History Recap / TheTwilightZone1959S5E8UncleSimon

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Dramatis personae, a metal man who'll go by the name of Simon, whose life as well as his body has been stamped out for him; and the woman who tends to him, the lady Barbara, who's discovered belatedly that [[MononoAware all bad things don't come to an end,]] and that [[AnAesop once a bed is made, it's quite necessary that you sleep in it.]] Tonight's uncomfortable little exercise in avarice and automatons, from the Twilight Zone.

* WorthIt: The reason the BatmanGambit on which the will is based works. Barbara still believes she can get the inheritance.

* BatmanGambit: The terms of the will make it a textbook example. Simon's plan to continue making Barbara miserable after his death wouldn't succeed if she just decided the money wasn't {{worth it}}.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Uncle Simon has rather archaic views on gender roles, even by the standards of the show's era.

* EvilVersusEvil: Barbara vs. Simon [[spoiler:and later the robot]]. Well, more Jerkass vs Jerkass, but the principle is the same.

--> '''Barbara:''' "I'll fix it for you, now."
--> '''Robot:''' "You'll fix it for me now, what?"
--> '''Barbara:''' "I'll fix it for you now...''uncle''...

---> '''Barbara:''' “As of this second, as of this very second, I have quit suffering because of you. I am no longer sowing, Uncle Simon. As of right now, I am going to reap! Hey, world, I’m back! I’m ''really'' back!”

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Dramatis personae, a metal man who'll go by the name of Simon, whose life as well as his body has been stamped out for him; and the woman who tends to him, the lady Barbara, who's discovered belatedly that [[MononoAware all bad things don't come to an end,]] and that [[AnAesop once a bed is made, it's quite necessary that you sleep in it.]] Tonight's uncomfortable little exercise in {{avarice}} and automatons, from the Twilight Zone.

* BrainUploading: [[AmbiguousSituation Ambiguously]]. It isn't clear how or why, but, despite starting out with it's own separate identity, by the end of the episode the robot has become so like Uncle Simon (such as being voiced by the same actor with the exact same tone, inflection, and personality) that not only have the other characters switched to calling him a he, but Barbara explicitly refers to him as Uncle and Rod Serling refers to him as Simon in his closing narration.

* BrainUploading: [[AmbiguousSituation Aumbiguously]]. It isn't clear how or why, but, despite starting out with it's own separate identity, by the end of the episode the robot has become so like Uncle Simon (such as being voiced by the same actor with the exact same tone, inflection, and personality) that not only have the other characters switched to calling him a he, but Barbara explicitly refers to him as Uncle and Rod Serling refers to him as Simon in his closing narration.

* BrainUploading: [[AmbiguousSituation Aumbiguously]]. It isn't clear how or why, but, despite starting out with it's own separate identity, by the end of the episode the robot has become so like Uncle Simon (such as being voiced by the same actor with the exact same tone, inflection, and personality) that not only have the other characters switched to calling him a he, but Barbara explicitly refers to him as Uncle.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Uncle Simon doesn't have the most progressive views on gender roles.

* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: The will was cleverly set up so that the university would get all his money no matter what, without having to do a thing. Exactly when that happens depends entirely on Barbara, who will either eventually decided that the money isn't worth it, or die of old age. All because she didn't think to read between the lines.

* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: The will was cleverly set up so that the university would get all his money no matter what, without having to do a thing. Exactly when that happens depends entirely on Barbara, who ''will'' be doing ''all'' of the dirty work. All because she didn't think to read between the lines.

* BrainUploading: [[AmbiguousSituation Aumbiguously]]. It isn't clear how or why, but by the end of the episode the robot has become so like Uncle Simon (such as being voiced by the same actor in the exact same tone, inflection, and personality) that not only have the other characters switched to calling him a he, but Barbara explicitly refers to him as Uncle.

* CoolOldGuy: Simon, considering what he pulled off on his niece.

* BrainUploading: [[AmbiguousSituation Aumbiguously]]. It isn't clear how or why, but by the end of the episode the robot has become so like Uncle Simon (such as being voiced by the same actors in the exact same tone and inflection) that not only have the other characters switched to calling him a he, but Barbara explicitly refers to him as Uncle.

* DrinkBasedCharacterization: Uncle Simon's obsession with drinking hot chocolate doesn't sounds harmful, but the fact that he constantly orders Barbara to make it for him and is not polite when doing so doesn't paints him as a nice man. When the robot starts demanding hot chocolate, it shows that there is some part of Simon within it.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: On one hand, Barbara calls out her Uncle for being ungrateful that she takes care of him despite his abuse. On the other hand, Uncle Simon points out she's only taking care of him not out of sentiment, but because she's out for his fortune.

* DrinkOrder: Simon likes hot chocolate, and is always forcing Barbara to make it for him.

!!This episode includes examples of:

* BottleEpisode: The episode only features two sets: the Polks' living room and Simon's laboratory.

* MinimalistCast: This episode only features three credited actors: Creator/CedricHardwicke, Constance Ford and Ian Wolfe. Vic Perrin is uncredited as the voice of the robot.

Simon Polk (Creator/CedricHardwicke) is an inventor. His niece Barbara (Constance Ford) can't stand him, particularly since he constantly nags her for hot chocolate. However, as he notes, she keeps waiting on him in hopes of gaining his wealth after he dies. While she does indeed become heir to his estate, the will has some very strict conditions, one of which is caring for an undisclosed robot Simon created before his death. Thinking nothing of it, Barbara decides to go along with it; however, as she interacts with the robot, she finds it increasingly taking on the traits of her dead uncle, right down to his habits, personality, and eventually his movements. Since Mr. Schwimmer shows up regularly, as per the will's stipulations, Barbara realizes that the only way to inherit Simon's fortune is to continue looking after his property. ''Especially'' the robot.

Simon Polk (Creator/CedricHardwicke) is an inventor. His niece Barbara (Constance Ford) can't stand him, particularly since he constantly nags her for hot chocolate. However, as he notes, she keeps waiting on him in hopes of gaining his wealth after he dies. While she does indeed become heir to his estate after Simon tumbles down the stairs, the will has some very strict conditions, one of which is caring for an undisclosed robot Simon created before his death. Thinking nothing of it, Barbara decides to go along with it; however, as she interacts with the robot, she finds it increasingly taking on the traits of her dead uncle, right down to his habits, personality, and eventually his movements. Since Mr. Schwimmer shows up regularly, as per the will's stipulations, Barbara realizes that the only way to inherit Simon's fortune is to continue looking after his property. ''Especially'' the robot.