Retro Recap - Tales From the Crypt: "Three's a Crowd"

Written by Scotty

Keeping a loving relationship fresh and strong has to be one of the hardest things to do.  After being together for a number of years, trying to find something that will surprise your partner might be next to impossible as you know each other inside and out.  But that cannot be a good thing if the relationship has fallen on hard times, knowing that there is trouble and a possible wandering eye could drive anyone to madness.  Taking the vow, for better or worse, may not mean the same thing that it did when it was said.

Richard and his wife Della have fallen on hard times.  Even though Della seems to be happy in the relationship, she is keeping secrets from her husband and he is starting to suspect that she is running around on him.  Returning from a shopping trip with their old friend Alan, Della is sporting a new coat and although it is said to be a friendly gesture, Richard is not happy that his wife is receiving gifts from an old friend.  As their anniversary is upon them, Alan has invited the couple up to a cabin to get away from their woes and enjoy their time, together.

While not wanting to accept the gift, Richard goes along with it since his wife is looking forward to the getaway.  Richard is more focused on what is happening between his wife and his old friend rather than see how nice the trip really is.  As he mopes around the cabin on a sleepless night, he finds Della and Alan talking on the porch of the cabin and being very friendly.  Knowing that he is about to lose his wife to a wealthly playboy that used to date her back in high school, Richard is not willing to pull any punches on what he is feeling.  Calling Alan out for spending too much time with his wife, Richard also divulges the secret the couple has been keeping dear to their hearts, the loss of their first baby before it was born.

Alan tries to talk Richard down, but once he starts to hit the bottle, there is no stopping his rage.  Knowing that his wife is finding happiness in the arms of another man, Richard devises a plan to get even with them both, using every gift received at his disposal.  When trying to pick up Richard for an event that is happening in the other cabin, Alan is forced to experience the rage of the jealous husband first hand.  Not being able to escape, or to warn Della about what is happening, Alan is stuck with his back on the wall and cannot tell his old friend the news that has been kept a secret from him for some time.  Della comes back to cabin to find Alan, but seeing that he has been pinned to the wall by an arrow, she knows that Richard has gone off the deep end.  Without being able to tell him what is happening in the other cabin, or what the surprise really is, she is forced to keep her mouth shut by her husband who is about to find out that all of his dreams were about to come true.

This is a very sad tale and I feel for Richard throughout the entire episode.  With quiet whispers between his wife and an old friend, I can see where he is coming from and deserves answers.  But the surprise is what really kills me as Richard is trying to hide the evidence of his crimes.  Gavan O’Herlihy who plays Richard embraces this role of the jealous husband and you can see the pain flowing through him as he is sure that his life is going to end badly, when it was actually going to take a turn for the better.  I would say that asking questions would have helped the situation, but both Della and Alan had been biting their tongues the entire time to try and surprise the tormented man, so it would not have helped.  Until next time, Stay Scared.

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