History Recap / TheTwilightZoneS3E91LittleGirlLost

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twilight_zone_little_girl_lost.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?]]

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Missing: one frightened little girl. Name: Bettina Miller. Description: six years of age, average height and build, light brown hair, quite pretty. Last seen being tucked in bed by her mother a few hours ago. Last heard: 'ay, there's the rub,' as Theatre/{{Hamlet}} put it. For Bettina Miller can be heard quite clearly, despite the rather curious fact that she can't be seen at all. Present location? Let's say for the moment... in the Twilight Zone.

Chris Miller and his wife Ruth are awakened from their late-night slumber when they hear their young daughter Tina crying out for their help. Chris goes to comfort his little girl, nonchalantly thinking she had a nightmare, [[OhCrap but he and his wife find her missing]]. They frantically search for Tina, but they fail to find her anywhere in the room. Growing desperate, the Millers call in Chris' friend Bill, a noted physicist. As the family dog Mack goes missing as well after he is tasked with finding Tina, Bill discovers that a section of Tina's bedroom wall has formed a strange portal into another dimension, which Tina ended up trapped in after falling out of bed. Bill also notes that the portal is slowly closing, so they have only a limited amount of time to rescue Tina and Mack. Chris bravely enters the portal to discover the other dimension for himself. He is able to find Mack and Tina, and saves them just in time. As Tina is comforted by her mother, Bill talks to Chris and reveals that the portal has fully closed. He expresses his relief with how fast Chris rescued his daughter and pet, telling him; "Another few seconds, and half of you would have been here, and the other half..."

For the short story this episode was based on, see ''Literature/LittleGirlLost''.

!! Little Trope Lost:
* AdaptationalJobChange: In the short story, Bill is a [=CalTech=] engineer. In the episode, he's a physicist.
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the short story, Mack, the family dog, was a Collie. In the episode, he's a mutt. The dog who played him may have had some Collie traits, but he's still much smaller than intended in the story.
* AnotherDimension: Tina falls out of bed and rolls into another dimension, a portal to which sponatneously formed in her room. (It's suspected to be the fourth in the short story and the episode, or perhaps the fifth.)
* AscendedFridgeHorror: Chris and Bill slowly come to the harrowing realization that the portal was closing around Chris, and it would have cut him in half if he didn't get out in time.
* DamselInDistress: Tina, who falls out of bed and ends up lost in another dimension. It's justified in that she's a child, and she has absolutely no idea where she is.
* DutchAngle: They are used throughout the other dimension to showcase just how irregular it is.
* EldritchLocation: The dimension Tina and Mack get lost in is a bizarre, abstract realm which frequently distorts perceptions. Chris, for instance, believed that he was standing upright in spite of the fact that his legs were still on the other side of the portal.
* EvilDetectingDog: Mack starts barking furiously after Tina vanishes. When he's let inside, Mack runs into the portal and finds Tina in the other dimension.
* HappyEnding: Chris reaches Tina and Mack in the nick of time, rescuing them from the alternate dimension when the portal was incredibly close to closing completely.
* HeroicDog: Mack leads Tina back to her father so they can all escape the other dimension.
* MamaBear: Ruth prepares to go into the portal herself to save her daughter. Bill convinces her not to, but he can't dissuade Chris from doing the same.
* MissingChild: Tina begins crying late at night, and when her father goes to comfort her, he finds her missing. He checks under her bed, but she's not there and still crying. Ruth becomes hysterical when she hears Tina crying for her. (This actually happened to writer Creator/RichardMatheson and his wife, only they ''did'' find their daughter had just rolled under the bed.)
* NamedByTheAdaptation: Chris, Ruth, and Tina are given the last name Miller in the episode.
* OhCrap: Chris has a pretty big one when he goes to Tina's room and discovers that she's not in bed.
* PapaWolf: After charging into the portal, Chris calls for Mack to bring Tina to him, and he hugs them tightly as Bill and Ruth pull them out.
* PortalCut: In the end, Bill shows Chris that the portal has closed shortly after he rescued Tina and Mack. If Chris hadn't gotten out in time, the portal would have severed his legs.
* SettingUpdate: In the short story, the family share a one bedroom apartment. The episode shows that they own a house.
* {{Tuckerization}}: Ruth and Tina are named after Creator/RichardMatheson's wife and daughter.
* VocalDissonance: Rhoda Williams voices Tina while she's stuck in the other dimension, despite the fact that Tracy Stratford plays her, resulting in Tina sounding quite a bit older than six.
* WhamShot: Bill reveals at the end why he was insistent that Chris not go through the portal, and why he pleaded Christ to hurry when he went through regardless: he smacks the portion of the wall where the portal was to reveal it's [[RaceAgainstTheClock now solid.]]
* WhoYouGonnaCall: While more in the dimensional sense than the ghostly sense, Chris calls his physicist friend Bill to assist him and Ruth in getting Tina back.
----
->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' "The other half ''where''? The fourth dimension? The fifth? Perhaps. They never found the answer. Despite a battery of research physicists equipped with every device known to man, electronic and otherwise, no result was ever achieved, except perhaps a little more respect for and uncertainty about the mechanisms of the Twilight Zone."

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the short story, Mack, the family dog, was a Collie. In the episode, he's a a mutt. The dog who played him may have had some collie traits, but he's still much smaller than intended in the story.

* MissingChild: Tina begins crying late at night, and when her father goes to comfort her, he finds her missing. He checks under her bed, but she's not there and still crying. Ruth becomes hysterical when she hears Tina crying for her. (This actually happened to writer Creator/RichardMatheson and his wife, only they ''did'' find their daughter had just rolled under the bed.)

Chris Miller and his wife Ruth hear their little girl Tina calling for them. Chris lightheartedly goes to comfort his little girl, [[OhCrap only to find her missing]]. He and his wife Ruth search for Tina, but they fail to find her anywhere; desperate, they eventually call in Bill, a physicist friend. They realize Tina has ended up in AnotherDimension via a strange portal, and must get her out before the portal closes. Chris enters the portal, finds Tina, and saves her just in time; as Bill tells Chris, "Another few seconds, and half of you would have been here, and the other half..."

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' The other half ''where''? The fourth dimension? The fifth? Perhaps. They never found the answer. Despite a battery of research physicists equipped with every device known to man, electronic and otherwise, no result was ever achieved, except perhaps a little more respect for and uncertainty about the mechanisms of the Twilight Zone.

* AdaptationalJobChange: In the short story, Bill is a [=CalTech=] engineer. In the television adaptation, he is a physicist.
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Mack the dog in the short story was a Collie, but here is played by a mutt that may have some collie but is more than likely smaller than intended in the story.
* AnotherDimension: Tina falls out of bed and into another dimension. (Suspected fourth in the short story, perhaps fourth or fifth here.)
* AscendedFridgeHorror: Chris and Bill have this reaction when Bill reveals that the portal was closing around Chris, and would have cut him in half if he hadn't gotten out in time.
* DamselInDistress: Bettina "Tina" Miller, who fell out of her bed and into a portal. Justified in that she's a child, and she has no idea where she is.
* DutchAngle: They are used throughout the sequence set in the other dimension.
* EldritchLocation: The other dimension is a bizarre, abstract realm which distorts perceptions. For instance, Chris believed that he was standing upright in spite of the fact that his legs were still on the other side of the portal.
* EvilDetectingDog: The family dog Mack starts barking after Tina vanishes. When he's let inside, Mack runs under the bed and finds her in the other dimension.
* HappyEnding: Chris reaches Tina in time and rescues her from the alternate dimension, which was this close to closing completely.
* HeroicDog: Mack leads Tina back to her father, so that they all escape the other dimension.
* MamaBear: Ruth prepares to go into the portal to save her daughter; Bill convinces her not to, though he can't dissuade Chris.
* MissingChild: Your child wakes you up crying in the night, and you go to comfort her, only to find her missing. You check under the bed, but she's not there, and you hear her crying. Ruth becomes hysterical when she hears Tina crying for her. (This actually happened to the writer Creator/RichardMatheson and his wife, only they did find their daughter had rolled under the bed.)
* NamedByTheAdaptation: Chris, Ruth and Tina were given the surname Miller in the television adaptation.
* OhCrap: Chris when he goes to Tina's room and realizes that she's not in her bed.
* PapaWolf: After going into the portal, Chris calls out for Mack to bring Tina to her, and he hugs them tightly as Bill and Ruth pull him out.
* PortalCut: Bill shows that the portal has closed shortly after Chris rescues Tina and Mack. If Chris hadn't gotten out in time, the portal would have cut him off by the legs.
* SettingUpdate: In the short story, the family share a one bedroom apartment. In the television adaptation, they own their own house.
* {{Tuckerization}}: Ruth and Bettina "Tina" Miller are named after Creator/RichardMatheson's wife and daughter.
* VocalDissonance: Rhoda Williams voices Tina Miller despite Tracy Stratford playing her, making Tina sound older than six.
* WhamShot: Bill reveals at the end why he was insistent on Chris not going through the portal (and, when Chris did regardless, to hurry): he smacks the portion of the wall where the portal was. [[RaceAgainstTheClock It's solid.]]
* WhoYouGonnaCall: While more in the dimensional sense than the ghost sense, Chris calls his physicist friend Bill.
----

* AdultFear: Your child wakes you up crying in the night, and you go to comfort her, only to find her missing. You check under the bed, but she's not there, and you hear her crying. Ruth becomes hysterical when she hears Tina crying for her. (This actually happened to the writer Creator/RichardMatheson and his wife, only they did find their daughter had rolled under the bed.)

!! Tropes for this episode include:

Two parents, Chris Miller and his wife Ruth, hear their little girl Tina calling for them. Chris lightheartedly goes to comfort his little girl, [[OhCrap only to find her missing]]. He and his wife Ruth search for Tina, but they fail to find her anywhere; desperate, they eventually call in Bill, a physicist friend. They realize Tina has ended up in the fifth dimension via a strange portal, and must get her out before the portal closes. Chris enters the portal, finds Tina, and saves her just in time; as Bill tells Chris, "Another few seconds, and half of you would have been here, and the other half..."

For the short story this episode was based on see, ''Literature/LittleGirlLost''.

* EvilDetectingDog: The family dog Mack starts barking after Tina vanishes. When he's let inside, Mack runs under the bed and finds her in the fourth dimension.
* HeroicDog: Mack leads Tina back to her father, so that they all escape the fifth dimension.

* {{Tuckerization}}: Bettina "Tina" Miller is named after Creator/RichardMatheson's daughter Bettina.

* WhoYouGonnaCall: While more in the dimensional sense than the ghost sense, here Chris calls his engineer friend.

* SettingUpdate: In the short story the family share a one bedroom apartment, here they own their own house.

* VocalDissonance: Rhoda Williams voices Tina Miller despite Tracy Stratford playing her, making Tina sound older than six

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Bill shows that the portal has closed shortly after Chris rescues Tina and Mack. If Chris hadn't gotten out in time, the portal would have cut him off by the legs.

* VocalDissonance: Rhoda Williams voices Tina Miller despite Tracy Straford playing her, making Tina sound older than six

* AdultFear: Your child wakes you up crying in the night, and you go to comfort her, only to find her missing. You check under the bed, but she's not there, and you hear her crying. Ruth becomes hysterical when she hears Tina crying for her. (This actually happened to the writer Richard Matheson and his wife, only they did find their daughter had rolled under the bed.)
* AnotherDimension: Tina falls out of bed and into another dimension. (Suspected fourth in the short story, perhaps fourth or fifth here)

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Mack the dog in the short story was a Collie, but here is now a different domestic breed.

* SettingUpgrade: In the short story the family share a one bedroom apartment, here they own their own house.

* EvilDetectingDog: The family dog Mack starts barking after Tina vanishes. When he's let inside, Mack runs under the bed and finds her in the fifth dimension.

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Missing: one frightened little girl. Name: Bettina Miller. Description: six years of age, average height and build, light brown hair, quite pretty. Last seen being tucked in bed by her mother a few hours ago. Last heard: 'ay, there's the rub,' as Hamlet put it. For Bettina Miller can be heard quite clearly, despite the rather curious fact that she can't be seen at all. Present location? Let's say for the moment... in the Twilight Zone.

Two parents, the Millers, hear their little girl Tina calling for them. Chris lightheartedly goes to comfort his little girl, [[OhCrap only to find her missing]]. He and his wife Ruth search for Tina, but they fail to find her anywhere; desperate, they eventually call in Bill, a physicist friend. They realize Tina has ended up in the fifth dimension via a strange portal, and must get her out before the portal closes.

Two parents, the Millers, hear their little girl Tina calling for them. Chris lightheartedly goes to comfort his little girl, [[OhCrap only to find her missing]]. He and his wife Ruth search for Tina, and eventually call in Bill, a physicist friend. They realize Tina has ended up in the fifth dimension via a strange portal, and must get her out before the portal closes.

* PapaWolf: After going into the portal, Chris calls out for Mack to bring Tina to her, and he hugs them tightly as Bill and Ruth pull him out.