"Tales from the Crypt" Operation Friendship (1994)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Roland Mesa

TV Series:

"Tales from the Crypt" (1989)

Original Air Date:

9 NOVEMBER 1994 (Season 6, Episode 4)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Put upon computer programmer Nelson DeMears doesn't have an easy time at work. He doesn't have the respect of his co-workers or his boss...

Plot Keywords:

Crypt | Crypt Keeper | Pun | Based On Comic Book | Terror

Cast

Michelle Burke
John Caponera
Megan Cavanagh	...	Sister Mary What's Her Name
Peter Dobson	...	Eddie
Tate Donovan	...	Nelson
John Kassir	...	Crypt Keeper (voice)
Shelby Leverington	...	Thelma
Ethan Suplee	...	Jaimie

One of the worst episode from the entire show.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Tales from the Crypt: Operation Friendship tells the story of computer programmer Nelson DeMears (Tate Donovan) who is pushed around & taken advantage of at work by his colleagues while he has no social life or friends apart from the imaginary Eddie (Peter Dobson). Then one day all that changes when the beautiful Jane (Michelle Burke) moves into the apartment across the hall & they quickly fall in love with each other. Nelson's imaginary friend Eddie is not prepared to stand by & let Jane steal Nelson from him, in fact Eddie is longer happy just to be an imaginary friend anymore & decides to take a more prominent role...

This Tales from the Crypt story was episode 4 from season 6, directed by Roland Mesa I have to say that I thought Operation Friendship is probably one of my least favourite episodes from this once great series, unfortunately it is widely accepted that season six & seven were definitely low points in the show's history compared to what had came before. Of course there were still the odd great episode here & there but then there was also the odd total stinker like Operation Friendship & coming straight after another stinker in Whirlpool (1994) there has now been two poor episodes in a row although the next episode Revenge is the Nuts (1994) get the show back on track. The script by Rob Ross was based on a story from the 'Tales from the Crypt' comic book & is basically a strange little story about a computer geek & his imaginary friend who doesn't intend to stay imaginary forever. There's no horror content which is maybe the most disappointing aspect, it's largely played for laughs but since it's not funny in any way it doesn't work in that regard & to be brutally honest it's a pretty dull twenty five minutes apart from the always entertaining opening & closing Cryptkeeper sequences. The story has a really odd twist ending which isn't that dark or ironic & doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, did no-one not notice that Nelson looked totally different at the end? A really disappointing episode that I couldn't even describe as horror themed.

Unusually there is not one single drop of blood in Operation Friendship, there are no scares, there is no violence & in maybe a Tales from the Crypt first not one single person dies or is killed on screen. Generally well made but unremarkable there's no style or substance here.

Operation Friendship is a hugely disappointing Tales from the Crypt episode, I didn't like it at all to be honest but then I do like the ghoulish horror themed episodes with dark twists which Operation Friendship most certainly isn't.