Tales from the Darkside Episode 60: The Milkman Cometh

General Information

Director: John Strysik

Writer: Donald Wollner

Cast: Robert Forster, Seymour Cassel, Shannon Wilcox, Chad Allen, Barbara Sloane, and Paul Sparer

Composers: Ken Lauber and Hilary Bercovici

Air Date: 1/25/1987

 

Overview

Tales from the Darkside The Milkman ComethBy writing requests to a mysterious milkman, artist Garry Cooley (Robert Forster) manages to solve his financial woes and cure the infertility of his wife Ruth (Shannon Wilcox). Before long, however, Garry discovers a horrifying truth about the nature of Ruth’s pregnancy.

“The Milkman Cometh” offers an implied supernatural twist on a seemingly innocuous concept. Tales from the Darkside fans will therefore enjoy this episode, dated execution notwithstanding.

 

Pros

Despite accepting money from a total stranger, the protagonist concerns himself only with the welfare of his wife, son, and unborn child—an aspect that compels Tales from the Darkside The Milkman Comeththe viewer to sympathize with Garry, whose unethical behavior seems justified when considering the circumstances of his character.

“The Milkman Cometh” also deserves praise for its effective use of horror tropes. Specifically, the eponymous milkman—an elusive figure with malevolent intentions—conceals his true form by remaining in the shadows, avoiding human contact, and conducting his business during the wee hours of the morning, thereby establishing himself as an ominous and terrifying creature.

 

Cons

Tales from the Darkside The Milkman ComethThis episode may evoke criticism for its incongruous and repetitive musical piece, which undermines the subtlety of the milkman character.

 

Analysis

Indicating that nothing valuable comes without a price, this offering should be commended for its thought-provoking life lesson.

 

Concluding Comments

Benefiting from spooky night sequences and a creepy twist ending, “The Milkman Cometh” should be requisite viewing for horror enthusiasts. Also worth noting are the topnotch performances of Robert Forster and Shannon Wilcox, who reinforce the marital struggles of both main characters.

 

Overall Quality: 8/10

 

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2 thoughts on “Tales from the Darkside Episode 60: The Milkman Cometh

  1. One of the most effective episodes of what I often find to be a poor to mediocre series. Unlike The Twilight Zone / Outer Limits episodes, The 80’s era anthologies haven’t aged well for some reason.

    • I fully agree, Brian. Whereas “The Milkman Cometh” offers a traditional approach to the horror genre, many Tales from the Darkside episodes rely on dated scenarios (e.g. haunted answering machines and word processors) or imbecilic comedy sketches in order to frighten or entertain the audience—much in contrast to The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, which contain a variety of timeless and well-written sci-fi/horror stories despite airing over fifty years ago.

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