Season 1, Episode 16 Original air date: January 22, 1960 Have you ever been told before to never pick up a hitchhiker? Well, in this case it couldn't have been more true. This episode begins with a young lady named Nan who is on a cross-country road trip from New York City to Los Angeles. She has an accident and is forced to stop at a local mechanic. While she's getting her car fixed she notices an old man trying to hitch a ride. He's not menacing, or adamant, he simply has his thumb out. Nan begins her trip once again, but quickly notices the same hitchhiker over and over again as she makes her way from state to state. Every road she's on she sees the same man with his thumb out. Nan even picks up another hitchhiker, a sailor on his way back to San Diego from leave, to keep her company and perhaps protect her. Though, he eventually leaves once he realizes how crazy she is. And again, the old man pops back up. The ending: Nan finally breaks down and decides to call her mother to calm her nerves. She then finds out that her mother has had a complete nervous breakdown because her daughter has just passed away. Yup! Nan was actually killed in that car accident at the beginning of the episode. At this point, she realizes the truth: the hitchhiker is not a man who wants her to die, but is rather the personification of death, uncomplainingly and persistently waiting for her to realize that she has been dead all along. With a pleasant smile, the man again appears and simply says "I believe you're going... my way?" Indeed!
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
