Misspent Money
A character gives someone money to spend on something specific, but they spend it on something else.
The Odd Couple
Appearances
- The Odd Couple: Season 2, episode 5, "A Grave for Felix" (1971). Felix has to rush off to a photo shoot on the day he's supposed to make a deposit on his cemetery plot, so he gives Oscar the money to deposit for him, but Oscar gets a hot tip on a horse race and bets the money instead, thinking he'll win the money back (he doesn't).
- The Golden Girls: Season 4, episode 18, "Fiddler on the Ropes" (1989). The gang gives Sophia their savings to open a certificate of deposit, but instead she invests in a prize fighter.
- Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place: Season 2, episode 15, "Two Guys, a Girl and a Graduation" (1999). In a flashback to their college graduation day, Sharon gives Pete and Berg some money to pay her campus parking tickets, but when her father gets arrested for being drunk in public, Pete and Berg secretly use the money to bail him out instead, and Sharon's dad is too broke to pay them back.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 5, episode 9, "The Korean Bookie" (2005). After Larry purposely damages Ben Heineman's car, he writes him a check for the damages. Later, Larry sees Heineman's car and notices he didn't get it repaired. When he confronts Heineman about it, Heineman says he gave the money to his daughter, and when Larry sees her at a wedding, he realizes she used the money to get breast implants.
- My Name is Earl: Season 2, episode 9, "Born a Gamblin Man" (2006). When Earl's gambling addiction makes her late for her shift at Club Chubby, Earl promises to wire her money to her family back home, but instead, he gambles with it, and Catalina gets pulled over for speeding to get to work on time, and because she doesn't have a license (because she's undocumented), she gets arrested.
- Community: Season 1, episode 3, "Introduction to Film" (2009). When Abed's father refuses to pay for Abed take film classes, Britta gives him money for his tuition, but she becomes concerned when he comes to school with a fancy new video camera and flashes a wad of cash in the cafeteria, offers to buy Jeff lunch, and then springs for pizza for the whole gang.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 11, episode 2, "Angel Muffin" (2021). Jeff gets a dental hygienist named Angie pregnant and gives her money for an abortion. Afterwards, she tells him there were complications and she needs more money, but Jeff is suspicious, so he asks Larry to spy on her at dentist, and Larry notices that she's sporting brand new diamond earrings, and she tells a co-worker that she "treated herself." Later, Larry sees Angie at a restaurant buying her friend lunch, and she tells her she's taking a "10-day retreat" to Costa Rica.