History Recap / TalesFromTheDarksideS2E4ParlourFloorFront

* ForWantOfANail: Linda's phony curse scheme is engineered solely because Mars trips on a paint can she left lying around and accidentally breaks an antique vase belonging to her and Doug, which she thinks he broke on purpose.

Doug and Linda, a young couple who have bought a large house in the city to renovate, learn that the only hurdle to their new lives is Mars Gillis, a kindly old Hatian man who has been living with his sister in the parlour floor front, the building's best room, for 40 years. Linda sees Mars as a burden to her new property, especially seeing as how he's a practicioner of voodoo. She has attempted to drive him out of the building, but has been unable to evict him under the local rent control laws, so she instead hatches a new plan to blame him for various mishaps after he supposedly places a voodoo curse on them.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: After being driven to hang himself, the kindly Mars has nothing but vengance in mind for the woman who drove him to do so.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Linda is immensely self-centered, only caring about rennovating her new home and getting Mars out of the way by any means nessecary. Even when her husband is pissed at her for instigating the "curse" that killed Mars, she only cares about getting her ring back from the witch doctor's casket.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: For most of the episode, it's ambiguous whether Mars is a real witch doctor or not, as most of the affects of his "curse" turns out to be the work of Linda trying to get him out of the building. Subverted at the end, which proves he was the genuine article all along.

* PowerIncontinence: Played with. Mars invokes his magic onto Doug and Linda to curse them, but only by causing some small mischief in order to avenge a broken vase. Linda later reveals how his magic killed her cat and caused her to miscarry, prompting Mars to believe that his powers are getting too strong for his own good. It's subverted near the end, as Linda faked all these misfortune in order to drive Mars out of the building.

* RealLifeRelative: Annette, the young woman who Doug and Linda spot performing a ritual with Mars, played by Adolph Caesar, is played by Caesar's daughter Tiffani.

* AwfulWeddedWife: Linda's burning hatred for Mars and his way of life gets Doug riled up, and he straight up ditches her when he learns she lied about a miscarriage and killed their cat as part of her plan to drive him to suicide.

* BookEnds: Of the IronicEcho variety. The story begins with Linda sealing cracks on the walls, as she claims she like to seal them. After Mars's ghost comes back to take Linda's ring, supernatural forces re-open the cracks.
* DrivenToSuicide: Linda's claim that the "curse" caused her to have a miscarriage, Mars is so distraught and is convinced his powers have become [[PowerIncontinence too strong]]. And so, he proceeds to hang himself.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: For the most part of the story, it's ambiguous whether Mars is a real witch doctor or not. Even all the "curse" stuff that happens turns out to be the work of Linda trying to convince Doug.
** RealAfterAll: In the end, it turns out Mars ''is'' a witch doctor, albeit a ghost one now.
* PowerIncontinence: Played with. Mars invoked his voodoo magic in order to cause some small mischief to curse whoever was solely responsible for the broken vase. Later, Linda relays how his magic killed her cat and caused her a miscarriage. He believes it's a bad sign that his powers are getting too strong for his own good. Later, it's subverted, as Linda faked all these bad things happening in order to drive Mars away.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Linda confesses that she faked her pregnancy (and by extent her miscarriage) and killed their cat at Mars' expense, Doug is disgusted to learn the woman he's loved for years is secretly an unscrupulous sociopath and leaves her on the spot. Despite her sobbing pleas for him to stay, he angrily declares that now, all he wants is to get away with her, unable to share his life with [[BitchInSheepsClothing the likes of her]] any longer.
* TemptingFate: Before leaving Linda, Doug coldly muses it would be funny if it turned out Mars ''was'' a real witch doctor. And it's proven true, in the form of Mars's ghost coming back to retrieve the ring from Linda.
----

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Linda confesses that she faked her pregnancy (and by extent her miscarriage) at Mars' expense, Doug is disgusted to learn the woman he's loved for years is secretly an unscrupulous sociopath and leaves her on the spot. Despite her sobbing pleas for him to stay, he angrily declares that now, all he wants is to get away with her, unable to share his life with [[BitchInSheepsClothing the likes of her]] any longer.

* TemptingFate: Before leaving Linda, Doug coldly muses it would be funny if it turned out Mars ''was'' a real witch doctor. And it's proven true, in the form of Mars's ghost coming back to retrieve the ring from Linda.