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The Narrator
The Narrator
Played by: Jordan Peele
"Your next stop? The Twilight Zone."
An omniscient man who narrates the stories of the main characters.- Badass in a Nice Suit: Always wears one.
- Narrator: Our guide through the Twilight Zone.
- Nice Character, Mean Actor: "Blurryman" reveals him to be one, at least of Jordan Peele's "meta self". The Narrator is mostly neutral, and the "Jordan Peele" of the show is a smug, passive-aggressive asshole.
The Comedian
Samir Wassan
Played by: Kumail Nanjiani
A man who aspires to be a comedian, but his material doesn't get the laughs he expects, and he doesn't understand why. When he meets his idol JC who gives him pointers on "putting himself out there", he would gets laughs back. He agrees to this, and soon his jokes have the house roaring with laughter, but at a price.- Cool Uncle: He and his non-blood related nephew seem to be on pretty good terms,
- Crazy Jealous Guy: He becomes this when he notices his girlfriend hanging out with her mentor a lot. He then decides to Ret-Gone her mentor using his powers.
- Deal with the Devil: With his idol JC, who tells him that if he puts himself out there with his material, he will be more likely to get a laugh. However, whoever Samir uses as his material, they unexplainably disappear as if they never existed and are treated as such. Of course, once Samir starts abusing this power, everything begins to backfire.
- Didn't Think This Through: Samir doesn't realize that erasing his girlfriend's boss means that not only are they not really together, but she never became a lawyer and instead works at a diner to make ends meet.
- Drunk on the Dark Side: Samir starts to use his powers to get rid of "bad" people, or people who wronged him in the past, which he does by writing down people's names and then erasing them during his act as his "material".
- To Samir's credit, we DO see him try to avoid using his powers via Actually Pretty Funny jokes even if it retreads old material (that the audience wouldn't/shouldn't remember anyway). However, whatever bizarre mojo his power runs on demands a Ret-Gone Human Sacrifice, as the crowd simply refuses to laugh or can't seem to understand the joke even when it's clear.
- I Just Want to Be Special: During his breakdown, Samir admits that he doesn't do comedy because it brings joy or laughter to people, but because he just wants to feel like "somebody".
- Mic Drop: Once Samir finishes his final act by erasing himself to undo all the damage he's done, this is the last thing the viewers see.
- Pet the Dog: While definitely self-absorbed, Samir's first intentional uses of Ret-Gone are against murderers and rapists, which naturally has the added benefit of erasing their crimes and restoring any dead victims to life.
- Ret-Gone: How Samir's power works. At the end of the episode, he uses this power on himself, to undo all the damage he's done, and to protect his girlfriend.
Nightmare at 30, 000 Feet
Justin Sanderson
Played by: Adam Scott
An investigative reporter who goes on a flight 1015 on October 15. However, during the flight he finds a strange mp3 player playing a podcast retelling the tragic flight of 1015 and how the plane mysteriously vanishes off the radar with the host speculating on what could have been done to avoid this fate. This causes Justin to try his best to stop this tragedy from happening.- The Cassandra: After he realizes that what's being said on the podcast comes true, he tries to warn everyone on the plane about their horrible fate, but of course no one listens to him. The only one who does is Bob, and it's due to him that the plane ends up crashing.
- Fatal Flaw: Impulsiveness: acting before he has full information damns himself and the plane.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Justin realizes him putting Bob at the helm of the plane causes everyone to pass out from altitude and that he was the pilot. Bob thanks Justin for allowing him to relive his dreams as an ex-pilot and lets the plane crash.
- Never My Fault: Despite the fact that it's Justin's fault the plane crashes and all the other passengers survive but end killing him for his part in crashing the plane, he claims that he was just trying to save everyone while angrily saying that no one else tried to do anything.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: The podcast he listens to detailing what happens on flight 1015 causes him to panic and try to stop everything from happening. However, everything he does only ends up making the tragic end of the flight come true.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: He seems to have been a reporter from Iraq, and goes to therapy to help him deal with his PTSD. Hence why he uses his Survival Mantra so much in this episode.
- Survival Mantra: "The past is the past".
Replay
Nina Harrison
Played by: Sanaa Lathan
A single mother going with her son to see him off to college, and avoids talking about her past or letting her son meet any of his relatives. However, after a cop shoots her son, her old camera recorder allows her to go back through time to save her son and maybe confront her past.- "Groundhog Day" Loop: What her story revolves around.
- Mama Bear: The sole reason why she is willing to rewind the day with her video recorder is so she can try to protect her son. In the end, it's sadly implies that she fails.
- My Beloved Smother: At points, because she's so fearful for the danger that might face her son.
- Properly Paranoid: Nina exhibits a great deal of fear over minor things. Completely justified by the fact that any of them can lead to her beloved son Dorian's death.
- Struggling Single Mother: She loves her son, but still has a hard time being around him, especially when he insists on meeting his relatives, whom Nina wishes to avoid.
- White Sheep: She got out of her bad neighbourhood but has lost touch with her brother, Zeke, as a result.
Dorian Harrison
Played by: Damson Idris
Nina's beloved son.- Living Emotional Crutch: A very positive example for his mother.
- Black Dude Dies First: Zigzagged. He's always dying...and keeps coming back.
- Mama's Boy: Another positive example.
A Traveler
Sergeant Yuka Mongoyak
Played by: Marika Sila
A police sergeant for the Iglaak Sheriff's Department. Yuka is a shrewd and alert officer, becoming instantly suspicious of the enigmatic stranger who her complacent and casually insensitive Captain insists on letting out of his holding cell.- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible to Jack's foolish. Yuka is the straight-laced police officer while it is mentioned that it is not the first time Jack has been held on a drunk and disorderly charge.
- Not So Above It All: She doesn't buy into any of A. Traveler's claims for a second... until A. Traveler makes a claim that will conveniently allow her to get rid of a hated superior and take his job, despite it being implied that this is just as unreliable and untrustworthy as everything else he's said throughout the episode. No one's immune to a convenient and seductive piece of misinformation, particularly if they'll benefit or if it conforms to their preconceptions and prejudices.
- Only Sane Employee: She is literally the only police officer who instantly finds it weird a well-dressed stranger showed up out of nowhere with nobody having any idea how he got there.
- Properly Paranoid: She does not buy ever A's flimsy story for a second while everyone else tells her she's overreacting. Turns out Yuka had good reason to be paranoid, since A. Traveler is the herald of an alien invasion force that takes over the Earth by the episode's end.
- The Starscream: A guesses that Yuka has ambitions of taking over Captain Lane's job as Sheriff and offers her that very position in the new world order, on the condition she arrest Captain Pendleton who A says has been trading classified information with the Russians. Up until this point she has not believed a single one of A's lies, but when presented with an opportunity that benefits her and allows Yuka to usurp her (admittedly loutish) commanding officer's position she takes it and buys into that lie.
- Twofer Token Minority: A woman and of Inuit descent.
A. Traveler
Played by: Steven Yeun
A mysterious man in a nice suit who shows up in the holding cell of the Iglaak Police Department on Christmas Eve, asking to be pardoned by Captain Pendleton. He is a lot more than he appears to be.- Affably Evil: A ridiculously charming guy and unfailingly polite to everyone he meets. He's also a deceitful alien working for a massive invasion fleet taking over Earth. A never harms any of the other characters and even offers Yuka her wish to become Iglaak's new police captain. Though one does get the sense that he enjoys the chaos he creates in the name of the alien force he serves under.
- Always a Bigger Fish: Sure, A. Traveller is not nice but he's only the representative of an alien race that are coming to earth.
- Apple of Discord: One of his main weapons. He sows distrust between the citizens of Iglaak in order to manipulate them and have them turn on each other, thereby making it much easier for the other aliens to invade and take over.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Claims to be an FBI agent or something similar to throw everyone off and seem trustworthy.
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Confirmation Bias: One of the main reasons why A is such a good liar is that he zeroes in on people's desires and motivations, fabricating lies to push their buttons and create situations where believing his lies would benefit them and simultaneously move his agenda forward. - Consummate Liar: A's other main weapon. While it is obvious that he's up to no good and that there's something distinctly off about him, his lies are convincing enough that they almost could be true.
- The Greys: What A's true form appears to be.
- The Hat Makes the Man: Downplayed, but the ending implies that his alien antennae are always there, they're just hidden under the hat.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: A points out that while he has been nothing but civil toward the other characters, they have over the episode treated him with disdain and hostility (albeit with good reason).
- Punny Name: He claims its short for Aggro Traveler - the name of his YouTube channel - and had it legally changed to such. Turns out he is indeed a traveler, though where he's from is a lot farther than one might imagine.
- Shapeshifting: A is able to masquerade as human, though whether it's through technology or an innate physiological ability isn't confirmed.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He appears wearing a snazzy pinstripe suit with a nice hat to match.
- Stepford Smiler: A rarely drops his smile, and it only adds onto his creepiness in Yuka's opinion.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Justified due to his charismatic persona and because he appeared on Christmas Eve during the time when people are inclined to be more friendly and lenient. From the moment he arrives, everyone (except Yuka) instantly welcomes and trusts this complete stranger. That is until he starts spilling everyone's secrets...
Captain Lane Pendleton
Played by: Greg Kinnear
Chief of the police station, who always pardons someone on Christmas Eve. His decision to pardon A. Traveller does not go well for anyone.- Always a Bigger Fish: His mistake is thinking that A. Traveller cares that he's been spying for the Russians, when A. is an alien.
- Dirty Cop: A spy for the Russians.
- Lying to the Perp: A. Traveller gets to him by convincing him that he's from the Russians and engineering it so that Lane admits to Yuka that he's a spy.
- The Mole: A. Traveller reveals that he's one to the Russians.
- Perp Sweating: Most of the second half of the episode, which is ironic as he is a cop.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: Is far too quick to trust A. Traveller and puts him at odds with Yuka.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He appears to believe his Alaskan town is much more popular than it is, which makes him easy prey for A. Traveller.
The Wunderkind
Raff Hanks
Played by: John Cho
A statistician who manages Oliver's presidential campaign.- Ambition Is Evil: Is so desperate to turn his career around after his failure that he convinces a ten-year-old boy to run for President.
- Believing Their Own Lies: Admits that he began to believe in Oliver's mission after it briefly derails.
- Didn't Think This Through: Who would've thought that convincing an actual child to be President would go wrong? Emphasised as he even goes back once the campaign initially goes wrong.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Told Oliver that he could have anything he wanted, which probably leads to his death as Oliver makes all doctors children.
- Education Mama: Male variant, and he isn't Oliver's father, but he's an Asian character who drills Oliver in order to try and satisfy his own dreams of political stardom.
- The Svengali: Tries to be this to Oliver. He succeeds and it ultimately leads to a My God, What Have I Done? response.
- Vicariously Ambitious: Why he convinces Oliver to run for President.
Oliver Foley
Played by: Jacob Tremblay
A child YouTuber who goes viral and attracts Raff's attention.- Ascended Fridge Horror: Plays the idea of a ten-year-old becoming president, something that would usually only come up in a children's franchise and not be given much thought, as realistically as possible and it's pretty dark.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Played with. He doesn't kill his dog, but he does lie about it having a terminal illness to gain Raff's sympathy back.
- Enfant Terrible: Appears to be subverted, but then the ending reveals that he lied about his dog's terminal disease specifically to manipulate Raff into returning, and that's without getting into all his behaviour when he becomes president.
- Evil Is Petty: Justified. He's ten.
- Informed Attribute: Everyone believes Oliver is sincere. There's zero proof of this.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Imagine an ordinary Bratty Half-Pint with the highest level of control over a first world nation and a government who fully enables him.
- Royal Brat: Variant. He's actually an elected official, but in every other way, he embodies this trope.
- Spoiled Brat: Even as a YouTuber, but it gets taken up to eleven when he becomes president.
- Stupid Evil: He proclaims that children do everything, including becoming doctors. Who could foresee that going wrong?
- Trumplica: He's clearly a unflattering portrayal of the 45th President.
- Young and in Charge: After he wins the election.
Six Degrees of Freedom
Not All Men
