There is no shortage of cheating or adulterous spouses in the Tales from the Crypt universe. In fact, I would go as far to say that it is a staple of the genre. Always, someone is cheating, lieing, or stealing and by the end they are always punished for their sins. Usually it becomes fairly easy to predict who is going to get it in the end just by their greed and lust. The real surprise and enjoyment of this show comes in how people get their just deserts.
This episode of Tales from the Crypt, aptly titled "As Ye Sow," managed to truly surprise me in its use of the themes of adultery and revenge. It takes the usual stock work of ideas and slightly tweaks them to throw the audience off. When a dry cleaner owner suspects his wife of infidelity he will stop at no ends to dig up the truth of the matter. It is to his disgusted surprise that he comes to believe the man his wife is cheating on him with is--in fact--a priest. Still in love with his wife the man simply wants the priest out of the way. He wants his normal marriage and life back. So he hires a hitman to murder the adulterous man of God.
This episode of Tales from the Crypt, aptly titled "As Ye Sow," managed to truly surprise me in its use of the themes of adultery and revenge. It takes the usual stock work of ideas and slightly tweaks them to throw the audience off. When a dry cleaner owner suspects his wife of infidelity he will stop at no ends to dig up the truth of the matter. It is to his disgusted surprise that he comes to believe the man his wife is cheating on him with is--in fact--a priest. Still in love with his wife the man simply wants the priest out of the way. He wants his normal marriage and life back. So he hires a hitman to murder the adulterous man of God.
Up to this point, as a viewer, I've been calling the shots on how things are playing out. The ending however is much more than you would expect. It manages to be entertaining and surprising within the last few minutes of the episode. Although I managed to suspect some of the final elements there was still a surprise for me in this little morbid tale of sowing seeds of corruption. I also enjoyed seeing Miguel Ferrer--who played FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks--show up at the end of the episode.
Now, I do enjoy the episodes like this one where it is more about lies and crime rather than monsters or demons. Tales from the Crypt has many such episodes in its macabre archives, most of them well made. However, I do prefer some element of the supernatural in my stories. so despite this not being one of my favorites I think it is one of the better episodes that doesn't utilize a foreboding atmosphere and other worldly forces.
Now, I do enjoy the episodes like this one where it is more about lies and crime rather than monsters or demons. Tales from the Crypt has many such episodes in its macabre archives, most of them well made. However, I do prefer some element of the supernatural in my stories. so despite this not being one of my favorites I think it is one of the better episodes that doesn't utilize a foreboding atmosphere and other worldly forces.
Summing it Up
This isn't one of my favorite episodes but it does manage to be entertaining as it turns the tables on the viewer. I would prefer a creepy setting like a solitary camp ground, an abandoned manor, or a foggy graveyard. But this urban tale of crime and karma manages to pull out some good entertainment nonetheless. It is also one of the milder episodes as far as adult content is concerned.
Deaths: 1
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 1
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 0
Fun Factor: 2
Overall Rating: 3
Deaths: 1
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 1
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 0
Fun Factor: 2
Overall Rating: 3