About the Show
W.W. Jacobs’ classic “The Monkey’s Paw” moves to 1972 in an even darker version that draws upon multicultural issues. Paul and Herlinda are a married couple who show opposites attract. Not because he’s white and she’s Hispanic, but because he is meek and she is a loose cannon. Herlinda, to a shocking extent, uses the sort of corporal punishment associated with Hispanic moms and leaves their daughter, Paula, terrified of her. Paul wishes he could stop the beatings but is too passive. Enter Paul’s flamboyant friend Nikhil, who brings a severed monkey’s paw from India. Supposedly it will grant three wishes. Despite the creepiness of the appendage, and Nikhil’s jokingly warning that each wish carries a terrible curse, father and daughter are desperate to better their lot in life. Thus, at Paula’s urging, her dad wishes for $20,000. The little girl doesn’t get a chance to see whether the wish comes true, though. Paula, after leaving for school early the next morning to avoid the latest spanking from Herlinda, dies when a racist classmate throws a rock at her head. Herlinda grieves over the way she treated their only child, while Paul comforts her, until a school board official named William comes by the home with news. As compensation for the tragedy, the district is offering a settlement of…$20,000. Now seeing the paw does make wishes come true, Herlinda wishes for Paula to return. Paul’s attempts to reason with her so she will let their child rest in peace fail. However, when the zombie comes to the door, Herlinda is kept from letting her in by Paul, who then uses the last wish to return their child to the dead. Paul tries to tells his wife how they can move forward healthily. Herlinda sees they still have the paw, though…