YMMV / The Twilight Zone (1959) S1E2: "One for the Angels"

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Did Death really intend to take one of the children or was it just a Batman Gambit to get Bookman to make his pitch, given that Bookman is a Friend to All Children? Relatedly, did Death actually fall for Bookman's pitch or did he miss his appointment on purpose?
  • Maybe the whole thing was a Secret Test of Character — Death was never really going to kill one of the children, and always intended to take Lou. But by letting him believe he'd kill a child in his place, Death makes Lou reveal his true colors, which, fortunately, means that of course he's not going to let the child die. Thus, he proves he's a good man when all is said and done, and gets to enter Heaven peacefully. Had Lou declined to save the kid, the ending might've been much different...
• Values Dissonance: Our hero is an eccentric old salesman in the big city who likes to buy ice cream and entertain the local kids. Yeah, the late 1950's were a different time. In his defense, all those kids live in the same building as him, so their parents should know Lou pretty well.

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