Spoiled

Episode aired Aug 21, 1991
Not Rated
28m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

867

YOUR RATING

Faye Grant in Tales from the Crypt (1989)

Comedy Crime Fantasy Horror Mystery Thriller

Janet is married to a doctor who's married to his work. She wants to live her life with passion, danger, and romance like Fuchsia Monroe, a soap opera character she watches religiously. When... Read allJanet is married to a doctor who's married to his work. She wants to live her life with passion, danger, and romance like Fuchsia Monroe, a soap opera character she watches religiously. When her television goes haywire, her friend Louise convinces her to get cable. With her husba... Read allJanet is married to a doctor who's married to his work. She wants to live her life with passion, danger, and romance like Fuchsia Monroe, a soap opera character she watches religiously. When her television goes haywire, her friend Louise convinces her to get cable. With her husband unresponsive to her "needs," she begins a steamy affair with the cable guy.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

867

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
This story deals with a woman's fascination with soap operas and the cable guy who comes to fix her TV and her loneliness. There is quite a bit of self-reference to cable-TV, as this series appeared on cable - HBO - in the early days of original programming on that medium (1989-1996). When Janet's TV picture goes out, Louise convinces her to get cable. "The picture is so much better. Plus, you get HBO and everything. It would really improve the quality of your life." Janet protests that her husband, Leon, thinks cable is frivolous. Louise persists: "What? CNN frivolous? C-Span frivolous? The Weather Channel frivolous? Hah! I think not!" Later, Leon walks into the bedroom and finds the cable guy and Janet standing by the TV. He asks what's going on, and Abel explains that he had to come back to "check out the equipment." (This script is overflowing with puns.) When he switches on the set, we hear the Crypt Keeper laughing maniacally, and see the opening title for "Tales from the Crypt." Leon barks, "Turn that off." Abel complies.

Quotes
Louise: Weren't you watching?
Janet: Of course, I was watching upstairs on the television until the damn picture went out.
Louise: Janet, when are you going to join the rest of us in the 20th century and get cable? The picture is so much better. Plus, you get HBO and everything. It would really improve the quality of your life.

Connections
Features Tales from the Crypt (1989)

Soundtracks
Tales from the Crypt Theme
Composed by Danny Elfman

User reviews10

Featured review

Caaaaaaaable Guuuuuuy!

Very lackluster and ordinary "Tales from the Crypt" episode that really hasn't got anything to offer apart from a couple of mild grins, maybe. The story seriously lacks originality, excitement and most of all the solid hand of a real director. Andy Wolk mainly just did TV-drama's and late Friday night thrillers and his work for HBO's series is pretty weak compared to great directors like Walter Hill, Russell Mulcahy or Tom Holland. Fed up with her workaholic husband and inspired by her favorite soap opera on TV, housewife Janet starts a sexual relationship with hunky cable guy Abel. As a matter of course, her husband finds out about his wife's infidelity and uses his medical breakthrough discovery to avenge himself. 98% of the story is really boring and it shamelessly uses footage from another fictional soap opera as pure padding. There's not the least bit of gore and the attempt to black humor entirely misses its effect, simply because the premise is so unoriginal. I usually think Anthony LaPlagia is a cool dude, but he looks rather stupid her as God's bubblegum-chewing gift to women. Besides, how many lame ambiguous jokes can they possible make in 30 minutes? Abel's powerful cable represents the male reproductive organ, yeah okay we get it.