History Recap / TheTwilightZone2019S1E1TheComedian

* HereWeGoAgain: After Samir wipes himself from existence, Didi stumbles upon J.C. and asks him for pointers, suggesting the whole ordeal will befall her this time. [[spoiler: Though A. Traveler's dialogue in the fourth episode reveals that she died a natural death instead of being erased.]]

* InformedFlaw: Samir's stand-up initially is described as "not funny" by a fellow comedian who tells him he's too heavy-handed about politics. Except that's not that much different from the usual routine of his actor, Kumail Nanjiani, which is usually ''hilarious''. [[ZigZaggedTrope To be fair]], what we see of Samir's act isn't all that impressive, given his stilted delivery and apparent fixation on the Second Amendment.

* HereWeGoAgain: After Samir wipes himself from existence, Didi stumbles upon J.C. and asks him for pointers, suggesting the whole ordeal will befall her this time.

* SnapBack: Once Samir erases himself, everyone else he had erased come back.

* LouisCypher: A variation. YouTube commenters have noticed that the mysterious J.C. Wheeler, with his love of smoking, brimmed hat, and offers of fame and fortune in exchange for one's soul, is likely an incarnation of the ''vodou'' loa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Legba Papa Legba]].

* ButterflyOfDoom: Removing people from existence causes Samir's present to change. By removing a drunkard comedian who killed a mother and child in a car accident, the accident never happened. By removing the mentor of his girlfriend, she ends up having a different job and it results in the two never having traveled to Paris.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When Samir realizes the trickle-down effect of erasing someone important involving his girlfriend.

* RetGone: What Samir does to people with his routines. All photos disappear of the vanished person whether digital or physical, other characters say they don't know who Samir is talking about, and [[ButterflyOfDoom whatever actions that have effected the other characters have a ripple effect in the world.]]

Samir (Kumail Nanjiani) is a political comedian who never gets a laugh. His fellow comedians chide him for not being "funny" and trying to infuse meaning into his work. Things change when he encounters the comedian J.C. Wheeler (Tracy Morgan) and gives him advice in how to gain the fame and attention he desires, which comes with a dangerous effect.

* MagicAIsMagicA: The person Samir uses in his routine only gets him a warm reception (and subsequently erased from ever being) if they have a ''personal'' relation to him. He tries using the president as a setup for one of his acts, but he gets the same blasé reaction from the audience as his political humor. This is also the least he has to do, he can immediately use hecklers for material just by using their names and something about them to spin into a set. It also seems to work ''any'' time he mentions someone on stage, which he seems to realize when he goes on after Didi and urges the audience to keep applauding after mentioning her to keep her from disappearing.

* HeroicSuicide: Essentially what Samir does to himself at the end, undoing his erasing other people earlier.

* ButterflyOfDoom: Removing people from existence causes Samir's present to change. By removing an drunkard comedian that killed a mother and child in a car accident, the accident never happened. By removing the mentor of his girlfriend, she ends with a different career and results in the two never having traveled to Paris.
* DealWithTheDevil: Implied after Samir talks to the enigmatic J.C. Wheeler.

* HumorDissonance: Invoked and lampshaded; Samir doesn't understand why a fellow humorist accused of murder is popular with the crowd, but his relevant stuff gets ''no'' laughs.

* MagicAIsMagicA: The person Samir uses in his routine only gets him a warm reception (and subsequently erased from ever being) if they have a ''personal'' relation to him. He tries using the president as a setup for one of his acts, but he gets the same blasé reaction from the audience as his political humor. This is also the least he has to do, he can immediately use hecklers for material just by their names and something about them to spin into a set. It also seems to work ''any'' time he mentions someone on stage, which he seems to realize when he goes on after Didi and urges the audience to keep applauding after mentioning her to keep her from disappearing.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When Samir realizes the trickle down effect of erasing someone important involving his girlfriend.

** The name "James Embry" is seen on the wall of the green room which the is name of the main character in ''King Nine Will Not Return''. It's also one of the names on Samir's contact list in his phone; other names include Al Denton (the main character of ''Mr. Denton on Doomsday''), Cadwallader (''Escape Clause''), and James Corry (''The Lonely'').

* WhamLine: Just when it seems Samir has [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope gone far too far]] and is about to erase Rena, this happens.
--> '''Samir:''' Tonight, I want to talk to you about someone I've known a very long time. Clever. Lovable, in a lot of ways. Someone who you think would be a good person who has a lot to offer the world. Ladies and gentlemen tonight, I want to talk to you about... [[HeroicSacrifice mys]][[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong elf]].

* WhamLine: Just when it seems Samir has [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope gone far too far]], this happens.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Once you put it out there, they will connect. And once they connect to it, it's theirs. And once it's theirs, that shit is gone forever."'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Are you happy with your life?"'']]

->'''Jordan Peele:''' Samir Wassan learned the hard way that sometimes getting everything you want means losing everything you loved, and after finally finding himself on the verge of becoming somebody, he chose instead to once again be a nobody. In the end, Samir's final encore is a show one can only buy a ticket to in the Twilight Zone.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Are you happy with your life?"'']]->'''Jordan Peele''': Samir Wassan is an artist of great principle, a man who refuses to compromise his beliefs for a cheap joke. But tonight, he felt the rush of the limelight for the first time. Now, he'll have to decide what really matters to him when the laughter stops. And how much he's willing to give... to the Twilight Zone.

->'''Jordan Peele''': Samir Wassan is an artist of great principle, a man who refuses to compromise his beliefs for a cheap joke. But tonight, he felt the rush of the limelight for the first time. Now, he'll have to decide what really matters to him when the laughter stops. And how much he's willing to give... to the Twilight Zone.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Are you happy with your life?"'']]

* ShoutOut: Samir appearing on the painting of an audience at the end of the episode echoes the end of Film/TheShining.

** The flashing "Franklin" sign at the bus stop references Franklin Gibbs the unfortunate victim of "The Fever", who was haunted by a slot machine that repeated his name while flashing lights at him.

* MythologyGag: The name "James Embry" is seen on the wall of the green room which the is name of the main character in ''King Nine Will Not Return''. It's also one of the names on Samir's contact list in his phone; other names include Al Denton (the main character of ''Mr. Denton on Doomsday''), Cadwallader (''Escape Clause''), and James Corry (''The Lonely'').

* MagicAIsMagicA: The person Samir uses in his routine only gets him a warm reception (and subsequently erased from ever being) if they have a ''personal'' relation to him. He tries using the president as a setup for one of his acts, but he gets the same blasé reaction from the audience as his political humor.