Discuss - Ep #0274

[Watching Project]

Robservations - #274

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0274

[DarkLady]

My notes inform me that this episode is the last one that begins, "My name is Victoria Winters." The writers are moving away from the search for her identity.

Still lurking outside the Old House, Jason is back in his old turtleneck sweater.

Barnabas laments to Willie about the drawbacks to his solitary existence. He tells Willie, "Miss Evans" didn't have the necessary refinement, and I was too impatient. (Maybe he’s done some research on cult programming in the meantime.) Even though he's set his sights on Victoria, he holds a grudge and still suspects Willie of wanting to let Maggie go.

Fantastic scene in the woods where Jason accosts Willie and utters the immortal line, Dip deep into the chest with both hands and get everything you can! Willie is horrified that Jason has now guessed at least part of what happened to Maggie--and what Barnabas plans for Vicki.

Nice exchange between Vicki and Jason at the BW. For once she shows some backbone and returns most of his volleys with ease and calm. She even manages to hide how devastating Jason's comments about her identity are. I had to laugh when he said he could have "taken Elizabeth out of her shell," even though Vicki is disgusted and furious. What a nasty exit line for him, too.

Because Willie has refused to "dip deep with both hands," Jason has taken matters into his own hands. Late in the day, he breaks into the Old House and notes with satisfaction that the jewel chest is still on the table....

[Janet the Wicked]

Barnabas laments to Willie about the drawbacks to his solitary existence. He tells Willie, "Miss Evans" didn't have the necessary refinement, and I was too impatient. (Maybe he’s done some research on cult programming in the meantime.)

I will comment on this excellent episode when I watch it at some point, but I wanted to reply to the "necessary refinement" issue here, DL. In regards to Barnabas and his "upper crust" background, you would think that he would have shunned the idea of courting a "skullery maid" in the first place. Yeah, Maggie resembles Josette, blah, blah, blah... I guess he isn't thinking rationally after being chained in a coffin for umpteen years.

I love this episode mainly because of the words that Jason has with Vicki. Clearly, he has had a major bad day and takes it out on poor Vicki, who, in no way on Earth deserves Jason's nasty attitude towards her. Good acting.

More later, folks.

[DarkLady]

I guess he isn't thinking rationally after being chained in a coffin for umpteen years.

That would probably be true of just about anybody. 

[IluvBarnabas]

I don't understand why Jason felt he had to rob Barnabas....I find it hard to believe that someone as greedy as Jason would have forgotten the swiss bank account he coerced Elizabeth into giving him, something he could have lived out the rest of his days on, or at least enough dough long enough for him to conjure up another get-rich scheme.

The scene between Jason and Vicki was classic. Jason's theory that there are a lot more bad, dishonest people like him than there are good and honest folks like Vicki....I suspect that he really does believe this, and believes it gives him an excuse for his wicked ways and despicable actions, sad truth is there are a lot of Jasons out there, and subscribe to Jason's philosophy but as to whether or not they outnumber decent folks...I certainly hope not.

I think Jason's threat against Willie was weak. What the hell was Jason going to do, go to the sheriff and tell him that he overheard Barnabas telling Willie he kidnapped and very likely killed Maggie, and that he was planning on doing something to Vicki as well? He had no proof to back up his threats and without any evidence there was no way in hell Patterson was going to take Jason seriously, especially so soon after Jason's whole fraud about Elizabeth killing Paul being exposed.

[DarkLady]

I don't understand why Jason felt he had to rob Barnabas....I find it hard to believe that someone as greedy as Jason would have forgotten the swiss bank account he coerced Elizabeth into giving him, something he could have lived out the rest of his days on, or at least enough dough long enough for him to conjure up another get-rich scheme.

Unfortunately, I have no idea of how Swiss bank accounts work! But Elizabeth might have figured out a way to hang on to the purse strings. It seems that Jason is assuming that now that his plans have been thwarted, she will close the account or otherwise make it inaccessible to him. Or it could just be a writer goof.

I agree with you on Jason's ideas about the good and bad people in the world. It probably is how he  rationalizes his evil deeds.

Jason's threats to Willie may be weak, but Willie is probably freaked out just enough by them to think they're believable. If the sheriff posted a reward for information leading to Maggie's abductor or (*shiver*) corpse, Jason might have been hoping to cash in on it. Remember that only Dr. Woodard, Sam, and Joe know that Maggie is still alive. And Jason probably doesn't have two singles to rub together at this point--he doesn't strike me as the saving type.

And anyway, without that plot point, we wouldn't have those swell scenes of Jason and Willie near the Old House and at the BW--or the scenes that are still to come! 

[Lydia]

I don't understand why Jason felt he had to rob Barnabas.

Because Barnabas was there?  Because Barnabas acted as though he was somebody?  Because Jason thought Barnabas deserved it?

As for percentage of bad people versus percentage of good people, you see what you look for.  Nobody's all good or all bad (I'm echoing our dear departed jf here) so you can find what you want in just about any given person.  And remember, while Vicky thinks Barnabas is a perfect gentleman, Jason knows better.  He doesn't know as much as he thinks he does...but he does know better than Vicky.

It occurred to me today that I might have been misjudging Jason.  My attitude all along has been, "If he's so smart, why isn't he rich?"  But Willie, who has known him for years, expressed surprise that the Collinwood scheme had not gone as planned.  So apparently Jason usually does get what he wants.  Maybe the reason he isn't rich is not that the money doesn't flow in, but rather that it flows out too fast.

[IluvBarnabas]

The fact that Jason knows better than Vicki as far as Barnabas is concerned doesn't change the fact he's still a heartless greedy bastard. And no matter how misguided her perception of Barnabas is, Vicki is right on the money when she said that Jason is the kind of guy who goes out looking for the perfect person he can take advantage of, use them to exploit and satisfy his greed.

My reason as to why Jason isn't rich by now....he's too greedy for his own good. I bet his greed more than once has overrided his common sense and prevented him from becoming a millionaire set for life or he simply underestimates or overestimates the situation he thinks he can milk out for all its worth.

I know Barnabas at this point is no better than Jason, heck he is worse considering he kidnapped an innocent woman and was ready to kill her....[spoiler] but in time he does eventually become a better person, especially once the curse is lifted off of him. [/spoiler] I haven't seen anything about Jason thus far that makes me think he could have ever reform.

[alwaysdavid]

Jason is on a course to the jagged rocks of death in the VoiceOver spoils that he will soon meet his demise perhaps off the cliffs.  Jason eavesdrops and learns that a new Josette is in the works.  Jason hints that he knows about Vickies past.