User Reviews

Tales of the Unexpected: A Sad Loss is set in the sunny climes of the Caribbean where lovers Dave Brigham (Stuart Wilson) & Claire Hawksworth (Haley Mills) run a not very successful hotel. They are mortgaged up to their eyeballs & are months behind on the repayments & risk losing the hotel, however Claire's rich aunt Alicia (Lally Bowers) has promised to leave all her money to them when she dies so there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately it seems Alicia's daughter has given birth & Alicia decides to leave all her money to the baby instead & begins the process of changing her will, Dave convinces Claire that Alicia must not be allowed to change her will & that they should give her a helping hand to die...

Episode 3 from season 6 this Tales of the Unexpected story was originally aired here in the UK during April 1983, the ninth of eleven Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by John Gorrie this is easily one of the best stories from this show's later seasons that didn't have anything to do with Roald Dahl & a nice way to spend 25 minutes in it's own right. The story by Patricia Moyes was dramatised by James Andrew Hall & is one of those Tales of the Unexpected stories based around a crime that has surprising consequences, the success of this story is entirely down to it's twist ending which I think is one of the best this series had to offer. It's a short, sharp & highly effective little twist that rounds the story of perfectly. The build up & character's are also better than usual for this series, everything just works very well & as a one off 25 minute drama with a neat twist I liked it a lot.

Just putting a few palm trees in an English hotel garden won't convince me this is set in the Caribbean & I doubt it'll convince you either! This is well made enough but like most episodes from this show it's utterly bland & lifeless without a trace of style. Again there's a good cast here, Disney child star Haley Mills turns up here as the most recognisable of them.

A Sad Loss is one of the best Tales of the Unexpected stories because there is a cool unexpected twist ending, definitely well worth a watch & at only 25 minutes in length it won't take too much of your life up.

How far gone would someone have to be, to not wake up while being manhandled as two others removed one's nightgown, and got you stuffed into a swimsuit? Not to mention the racket made by a speeding boat to deposit the body off a jetty where it would wash ashore in about a week. You have to get past that nonsense in order to relish the great twist that comes with this story, as Claire Hawksworth (Hayley Mills) and her avaricious boyfriend (Stuart Wilson) scheme their way to a potentially large inheritance by killing her Aunt Alicia (Lally Bowers). But there's a wrinkle, in as much as the wealthy woman posted a letter to her attorney to change her will to the dissatisfaction of her niece. Having intercepted and burned the letter, all now seems set for a lavish payday, but for Aunt Alicia's haste in putting the letter in the wrong envelope. When the 'wrong' one arrives, it's hastily forwarded to the attorney to carry out the changed will as planned. All that skullduggery with no payoff!

Say, do you think that was Tom Cruise climbing out of the swimming pool in an early scene? Sure looked like him!

The aunt hands the letter containing her revised will to Claire's friend and only later do we see her having the new will witnessed. How could she have handed the new will to Claire's friend (thinking it was about her cat) before it was signed and witnessed? I watched this episode three times before it dawned on me that there is a basic error in the continuity of the plot.

And also how deep asleep could the rich aunt be without being aware she was being undressed and put into her swimming costume?

Too many errors in this episode to be enjoyable in spite of the good acting and glorious location.

Claire and Dave are seemingly living the life of luxury, running a beautiful Caribbean hotel, entertaining friend Maggie Patton, but all is not as happy as it should be. Finances are tight, the hotel is mortgaged to the hilt. Dave's wealthy Aunt Alicia is staying there, she seems the only possibility for advancing some money. A spanner is thrown in the works when Alicia needs to change her will and disinherit Claire and Dave.

This is a cracking episode, a great dark story, wonderful authentic location, it looks and feels quality, production values are brilliant, the best since the early episodes. As for the acting, it's one of the best, Hayley Mills, Stuart Wilson, Phyllida Law just brilliant, all so natural. I'm a massive fan of Lally Bowers, such a lovely comedy actress, she did a great job making Aunt Alicia such a sour and spiteful character.

8/10