History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS2E60TheRipVanWinkleCaper

--> '''Creator/RodSerling''': "Introducing, four experts in the questionable art of crime: Mr. Farwell, expert on noxious gases, former professor, with a doctorate in both chemistry and physics; Mr. Erbie, expert in mechanical engineering; Mr. Brooks, expert in the use of firearms and other weaponry; and Mr. De Cruz, expert in demolition and various forms of destruction. The time is now, and the place is a mountain cave in Death Valley, U.S.A. In just a moment, these four men will utilize the services of a truck placed in cosmoline, loaded with a hot heist cooled off by a century of sleep, and then take a drive into the Twilight Zone."

Air date: April 21, 1961

Farwell, Erbie, Brooks, and De Cruz are a quartet of thieves who have successfully pulled off a massive heist, stealing one million dollars in gold bricks from a train on its way from Fort Knox. They plan to hide themselves in a series of cryogenic freezers hidden inside a desert cave and place themselves in suspended animation for one hundred years, so the memory of their heist will be long forgotten and they'll be able to sell the gold without suspicion. Once their chosen time has elapsed, Brooks, De Cruz, and Farwell discover that Erbie's chamber has been damaged by a rock, reducing him to a skeleton. The three remaining thieves are soon done in by their own greed, not trusting one another regarding the gold.

----

!!The Rip Van Winkle Tropes:

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Most of the episode takes place in 2061, though we don't really see anything especially futuristic. At least until Farwell meets a couple in a futuristic car and we find out gold can now be easily manufactured.
* AdaptationExpansion: Later in his life, Serling would write a short story retelling the episode, adding an ending revealing that the police found the bodies of the criminals, but left the now worthless gold where it was.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Farwell pleads with George the motorist that he'll give him all his gold for some water.
* AfterTheEnd: After they fail to spot any cars on the road, Farwell wonders if the crew SleptThroughTheApocalypse and they're the only people left alive. A passing airplane disproves that theory.
* AllForNothing: Gold is revealed to be virtually worthless in 2061, since it can be easily manufactured. Not that any of the criminals lived to know that.
* AsYouKnow: The two civilians at the end explain how gold is now worthless for the benefit of the audience.
* ChemistryCanDoAnything: Farwell's gas allows him and his crew to remain in suspended animation for a century.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Farwell could have simply patented his suspended animation gas, gained world-wide fame, earned the Nobel Prize in medicine, and licensed the gas for millions of dollars, making every penny he would have received completely legal. His participation in the gold robbery is largely unnecessary, since he could've easily avoided any risk from breaking the law.
* DidntThinkThisThrough
** While running Brooks over, De Cruz accidentally crashes the truck when the brakes fail. They're in the middle of the desert with nobody for miles around, and he destroys his and Farwell's mode of transportation, forcing them to ''walk''.
** In fact, the entire plot could be considered this. While the central idea isn't bad, Farwell doesn't seem to have considered all the variables involved, or that the world they'd wake up in would be radically different in ways they couldn't foresee.
* DownerEnding: All four thieves are dead by the end, done in by their own greed and cruelty. As an added bonus, it turns out their efforts would have been for nothing as gold is now easily manufactured, making their treasure worthless.
* DwindlingParty: Erbie is long dead by 2061, the result of his chamber being cracked by a rock, Brooks is killed when De Cruz runs him down with the getaway truck, and Farwell kills De Cruz with a gold brick before eventually dying of dehydration.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When Erbie is found dead because his container broke, Brooks, Farwell, and De Cruz take the time to bury his body, even though no one would have known he died.
* EvilGenius: Farwell is an expert in chemistry and the inventor of the gas that keeps everyone in suspended animation.
* EvilWillFail: The criminals are all done in entirely by their own stupidity and greed.
* GasolineLastsForever: The thieves' truck is still able to start, even after sitting in a desert for 100 years.
* GoldFever: De Cruz, even after he arrives in the future, can only think about how they can profit off their stolen gold. Later, he kills Brooks and extorts Farwell's share of the gold in exchange for water.
* {{Greed}}: What does all four men in.
* HollywoodDensity: Downplayed. The bags of gold are certainly lighter than they would be in real life, but they are still portrayed as extremely heavy, since the men struggle noticeably with carrying them and need to drink water more often.
* HumanPopsicle: Farwell, De Cruz, Brooks, and Erbie place themselves in suspended animation for 100 years so they can evade the authorities and spend the gold when they awaken. [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't go according to plan]].
* {{Irony}}: Farwell wonders what kind of world the year 2061 is set in, but he never thought it would be a world where gold is worthless. According to the motorists, people found a way to manufacture gold about "100 years or so" ago, apparently not that long after the heist.
* KarmicDeath: Farwell beats De Cruz to death with a gold brick.
* LaughingMad: After murdering De Cruz, Farwell starts chuckling, gradually turning to sobbing.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: De Cruz backstabs his partners once they wake up, running over Brooks in the getaway truck and destroying it, then extorting Farwell's gold in exchange for water after Farwell loses his canteen. Farwell ends up murdering him with a brick of gold and takes all the loot for himself.
* TheQuietOne: Erbie, especially since he's long dead by the time the other three wake up.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: The quartet were right about the gold they stole no longer being hot by 2061... because a method to manufacture it was found decades prior.
* RipVanWinkle: Where the episode's title comes from, referenced by De Cruz several times. In his closing narration, Rod Serling refers to the criminals as "four Rip Van Winkles."
* StrippedToTheBone: Erbie is reduced to a skeleton after a rock falls on his chamber during hibernation, causing it to crack and allowing the gases preserving his body to escape. It's also an indicator that the survivors are in the far-off future.
* VillainBall: The episode is one giant ball, as all the characters take turns grabbing it. De Cruz is among the worst, needlessly complicating and sabotaging the operation for the sake of his own greed.
* VillainProtagonist: All four protagonists are known criminals.
* VillainousBreakdown: Farwell, to the point where he doesn't care about the gold anymore so long as he gets water.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Gold turns out to be valueless in 2061.
* {{Zeerust}}: The car used by the traveling couple in 2061 looks hilariously dated, even by late 20th century standards. It's actually a re-vamped version of the car from ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet''.
----
--> '''Creator/RodSerling''': "The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in the Twilight Zone."

* NoHonorAmongThieves: De Cruz backstabs his partners once they wake up, running over Brooks in the getaway truck and destroying it, then extorting Farwell for gold in exchange for water. Farwell ends up murdering him with a brick of gold and takes all the loot for himself.

* VillainBall: The episode is one giant ball, as all the characters take turns grabbing it. De Cruz is among the worst, needlessly complicating and sabtoging the operation for the sake of his own greed.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Farwell could have simply patented his suspended animation gas, gained world-wide fame, earn the Nobel Prize in medicine, and licensed the gas for millions of dollars, making every penny he would have recieved completely legal. His participation in the gold robbery is largely unnecessary, since he could've easily avoided any risk from breaking the law.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: While running Brooks over, De Cruz accidentally crashes the truck when the brakes fail. They're in the middle of the desert with nobody for miles around, and he destroys his and Farwell's mode of transportation, forcing them to ''walk''.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: When Erbie is found dead because his container broke, the Brooks, Farwell, and De Cruz take the time to bury his body, even though no one would have known he died.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The gang has been in the middle of a desert cave for about 100 years. When one of them, Erbie, is found dead because his container broke, the rest still take time to bury his body, even though no one would have known.

Farwell, Erbie, Brooks, and De Cruz are a quartet of thieves who have successfully pulled off a massive heist, stealing one million dollars in gold bricks from a train on its way from Fort Knox. They plan to hide themselves into a series of cryogenic freezers hidden inside a desert cave and place themselves in suspended animation for one hundred years, so the memory of their heist will be long forgotten and they'll be able to sell the gold without suspicion. Once their chosen time has elapsed, Brooks, De Cruz, and Farwell discover that Erbie's chamber has been damaged by a rock, reducing him to a skeleton. The three remaining thieves are soon done in by their own greed, not trusting one another regarding the gold.

A group of four thieves have successfully pulled off a massive heist, stealing one million dollars worth of gold from a train on its way from Fort Knox. They hatch a crazy plan: they'll place themselves into suspended animation for one hundred years, when the memory of their heist is long forgotten, then they'll be able to sell it without suspicion.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Most of the episode takes place in 2061, though we don't really see anything futuristic. At least until Farwell meets a couple in a futuristic-looking car and we find out a method to manufacture gold now exists.
* AdaptationExpansion: Later in his life, Rod would write a short story retelling the episode, adding an ending revealing that the police found the bodies of the four criminals, but left the now worthless gold where it was.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Farwell pleads with the motorist George that he'll give him all his gold for water.
* AfterTheEnd: After they fail to see any cars on the road, Farwell wonders if maybe they SleptThroughTheApocalypse and they're the only people left. A passing airplane, however, disproves that theory.
* AllForNothing: Turns out gold is virtually worthless in 2061. Not that any of the criminals lived to know that.
* AsYouKnow: Even though both would have known it, the two civilians at the end explain how gold is worthless for the benefit of the audience.
* ChemistryCanDoAnything: Such as allowing you to remain in suspended animation for a century.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Farwell could have patented the suspended animation gas, gained world-wide fame and the Nobel Prize in medicine, and licensed the gas to industry for millions of dollars. Every penny he received would have been completely legal, making his participation in the gold robbery unnecessary and avoiding any risk from breaking the law.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: While murdering Brooks by running into him, De Cruz accidentally crashes the truck when the brakes fail. They're in the middle of the desert with nobody for miles around, and he destroys their mode of transportation, forcing him and Farwell to ''walk''. The entire plot could be considered this. While the central idea isn't bad, Farwell doesn't seem to have considered all the variables involved or that the world they'd wake up would be radically different in ways they couldn't foresee.
* DownerEnding: All four men are dead by the end, done in by their own greed and cruelty, and it turns out their efforts would have been for nothing anyway as gold is now easily manufactured, making their treasure worthless.
* DwindlingParty: Erbie is long dead by 2061, Brooks is killed by De Cruz hitting him with the getaway car, and Farwell kills De Cruz with a gold bar before eventually dying of dehydration himself.

* EvilGenius: Farwell is an expert in chemistry and is the one who creates the gas that keeps everyone in suspended animation.
* EvilWillFail: The men are all done in entirely by their own stupidity and greed.
* GasolineLastsForever: A truck that has been sitting in a desert for 100 years starts up and runs.
* GoldFever: De Cruz, even after he arrives in the future, can only think about how they can profit off the gold. Later, he kills Brooks and extorts Farwell's share in exchange for water.
* {{Greed}}: Did them in.
* HollywoodDensity: Downplayed. The bags full of gold are certainly lighter than they would be in real life but are still portrayed as extremely heavy and the men struggle noticeably with them and need water more often.
* HumanPopsicle: Farwell, De Cruz, Brooks and Erbie place themselves in suspended animation for 100 years so they can evade the authorities and spend the gold when they awaken. [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't go according to plan]].
* {{Irony}}: Farwell wonders what kind of world it is in the year 2061. But never thought it would be a world where gold is rendered useless. According to the motorists, people found a way to manufacture gold about "100 years or so" ago, apparently not that long after the heist.
* KarmicDeath: Farwell beats De Cruz to death with a bar of gold.
* LaughingMad: After murdering De Cruz, Farwell starts chuckling before his laughing quickly turns to sobbing.
* NoHonorAmongThieves: De Cruz starts backstabbing his partners once they wake up. First by running over Brooks in the getaway car and destroying it, then extorting Farwell for gold in exchange for water. Farwell ends up murdering him with a bar of gold and taking all the loot for himself.
* TheQuietOne: Erbie. Especially since he's long dead by the time they wake up.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: They were right about the gold no longer being hot by 2061 because a method to manufacture it was found decades prior.
* RipVanWinkle: Where the episode's title comes from and referenced by De Cruz several times. In his closing narration, Rod Serling refers to the criminals as "four Rip Van Winkles."
* StrippedToTheBone: Erbie is reduced to this after a rock fell on his suspended animation chamber during their hibernation, causing it to crack and allowing the gases preserving his body to escape. It's also an indicator that the survivors are in the future.
* VillainBall: The episode is one giant ball, and all of the characters take turns in grabbing it. De Cruz is among the worst culprits, needlessly complicating and sabtaging the operation for the sake of his own greed.
* VillainProtagonist: All four of the protagonists are criminals.
* VillainousBreakdown: Farwell, to the point where he doesn't care about gold anymore.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Gold is valueless in 2061.
* {{Zeerust}}: The car used by the traveling couple in 2061 looks hilariously dated even by late 20th century standards. It's a re-vamped version of the car that appears in the film ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' (1956).

* AdaptationalExpansion: Later in his life, Rod would write a short story retelling the episode, adding an ending revealing that the police found the bodies of the four criminals, but left the now worthless gold where it was.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The gang has been in the middle of a desert cave for about 100 years. When one of them, Erbie, is found dead because his container broke, the rest still take time to bury his body, even though no one would have known or not.

* HumanPopsicle: Farwell, De Cruz, Brooks and Erbie place themselves in suspended animation for 100 years so that can evade the authorities and spend the gold when they awaken. [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't go according to plan]].

* VillainBall: The episode is one giant ball, and all of the characters take turns in grabbing it.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Most of the episode takes place in 2061, though we don't really see anything futuristic. At least until Farwell meets a couple in a futuristic-looking car and we find out a method to manufacture gold now exists.

* HollywoodDensity: Downplayed. The bags full of gold are certainly lighter than they would be in real life but are still portrayed as extremely heavy and the men struggle noticeably with them.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: While murdering Brooks by running into him, De Cruz accidentally crashes the truck. They're in the middle of the desert with nobody for miles around, and he destroys their mode of transportation, forcing him and Farwell to ''walk''. The entire plot could be considered this. While the central idea isn't bad, Farwell doesn't seem to have considered all the variables involved or that the world they'd wake up would be radically different in ways they couldn't foresee.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: De Cruz deliberately crashes the truck. They're in the middle of the desert with nobody for miles around, and he destroys their mode of transportation, forcing him and Farwell to ''walk''. The entire plot could be considered this. While the central idea isn't bad, Farwell doesn't seem to have considered all the variables involved or that the world they'd wake up would be radically different in ways they couldn't foresee.

* {{Zeerust}}: The car used by the traveling couple in 2061 looks hilariously dated even by late 20th century standards.

* RightFo

!!Tropes:

* RightForTheWrongReasons: They were right about the gold no longer being hot by 2061 because a method to manufacture it was found decades prior.
* RipVanWinkle: Where the episode's title comes from and referenced by De Cruz several times. In his closing narration, Rod Serling refers to the criminals as "four Rip Van Winkles."
* StrippedToTheBone: Erbie is reduced to this after a rock fell on his suspended animation chamber during their hibernation, causing it to crack and allowing the gases preserving his body to escape. It's also an indicator that the survivors are in the future.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Most of the episode takes place in 2061, though we don't really see anything futuristic. At least until Farwell meets a couple in a futuristic-looking car and we find out a method to manufacture gold now exists.
* VillainBall: The episode is one giant ball, and all of the characters take turns in grabbing it.
* VillainProtagonist: All four of the protagonists are criminals.
* VillainousBreakdown: Farwell, to the point where he doesn't care about gold anymore.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Gold is valueless in 2061.
* {{Zeerust}}: The car used by the traveling couple in 2061 looks hilariously dated even by late 20th century standards.

----

--> '''Creator/RodSerling''': "The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in the Twilight Zone."

Air Date: April 21, 1961

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The gang has been in the middle of a desert cave for about 100 years. When one of them is found dead because his container broke, the rest still take time to bury his body, even though no one would have known or not.

--> Creator/RodSerling: "Introducing, four experts in the questionable art of crime: Mr. Farwell, expert on noxious gases, former professor, with a doctorate in both chemistry and physics; Mr. Erbie, expert in mechanical engineering; Mr. Brooks, expert in the use of firearms and other weaponry; and Mr. De Cruz, expert in demolition and various forms of destruction. The time is now, and the place is a mountain cave in Death Valley, U.S.A. In just a moment, these four men will utilize the services of a truck placed in cosmoline, loaded with a hot heist cooled off by a century of sleep, and then take a drive into the Twilight Zone."

--> Creator/RodSerling: "The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in the Twilight Zone."

--> ''Creator/RodSerling'': "Introducing, four experts in the questionable art of crime: Mr. Farwell, expert on noxious gases, former professor, with a doctorate in both chemistry and physics; Mr. Erbie, expert in mechanical engineering; Mr. Brooks, expert in the use of firearms and other weaponry; and Mr. De Cruz, expert in demolition and various forms of destruction. The time is now, and the place is a mountain cave in Death Valley, U.S.A. In just a moment, these four men will utilize the services of a truck placed in cosmoline, loaded with a hot heist cooled off by a century of sleep, and then take a drive into the Twilight Zone."

--> ''Creator/RodSerling'':"The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in the Twilight Zone."

* RipVanWinkle: Where the episode's title comes from and referenced by De Cruz several times.

--> ''Creator/RodSerling'': "Introducing, four experts in the questionable art of crime: Mr. Farwell, expert on noxious gases, former professor, with a doctorate in both chemistry and physics; Mr. Erbie, expert in mechanical engineering; Mr. Brooks, expert in the use of firearms and other weaponry; and Mr. De Cruz, expert in demolition and various forms of destruction. The time is now, and the place is a mountain cave in Death Valley, U.S.A. In just a moment, these four men will utilize the services of a truck placed in cosmoline, loaded with a hot heist cooled off by a century of sleep, and then take a drive into The Twilight Zone."

* RipVanWinkle: Where the episode's title comes from and referenced by De Cruz several times.

--> ''Creator/RodSerling'':"The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in The Twilight Zone."