The Twilight Zone (TV Series) What You Need (1959) User Reviews

It's Those Shoes

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 26 September 2008]

I have always enjoyed this episode. People over analyze it. The "bad guy" is just that. There are bad people and given a situation where they can take, will do so. This is not a religious allegory. This is about a situation where we must suspend our disbelief (as we often do in The Twilight Zone) and accept the gifts the man has. Why do people automatically believe that a writer needs to put a religious spin on it. If you want to put a spin on it, it is more fairy tale (The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg and The Fisherman's Wife). These people are dissatisfied with what they have and try to destroy the source of their gifts. It is really about Kismet, not theology.

This episode works well because it has a magical quality and some great characters. We create our destinies, and the supernatural aside, the man went too far.

The Gift and the Crook

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 3 February 2014]

An old street vendor goes to a bar to sell his stuffs. However, he foresees what each costumer will need in a short period, selling precisely what they need. After selling in the bar, the crook Fred Renard (Steve Cochran) mocks him and the peddler gives a pair of scissors for him. When Fred arrives at the hotel where he is lodged, his scarf is trapped on the elevator door and he only survives due to the pair of scissors. Now Fred believes that the peddler has a gift and he decides to force the old man to tell the horse that will win the race. The greedy Fred earns a large amount and seeks out the peddler threatening him again that the old man gives him a pair of shoes to Fred. But who needs the pair of shoes?

"What You Need" is another great episode of "The Twilight Zone". The old peddler uses his mysterious ability to help people with goof deeds but a smalltime crook wants to take financial advantage and frightens the old man. But in the end he gives what he actually needs to the crook to save his life. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação: What You Need" ("Beyond Imagination: What you Need")

A great episode..

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 3 October 2009]

Steve Cochran is a loser. He's vicious and self-centered and a taker. As "What You Need" begins, he's sitting in a bar. Soon, a small old man (Ernest Truex) enters and begins peddling trinkets to the customers. Instead, however, of letting the customer tell him what they need, he looks at them and instantly knows what they need--and the results are glimpses into the near future. For example, in one case, he hands a guy a bus ticket and only moments later this same guy receives a phone call about a job--for the same city that the bus ticket is printed! Cochran sees this and insists that the Truex give him what he needs. Truex is noticeably worried and quickly gives Cochran a pair of scissors and then vanishes. A bit later, Cochran is on an old elevator and his scarf gets caught and begins choking him. In a last act of desperation, he uses the scissors to cut the scarf.

Now he knows he must go back to the old man, as the old guy can give him everything he needs. And the man gives Cochran a leaky pen--which soon turns out to be a boon as well.

Unfortunately, this isn't enough for Cochran and he insists that the old guy give him something else he needs, but Truex refuses. This leads to a wonderful finale--and you'll just have to see it for its wonderful ironic twist.

Overall, there's a lot to like about this show. First, I just loved Truex. This character actor plays a cute old guy and his meek and sweet manner helps the show immensely. Second, the writing was just terrific from start to finish.

It's funny, but some of the episodes of the show were meant as possible pilots for future TV series--such as the really dumb "Twilight Zone" with Jesse White and Carol Burnett. Well, though not intended as a series, "What You Need" could have easily been made into one--it was a terrific concept and would have been worth revisiting. Nice stuff all around.

UPDATE: It turns out this short story by Harry Kutner was used previously in the series "Tales of Tomorrow" and is also called "What You Need"--and it's a bit different. While the one from "The Twilight Zone" is better, both are worth seeing.

'What you need' is to see this episode.

[BA_Harrison · 3 May 2012]

A lot of the action in this tale takes place in a bar that looks almost identical to the drinking establishment from previous episode 'And When The Sky Was Opened', but the two stories couldn't be more different: the earlier tale worked well because its audience knew full well what fate was going to befall its characters, whereas 'What You Need' keeps the viewer guessing with a classic twist ending.

In addition to delivering a terrific 'traditional' Twilight Zone conclusion, this episode also boasts one of my favourite performances of the season so far: Steve Cochran as churlish loser Fred Renard, who harasses kindly street peddler Pedott (Ernest Truex) after he realises that the old man can see into the future and provide people with precisely 'what they need'. Cochran is truly menacing—I'm not at all surprised to find that he originally found fame as a heavy in gangster films, including a role in Cagney classic White Heat.

What Do You Need?

[darrenpearce111 · 8/10 · 24 November 2013]

At the beginning this story focuses on Lefty (Read Morgan), a former baseball pitcher drowning his sorrow in a bar, and what he needs. There is also a girl (Arlene Martel- mysterious nurse in season two's Twenty Two) whose need happily makes her path and Lefty's cross. The peddler, who knows which little item can lead a person to help bring their life meaningfully together, then disappears from the bar. This is because Fred Rennard, a charmless, malevolent loser is watching him.

Steve Cochrane who played gangster roles opposite James Cagney and Joan Crawford in the early fifties plays Rennard. This is a very good little morality tale about the importance of using things not people. Also how little it would take to put one's life on a happy path providing you take a droplet of good fortune with a virtuous approach.

Sorry if I'm sounding a bit preachy, but I love to find meaning in the Zone.

Nifty episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 April 2017]

Mean small-time crook Fred Renard (well played to the menacing hilt by Steve Cochran) plots to take selfish advantage of kindly street peddler Pedott (a fine and appealing portrayal by Ernest Truex), who has the psychic ability to foresee the immediate near future and hence gives people exactly what they need right before they need it.

Director Alvin Ganzer keeps the engrossing story moving at a quick pace and ably crafts a smoky noir atmosphere along with a charming gentle tone. Rod Serling's compelling script makes the most out of the cool premise as well as has a neat central message about the potential peril inherent in wanting the wrong greedy things out of life. Cochran and Truex both do terrific work in their roles; they receive sturdy support from Read Morgan as washed-up baseball player Lefty, Arlene Martel as a sweet woman in a bar, and William Edmonson as a worldly bartender. Kudos are also in order for Van Cleave's spare moody score and the sharp black and white cinematography by George T. Clemens. Moreover, Renard rates as a real hateful no-count bastard; it's a lot of fun to watch this despicable little crumb get his rightful rotten comeuppance at the end. A solid show.

What I Got

[scross-5 · 10/10 · 22 May 2006]

What I got is a great episode of someone who got what they deserved when he took advantage of a man simply trying to help people. Yeah! He got his gift... slippery shoes. There is a filming quirk in the beginning before the first commercial break. That is the cigarette smoke from the thug's ashtray is going downward, i.e., the film is being played in reverse. There is also the aspect of someone of no moral grounding taking advantage of someone who is using their "Gift" of helping people with "What they need." Maybe this will sway some folk to not corrupt "charities" for their own selfish need. I was really impressed by the charitable guy's clairvoyance of the thug sitting at the bar. I also loved the cleaning fluid lady's beauty and Lefty the washed up pitcher's smile... it's infectious. It's also evident that Lefty is a good hearted guy. At the same time, it's also plain the bartender is a needler of Lefty. How the thug found out where the peddler lived and broke in, just sitting there until the peddler got home is pretty good fraught for a cheap thug like Renard.

In the words of Rod Serling, this is the Twilight Zone's "perculiar, odd-ball brand of gift-giving" in a story "about a little man who has what YOU need".

[shacklein · 9/10 · 28 December 2009]

Ernest Truex plays a peddler with a remarkable gift: he can give you an item that is exactly what you will need shortly. It is his performance that really sells this episode; the juxtaposed cheerfulness and grimness of his character provides a depth that warms your heart and chills your bones.

It is clear that Pedott the peddler (Truex) has the power of premonition. He fears a selfish loser who yearns for success, Fred Renard (Steve Cochran). As far as Renard understands, Pedott can see the future, but this is the Twilight Zone, and things are not always crystal clear.

Pedott helps people by giving them an obscure item that they would never think they would need, but does he really know why they need those items himself? Does Pedott actually know why Renard needs a leaky fountain pen, or just that it is needed? The same can be said for the cleaning fluid, bus ticket, and pair of scissors.

Pedott's concept of "what you need" is clearly synonymous with "what will help you". In testament to this, the ever helpful peddler is certainly reluctant to help Renard, but in both cases where he does, it benefits Renard. However, in their final exchange, Pedott does not GIVE Renard anything; Renard forcefully takes a pair of slippery shoes, over the objections of Pedott. Those shoes lead to the death of Renard.

This is no act of malice, murder or manslaughter by Pedott, rather it is an act of suicide by Renard. However, Pedott describes this transaction as "what I need" and, he explains later, Renard would have caused his death otherwise. This is not to say that Renard would have murdered Pedott, just have caused his death somehow, possibly even by accident in an angry scuffle.

People who try to understand or explain this episode (or for that matter any Twilight Zone episode) using only literal interpretations of what is presented cannot possibly understand what the Twilight Zone is about. It is more fantasy than science-fiction, more lateral than literal, and more emotional than logical. The only issue I have with this episode is how Renard managed to get into Pedott's apartment.

What You'll Get

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 25 October 2014]

Ernest Truex plays a street peddler named Pedott who has the uncanny ability to know exactly what a customer will need that day, which may give them a second chance, or save their life. Steve Cochran plays a thuggish man named Fred Renard, who discovers this ability, and bullies Pedott into repeatedly giving him what he needs to succeed, like winning at the racetrack, but what the mean-spirited Renard doesn't realize is that he can only go to this well so often, until Pedott decides to use what he needs to get away from Renard... Entertaining tale is no classic but builds nicely to a most amusing ending, and wry summation by Pedott.

Raises a good question

[ericstevenson · 10/10 · 2 July 2018]

This episode features a guy who has the ability to look into the future. He carries a briefcase that has stuff people will soon need. One guy notices how this helps him. He then wonders why the other guy doesn't just use his power to get rich or something. That's obviously what he wants. It does make me wonder about how there must be people wanting to exploit a supernatural ability.

He says he can't just use his ability constantly. The twist probably could have been a little better, but it's still a great episode. I did feel bad for the little guy. The pacing really worked out here. It told the whole story at the right time. Really a must see. ****

Gotta pair of new shoes.....

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 18 February 2019]

There are a lot of surprises in this well-acted season one entry from "The Twilight Zone" that features excellent performances by film noir veteran Steve Cochran and character actor Ernest Truex. Unlike Ed Wynn's pitchman in "One for the Angels", earlier in the season, Truex is a man of mystery, seemingly knowing the future long before it happens and preparing for it here regardless of the outbarflies who has no idea where he's going and when Truex meets him, he has a look of fear on his face. For some reason however, Cochran goes to Truex for whatever he needs goes to Truex for whatever he needs and sometimes, those little unexpected items do come in handy. But a last-minute confrontation after a fountain pen fails to work while he is trying to bet on horses leads Cochran to confront Truex in what will definitely be the final destiny of one of the two.

Slow-moving and spots but still interesting, this is a moody and psychologically challenging episode that you have to wait patiently for any real outcome for. But don't turn it off when you think it's ending, because there's more to come in the few minutes left and it is an amusing twist that gives questions to who indeed Truex really is, a recurring mystery in Twilight episodes where some wisened older man seems to be a visitor from a distant star where all wisdom and knowledge is created. The rainy atmosphere adds to the moodiness of the plotline and creates a dour look into the souls of the characters involved in the plot.

Slip and slide.

[Seras11123 · 9/10 · 19 February 2021]

Even for the Twilight Zone, an eerie episode. I like the harder to find fortune teller that doesn't embellish truths or revel in theatrics. The Old wares peddler is a down to earth sort. When we see more deserving, upstanding people get more fitting fortunes, you can guess it's not going to go so well for our greedy and ill-mannered protagonist. A tale reminding you not to worthlessly exploit precious gifts and that not everybody deserves happiness.

I got what you need

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 26 May 2021]

Great episode, the supernatural aspect is subtle and the greed entirely realistic. Great acting and a well developed storyline.

What you need is a better script

[phantom_tollbooth · 3/10 · 21 February 2007]

What You Need In the run up to 'What You Need', every episode since 'The Lonely' had been a winner to some extent. This episode is the first major failure since 'Escape Clause'. The Serling script is again based on someone else's materiel, a short story by Lewis Padgett. As with 'And When the Sky Was Opened', Serling altered the content significantly, removing a scientist and his machine and inserting an elderly peddler.

'What You Need' works best when it is being sweet. The opening half, in which the peddler provides customers in a bar with objects they will need in the near future, has a gentle charm about it that may have worn thin throughout an entire episode but works well in the time frame it is allotted. Sadly, the main plot which it sets up is full of gaping holes. The minute Steve Cochran's performance as a two-bit thug becomes the main focus the episode falls apart. Cochran's part is an underwritten stereotype and his flat performance highlights this flaw. His exploitation of the old peddler is dull and predictable and the revelation that he will murder the old man is totally unconvincing, making the whole slippery shoes scene seem completely false. Ernest Truex is good as the peddler, bringing a magical, mysterious but warm edge to the character, but he's not good enough to help the floundering script.

To make matters worse, the weak script is also full of inconsistencies. For instance, we learn that the peddler's power to provide people with what they need stems from an ability to see into the future. So how exactly does this allow him to produce a pen that will magically pick winning horses. That seems like it should be a little outside his realms of power. Also, for a man who can see the future, the peddler certainly acts surprised to find the thug waiting for him in his flat. There are many more holes that can be picked in 'What You Need' but it's hardly worth it when the episode is so thin that you can see through it anyway.

Best of Season One

[solobi8 · 12 June 2018]

Everything about this episode was appealing. The actors played their characters exceptionally well.. The script was very good and flowed naturally. The plot and story line was quite interesting and kept my attention. The character Fred Renard was truly scary while the character of Pedott was truly loveable. What a great contrast and the way these two characters were brought together made the plot more exciting. A great story that made complete sense unlike most of the series episodes.

This episode was something I needed

[richspenc · 9/10 · 31 March 2017]

Any good TV show or film from the 1920s all the way through to the 1960s is what I need. What is it about older just being better? In my opinion anyway

The "I got what you need" old man was an enjoyable character. The bitter middle aged man Renard was not, but he wasn't supposed to be. The episode would not have been as good if 100% of the people in it were all happy and nice every minute of it. That goes for most shows and movies in general.

The writers of this episode had a good point about making each person in it only be given what they need just once. And the one time was supposed to set each person onto the right track for the rest of their lives, if they made their moves wisely after the old man gave them their initial boost with what they needed. The other characters each realized that but Renard did not. He was greedy, selfish, and antagonizing and decided just to keep hounding the old man every day while being very ungrateful. Him also breaking into the old man's apartment and waiting for him in the dark was pretty messed up.

The differences between Renard and the other characters was, after they got what they needed, were set and on the road to a better life without needing the old man again. The ex major league pitcher, after getting his bus ticket to Scranton, got a great job offer there and was on his way. The pretty woman, after receiving the cleaning fluid, found out she made good use of it rubbing out a stain on the pitcher's coat to improve his chances of a good impression when meeting his manager. She also, as it appeared, may have just met the man of her dreams. l saw a few romantic sparks flying between her and him at that moment. That's how they greatly benefited. A new successful career and possibly marriage was their outcome, because they played their moves right after getting the one thing they needed from the old man.

Renard, on the other hand, played his moves all wrong by not accepting the one thing he needed and coming back again demanding more. He was also a bully, manipulating, completely ungrateful, and he broke into his home. That is why he did not win out like the other characters. After finding out he was able to save himself with the scissors the old man gave him from being strangled to death when his scarf got caught by the elevator doors, what should've been is that the incident should've gotten him to appreciate his life and other people better. It should've helped change his outlook on life and given him more patience, appreciation, and serenity. Just like the old man said near the end of the episode he needed but realized at that point he could not give that to him. He had tried earlier to give that to him with the scissors and the elevator incident, but it failed due to Renard insisting on wanting to stay the way he was, full of misery, greed, and hate. Then, the man decided to give him one more chance and gave him a leaky fountain pen which suceeded in dripping onto a winning horse in the race. Renard won some good money but he still refused to give up his ugly attitude and ways. So then there was nothing else the old man could do for him. That's why Renard couldn't win.

Also, I know that some reviewers have asked why if the old man could see the future, how come he couldn't predict Renard breaking into his apartment? My answer is, I believe from what I saw, that the old man could only see ones future once he was looking at them or standing by them. Like with the pitcher, the old man only learned of his future managing job offer in Scranton once he was standing right by him in the bar. He couldn't see Renard's breaking into his apartment until it happened because he didn't see him and wasn't near him until he walked into his place switching on the lights and suddenly got startled dropping his suitcase.

Watch Out For Salesmen That Give You Stuff

[DeanNYC · 8/10 · 21 July 2020]

In the first eleven episodes of The Twilight Zone, a salesman has played a major role in two: Episode Two, "One For the Angels" and Episode Three, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday." Rod Serling makes it three for twelve with this story.

And this story is something of a parallel to that Old West "Doomsday" ep. Here, a kindly old gentleman named Pedott (long time stage and screen actor Ernest Truex) enters a bar and peddles his wares. A sympathetic young woman (Arlene Martel) offers to buy some matches, but Pedott suggests what she needs is a small bottle of spot remover.

At the bar, the proprietor (William Edmonson) has been ragging on his most faithful customer, Lefty (Read Morgan), a former pitcher for the Cubs who cost the bartender a bundle on a bet he placed before the southpaw blew out his arm. Pedott offers the former pitcher a bus ticket to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

As Lefty puzzles over what might be in Scranton, he gets a call. The General Manager of his team wanted to hire him as a a minor league coach in, you guessed it, Scranton. Then when Lefty realizes there's a nasty stain on his lapel, the woman from before uses that bottle of spot remover to clean him up. It seems Pedott could have offered her a bus ticket to P.A., too!

Observing all of this was a small time crook/big time loser Fred Renard (Steve Cochran). He wants the old man to give him what he needs, too. Pedott hesitates but eventually gives him a pair of scissors. Renard is in shear disbelief but when he returns to his boarding house hotel and the elevator door closes on his scarf, choking him as the car rose, Renard whipped out the snippers and saved his own life.

Renard stalked Pedott and waited for him to come home. He wanted to know what he needed NEXT. Again, Pedott was unwilling but eventually gave him a pen. A fountain pen. A leaky fountain pen. Again Renard blotted out what it could mean, until some ink dripped right next to the name of a horse running at the racetrack.

Renard cashed in for a couple hundred and had the bellhop bring him the early edition of the paper to try the ink spill trick again, but the pen had dried up.

Angry and determined, Renard found Pedott again, demanding what he needed. He grabbed a box of shoes. Renard found them tight and the leather soles slippery. As Pedott moved across the street, Renard pursued. He slid on the slick cobblestones and just as he regained his balance, a hit and run driver mowed him down.

Slippery shoes were what Pedott needed.

The parallels to "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" are in how both salesmen knew what was needed, how they offered their products for little or no fee, how they watched the results of what happened, directly and how those results were, ultimately, for the saleman's agenda. That's why you better be careful if any salesperson offers you their items for no charge... in The Twilight Zone.

I give "What You Need" an 8 out of 10.

"Patience. That's one thing that you do need, Mr. Renard: patience."

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 21 April 2022]

Steve Cochran ("White Heat") plays Fred Renard, a sour loser who's basically mad at the world. Then he realizes something interesting: a local street peddler, Pedott (Ernest Truex, "His Girl Friday"), has the uncanny ability to intuit just what a person needs at any given moment. Usually, these are seemingly minor items (cleaning solution, a bus ticket, a comb), but they do indeed come in VERY handy for certain individuals. So Fred determines that he's going to exploit Pedott for everything that he's worth.

'What You Need' is simple, satisfying entertainment. Scripted by Mr. Serling from a short story by Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore, it's not as classic as the very best of this series, but it makes its points in a straightforward way. It doesn't play out in a truly surprising way, yet it did please this viewer, who felt that it really couldn't have ended in any other fashion. Getting there is fun, of course, and the snappy little tale benefits from two very believable performances by Cochran & Truex. Cochran really sells the selfish & desperate nature of his character; Truex is wonderful as the kindly old man who knows that nothing good will come of Freds' presence. They receive solid support from Read Morgan ("The Car") as former baseball player Lefty, the lovely Arlene Martel ('Star Trek') as a bar customer, and William Edmonson ('Thirty Years Later') as the bartender. Horror fans will be amused to note the name of one of the other cast members: an actor named Fred Kruger as the stranger in need of a comb.

The biggest takeaway from the story is that ultimately Pedott can't give a character like Fred the intangible but truly valuable things that he *really* needed. And, unfortunately, Fred was just too stubborn to see it (or care).

Directed by Alvin Ganzer, a veteran of episodic television.

Eight out of 10.

Here, have a bit of "What You Need"

[edrybaaudio · 10/10 · 13 October 2017]

One thing I noticed about these "User Reviews" for "Twilight Zone" Season 1, Episode #12, is that a great majority of them pretty much say the same things, but thankfully, each says it in the words of each individual Reviewer. And there are quite a few Reviews from The U.K., and a few other places outside the USA. That's proof that Mr. Serling did indeed create a world-wide HIT!

One thing that stands out about the reviews for THIS "Zone" installment (like ALL of the FILMED Twilight Zone's), it was filmed in my Home Town, Culver City, California, (which turned 100 years old in 2016) at the former home of MGM Studios - which was once HUGE - they actually had SIX movie lots in all, once upon a time - most of which was sold for its real estate value in the early 1970's. The several "Twilight Zone" shows which were shot on VIDEOTAPE with multiple TV cameras were taped at CBS Television City In Hollywood - unlike THIS one, which was shot like a movie at M-G-M, with only a single 35mm film camera. I won't say very much about this individual show, since there are so many other EXCELLENT, well-written reviews. What I WILL say is that Rod Serling and Co. would have had a VERY difficult time shooting this show and making it look so good without the wonderful facilities of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where some of the GREATEST Movies of All Time were made. I'll also say that even though some "Twilight Zone" installments are better than others, ALL of them are GOOD!

For the occasion

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 29 January 2021]

In this Twilight Zone story Steve Cochran plays mid 30 something rather surly denizen of a local bar who spends most of the time feeling sorry for himself. Another denizen is Ernest Truex a harmless old man who sells a lot of small items out of a sample case and he seems to have an item tailored to the individual needs for the customer.

Cochran notices this knack for knowing individual needs and becomes obsessed with Truex. It leads to disastr.

Cochran played a lot of charismatic, but brutal individuals and this Twilight Zone story is a good example of his work. Cochran and Truex are clashing personalities, but work well together here.

For Steve Cochran fans.

Underrated Gem

[MichaelMartinDeSapio · 10/10 · 3 July 2023]

"What You Need" is a superlative episode that doesn't get nearly enough praise from TZ fans. This is a simple moral fable beautifully told with fine performances from the whole cast and excellent visual style - this actually feels like a film noir of the Forties. Ernest Truex as the clairvoyant old street peddler Pedott and Steve Cochran as the luckless street hustler create memorable characters. Even the minor roles - the sarcastic bartender, the has-been baseball player, the lonely young woman - register in this dark cautionary story set entirely at night and containing some tensely dramatic interactions. Excellent dialogue throughout and perfect payoff in the twist ending. One of my top ten TZ favorites, "What You Need" is an underrated gem from the outstanding first season.

"What You Need" isn't exactly what you get

[chuck-reilly · 7/10 · 21 January 2008]

Ernest Truex plays a common street peddler who has the gift of giving to anyone exactly what they need to get to their next station in life. For example, while in a bar and overhearing a hard luck story from a down-and-out baseball player, he sends the fellow a miraculous phone call from a team looking for a coach. It's exactly what the guy needs to get to the next level. Then bad guy Steve Cochran figures out Truex's gift and starts demanding things that he needs to continue his ruinous ways. Truex soon realizes that Cochran's "needs" are never-ending and counter-productive, to say the least. He decides to turn the tables on him and satisfy his own desperate need to rid himself from this tyrant.

Not one of the best Twilight Zone stories, but good performances by Truex and Cochran make this episode worth watching. Cochran made a career out of playing unsavory characters and was usually typecast as a gangster (e.g. "White Heat"). He put his under-rated acting skills to fine use here.

The old seer peddler would be my dream job!

[TheManWhoKnewTooMuch1111 · 10/10 · 6 July 2023]

Imagine being this sweet looking short unassuming non-intimidating diminutive person with super godly powers living the dream of his life by supplanting people with the perfect appliances which they need at the right time. Sign me up! It would be my dream job. Loved all the characters portrayed and also a bit puzzled by the side-character of the strange man who was silently but glaringly observing everything including the old seer.

In the span of 20 minutes, they even managed to sneak in a little romantic story as well! Except the petulant man is too blind to seize all his wealth!

All the story arcs involving the items are gold. Top class writing and acting... probably my favorite Twilight Zone episode so far!

Greed (and slippery shoes) will get you killed

[Coventry · 7/10 · 18 May 2016]

Sci-Fi/cult series like "The Twilight Zone" (but also others, like "Tales of the Unexpected" or "Tales from the Crypt") always root for the underdog and show no mercy for selfish or obnoxious characters. Modest, introvert and meek characters will be victorious at the end of the ride most of the time, whereas the arrogant ones die a merciless death. Sounds rather logical perhaps, but it's nevertheless a trademark and one that is marvelously illustrated in the "What you need" episode. The plot introduces two-time loser and insignificant swindler Fred Renard, who's sitting in a bar when a street vendor named Pedott comes walking in. Pedott is a kind, gentle and unobtrusive man with a remarkable gift… He knows exactly what his customers need and persuades them to buy things moments before the goods become incredibly useful to them. Fred Renard immediately notices Pedott's unique gift and extorts the poor man into using it to make him rich really fast. His plan initially works quite well, but Renard gets too greedy too quick and his plan backfires. "What you need" is a powerful but obviously very implausible episode. Accepting that Pedott has this unique gift of clairvoyance is one thing, but believing that he never used it for his own benefit and exclusively strives to offer small bits of happiness to complete strangers is an entirely different story… In fact, the Fred Renard character is much more realistic and identifiable, since he wants to make money out of it and – let's be honest – that's what we all would do. Admittedly his methods aren't very nice and thus the twilight zone karma punishes him. "What you need" is low on suspense and surprises, but the contrast between the two protagonists and the fantastic acting performances of both Steve Cochran and Ernest Truex make it more than worthwhile. With a bit of imagination, it's a supernatural variant on the David & Goliath story, and a damn fine I may add.

Weak, but watchable.

[bombersflyup · 3/10 · 6 August 2019]

In What You Need, an old man that can see the future and more peddles objects that people need. He kills a man who will kill him, because nothing he gives this man will ever suffice, except that which meets his end. It's well acted, but there's nothing great about it. He would see that the man's waiting in his apartment no?