Only Sin Deep (S1:E4) was the first ever episode from Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996) that I remember been exposed to. I was a child when I watched it and it made a mark in my psyche, I don’t know if it was for the worse or for the better, nevertheless, here I am today, ready to vomit into the internet void the reasons why I hold Sylvia Vane’s story dear to my heart.

GRIT – Sylvia Vane was a 21-year old prostitute who had great looks, a badass attitude, a sharp tongue, and most importantly, a goal. Sylvia knew what she wanted and was willing to do everything in her power to get it, even if that meant to get rid of a pimp to reclaim her freedom out of the business.

THE DIRTY WORK – In her defense, all Sylvia really wanted was to teach the pimp a lesson by robbing him so she could have enough money to get out of the streets, however, she ended up pulling the trigger, leaving behind her not only an illegal past but also an even more illegal crime. Sylvia was a murderer now and she needed to cash in her bounty.

THE DIRTY TRADE – When Sylvia took to the pawn shop the stolen jewelry she could not sell it as it was apparently too ‘hot’ as told by the establishment owner, however, if she really needed the money, he said there was another option… $10,000.00 in exchange for a mold of her face, excuse me, her beauty, a mold of her beauty. Sylvia took the offer with the knowledge that she had four months to redeem her beauty if she wanted it back.

OBJECTIVE – With a purse full of cash, a polished makeover, a new expensive wardrobe, and an even more expensive frame of mind, Sylvia infiltrated effortlessly a party of the man she had put her eye on back in her ‘working’ days. Remember that sharp tongue of hers? Well, she used it like a weapon, a sexual weapon, against her target, Ronnie Price, and it worked wonders. She made it. She was in.

NAIVETY – It was four full months of bliss and happiness and Sylvia was truly living her dreams, dreams that got shaken by a weird occurrence on her face; was it acne, skin cancer, a genetic illness, voodoo? Whatever the reason, it was making this young and vibrant-looking woman to suddenly—and rapidly—start losing her perfect magnetic glow.

REDEMPTION – Sylvia was many things but stupid was not one of them. She demanded the pawn shop owner to give her back her beauty, even when the deadline was past due. If her beloved lover, Ronnie Price, had taught her anything was that everyone had one, a price, that is. Sylvia went back to their luxury apartment and grabbed all the jewels that Ronnie had gifted her so she could pay off her debt when, horror of all horrors, Ronnie arrives home and since all he sees is a strange woman stealing from him, he threatens to call the cops and—bam!—gets shot by the girl of his dreams.

CONSEQUENCES – This was the end of the road for Sylvia. Yes, she had enough valuables to buy back her beauty, but would she want to risk being back to her normal self and get recognized by the police as Ronnie’s killer? As the pimp’s killer? Being faced by two bad options was the last thing she wanted, but freedom still meant more to her than anything so she chose to walk alone, on the street, with not a single dime to her name, defeated, but this time with her beauty not on her face, but on her arms.

To me, Sylvia Vane’s story represents hope for a better future, hope in the knowledge that if you want something and put your mind and energy into it, you can get it. Maybe not forever. But at some point.

In Love and Fear,

-Marath

P.S. Wanna date and have twenty-seven minutes to spare? Here honey, enjoy: