History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS2E63TheMindAndTheMatter

--> '''Creator/RodSerling''': A brief if frenetic introduction to Mr. Archibald Beechcroft. A child of the 20th Century, a product of the population explosion, and one of the inheritors of the legacy of progress. Mr. Beechcroft again, this time Act Two of his daily battle for survival, and in just a moment our hero will begin his personal one-man rebellion against the mechanics of his age, and to do so he will enlist certain aides available only in the Twilight Zone.

Air date: May 12, 1961

Archibald Beechcroft (Shelley Berman) is a misanthropic grouch who despises people. His surliness with his fellow man makes it clear during a typical day at work, where he's crammed into a crowded elevator like a sardine in a can, has to deal with the constant stream of noise that an office environment provides, and keeps getting coffee spilled on him by his incompetent co-worker Henry. As an apology for spilling his coffee, Henry gives Beechcroft an occult book titled ''The Mind and The Matter''. Beechcroft gradually grows intrigued with the book, reading it for hours on end. Eventually, the book teaches him about the powers of concentration and willpower, which he utilizes strongly enough to make the entire human race disappear. While he initially enjoys his newfound isolation, Beechcroft quickly grows bored. Rather than willing everyone back, he instead concentrates to create a world of people exactly like him, which shows Beechcroft that mankind isn't really as bad as he makes them out to be.

!! The Mind and the Tropes:
* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: After willing the human race to vanish, Beechcroft revels in his newfound solitude. He soon realizes, however, that while things are a lot less irritating, they're also a lot more boring.
* {{Jerkass}}: Archibald Beechcroft is a mild version. He's not malicious or evil, just grouchy, surly, rude, and very low on patience. He wises up when he manifests a world of people who look and act just like him, letting him be on the recieving end of his own attitude for once.
* LighterAndSofter: This is one of the few ''Twilight Zone'' episodes with no tragic sequences or cruel twists. It's a lighthearted, comedic episode about a run of the mill {{Jerkass}} who hates people learning a valuable lesson about humankind and coming out a better person from his experience.
* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack: Once he's willed humanity away and grows bored, Beechcroft's reflection suggests ways for him to use his new-found mental powers, prompting Beechcroft to conjure an earthquake and a lightning storm.
* MesACrowd: When he grows bored with his newfound isolation, Beechcroft uses his new abilities to remake the human race to be exactly like him. To his chargin, this means Beechcroft now has to put up with a world of people who are just as rude and grouchy as he is.
* NoSocialSkills: Beechcroft is pretty lacking in this department, though he doesn't care much, being a misanthropic curmudgeon.
* RealityWarper: Beechcroft develops the ability to manipulate reality through sheer willpower after reading the titular book. He uses his newfound powers to make everyone disappear, since he utterly hates people. After he gets bored being the only person on Earth, he creates an earthquake and an electrical storm, but it doesn't really help. Beechcroft ultimately gets the idea to create a world full of people just like him, but he quickly discovers that a lot of himself is just as irritating as a lot of everyone else, if not moreso.
* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: One of the few ''Twilight Zone'' episodes with no cruel twist. After experiencing his grouchiness firsthand, multiplied by the hundreds in fact, Beechcroft gains a new outlook on his own life and changes his attitude.
* TodayXTomorrowTheWorld: After Beechcroft removes his landlady from existence, he excitedly declares "Today the landlady, tomorrow the world."
* TomeOfEldritchLore: ''The Mind and The Matter'', an occult book Henry gives to Beechcroft as an apology for spilling coffee on his lap. He finds it interesting enough to read throughout his shift, his train ride home, and while he has his dinner, and the book either teaches or grants him the ability to control reality itself via sheer concentration.
* TookALevelInKindness: In the end, Beechcroft becomes a nicer person, having grown a lot more understanding of people's faults, as well as his own.
----
-->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Archibald Beechcroft, a child of the 20th Century, who has found out through trial and error – and mostly error – that with all its faults, it may well be that this is the best of all possible worlds. People notwithstanding, it has much to offer. Tonight's case in point – in the Twilight Zone.

* RealityWarper: Beechcroft develops the ability to manipulate reality through sheer willpower after reading the titular book. He uses his newfound powers to make everyone disappear, since he utterly hates people. After he gets bored being the only person on Earth, he creates an earthquake and an electrical storm, but it doesn't really help. Beechcroft ultimately gets the idea to create a world full of people just like him, but he quickly discovers that a lot of himself is just as a lot of everyone else, if not moreso.

* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: After willing the human race to vanish, Beechcroft revels in his newfound solitude. He soon realizes, however, that things are a lot less irritating, they're also a lot more boring.

Misanthropic, grouchy Archibald Beechcroft (Shelley Berman) discovers a way to rid the world of everything that annoys him with a book called ''The Mind and The Matter''.

* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: At first Beechcroft revels in the solitude, but he soon realizes that. while less irritating, it's also a lot more boring.
* {{Jerkass}}: Archibald Beechcroft is a milder version than most tropes as he's not malicious, but his low patience and rudeness qualifies him as such.
* LighterAndSofter: One of the few ''Twilight Zone'' episodes with no tragic sequences or cruel twists. It's a lighthearted and comedic episode about a run of the mill {{Jerkass}} who hates people learning a valuable lesson about life, and coming out a better person from his experience.
* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack: Beechcroft's reflection suggests ways for him to use his new-found mental powers.
* MesACrowd: Duplicating yourself did not seem as enjoyable as it sounded, did it, Beechcroft?
* NoSocialSkills: Beechcroft, though he doesn't care much.
* RealityWarper: Beechcroft develops the ability to manipulate reality after reading the occult book ''The Mind and the Matter''. He uses his newfound powers to make everyone disappear as he is an misanthrope who hates people. After he gets bored on his own, he causes an earthquake and then creates an electrical storm. Beechcroft eventually hits on the idea of creating a world full of Archibald Beechcrofts but he quickly discovers that a lot of him is as bad as a lot of everyone else.
* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: One of the few ''Twilight Zone'' episodes where there is no cruel twist in the end or anyone coming out of it badly.
* TodayXTomorrowTheWorld: After Archibald makes his landlady fade from existence, he says, "Today the landlady, tomorrow the world."
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end, Beechcroft is a lot more understanding of people's faults as well as his own.

--> '''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Archibald Beechcroft, a child of the 20th Century, who has found out through trial and error – and mostly error – that with all its faults, it may well be that this is the best of all possible worlds. People notwithstanding, it has much to offer. Tonight's case in point – in the Twilight Zone.

Misanthropic, grouchy Archibald Beechcroft discovers a way to rid the world of everything that annoys him with a book called ''The Mind and The Matter''.

* NotSoDifferent: When Archibald Beechcroft replaces everyone in the world with copies of him, he discovers that these people are just as annoying as the ones he had replaced.

* TodayXTomorrowTheWorld: After he makes his landlady fade from existence, he says, "Today the landlady, tomorrow the world."

!This work contains examples of:

* TookALevelInKindness: By the end, Beechcroft is a lot more understanding of people's faults as well as his own.

* TookALevelInKindness: By the end, Beechcroft is a lot more understanding of people's and his own faults.

Misanthropic, grouchy Archibald Beechcroft discovers a way to rid the world of everything that annoys him with a book called "The Mind And The Matter"

* TookALevelInKindness: By the end, Beechcroft is a lot more understanding of peoples and his own faults.

* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: At first Beechcroft revels in the solitary, but he soon realizes that. while less irritating, it's also a lot more boring.

* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: At first Beechcroft revels in the solitary, but he soon realizes that while less irritating it's also a lot more boring

* MesACrowd: Duplicating yourself did not seem as enjoyable as it sounded did it Beechcroft?
* NoSocialSkills: Beechcroft, though he doesn't care much