‘Tales from the Darkside’ Retro Recap: ‘A New Lease on Life’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Robert Rothman and Marie Windsor as Archie Fenton and Madame Angler in Episode 215 of ‘Tales from the Darkside’ – ‘A New Lease on Life’. (Photo Courtesy of Laurel Entertainment.)

There is a grand debate raging in our world right now. Specifically, how does humanity get on the same page when it comes to treating Planet Earth with the respect it deserves. Because like it or not, it is our home, and we are indeed causing it great harm. Yet, there is such a divide. For there is one side that understands the damage being done and is eager to stop it and repair it, and the other side of the debate could care less. They simply want the status quo that is no longer sustainable and are more worried about dividends and profits over a better tomorrow for the children of the world and future generations.
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Hence, the debate at hand, and a true mystery of how we get people to listen and move toward saving our world from roasting akin to a Thanksgiving Turkey and well… one such idea that has been floated about now and again… is just forcing that change upon people. Wherein here are the new regulations. Here are the new rules for the world, and its people, and it is best we live with them, regardless of whether someone likes it. Which is an idea that has merit, since there happen to be a great deal of blowhards that fall in line when they finally get a firm no. But would that work? Well, that’s a question that is oddly answered in the next episode of Tales from the Darkside.

A feat that ‘A New Lease on Life’ accomplishes by introducing us to a man named Archie Fenton. A hotshot that is rising through his ranks at work and just stumbled upon the deal of a lifetime. A rent-controlled room that is only two-hundred bucks a month at the St. George Apartment Complex. Which seems to be good to be true, and perhaps it is. Since this is something of a green community he’s moved into. One that requires its residents to send their organic waste into a recycling chute and where some of the trappings of the old world aren’t allowed. But Archie has his wants and his needs and being green in this manner aren’t part of that and that prompts him to pushback often. An act that reveals that there are penalties for ignoring such simple rules, the kind that involve dealing with a building that is far more eco-friendly than expected. In fact, it is alive and will have what it wants.

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The St. George Hungers in in Episode 215 of ‘Tales from the Darkside’ – ‘A New Lease on Life’. (Photo Courtesy of Laurel Entertainment.)

Which answers that all-important question in a very bold manner. In that, no, people would not just all fall in line and be good with the rules. They would struggle with them, and they would disobey them and continue to create trouble and strife because of the creature comforts they know and love. Giving rise to the reality that fixing the future is a two-pronged approach. One where the rules must come down, but education and understanding must work in tandem to get buy in. Which is a slow process, but important none the less and had Archie’s landlord, the mysterious Madame Angler, explained the why behind everything… maybe Archie would have survived this tale. But alas, he is a product of an embedded mantra. That the individual’s needs are priority over the greater good.
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But fascinating commentary aside, the kind that does give us pause, make no mistake about it… there are some brilliant horror elements here as well. Because the thought of a building being alive, and someone being forced to live within it to create an eco-system of sorts… is just amazing. For it truly brings forth a creepy vibe that is further enhanced by little things that parallel some of our own fears. For instance, we are always taken aback by groaning pipes in a new place, and we oft associate them with just the house settling. But here, it might be indigestion, or hunger and that’s deeply disturbing. Plus, it also doesn’t hurt that we get a look at the damn apartment building’s ‘mouth’, since that’s something quite gross and so unsettling. All of which just preys upon our fears of the unknown and our fears of something that should be inert, coming to life.

If anything, this is just another Darkside episode that it is ahead of is time. For what was quirky and off the wall in 1986 turned out to be prophetic in nature, and truly reflects the battle in our world over climate change and change in general, and that makes for one delightful and downright brilliant tale. One that truly plays into our fears of the unknown, and the reveal that the building is alive and hungry still has gravity after all these years and that makes this, quite the season two treat. After all, year two has seen its share of misses, so it is quite delightful to be immersed in a story that leans back into the outlandish and horrific and hopefully what lies ahead will continue to do so, as we inch toward the season two finale of his iconic series. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight.

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