Charlie McKenzie (Richard Jordan) was a reporter once. But now, he’s a drunk that can barely survive. Then he meets Vicki (Marg Helgenberger) and one night of love with her has him fixing his life and trying to get his job back, even if his boss Phil Stone (Richard Herd) and sister Mildred (Rutanya Alda) don’t believe that he can ever get back off the booze. Even his bartender wants him to stop drinking.

“So, what’ll it be, stranger? Can I interest you in a mai die? Or would you prefer a rum and choke? Or maybe you’d like something a little stronger. I’ve got just the thing. It’s a nasty little snootfull about a newshound named Charlie who needs a murder story and a drink. But not necessarily in that order. Ah, what some people won’t do for a good stiff one. I call this little eye-opener “Deadline.””

Charlie has to bring in a murder story. He finds it in a diner, as Nikos Stavo (Jon Polito) argues with his unseen wife in the kitchen. Charlie runs in for his story, only to learn that the woman who is getting him back on his feet was just sleeping with drunks to upset her husband. So our protagonist kills her and calls in his story, ending this episode in a sanitarium.

This episode is directed and co-written by one of Tales from the Crypt‘s producers, Walter Hill. It’s as good as you hoped it would be. He wrote it with his assistant, Mae Woods, who would go on to be a producer of movies such as Streets of Fire, Red Heat and Crossroads.

This episode is based on “Deadline” from Shock SuspenStories #12. It was written by Al Feldstein and William Gaines and drawn by Jack Kamen. This episode feels like it could run along with “Mournin’ Mess” as they are so close to each other.