History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS5E125TheLastNightOfAJockey

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/last_night_of_a_jockey_5641.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Grady gives himself a good talking to.]]

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': The name is Grady, five feet short in stockings and boots, a slightly distorted offshoot of a good breed of humans who race horses. He happens to be one of the rotten apples, bruised and yellowed by dealing in dirt, a short man with a short memory who's forgotten that he's worked for the sport of kings and helped turn it into a cesspool, used and misused by the two-legged animals who've hung around sporting events since the days of the Coliseum. So this is Grady, on his last night as a jockey. Behind him are Hialeah, Hollywood Park and Saratoga. Rounding the far turn and coming up fast on the rail is The Twilight Zone.

A jockey named Michael Grady (Creator/MickeyRooney) is sitting alone in his room after finding out he's been banned from horse-racing for life for fixing races by horse-doping. All he ever wanted was to be respected. He curses a reporter who's written of his misdeeds in the paper. He drinks in his depression and thinks of what his life will be now. Then he hears a voice; it's his reflection, his alter-ego.

He argues with his alter-ego, trying to justify his life and his actions, even lying about his crimes. But the alter-ego knows better. Grady is offered the chance to change his life with one final wish. Grady says his greatest wish is to be big. After Grady wakes from a nap he finds his wish has been granted. He's instantly grown taller. He's "big".

Ecstatic, Grady calls his ex-girlfriend over the phone just to prove to the alter-ego that size actually does matter. She angrily wants nothing more to do with him. The conversation gets heated. He screams at her. She rejects him, but Grady remains undaunted. He boasts that he can find more girls that will actually appreciate him because of his newfound height. The alter-ego remains unimpressed, feeling Grady hasn't made good on any of his promises.

Grady, however, is confused and asks the alter-ego what he really is and what his business is all about. The alter-ego tries to explain to Grady in the most simple way possible. He's "the last gasp". The alter-ego then criticizes Grady for his dumb and "cheap" wish and gives him better ideas and suggestions for what Grady would've really wanted. The ego implies that Grady could've wished to win the Kentucky Derby honestly or to perform a heroic act, but as it stands, Grady wished to be a "big man". Grady objects, defending his wish.

A telephone call from the racing commission informs Grady that he has been given another chance – he has been reinstated and can jockey again. We hear the alter-ego laughing mockingly. Why? Because now it's too late: unbeknownst to Grady, he has grown even larger, about 10 feet tall — now not only too tall to ride a horse, but he barely fits in his own apartment! Grady screams "I'm too big! I can't ride!" Devastated, the now-giant Grady wrecks his room and pleads with the alter-ego, "Please! Please! Please make me small, please! I'll never ask for anything again. Please make me small!"

The alter-ego replies, "You ''are'' small, Mr. Grady. You see, every time you won an honest race, that's when you were a giant. But right now, they just don't come any smaller."

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': The name is Grady, ten feet tall, a slightly distorted offshoot of a good breed of humans who race horses. Unfortunately for Mr. Grady, he learned too late that you never measure size with a ruler, you don't figure height with a yardstick and you never judge a man by how tall he looks in a mirror. The giant is as he does. You can make a parimutuel bet on this, win, place or show, in or out of The Twilight Zone.
----
!!Last Tropes of a Jockey:

* ActingForTwo: Mickey Rooney plays both Grady and his alter-ego.
* AllTakeAndNoGive: Grady’s alter-ego says this about Mr. Hanchek after he makes big money betting on Grady in a race he bribed Grady to win by cheating and then [[UngratefulBastard refuses to give Grady a fair cut of the profits]].
* AnAesop: Size does not make the man.
* AngelUnaware: Grady’s alter-ego initially claims to be Grady's conscience, but lie or [[FromACertainPointOfView analogy]], this is quickly disproven when he grants Grady's wish to be taller. When asked again, he tries to give a simplified explanation that he's the strength that comes to all men in their most desperate moment, and he can work miracles for some men, as he can epitomize everything noble in men, and Grady's desire was just a poor aspiration. Again abstract, but it implies that it might have been an entity whose duty was to grant people their aspirations on their darkest days. After a call that reverses Grady's fortunes, he begins to brag and rejoice that he'll be riding again, and the alter-ego laughs mockingly and makes Grady even bigger, before Grady realizes with horror that he won't actually ride again. The implication was that the alter-ego wasn't working in Grady's best interests. Perhaps it was [[LouisCypher a different kind of angel]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Grady tells his alter-ego that his greatest wish is to be big. After falling asleep, he wakes up to find that he has become seven or eight feet tall and he is thrilled. Later still, he becomes ten feet tall. The racing commission then calls Grady to let him know that his lifetime ban has been overturned and he has been given a second chance. He is momentarily overjoyed until he realizes that his new size means that he is too big to ride, putting an end to his career as a jockey.
* BottleEpisode: The entire episode takes place inside Grady's apartment.
* ByronicHero: Grady is an unscrupulous race jockey with a short temper. His actions eventually lead him to ruin, and in his misery, he refuses to reflect on his actions and life, and instead displaces his woes onto [[TheNapoleon his insecurity about his height]] and how he's been disrespected his whole life. When his wish is granted, he's elated, but it swiftly becomes apparent to him that being taller isn't going to get him anything.
* ComicallySmallBribe: Grady was bribed into doping horses for a grand total of $8, equivalent to just under $68 in 2020. Apparently enough to make him risk his career.
* DomesticAbuse: Alluded to when Grady gets mad at his ex-girlfriend and threatens to slap her face off.
* DownerEnding: Grady has been cleared and is allowed to ride again but is now far too big to do so, leaving him a broken wreck.
* DramaticThunder: The alter-ego’s EvilLaugh at the end is accompanied by a clap of thunder.
* EveryManHasHisPrice: Grady has his and apparently [[ComicallySmallBribe it doesn't take much]] to bribe him. The alter-ego even lampshades it, saying Grady comes really cheap.
* EvilLaugh: When Grady says he’s going to ride again, the alter-ego laughs evilly to mock him, because he’s now too big to ride a horse.
* FreudianExcuse: Grady claims he spent his whole life being stared at like a freak because of his height, which resulted in his insecurity and angry, bitter personality.
* HairTriggerTemper: Grady has a really bad temper. He constantly screams at people and makes threats against them, and he throws destructive temper tantrums.
* HeightAngst: Grady has spent his entire life insecure abut his short size and uses his wish to become a giant.
* {{Jerkass}}: Grady is a bitter, rage-filled man who cheated and took bribes when he was a jockey, deals with his anger by screaming at people and threatening them, and refuses to take any responsibility for his actions, instead blaming his problems on other people or his height.
* KarmicTwistEnding: Yes, Grady ends up badly. However, he's such a {{Jerkass}} that he's clearly intended to be a VillainProtagonist who [[AssholeVictim gets what he deserves]], not a sympathetic victim.
* LargeHam: Grady. See NoIndoorVoice below.
* LiteralGenie: Actually {{averted}}, the Man in the Mirror gives Grady what he wanted, but it turns out that it didn't make him happier, and in fact just made it impossible to have really would have made him happy.
* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack: Grady's alter ego typically talks to him through his mirror. He claims to live inside his head and to be his conscience. He is not identical to Grady, as is normally the case with reflections, but is notably tidier and better dressed. The alter ego represents the better parts of Grady's nature.
* MinimalistCast: This is the only episode, across '''all four''' ''Twilight Zone'' series, to have only one cast member.
* NeverMyFault: It soon becomes apparent that Grady had a role in fixing several races in a number of ways, but he refuses to take responsibility for his role in any of them nor did he act in any upright and responsible manner. It becomes pretty clear that all of his troubles are his own fault, and his refusal to take responsibility for it just leads him to keep taking risks, which has ruined his life.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: Grady calls Mr. Hanchek, who is one of the clients Grady took a bribe from for one of his crooked horse races. Hanchek made big money betting on a race thanks to Grady's cheating, and tosses Grady aside when the latter asks for his cut of the money.
-->'''Alter-Ego''': Very unappreciative. Well, that's the breed. [[AllTakeAndNoGive They take, they never give]].
* NoIndoorVoice: Grady. [[{{Pun}} Big time]]. It’s rare that he talks without screaming.
* NotSoAboveItAll: The alter-ego isn't too proud to admit he does enjoy that warm, bubbly feeling that comes with drinking alcohol.
* PetTheDog: Grady spends most of the episode being a loudmouth jerk, but has one redeeming moment. When a man from the racing commission calls to tell him he’s being given another chance as a jockey, Grady is very grateful, promises he won’t cheat again, and tells the man to thank everyone who went to bat for him.
* PsychopathicManchild: Grady qualifies due to his constant [[NoIndoorVoice screaming]], [[TantrumThrowing tantrum-throwing]], and [[NeverMyFault refusal to take responsibility for his actions]].
* RageAgainstTheReflection: After Grady’s alter-ego appears in a mirror and mocks Grady for a while, Grady gets so mad that he tries to shut him up by throwing a trophy at the mirror to smash it.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: After the devastated Grady wishes to be small again, his alter ego tells him that he is already, as quoted above.
* TantrumThrowing: Grady has a tendency to scream and break things like a child when he’s really mad.
* {{Troll}}: Grady’s alter-ego constantly mocks Grady and laughs at him.
* UngratefulBastard: Mr. Hanchek. He bribes Grady to risk his career by cheating to win a race so Hanchek can bet on him and win a ton of money. Then, when Grady asks for a fair share of the money, Hanchek brushes him off.
* TheUnseen: Every character except Grady and his alter-ego is unseen, with Grady only talking to them over the phone.
* VillainousBreakdown: Grady has a temper tantrum after hearing his alter-ego's ReasonYouSuckSpeech, but it's too late to change anything.
* WouldHitAGirl: When Grady tries to win back his ex-girlfriend and she rejects him, he threatens to slap her.
----

* AngelUnaware: Grady’s alter-ego initially claims to be Grady's conscience, but lie or [[FromACertainPointOfView analogy]], this is quickly disproven when he grants Grady's wish to be taller. When asked again, he tries to give a simplified explanation that he's the strength that comes to every man in their most desperate moment, and he can work miracles for some men, as he can epitomize everything noble in men, and Grady's desire was just a poor aspiration. Again abstract, but it implies that it might have been an entity whose duty was to grant people their aspirations on their darkest days. After a call that reverses Grady's fortunes, he begins to brag and rejoice that he'll be riding again, and the alter-ego laughs mockingly and makes Grady even bigger, before Grady realizes with horror that he won't actually ride again. The implication was that the alter-ego wasn't working in Grady's best interests. Perhaps it was [[LouisCypher a different kind of angel]].

* PsychopathicManchild: Grady qualifies due to his constant [[NoIndoorVoice screaming]], TantrumThrowing, and [[NeverMyFault refusal to take responsibility for his actions]].

* EveryManHasHisPrice: Grady has his and apparently [[ComicallySmallBribe it doesn't take much]] to bribe him. The Alter-Ego even lampshades it, saying Grady comes really cheap.

* NeverMyFault: It soon becomes apparent that Grady had a role in fixing several races in a number of ways, but he refuses to take responsibility in his role in any of them nor did he act in any upright and responsible manner. It becomes pretty clear that much of his troubles are his own fault, and his refusal to take responsibility for it just leads him to keep taking risks which have ruined his life.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: Grady calls Mr. Hanchek, who is one of the clients Grady took a bribe from for one of his crooked horse races. Hanchek made big money thanks to Grady's crooked races, and [[UngratefulBastard tosses Grady aside]] when the latter asks for his cut of the money.
-->'''Alter-Ego''': Very unappreciative. Well that's the breed. [[AllTakeAndNoGive They take, they never give]].

* AngelUnaware: The Man in the Mirror initially claims to be Grady's conscience, but lie or [[FromACertainPointOfView analogy]], this is quickly disproven when he grants Grady's wish to be taller. When asked again, he tries to give a simplified explanation that he's the strength that comes to every man in their most desperate moment, and he can work miracles for some men, as he can epitomize everything noble in men, and Grady's desire was just a poor aspiration. Again abstract, but it implies that it might have been an entity whose duty was to grant people their aspirations on their darkest days. After a call that reverses Grady's fortunes, he begins to brag and rejoice that he'll be riding again, and the Man in the Mirror laughs [[DramaticThunder dramatically]] and makes Grady even bigger, before Grady realizes with horror that he won't actually ride again. The Man in the Mirror may have just found the situation absurd, though the implication was that it wasn't working in Grady's best interests. Perhaps it was [[LouisCypher a different kind of angel]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Grady tells his alter ego that his greatest wish is to be big. After falling asleep, he wakes up to find that he has become seven or eight feet tall and he is thrilled. Later still, he becomes ten feet tall. The racing commission then calls Grady to let him know that his lifetime ban has been overturned and he has been given a second chance. He is momentarily overjoyed until he realizes that his new size means that he is too big to ride, putting an end to his career as a jockey.

* ByronicHero: Grady is an unscrupulous race jockey with a short temper. His actions eventually lead him to ruin, and in his misery, he refuses to reflect on his actions and life, and instead displaces his woes onto [[TheNapoleon his insecurity about his height]] and how he's been disrespected his whole life. When his wish is granted, he's elated, but it swiftly becomes apparent to him that being taller isn't going to get him the respect he wants.

* FreudianExcuse: Grady claims he spent his whole life being stared at like a freak because of his height, which resulted in his his insecurity and angry, bitter personality.

* LargeHam: Grady. [[{{Pun}} Big time]]. It’s rare that he talks without screaming.

* NoIndoorVoice: Grady screams most of his lines.

* ByronicHero: Grady is an unscrupulous race jockey with a short temper. His actions eventually lead him to ruin, and in his misery, he refuses to reflect on his actions and life, and instead displaces his woes onto [[TheNapoleon his insecurity about his height]] and how he feels he's been disrespected his whole life. When his wish is granted, he's elated, but it swiftly becomes apparent to him that being taller isn't going to bring him respect.

* FreudianExcuse: Grady claims he spent his life being mocked and made to feel insecure on account of his height, resulting in his angry, selfish personality.

-->'''Alter-Ego''': Very unappreciative. Well that's the breed. They take, they never give.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: After the devastated Grady wishes to be small again, his alter ego tells him that he is already:
-->You ''are'' small, Mr. Grady. You see, every time you won an honest race, ''that's'' when you were a giant. But right now, they just don't come any smaller.
----
->'''Creator/RodSerling''': The name is Grady, ten feet tall, a slightly distorted offshoot of a good breed of humans who race horses. Unfortunately for Mr. Grady, he learned too late that you never measure size with a ruler, you don't figure height with a yardstick and you never judge a man by how tall he looks in a mirror. The giant is as he does. You can make a parimutuel bet on this, win, place or show, in or out of The Twilight Zone.