Discuss - Ep #0151

[Watching Project]

Robservations #151

[DarkLady]

Elizabeth asks David if he wants to go away with his mother. He gives her a vague reply, but anything short of an outright "no" is enough to start Elizabeth worrying.

While Elizabeth and Roger are eating breakfast and arguing in the kitchen, Roger puts two slices of bread in the toaster. After only a few seconds, he takes the completely untoasted slices out and gives one to his sister.

Later, Roger tells David, For once you've done something to please me. Way to parent, Roger!

Still later, David is playing with his toy soldiers instead of doing his reading when Carolyn knocks on his door. He's already had to hide the soldiers from his father, and now he has to go through the whole thing again--but this time, he misses one, and Carolyn finds it. A thaw begins as they smilingly agree to share the secret, and she seems genuinely concerned for him.

Even later, Roger is doing a crossword puzzle--a rare symptom of intellectual stimulation!

[Janet the Wicked]

Carolyn seems to have grown up overnight and she definitely makes some astute points in regards to Laura’s allegiance with Burke. I don’t think she did a good thing by going up to see David, though. She only confused the crap out of him.

It’s Carolyn’s day. She’s off to give her uncle an earful about Burke and Laura.

[MagnusTrask]

Yes JtW... everyone's smarter this episode, thanks to Malcolm Marmorstein.   I really like the two back-to-back "kitchen" (doesn't look like a kitchen) conversations.   

ECS: "Roger, can't you think of anything but yourself?"
RC: "Well darling... when you get right down to it, what else is there?"    There's a classic exchange...  It looks as if they've invited the toaster to dine with them.

Good reasoning, Carolyn... I guess those brain cells just needed the right sort of shock, to awaken.   [spoiler]Too bad she's wrong about Burke and Laura and David making three.  One hears Carolyn explain it all, and can't help going, eureka, she's right... but she isn't.   Her clever, wrong theory sets a lot of things in motion that trigger bigger and bigger responses from Laura.   On the other hand, how were they ever going to keep David safe without triggering Laura, and finding out the truth as a result?   Otherwise, she might have been allowed to leave with him.[/spoiler]

I love it when a show is actually smarter and/or more knowledgeable than I am.   It never happens with newer shows  (latest was West Wing).   I would have called Roger's correction of David's "you" to "one" a grammar correction.   I'm Googling "syntax" now.  It's one of those words I can spend most of a lifetime thinking I know, only to find out I never really nailed it down exactly.  Embarrassing.

"The pattern of formation of sentences or phrases in a language."   Vague.   Sounds like grammar.... so I still don't have the word nailed down.

[Lydia]

Carolyn seems to have grown up overnight and she definitely makes some astute points in regards to Laura’s allegiance with Burke.

I don't think she's grown up overnight.  She's being sneaky about detaching Burke from Laura, that's all.

Now that the picture of Laura is gone, and David has had a good night's sleep, he loves his mother again.  Apparently Josette is responsible for the picture.  We know that Josette is a good ghost, and therefore the picture, being something that she caused to exist, must be a good thing, however horrific it may be - like bad-tasting medicine that cures you of an illness.  And since the effect of the picture is to keep David away from Laura, then it follows that it must be a bad thing for David to be with Laura.  But how do we know that all this is the case?  We've seen Josette telling Vicky not to be afraid when Vicky was being held captive by Matthew - but that still may not mean that Josette is a good ghost.  Laura is capable of getting David to love her, but we think she's bad.  Why shouldn't Josette also be capable of getting people to care for her, but still bad?  How do we know that Josette doesn't want David for purely selfish purposes that she has yet to reveal?  It bothers me that Josette has been the source of disquiet for so many people.

[alwaysdavid]

When Roger is accused of thinking only of himself, he answers,  "What else is there?"
We see why David needs the constant attention of a tutor to assist with his studies.