubtedly going to suffer the same fate as his dad, thanks to him stepping inside the armoire without the key.
* DownerEnding: Tim ends up forgetting the key to the armoire the last time that he steps inside it, and this results in him aging into a pile of dust. Henry ends up stepping inside without the key as well, doomed to the same fate.
* EldritchLocation: The armoire's interior. It's shrouded in a mysterious purple light, the sound of clocks ticking emanates from it constantly, there is a reverb effect on both vision and speech, and time is able to mysteriously accelerate for whomever steps inside it.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Tim experiences this battle throughout the second half of the episode. He applies for a job at Wells & Brown boasting about how good he is with time management, and over the years, Bob (the head of the firm) takes strong advantage of this. After his mini-stroke, Bob and the rest of the firm start coming down hard on him for thinking that he's lost his drive, to the point where the former indirectly threatens to fire him if he doesn't do what he's told. On the other side of the conflict, Tim is forced to miss many nights with his wife and son. Lauren persuades Tim to stop putting so much effort into his work and to just spend time with his family, preferably while he still has time to spare. In the end, unfortunately, neither side wins.
* ForeShadowing:
** During Joseph's funeral, one of the mourners states that they didn't know he was apparently sick, giving us the hint that a sickness isn't what killed him.
** After Lauren drives Tim home from the hospital, she warns him to stop working himself into an early grave, hinting at his ultimate fate.
** When Tim opens the box that his wool sweater and the armoire's key are contained in, several moths fly out, which eventually reveals that the pocket he put the armoire's key in has a hole inside, from which the key falls out.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This story features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares. It instead decides to go in an existential/sci-fi route by showcasing how time can be an effective source of horror, and what abusing it could spell for people if they were given the chance to do so.
* FreudianExcuse: Tim wants to study law and become a great dad because his own father, whose wife had given birth to Tim when they were fresh out of college, wanted to be a lawyer himself, only to die in a car crash, so Tim now hopes to do anything possible to achieve the dream his father was unable to obtain.
* GettingTheBabyToSleep: When Henry is a baby, his dad uses the many sleepless nights when he cries to get his work done inside the armoire, then manages to lull him to sleep afterward.
* GoodParents: As part of his wishes to honor his own father, Tim is a wonderful dad to Henry and just as good a husband to Lauren, but when the firm's tasks and the armoire's effects start taking their toll on him, he is forced to begin neglecting his beloved family.
* GracefulLoser: After hearing that Saul is on the firm's list of candidates for Senior Partner while he's not, Tim takes it in stride and congratulates his friend, telling him that he deserved it.
* HistoryRepeats: From what little we hear during Joseph's funeral, he apparently used the armoire to (other than read) become a loyal and supportive man to his family, then died when he accidentally lost the key. A combined 22 years later, his grandson goes down the exact same path and ends up dying the exact same way.
* IgnoredExpert: Nearly everyone who isn't Tim or his boss tells the poor guy to take it easy on the work. When the firm's demands become higher to the point where Bob threatens to fire him, Tim unfortunately doesn't listen to them.
* ItCanThink: Since its doors are occasionally seen closing on their own accord when Tim enters it, it's highly possible that the armoire may actually have some degree of sentience, despite being an inanimate object.
* KarmaHoudini: Bob is never punished for indirectly making Tim work himself to death.
* LampshadeHanging: Saul, Lauren, and Tim's doctor all share their concerns with Tim's never-ending desire to get his work done, and repeatedly tell him to go easy on the work or at least take a break. They also seem to notice his rapid aging, which the doctor also brings up.
* LateForSchool: Tim oversleeps on the day of a crucial exam thanks to the party that Saul ends up throwing. Thanks to his discovery of the armoire's anomalous abilities regarding time, he has untold amounts of time to study for that exam, and enters the test room right on time... albeit with a large amount of facial hair.
* MarriedToTheJob: Tim teeters on the edge of this trope the longer he works at Wells & Brown, while also trying to remain a good family man to his wife and son.
* MaybeEverAfter: Saul makes it clear that he's got the hots for Lauren's friend Mia, but we don't know whether the two of them ever got together by the end of the episode.
* MeanBoss: Bob, the head of Wells & Brown. When we first meet him, he's impressed with Tim's credentials and is proud of his rapid ascent up the corporate ladder. As the years pass, Bob takes advantage of Tim's talents and forces him to get more and more work done, preventing him from spending time with his family. After Tim's mini-stroke, Bob treats him as just another cog in the machine, denying him the opportunity to achieve the position of Senior Partner (and giving it instead to his best friend) even after all the essential work he's done for him. It gets to the point where after Tim mentions that a particular task can't be done because he wants to be with his family, Bob shares rumors that Tim may have lost his drive, and makes an offhand threat to fire him if he doesn't have the task done by tomorrow.
* MundaneUtility: Tim has access to his own personal time-stasis field, and he uses it to get extra work done.

** Tim's last name is Denbrough, which is the same last name of Bill Denbrough, protagonist of ''Literature/{{IT}}''.

** The ashtray makes its latest appearance in the drawer that Tim's child self opens, stuffed in the middle of a collection of his grandfather's keepsakes.
* NegativeSpaceWedgie: Based on the effect it has on time, the armoire may possibly contain one.
* NiceGuy: Tim is a genuinely good guy, who honestly wants to have achieve his dream job and be a good husband/father to his family, so it's a shocking change of pace for the universe to punish him for not even doing anything wrong. The worst negative traits he had were a slight sense of cockiness, a big amount of hubris about his time management skills, and an insatiable desire to get his work done, but it's still pretty painful to watch him suffer his undeservedly cruel death.
* NothingIsScarier: It is never revealed what actually gave the armoire that weird energy field able to accelerate time inside it. All we know is that, for all intents and purposes, it just... '''has it.'''
* OlderThanTheyLook: Thanks to his continuing use of the armoire, Tim appears to look middle-aged when he's actually relatively young.
* PrematurelyGreyHaired: It's more of a very faded blonde near the end, but early in the story, Tim does discover a single grey hair that he pulls out during his first promotional party, hinting of the fate that befalls him.
* PursuingParentalPerils: Tim uses the time-speeding armoire to graduate college early, get a successful job at a law firm, and start a family to honor his father, who wanted to do the same and died young in a car accident. He does manage to hold onto his successful status for at least 12 years, but when he ends up losing the armoire's key, he disintegrates to dust.
* RapidAging: Tim's body prematurely ages every time he steps inside the armoire, even with the key. It gets to the point where he appears to be in his late 50's when he's actually in his early 30's, which several characters actually comment on. When he accidentally enters the armoire ''without'' the key, he ends up disintegrating into a pile of dust.
* ReducedToDust: The fate of anyone who steps inside the armoire without the key. First demonstrated on Kitty, then on Tim himself.
* RiddleForTheAges: The exact reason that the armoire's interior accelerates time is completely unexplained.

** Tim's college roommate, who also becomes a lawyer, is named [[Series/BreakingBad Saul]], which is sure to humorously bring ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' to mind.

** Wells & Brown itself is named after Creator/HGWells and [[Creator/ChristopherLloyd Emmett Brown]], both of whom were known to deal with [[Literature/TheTimeMachine objects that specialized]] [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture in altering time]].
** During Tim's party to celebrate his ascension to Senior Associate, the whiteboard behind him reads [[Film/EventHorizon "Libera te tutemet ex inferis"]]. Upon his promotion to Junior Partner, the whiteboard is changed, so it now says that the firm's Wi-Fi password is [[Film/BackToTheFuture DocBNov51955]], and that all files of a certain type be sent to [[Film/DonnieDarko D. Darko]].
* SpontaneousMustache: When Tim first uses the armoire to study for an upcoming exam, he enters the test room sporting a mustache and beard. Saul notices this, but decides not to bring it up.
* StartsWithTheirFuneral: Barring the illustrated intro, the episode begins during Joseph's funeral, and it's there that young Tim finds the armoire's key.

* TickTockTerror: The ominous ticking of clocks can be heard several times throughout the story, usually during the transitions. The ticking happens to come from within the armoire's interior, since it grows louder whenever the its doors are open.
* TimeDilation: The energy field inside the armoire causes time to speed up, but inside the armoire only. This explains why Tim prematurely ages whenever he spends time inside the thing.
* TimeMaster: Tim uses the armoire as a means of perfected time management, which he plays up to Bob.
* TimeSkip: In keeping with the time-based nature of Tim's predicament, this episode features ''several'' time skips, which showcase Tim's marriage, his career choices, and his starting a family, as well as how his career starts driving a wedge between him and said family.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Bob, when he's introduced, is a reasonable and friendly boss who praises the amount of work Tim accomplishes for his firm. After Tim's mini-stroke, Bob suddenly comes down hard on him, treating him as just another worthless employee and even threatening to fire him if he doesn't do what he's told because he wants to be with his family. He even flirts with the idea of promoting Tim to Senior Partner, only to keep him off the list of candidates and replace his name with that of his best friend.
* TurnOfTheMillennium: The episode is set throughout the 2000s. A calendar in Tim's dorm pegs the day he receives the armoire as being sometime in May 2000.
* UngratefulBastard: After Tim's mini-stroke, Bob wants to keep on having the man do his work for him, even threatening to fire him when he wants to be with his family, in spite of Tim having already accomplished 9 to 10 years of tasks for his firm.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Tim's grandfather Joseph, who was the one who brought the armoire to the United States in the first place. Catherine later becomes one by having it posthumously delivered to Tim's dorm, which introduces him to its anomalous abilities.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Lauren's friend Mia only appears when Tim is in college.
* WildTeenParty: Saul inviting Lauren and Mia over to share some drinks ends up escalating into a full-on college party, complete with kids playing beer pong and the typical kid with a guitar.
* {{Workaholic}}: Tim is shown to be one of these as he grows older, hoping to accomplish whatever the law firm throws at him, even when it begins making him neglect his family.
* YearInsideHourOutside: The anomalous energy field inside the armoire causes this. On the inside, time accelerates at a rapid pace, but on the outside, time continues to function as normal. Unfortunately, this is only if someone has the key on their person, for if they step in without it, decades are able to pass by in seconds. Tim discovers this the hard way when he steps inside the armoire without the key, eventually aging so much he collapses to a pile of dust. Even before he disintegrates, Tim catches a glimpse of his son moving at a snail's pace through the keyhole.

The sharing of drinks eventually escalates to a makeshift party, during which Lauren asks Tim why he has his heart set on the subject of law. Tim admits that he was born when his parents just graduated from college. His father wanted attend law school himself, but was tragically killed in a car accident. Because of this, Tim now hopes to become a successful lawyer and a great dad to honor his own father, accomplishing what his old man never got a chance to accomplish in his own life. The morning after the party, Tim ends up oversleeping, and discovers that he only has 35 minutes until his exam begins. Remembering his grandmother's note, he unlocks the armoire and steps inside. Tim discovers that the armoire's interior is not only configured into a makeshift workspace, but is bathed in a sort of anomalous energy field that causes time to accelerate. When he leaves the armoire, Tim notices that time outside it has remained unchanged, and he excitedly uses this new development to his advantage by bringing his study materials inside the armoire. When the exam begins, Tim enters the testing room right on schedule, now sporting a mustache and beard. Saul notices this change, but decides not to bring it up.

Three years later, Saul and an even older Tim discuss the list of candidates for Senior Partner at the firm. Saul reveals to Tim that he isn't on the list, while Saul himself is. Saul apologizes to Tim, but he takes it in stride, claiming that his friend deserved the promotion. That night, after being forced to miss dinner with his family, Lauren urgently informs Tim that Mia told her about the Senior Partner list. She reiterates that she doesn't care about his position with the firm, instead wanting him to focus on their family and cherishing the time they have left to enjoy it. During the early morning, while Lauren is asleep, Tim descends to the garage, reminiscing about how he was told that an important account with the firm needed a crucial task completed by Wednesday at the latest. Tim attempts to argue that he may not be able to accomplish this task, but Bob shares rumors that Tim may have lost his drive after years of service to the firm, and forcefully insisting that if said rumors aren't true, tells him not to bother coming in tomorrow unless he has the work done, prompting Tim to accept the responsibility. As he approaches the armoire and opens it up, the eight-year-old Henry (David Alexander Kaplan) approaches him, mentioning that he got thirsty. Tim tells his son to wait in the kitchen, promising to meet him there.

Ten years later, the now-teenaged Tim (Matthew Barnes) is attending college, spending all of his free time studying to pass the bar exam. His roommate Saul (Jibre Hodges) encourages Tim to take a break from his books, mentioning that the exam he's currently studying for isn't until Friday. Saul then notices a pair of girls approaching the dorm house, recognizing them as Tim's crush Lauren (Devon Hales) and her friend Mia (Lauren Richards). Hatching an idea, Saul steps out of the room for a brief moment. When he leaves, a pair of moving men knock on the door. When Tim answers, the movers mention that they have a delivery from the estate of Catherine (who has since died), and proceed to bring the armoire into the room, as well give Tim a letter Catherine had written to him before her death. In her note, Catherine invites her grandson to use the armoire whenever he wishes, but warns him to ''never'' step inside unless he's carrying the key, reminding him that "stolen hours are never free". Just as Tim discovers the key and prepares to unlock the armoire for the first time in a decade, Saul returns with the girls, inviting them to share a few drinks.

* BookEnds: The story starts and ends with a young boy unlocking the armoire. Tim at first, then his son.

* AnAesop: As Lauren herself states, it's important for us to treasure the time we have while we still have the opportunity to enjoy it.

* CrypticConversation: Catherine's dialogue, including the letter she writes to Tim, is needlessly cryptic. It could have potentially saved a lot of drama and trouble if she had been straight with him and simply told him that the armoire speeds up time.

* FreudianExcuse: Tim wants to study law and become a great dad because his own father, whose wife had given birth to Tim when they were fresh out of college, wanted to be a lawyer himself, only to die in a car crash, so Tim now hopes to do anything possible to achieve the dream his father was unable to live.

* HistoryRepeats: From what little we hear during Joseph's funeral, he apparently used the armoire to (other than read) become a loyal and supportive man to his family, then died when he accidentally lost the key. 22 years later, his grandson goes down his grandfather's path and ends up dying the same way.
* IgnoredExpert: Nearly everyone who isn't Tim or his boss tells the man to take it easy on the work. When the firm's demands become higher to the point where Bob threatens to fire him, Tim unfortunately doesn't listen to him.

* KarmaHoudini: Tim's boss Bob is never punished for indirectly making Tim work himself to death.
* LampshadeHanging: Saul, Lauren, and even Tim's doctor share their concerns with Tim's never-ending desire to get work done, and repeatedly tell him to take it easy. They also seem to notice his rapid aging, which they don't really bring up.

* NiceGuy: Tim genuinely wants to have achieve his dream job and be a good husband/father to his family, so it's a shocking change of pace for the universe to punish him for not even doing anything wrong. Of course, he was slightly cocky and had a big amount of hubris about his time management skills, but it's still pretty painful to watch.
* NothingIsScarier: It is never revealed what actually gave the armoire that weird energy field able to accelerate time inside it. All we know is that, for all intents and purposes, it just... '''does it.'''

* PrematurelyGreyHaired: It's more of a very faded blonde for most of the story, but Tim does discover a single grey hair that he pulls out during his first promotional party, hinting of the fate that befalls him.

** During Tim's party to celebrate his ascension to Senior Associate, the whiteboard behind him reads [[Film/EventHorizon "Libera te tutemet ex inferis"]].
* SpontaneousMustache: When Tim first uses the armoire to study for an upcoming exam, he enters the test room sporting a mustache and beard. Saul notices this, but doesn't decide to bring it up.

* TickTockTerror: The ominous ticking of clocks can be heard several times throughout the story, usually during the transitions. The ticking happens to come from armoire's interior, since it grows louder whenever the armoire is open.

* WeHardlyKnewYe: Lauren's friend Mia.
* WildTeenParty: Saul inviting Lauren and Mia over to share some drinks ends up escalating into a full-on typical college party, complete with kids beer pong and the typical kid with a guitar.

Young Tim Denborough (Grant Feely/Matthew Barnes/Garrett Zehner) attends the memorial service of his grandfather, Joseph. While rummaging through a drawer of his grandfather's old keepsakes, Tim discovers a peculiar key. He soon discovers that the key is for a vintage, hand-carved armoire his grandfather had acquired in Germany, during his service in World War II; Joseph had found it in the midst of a collection of antiques stolen by the Nazis that had been stashed away in an abandoned farmhouse. As Tim slowly unlocks the armoire and opens the doors, his grandfather's cat, Kitty, leaps inside it. Before Tim can step inside as well, his grandmother Catherine (Shannon Eubanks) stops him, reminding him that he isn't meant to use the armoire until he's older. Despite Tim mentioning that he once saw his grandfather step inside the armoire and appeared to be fine when he stepped back out, Catherine cryptically reminds Tim that even though one can play tricks with time, they can't cheat it, then sends him to join his mother. When Catherine opens the armoire again, she witnesses Kitty disintegrating into a pile of dust.

Ten years later, Tim is now attending college, spending all his free time studying to pass the bar exam. His roommate Saul (Jibre Hodges) encourages Tim to take a break, mentioning that the exam he's currently studying for isn't until Friday. Saul then notices a pair of girls approaching the dorms, recognizing one of them as Tim's crush, Lauren (Devon Hales). Hatching an idea, Saul steps out of the room for a brief moment. When he leaves, a pair of movers knock on the door. When Tim answers, the movers mention that they have a delivery from Catherine's estate, and proceed to bring the armoire into the dorm room. They also deliver a letter Catherine had written to Tim, inviting him to use the armoire as he wishes, but also warns him to ''never'' step inside without carrying the key, reminding him that "stolen hours are never free". Just as Tim discovers the key and prepares to unlock the armoire, Saul returns with the girls, inviting them to share a drink. The sharing of drinks eventually escalates to a full-scale party, during which Lauren asks Tim why he has his heart set on the subject of law. Tim admits her that he was born when his parents were fresh out of college. His father wanted attend law school, but was tragically killed in a car accident. Because of this, Tim now hopes to become a lawyer and a great dad to honor his father, accomplishing what his old man never got a chance to accomplish in life. The morning after the party, Tim oversleeps, and discovers that he only has 35 minutes until his exam begins. Remembering his grandmother's note, he unlocks the armoire and steps inside. Tim soon discovers that not only is the armoire's interior configured into a makeshift workspace, but the interior also contains an anomalous effect that causes time to accelerate. When he leaves the armoire, Tim notices that time outside it remains unchanged, and excitedly uses this to his advantage by bringing his study materials inside it. When the exam begins, Tim enters the test room right on schedule, now sporting a mustache and beard. Saul notices this change, but decides not to inform Tim.

Sometime later, Tim and Lauren have gotten engaged, with Tim having the wedding scheduled for November, after he passes the bar. When Lauren and her friend leave to check out bridesmaid dresses, Tim tells Saul that he has also managed to buy a house, just down the road from a prestigious law firm known as Wells & Brown. Saul then informs Tim that he looks raggedy and asks him to consider slowing down on his aspirations, mentioning that there are only so many hours in a day. Tim does appreciate the concern, but assures his friend that he's fine. Tim then goes in for a job interview at Wells & Brown, where the head of the company praises Tim's credentials and asks what his secret is, prompting Tim to admit that he's very good with time management, and having him vow to continue impressing the firm. As Tim enters the garage of his new home, where he has the armoire placed, he takes more work material and once again steps inside it.

Four years later, a slightly older Tim has reached the position of Senior Associate, and is boasted by the boss as having reached the position faster than anyone else at the firm. While in the bathroom, Tim notices that his hair is starting to fall out, but pays it no mind. While building a crib, Tim is asked by his pregnant wife when he is going to see an optometrist for his eyesight, but he assures Lauren that he isn't having trouble seeing. Eventually, Tim's son Henry (Emmerson Bennett/David Alexander Kaplan) is born, and Tim uses the sleepless nights when his new son cries to step inside the armoire for more work time.

Five years later, an older Tim is playing catch with his now five-year-old son, despite the fact that he struggles to get back to his feet after a bungled catch. When Lauren arrives with food, Tim gets a call from work, asking him to close an account by Monday, having been appointed the task because of how good he is with time. Nonetheless, Tim agrees to handle the job, boasting to his wife and son that he doesn't even have to leave home. Eventually, Tim is promoted to Junior Partner at the firm, but during his promotional celebration, he collapses. At the doctor's office, Tim is told that he suffered a mild stroke, but will recover. The doctor also voices their concern about the fact that Tim's body is physically older than Tim himself, and advises him to dial back on the work to decrease what is believed to be hypertension. When Lauren drives Tim home, she tells him that he has finally achieved what his father was unable to achieve, but he needs to stop working himself to death if he wants to keep what he has. Tim takes her words into consideration, puts the armoire's key into a box, then joins her and Henry into the kitchen to play a board game.

Three years later, Saul and an even older Tim discuss the list for Senior Partner at the firm, with Saul revealing that Tim isn't on the list, but he is. Saul apologizes to Tim, but Tim takes it in stride, claiming that his friend deserved it. That night, after being forced to miss dinner with his family, Lauren urgently informs Tim that she doesn't care about his position with the firm, instead wanting him to focus on the time they have now. While Lauren is asleep, Tim descends to the garage, reminiscing how he was told that an important account with the firm needed discovery by Wednesday at the latest, insisting that if he hasn't lost his drive, not to come in tomorrow unless he has the work done. As he approaches the armoire and opens it, the eight-year-old Henry approaches him, mentioning that he got thirsty. Tim tells Henry to wait in the kitchen, promising to meet him there.

As Tim steps inside the armoire and gets to work, he reaches in his sweater pocket for the key, only to discover a hole in the pocket. As he frantically searches for the key, Tim peeks through the keyhole to discover it on the floor just outside of the armoire. As Henry reenters the garage, the rapidly aging Tim pleads with his son to open the armoire. Henry picks up the key, unlocks the armoire, and opens the doors just in time to discover his now-ancient father disintegrating into a pile of dust. Shocked at what has just happened, Henry drops the key and steps inside the armoire to look for his dad. The armoire's doors close on their own accord behind Henry, dooming the boy to the same fate as his father.

* AnAesop: As Lauren mentions, it's important that we treasure the time we have now, while we still have the opportunity to enjoy it.

* BookEnds: The story starts and ends with a young boy unlocking the armoire. First Tim, then Tim's son.

* ClocksOfControl: Clocks are repeatedly glimpsed throughout the episode, almost as if the universe itself is subliminally reminding Tim that he needs to listen to Lauren and enjoy the time he has now.
* CrypticConversation: Catherine's dialogue, including the letter she writes to Tim, is needlessly cryptic. It could have potentially saved a lot of trouble if she had been straight with him and simply told him that the armoire speeds up time.
* DeathOfAChild: Horrifically played straight. Henry is undoubtedly going to suffer the same fate as his dad, thanks to stepping inside the armoire without the key.
* DownerEnding: Tim ends up forgetting the key to the armoire the last time he steps inside it, resulting in him aging into a pile of dust. Henry ends up stepping inside without the key as well, doomed to the same fate.
* EldritchLocation: The inside of the armoire. It's shrouded in a mysterious purple light, the sound of clocks ticking emanates from it constantly, there is a reverb effect on both vision and speech, and it is able to mysteriously accelerate time for whomever steps inside it.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Tim experiences this battle throughout the second half of the episode. He applies for a job at Wells & Brown boasting about how good he is with time management, and over the years, the firm takes advantage of this. After his mini-stroke, the firm starts coming down hard on him for thinking that he's lost his drive, actually getting to the point where they threaten to fire him if he doesn't accomplish their tasks. Meanwhile, Lauren persuades Tim to stop putting so much effort into his work and to just spend time with his family while he still has time to spare.

** After Lauren drives Tim home from the hospital, she warns him to stop working himself into an early grave, hinting at his fate.
** When Tim takes opens the box that his wool sweater and the armoire's key are contained in, several moths fly out, which eventually reveals that the pocket he thought he put the armoire's key in has a hole inside, from which the key falls out.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: This story features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares. It instead decides to go in an existential route by showcasing the fear of time, and what abusing time could spell for people if they were given the chance to fool with it.
* FreudianExcuse: Tim wants to study law and become a great dad because his own father, whose wife had given birth to Tim when they were fresh out of college, wanted to be a lawyer himself, only to die in a car crash. Tim now hopes to do anything possible to achieve the dream his father was unable to.
* ItCanThink: Since its doors are seen closing on their own accord when Tim enters it, it's highly possible that the armoire may actually have some degree of sentience, despite being an inanimate object.
* MeanBoss: Downplayed. The head of Wells & Brown is impressed with Tim's credentials and his rapid ascent up the corporate ladder. As the years pass, the boss takes advantage of his talents and forces him to get more work done, preventing him from spending time with his family. It gets to the point where after Tim mentions that a particular task can't be done, his boss shares rumors that he may have lost his drive, and tells him not to come to work tomorrow if he doesn't have the task done.

** Tim's last name is Denborough, the same last name as Bill Denborough, protagonist of ''Literature/{{IT}}''.

* NegativeSpaceWedgie: Based on its anomalous effects on time, the armoire may quite possibly contain one.
* NiceGuy: Tim genuinely wants to have a good job and be a good man to his family, so it's a shocking change of pace for the universe to punish him for not even doing anything wrong.
* NothingIsScarier: It is never revealed what actually gave the armoire the ability to accelerate time inside it. All we know is that it just... '''does.'''
* OlderThanTheyLook: Thanks to his continued use of the armoire, Tim appears to look middle-aged when he's actually in his early 30's.
* RapidAging: Tim's body prematurely ages every time he steps inside the armoire, to the point where he appears to be in his late 50's when he's actually in his early 30's, which several characters actually comment on. It gets to the point where he ends up disintegrating into a pile of dust when he forgets the key.

** Tim's college roommate, who also becomes a lawyer, is named Saul, which is sure to humorously bring ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' to mind.

** Wells & Brown itself is named after Creator/HGWells (author of Literature/TheTimeMachine), and [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Doc Brown]], inventor of a certain modified car.

* TimeMaster: Tim brags about being one of these, using the armoire as a means of perfected time management.
* TimeSkip: In keeping with the time-based nature of Tim's predicament, this episode features several time skips, which showcase Tim's marriage, career choices, and starting a family, as well as how things in his life begins getting strained.
* TurnOfTheMillennium: The episode is set throughout the 2000s. According to a calendar in Tim's dorm, the day he receives the armoire is sometime in May 2000.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Joseph, Tim's grandfather, who was the one who brought the armoire to the United States in the first place. Catherine later becomes one by having it delivered to Tim's dorm, which introduces him to its anomalous abilities.
* WildTeenParty: Saul inviting Lauren and her friend over to share some drinks ends up escalating into a full-on party, complete with the typical college kid with a guitar.

* YearInsideHourOutside: The anomalous effect inside the armoire causes this. Inside, time accelerates at a rapid pace. Outside, time continues to function as normal. But that's only if someone has the key on their person, for without it, decades are able to pass by in seconds. Tim discovers this when he steps inside the armoire without the key, eventually aging so much he collapses to a pile of dust. Even before he disintegrates, Tim catches a glimpse of his son moving at a snail's pace through the keyhole.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This story features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares. It instead decides to go in an existential route by showcasing the fear of time, and what abusing time could spell for people if they were given the chance to fool with it.

Ten years later, Tim is now attending college, spending all his free time studying to pass the bar exam. His roommate Saul (Jibre Hodges) encourages Tim to take a break, mentioning that the exam he's currently studying for isn't until Friday. Saul then notices a pair of girls approaching the dorms, recognizing one of them as Tim's crush, Lauren (Devon Hales). Hatching an idea, Saul steps out of the room for a brief moment. When he leaves, a pair of movers knock on the door. When Tim answers, the movers mention that they have a delivery from Catherine's estate, and proceed to bring the armoire into the dorm room. They also deliver a letter Catherine had written to Tim, inviting him to use the armoire as he wishes, but also warns him to ''never'' step inside without carrying the key, reminding him that "stolen hours are never free". Just as Tim discovers the key and prepares to unlock the armoire, Saul returns with the girls, inviting them to share a drink. The sharing of drinks eventually escalates to a full-scale party, during which Lauren asks Tim why he has his heart set on the subject of law. Tim admits her that he was born when his parents were fresh out of college. His father wanted attend law school, but was tragically killed in a car accident. Because of this, Tim now hopes to become a lawyer and a great dad to honor his father, accomplishing what his old man never got a chance to accomplish in life. The morning after the party, Tim oversleeps, and discovers that he only has 35 minutes until his exam begins. Remembering his grandmother's note, he unlocks the armoire and steps inside. Tim soon discovers that not only is the armoire's interior configured into a makeshift workspace, but the interior also contains an anomalous effect that causes time to accelerate. When he leaves the armoire, Tim notices that time outside it remains unchanged, and excitedly uses this to his advantage by bringing his study materials inside it. When the exam begins, Tim enters the test room right on schedule, now sporting a beard. Saul notices this change, but decides not to inform Tim.

* ClocksOfControl: Clocks, along with the word "Time", are repeatedly glimpsed throughout the episode, almost as if the universe itself is subliminally reminding Tim that he needs to enjoy the time he has now.
* CrypticConversation: A good chunk of Catherine's dialogue is needlessly cryptic. It could have potentially saved a lot of trouble if she had been straight with Tim and simply told him that the armoire speeds up time.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Tim experiences this battle throughout the second half of the episode. He applies for a job at Wells & Brown boasting about how good he is with time, and over the years, the firm takes advantage of this, reaching the point where they threaten to fire him if he doesn't accomplish their tasks. Meanwhile, Lauren persuades Tim to stop putting so much effort into his work and to just spend time with his family while he still has time to spare.

** When Tim takes opens the box that his wool sweater and the armoire's key are contained in, several moths fly out, which eventually reveals that the pocket he thought he put the armoire's key in has a hole inside, in which the key falls out.
* FreudianExcuse: Tim wants to study law and become a great father because his own father, whose wife had given birth to Tim when they were fresh out of college, wanted to be a lawyer himself, only to die in a car crash. Tim now hopes to do anything possible to achieve the dream his father was unable to.
* ItCanThink: Since the armoire's doors can close on their own accord when Tim enters it, it's highly possible that it may have some degree of sentience, despite being an inanimate object.

* NothingIsScarier: It is never revealed what gave the armoire the ability to accelerate time inside it. All we know is that it just speeds up time.

* RapidAging: Tim's body prematurely ages every time he steps inside the armoire, to the point where he appears to be in his late 50's when he's actually in his early 30's, which several characters comment on. It gets to the point where he ends up disintegrating into a pile of dust when he forgets the key.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This story features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares, choosing instead to go in an exestential route by showcasing the fear of time, and what abusing time could spell for people if they were given the chance to fool with it.
* SpontaneousMustache: When Tim first uses the armoire to study for an upcoming exam, he enters the test room sporting a beard. Saul notices this, but doesn't decide to bring it up.

* WildTeenParty: Saul inviting Lauren and her friend over to share some drinks ends up escalating into a full-on party.

** The head of Wells & Brown, while bringing up Tim's credentials, mentions that he has a close relationship to one Judge [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Meyers.]]

Tim Denborough (Grant Feely/Matthew Barnes/Garrett Zehner) attends the memorial service of his grandfather, Joseph. While rummaging through a drawer of his grandfather's old keepsakes, Tim discovers a peculiar key. He soon discovers that the key is for a vintage, hand-carved armoire his grandfather had acquired in Germany, during his service in World War II, having found it in the midst of a collection of antiques stolen by the Nazis that had been stashed away in an abandoned farmhouse. As Tim slowly unlocks the armoire and opens the doors, his grandfather's cat, Kitty, leaps inside it. Before Tim can step inside as well, his grandmother Catherine (Shannon Eubanks) stops him, reminding him that he isn't meant to use the armoire until he's older. Despite mentioning that his grandfather stepped inside the armoire and appeared to be fine, Tim is cryptically reminded by his grandmother that even though one can play tricks with time, they can't cheat it, then sends him to join his mother. When Catherine opens the armoire again, she witnesses Kitty disintegrating into a pile of dust.

Ten years later, Tim is now attending college, and is spending all his time studying to pass the bar exam. His roommate Saul (Jibre Hodges) encourages Tim to take a break, mentioning that the exam he is currently studying for isn't until Friday. Saul then notices a pair of girls approaching the dorms, recognizing one of them as Tim's crush, Lauren (Devon Hales). Hatching an idea, Saul steps out of the room for a brief moment. When he leaves, a pair of movers knock on the door. When Tim answers, the movers mention that they have a delivery from Catherine's estate, and bring the armoire into the dorm room. They also deliver a letter Catherine had written to Tim, inviting him to use it as he wishes, but also warns him to never step inside without carrying the key, reminding him that "stolen hours are never free". Just as Tim discovers the key, Saul returns with the girls, inviting them to share a drink. The sharing of drinks eventually escalates to a full-scale party, during which Lauren asks Tim why he has his heart set on the subject of law. Tim tells her that he was born when his parents were fresh out of college, as well as the fact that his father wanted attend law school, but was tragically killed in a car accident. Because of this, Tim hopes to become a lawyer and a dad to honor his father, accomplishing what his old man never got a chance to accomplish in life. The morning after the party, Tim notices that he only has 35 minutes until the exam begins. Remembering his grandmother's note, he unlocks the armoire and steps inside. Tim soon discovers that not only is the armoire's interior configured into a makeshift workspace, but the interior also contains an anomalous effect that causes time to accelerate. When he leaves the armoire, Tim notices that time outside it remains unchanged, and excitedly uses this to his advantage by bringing his study materials inside. When the exam begins, Tim enters right on schedule, now sporting a beard. Saul notices this change, but decides not to inform Tim.

Sometime later, Tim and Lauren have gotten engaged, with Tim having the wedding scheduled for November, after he passes the bar. When Lauren and her friend leave to check out bridesmaid dresses, Tim tells Saul that he has also managed to buy a house, just down the road from a prestigious law firm. Saul then informs Tim that he looks raggedy and asks him to consider slowing down on his aspirations, mentioning that there are only so many hours in a day. Tim does appreciate the concern, but assures his friend that he's fine. Tim then goes in for a job interview at Wells & Brown, the law firm he was hoping to join. The interviewer praises Tim's credentials and asks what his secret is, prompting Tim to admit that he's very good with time management, and having him vow to continue impressing the firm. As Tim enters the garage of his new home, where he has the armoire placed, he takes more work material and once again steps inside it.

Four years later, a slightly older Tim has reached the position of Senior Associate, and is boasted as having reached the position faster than anyone else at the firm. While in the bathroom, Tim notices that some of his hair is starting to fall out, but pays it no mind. While building a crib, Tim is asked by his pregnant wife when he is going to see an optometrist for his eyesight, but he assures Lauren that he isn't having trouble seeing. Eventually, Tim's son Henry (Emmerson Bennett/David Alexander Kaplan) is born, and Tim often uses the sleepless nights when his new son cries to step inside the armoire for more work time.

Five years later, an older Tim is playing catch with his now five-year-old son, despite the fact that he struggles to get back to his feet after a bungled throw. When Lauren arrives with food, Tim gets a call from work, asking him to close an account by Monday, and having the task appointed to him because of how good he is with time. Nonetheless, Tim agrees to handle the job, boasting to his wife and son that he doesn't even have to leave home. Eventually, Tim is promoted to Junior Partner at the firm, but during the celebration, he collapses. At the doctor's office, Tim is told that he suffered a mild stroke, but will recover. The doctor also voices their concern about the fact that Tim's body is physically older than Tim himself, and advises him to dial back on the work to decrease the hypertension. When Lauren and Tim get home, Lauren tells Tim that he has achieved what his father was unable to achieve, but he needs to stop working himself to death if he wants to keep what he has. Tim takes her words into consideration, puts the armoire's key into a box, then joins her and Henry into the kitchen to play a board game.

Three years later, Saul and an even older Tim discuss the list for Senior Partner at the firm, with Saul mentioning that Tim isn't on the list, but he is. Saul apologizes to Tim, but Tim takes it in stride, claiming that his friend deserved it. That night, after being forced to miss dinner with his family, Lauren urgently informs Tim that she doesn't care about his position with the firm, instead wanting him to focus on the time they have now. While Lauren is asleep, Tim descends to the garage, reminiscing how he was told that an important account with the firm needed discovery by Wednesday at the latest, insisting that if he hasn't lost his drive, not to come in tomorrow unless he has the work done. As he approaches the armoire and opens it, the eight-year-old Henry approaches him, mentioning that he got thirsty. Tim tells Henry to wait in the kitchen, promising to meet him there. As Tim steps inside the armoire and gets to work, he reaches in his sweater pocket for the key, only to discover a hole in the pocket. As he frantically searches for the key, Tim peeks through the keyhole to discover it on the floor outside of the armoire. As Henry reenters the garage, the rapidly aging Tim pleads with his son to open the armoire. Henry picks up the key, unlocks the armoire, and opens the doors just in time to discover his now ancient father disintegrating into a pile of dust. Shocked at what has just happened, Henry drops the key and steps inside the armoire to look for his dad. The armoire's doors close on their own accord behind Henry, dooming the boy to the same fate as his father.

* AnAesop: As Lauren mentions, it's important to treasure the time we have now, while we still have the opportunity to enjoy it.

* ClocksOfControl: Clocks are repeatedly glimpsed throughout the episode, almost as if subliminally reminding Tim that he needs to enjoy the time he has now.
* DeathOfAChild: Henry is undoubtedly going to suffer the same fate as his dad, thanks to stepping inside the armoire without the key.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Tim applies for a job at the law firm boasting about how good he is with time. Over the years, the firm takes advantage of this, reaching the point of threatening to fire him if he doesn't accomplish their tasks. On the other side, Lauren persuades Tim to stop putting so much effort into his work and to just spend time with his family while he still has time to spare.
* ForeShadowing: When Tim takes opens the box his sweater is contained in, several moths fly out, which eventually reveals that the pocket he thought he put the armoire's key in has a hole inside, in which the key falls out.

* ShoutOut: Tim's college roommate, who also becomes a lawyer, is named Saul, which is sure to humorously bring ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' to mind.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: This story features no monsters, ghouls, or physical threats to generate scares, choosing instead to focus on the existential horror of time, and what abusing it could spell for people.

* TimeSkip: In keeping with the time-based nature of Tim's predicament, the story features several skips, showing Tim's graduation, marriage, career choices, and starting a family.
* TurnOfTheMillennium: When the episode is set. A calendar in Tim's dorm reads "May 2000".
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Joseph, Tim's grandfather, who was the one who brought the armoire to the states in the first place.

* YearInsideHourOutside: The anomalous effect inside the armoire causes this. Inside, time accelerates at a rapid pace. Outside, time continues to function as normal. But that's only if someone has the key on their person, for without it, decades are able to pass by in seconds. Tim discovers this when he steps inside the armoire without the key, eventually aging so much he collapses to a pile of dust.

* InfantImmortality: Shockingly averted. Tim's son Henry is left stuck inside the armoire at the end of the episode, doomed to share the same fate as his dad.