Discuss - Ep #0313

[Watching Project]

Robservations - #313

And if you'd care to look back, the first WP discussion topic for this ep:

Re: Discuss - Ep #0313

[Lydia]

There are hinges on that secret panel in the mausoleum, where David can get at them.  I'm not sure he could take them apart, because he doesn't have much for tools, but he isn't even trying.  He gets a pass on it because he's just a kid, and besides, it's dark in there.  Or anyway, it should be dark in there.

I took a look at the top hinge.  It's very small.  Does not look at though it could hold up a thick stone panel.  Might hold up a styrofoam panel.

Louis Edmonds had a tough job today.  First Roger comes into Collinwood and throws a fit because nobody called him and told him that David was missing.  Then he's embarrassed to be checking the mausoleum with Joe.  Then he dawdles around the mausoleum instead of continuing the search.  It really doesn't hang together, but Edmonds does it all so well that all I ever remember of the episode is how good he is.

We got a closeup of the top of the head of the caretaker today.  Not a good thing.  Sort of oily and corrugated.  I would not want to put my hand there, but never mind.  It's always a pleasure to see the caretaker.

Hmm...very negative post.  Got to correct that.  So, positives:

The picture of Collinwood at beginning.  Nice and sunny and pretty.

A moment when after Roger and Joe left the house when Carolyn and Vicky just stood there, silent.

The outdoors picture of the cemetery, and then Roger and Joe standing in front of another outdoors picture.  It was rather nicely done, and I liked the view.

[DarkLady]

This is the episode in which whether accidentally or on purpose, Roger delivers the classiic blooper line, "Some of my incestors--incestors?--ancestors--are buried here."

While Joe and Roger are inside the mausoleum, Roger expounds on Naomi ("one of the Collins beauties") and Joshua ("one of the old-timers"). He tells Joe that Joshua insisted on having his family buried here, but no one knows why.

That is a very nice outdoors picture behind Roger and Joe. The effect is somewhat spoiled when Joe comments, "This is the highest point of land for miles around." The outdoor picture shows a range of hills that is much higher! But maybe they are outside the Collins universe, the way we can see distant galaxies that are beyond the Milky Way.

Also, Roger tells Joe that Eagle Hill Cemetery is "down there." Surely Joe already knows where it is--and why is it called "Eagle Hill" if it's not actually on a hill?

Poor little David is really trapped. It would be very nice if Sarah showed up.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I'm pretty sure that this is the first DS ep that I ever watched. Not that I honestly remember originally watching it because my early memories of DS are a jumble of David being trapped in the mausoleum and Barnabas pacing around the Old House and Willie and Julia arguing with him - and scenes like that are spread out over several upcoming eps. But I'm pretty certain this was the ep because this ep was originally aired on September 6, 1967, which would have been the first day of 6th grade for me, and on that day a group of kids in my class told the rest of us about how they'd gotten into this spooky vampire show over the summer and that the rest of us should check it out. And already being into all things vampire and spooky, it sounded like something I could definitely get into. And when I checked it out, it definitely was - and in just a matter of days I was hooked (as was every kid in my class). And apparently I was hooked for life. 

[DarkLady]

Happy episode anniversary, MB! 

[alwaysdavid]

The clock showed 6:30 when Roger got in. I didn't know he got up that early and how far away is Boston.  It was nice to see some outdoor scenes even if they were faked. It is hard to believe cajole had never been to Eagles hill considering he grew up in town and that Maggie was found there not long ago.

[dom]

I am always so happy to hear Alexandra do the voiceover intro. She is hands down my favorite at it.

Oh, boy! Roger's back! Is this the new Roger? The new & improved Roger probably made his debut before I joined the watching project. The opening scene practically had me in stitches. I love Roger's pompousness. It appears as though Vicki mentions every character in Collinsport as Roger questions her, and he gets more & more grandiose with each new mention, lol.

Loved Vicki and Carolyn at the Drawing room window. So classic DS. And I loved the color, even on VHS. I ate some Halloween candy before watching so I wasn't distracted by the confectionery hues of the girl's dresses. They both looked fab and I really like Vicki's hair ponytailed to the side.

Carolyn is very doom and gloom while Roger seems to have an almost cavalier attitude toward David's disappearance, or at least the search. We get a nice recap of David's situation and Sarah's presence from Joe for Roger's benefit. Joe & Roger on the hoof for David, an unlikely pair but a fun pair to watch nonetheless.

The caretaker needs to retire.

This was definitely Edmond's episode to carry and he does it in style, as a haughty Roger. So funny. The only thing that could have made it better was a deadpanning humorless Liz.

I didn't like the way any of David's scenes played. They all seemed out of joint in one way or another.

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks for the story, MB.

Are Joe and Roger on the grounds of Collinwood, and then find themselves crossing into Eagle Hill?   (Can't view these ep's now)   If so, then they've pretty definitely wrenched the cemetary's location away from being five miles north of town.

[tragic bat]

There are hinges on that secret panel in the mausoleum, where David can get at them.  I'm not sure he could take them apart, because he doesn't have much for tools, but he isn't even trying.  He gets a pass on it because he's just a kid, and besides, it's dark in there.  Or anyway, it should be dark in there.

I took a look at the top hinge.  It's very small.  Does not look at though it could hold up a thick stone panel.  Might hold up a styrofoam panel.

If he took the hinges off, there is a good chance it would collapse in on him.  Living on a homestead as I do, I see things break all the time and need regular maintenance, repair, and vigilance to keep them going.  I have absolutely zero confidence that after two hundred years of varied use (since you have to take into consideration the time traveling back to 1840 and 1897, it's even more intensive by 1970) the mechanism which swings open that cement panel (which must weigh thousands of pounds) would still be in working condition.  Willie would have to go out there all the time to fix it again, and that would be very awkward given the fact that I doubt he understands how it works and people roam around there all the time.  If I didn't have supernatural powers (or a cell phone...) I would never close myself inside that secret room unless all other possible options have already been exhausted.  In reality, the time would come where the panel would jam, and no one would get in or out again.  Barnabas would groan and complain about the costly, long drawn out repairs,  and likely have to bury another person alongside Jason. 

[IluvBarnabas]

Roger was a hoot today. Forget Will Farrell, Forget Adam Sandler....Roger should have been a comedian, his comic quips put these guys to shame. I love this episode and I don't mind admitting that the reason is solely because of Roger

Look at his quotes:

"He heard the pearl-shaped tone of a spook saying BOO!!" "Maybe one of my ancestors was kicking up a fuss!" "Let's pursue this folly to its natural end!!" "I was hoping we'd hear a nice ghost!" Too hilarious!!!

Of course Louis Edmonds is also wonderfully convincing in his concern for David. He criticizes Vicki and Carolyn for not keeping an eye on David a bit better, and also rips into Joe for getting David worked up about Sarah. What a 180 degree turnaround from Roger's feelings toward David just a year ago...had this happened then I have a feeling he would have applauded the three of them instead of scolding them.

I also liked listening to the caretaker ramble on about leaving the dead to rest to Joe and Roger. Roger was highly amused and so was I. Joe was serious enough to keep his focus on David.

Unfortunately though the caretaker failed to realize that the voice he heard in the mausoleum calling for help was actually the voice of a LIVING boy.

Poor David fell asleep while his father and Joe were in the mausoleum, the only person who heard him was the caretaker who mistook him for a ghost and Sarah has yet to appear. And if Barnabas should happen to figure out he might be in the secret room, his goose is cooked. Not a very pleasant prospect.

Again, great episode, one I don't mind watching more than once.