History Recap / TalesFromTheDarksideS4E15DoNotOpenThisBox

* TimeSkip: After the opening act ends, the first act shows that Ruth has eagerly taken advantage of the mailman's suggestion of a reward for returning the box to spruce up the house.

** When Ruth complains about the bracelet and the silverware he gave her, the mailman tries to point out they respectively belonged to Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII, making it pretty suspect for a simple old mailman to somehow acquire personal effects from long-dead royalty.
** Charlie also offers him coffee at one point and warns that it's hot, to which the mailman casually responds "It's never bothered me".

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInThisWorld: Ruth tells Charlie that the world is full of "winners" and "losers" when they discuss returning the box, with Charlie obviously being the loser.

** When Ruth complains about the bracelet and the silverware he gave her, the mailman tries to point out they respectively belonged to Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII, making it pretty suspect for a simple old mailman to somehow acquire personal effects from long-dead royalty.
** Charlie also offers him coffee at one point and warns that it's hot, to which the mailman casually responds "It's never bothered me".

* IncitngIncident: Ruth jimmying the box open with a screwdriver, which ultimately leads to all of her newfound riches disappearing and her soul being taken to Hell.

** When Ruth complains about the bracelet and the silverware he gave her, the mailman tries to point out they respectively belonged to Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII, making it pretty suspect for a simple old mailman to somehow acquire personal effects from long-dead royalty.
** Charlie also offers him coffee at one point and warns that it's hot, to which the mailman casually responds "It's never bothered me".

* InicitngIncident: Ruth jimmying the box open with a screwdriver, which ultimately leads to all of her newfound riches disappearing and her soul being taken to Hell.

!!Do Not Open This Box
Inventor Charlie Pennywell and his avaricious wife Ruth discover a box with the label "Do Not Open This Box". Ruth opens it to discover it's empty and tosses it out. Later, a postman knocks on their door and asks the couple if he could return the titular box. Ruth decides to use her knowledge of the box's whereabouts as extortion in return for the mailman to provide her with gifts. As the demands pile up, the mailman's true intentions slowly reveal themselves.
----
!!Tropes:
* AffablyEvil: The mailman could count as this. He gets along with the nicer of the two couples, offers him his heart's desire for not being greedy, and when it's revealed he's a demon whose been sent to pick up a soul rather than deliver it, he mentions it as though he were your everyday mailman picking up a package. And let's not forget, when he takes Ruth's soul, he consoles the mortified Ruth it won't hurt a bit.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The mailman comes across as a bumbling sort of fellow who is friendly and polite. But when Ruth pushes his boundaries one too many times, he lets her know that repossessing all her riches is ''no'' idle threat. And later, it's revealed he's a demon come to take Ruth's soul to hell.
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: During the mailman's second visit to her house, Ruth complains about how the bracelet he gave her is "ostentatious" and the silverware he gave her was dented. The mailman then tells her that the bracelet previously belonged to Marie Antoinette, and the silverware was in Henry VIII's family for generations. In response, Ruth merely turns her nose up, voicing her disdain for having "used jewelry" and "eating off a dead man's silverware". This is meant to drive home that on top of being greedy, Ruth is an ungrateful and discontent woman who can't appreciate what she has, or even comprehend its true value.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first half of the prologue is dedicated to telling us what kind of people Ruth and Charlie are. Listening to Ruth, the audience quickly picks up that she's a nag who is verbally abusive to her kindly husband, is dissatisfied with her life, and is openly jealous of her neighbor Clarissa Sanderson. Meanwhile, in contrast to his discontent wife, Charlie contently fiddles away with his invention, oblivious to Ruth's endless nagging.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are a couple hints that there's more to the mailman than meets the eye. When Ruth complains about the bracelet and the silverware he gave her, the mailman tries to point out they respectively belonged to Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII. Pretty suspect for a simple old mailman to somehow acquire stuff from royalty. Later, when Charlie offers him coffee and warns that it's hot, the mailman casually responds "It never bothers me".
* {{Greed}}: Ruth makes it very clear that she will take advantage of the mailman's willingness to get back his box at any means.
* HenPeckedHusband: Charlie is willing to roll over and agree with anything Ruth says, if only to keep the peace. Reconstructed, as his passiveness towards his wife's shrewish behavior is perhaps why he hasn't internalized any of her cruel words.
* HumbleHero: Compared to Ruth, Charlie doesn't want to look younger or be richer or surrounded by women or any of the worldly things the mailman suggests. Instead, all he wants is for his inventions to be useful so they can help the world a little more.
* RuleOfThree: Throughout the story, Ruth asks the mailman a total of three times to gift her and Charlie riches in exchange for finding his box. The third time is when the mailman draws the line and tells her enough is enough.
* StealthInsult: The mailman gives two regading Ruth and her greedy, conniving ways. First, when Ruth voices how mortified she is that he'll want to take both hers and Charlie's souls, he comforts "''One'' will suffice. We're not greedy". He says it somewhat pointedly, almost as though he meant to add "Unlike ''you''". Then, when he schedules a time and date for Charlie and Ruth, he says "Why don't I put you good people [down]..." before he changes it to "you people". In the least, he doesn't hold Ruth in the highest regard.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Charlie and Ruth later learn the box they previously opened was meant to deliver souls. And the mailman will come back at midnight with the intent to take one of their souls as payment for their mistake. Ruth puts Charlie up to murder the mailman while his back is turned. Upon hearing they're a pick-up, there's a chance that pick-up could've been Charlie's soul. He has every opportunity to save his own skin. ...But he can't bring himself to do it. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Ruth can]].

* StealthInsult: The mailman gives two regading Ruth and her greedy, conniving ways. First, when Ruth voices how mortified she is that he'll want to take both hers and Charlie's souls, he comforts "''One'' will suffice. We're not greedy". He says it somewhat pointedly, almost as though he meant to add "Unlike ''you''". Then, when he schedules a time and date for Charlie and Rose, he says "Why don't I put you good people [down]..." before he changes it to "you people". In the least, he doesn't hold Ruth in the highest regard.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: During the mailman's second visit to her house, Ruth complains about how the bracelet he gave her is "ostentatious" and the silverware he gave her was dented. The mailman then tells her that the bracelet previously belonged to Marie Antoinette, and the silverware was in Henry VIII's family for generations. In response, Ruth merely turns her nose up, voicing her disdain for having "used jewelry" and "eating off a dead man's silverware". This is meant to drive home that on top of being greedy, Ruth is an ungrateful and discontent woman who can't appreciate what she has, or even appreciate its true value.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: During the mailman's third visit to her house, Ruth complains about how the bracelet he gave her is "ostentatious" and the silverware he gave her was dented. The mailman then tells her that the bracelet previously belonged to Marie Antoinette, and the silverware was in Henry VIII's family for generations. In response, Ruth merely turns her nose up, voicing her disdain for having "used jewelry" and "eating off a dead man's silverware". This is meant to drive home that on top of being greedy, Ruth is an ungrateful and discontent woman who can't appreciate what she has, or even appreciate its true value.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: During the mailman's third visit to her house, Ruth complains about how the bracelet he gave her is "ostentatious" and the silverware he gave her was dented. The mailman then tells her that the bracelet previously belonged to Marie Antoinette, and the silverware was in Henry VIII's family for generations. In response, Ruth merely turns her nose up, voicing her disdain for having "used jewelry" and "eating off a dead man's silverware". This is meant to drive home that on top of being greedy, Ruth is a ungrateful and discontent woman who can't appreciate what she has, or even appreciate its true value.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
* {{Greed}}:
* HenPeckedHusband:
* HumbleHero: