Discuss - Ep #0472

[Midnite]

Robservations #472

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0472

[MagnusTrask]

Barnabas points at the reappearance of Ang's portrait in a patented Bela Lugosi fashion.   Rog nearly harpoons Lang.

[DarkLady]

After Roger leaves Collinwood with the portrait of Angelique, Julia comments shrewdly, Vicki knows who the girl in the painting is, so you must know too. Barnabas turns away as he admits, Yes--Angelique Collins. I was once married to her, Julia. Married? Julia exclaims. Yes, Barnabas replies, she’s the one responsible for putting that curse on me. Angelique was a witch? Julia asks, still stunned at having learned, in just one brief sentence, two shocking facts about the man she loves: Not only was he not a bachelor after all but his wife (however briefly they were married, the vows were pronounced) was the witch who cursed him. Yes, Barnabas answers grimly--and finally Julia knows everything.

This episode also marks a major turning point in Barnabas's life--and Julia's. She shows him Lang's reflector, which Roger left behind. He's upset that Julia didn't show it to him before, but she didn't think it was important. Taking the reflector, he murmurs, So this is how she did it; I couldn’t imagine what she could have used. (Now he knows why Lang got those awful headaches in the hospital.) What are you talking about? Julia asks. In typical male fashion he only orders her, Get your coat, Julia--we’re leaving. [And I’m sure this point marks the true beginning of their collaboration, and equally sure Barnabas at least is utterly clueless about what has just happened, let alone that he has made Julia his ally.] Where are we going? Julia asks in bewilderment. To Dr. Lang’s house, Barnabas tells her. What for? she asks. His life is in danger, Barnabas says urgently. Putting her hand on his arm, Julia asks--she thinks rhetorically--Who would want to kill Eric Lang? Angelique, replies Barnabas promptly. What? Julia exclaims in astonishment. Barnabas tells her, Dr. Lang has done something to remove the curse from me, and Angelique is angry. She will try to kill him for helping me. We must get to Lang’s house before it is too late. So saying, he firmly grasps her elbow and practically pushes her out to the foyer. After the front door closes on them, a chill wind blows through the drawing room.

[MagnusTrask]

This episode also marks a major turning point in Barnabas's life--and Julia's.

In typical male fashion he only orders her, Get your coat, Julia--we’re leaving. [And I’m sure this point marks the true beginning of their collaboration, and equally sure Barnabas at least is utterly clueless about what has just happened, let alone that he has made Julia his ally.]

So saying, he firmly grasps her elbow and practically pushes her out to the foyer.

Interesting post DL, thanks.  Barnabas may have had in mind that Julia was a doctor, and that she might be needed to save Lang if they were too late, but it really does seem the way you said, the two just falling together as allies at that moment, before having a chance to stop and think about it.

[Nicky]

Interesting that Angelique didn't get this pissy when Julia tried to cure Barnabas.

[DarkLady]

Thanks, MT!

When Julia was trying to cure Barnabas, perhaps the writers hadn't thought of Angelique yet. Or maybe she was just too busy serving time in hell. 

[MagnusTrask]

When Julia was trying to cure Barnabas, perhaps the writers hadn't thought of Angelique yet. Or maybe she was just too busy serving time in hell. 

We're speaking fictionally, of course.  I prefer to suspend disbelief, and operate mentally in DS reality, not "real reality" (which is often more unbelievable to me anyway.)   I think it makes sense to see Ang as having had her history changed by Victoria's presence, how we don't know, and in the reality that existed prior to the seance, Ang had not been alerted to Barnabas ever having been let out of the coffin in the future, or treated experimentally by Julia.

I suppose Ang could have picked her own point in time to shoot for, once history had been changed, even a point before the seance (if there's such a thing as a changed-history seance where even before the seance began, Vicki had been in the past, since she'd created a new timeline in which 1795 included her, from 1795 on, including every year up through 1967 and beyond)... but then it all becomes a mess that I give uip on figuring out.   But if Ang had tried to come before the seance, to stop Julia's experiments, well, Julia wasn't exactly getting anywhere with them.  She wouldn't be seen as much of a threat to the curse.  If Ang can go shopping amongst all the various points in the future timeline (which I doubt, she isn't all-powerful), she'd know Julia doesn't succeed, and that Lang's the real threat to the Curse.

A much simpler way to look at it.... Somehow, Vicki's blatherings about "her" Barnabas mad their way into Ang's ears, not sure how... and when Vicki was catapulted back to 1968, this left a sort of trail in the "ether" perceptible to Angelique.   Ang followed Vicki's time-trail to 1968, and only then started to observe everything going on... and she got there before the treatments probably, right behind Vicki in time.   She only knew about Lang and the "cure" by seeing it unfold, after Vicki had led her there.

Note, Ang knows nothing about Julia in 1968 until she questions her.   Ang wouldn't have known to pop in during 1967 to stop Julia.

[dom]

And the Julia/Barnabas show begins…
 
Barn learns from Julia that Roger stayed overnight at the Inn but has since moved on, presumably with portrait in tow. Barn tells her about Angelique and ties her into the portrait and Roger’s peculiar behavior. Julia then shows him Lang’s headgear and he puts two & two together. Barn concludes that Lang is in danger and with Julia, heads for Lang’s office. Roger shows up at Lang’s - Roger attempts to kill Lang but is interrupted by Julia & Barn. Julia takes Roger home and Barn gives Lang the lowdown. Lang scoffs and Barn offers the proof. Julia returns and tells them that Roger escaped. He shows up at Stokes with the portrait and offers it to him but when he unwraps it the portrait is missing from the frame. Barn and Julia arrive at Collinwood to find the portrait there in the drawing room.
 
Afterthoughts: As DarkLady notes, Julia grabs Barn’s forearm, a gesture indicating the change in their relationship status (IMO also). I would hazard to guess that this was of Hall’s own doing because the rest of the direction of this episode was pretty shabby. Barn’s reaction to the portrait was laughable (the pointing was ludicrous - Bela Lugosi - nice, MT! lol). Fire the director!  Keep the cameraman though – for whatever reason, I was taken by most of the camera work in this episode. The opening scene with Hall & Frid was framed beautifully. Hall looked lovely and I am digging the ‘madedown’ Barn too. Seeing these two as I had always remembered them, working together as a team, (and especially Julia with short hair) stirred an old familiar sense of comfort in me.

[Nicky]

I think you're probably right, Magnus.  I've been analyzing Angelique's timeline on the show for twenty years or so, and *most* of the time it makes sense.  I think she followed Vicki from 1795, which, (logically?) puts her on the scene (invisibly) right around the time Vicki gets back.  [spoiler]Plus Cassandra has a long, lovely monologue with Barnabas' portrait where she says, "I never would have known you were free from your chains if Victoria Winters had not come to the past."[/spoiler]  I do so love the idea of a "time trail" though.   

[MagnusTrask]

[spoiler]Of course, explaining Ang's appearance this way negates 1840.  I'd like to be able to say that 1795 Ang kept coming back to the mausoleum every year up to or past 1840 (original timeline), then AFTER that, for whatever reason, dropped in in 1968, but it's just unworkeable.

Straining brain too much....   Could the 1840 we onscreen see be the timeline before Vicki changed things in 1795?   I mean, in the reality of the 1840 we see play out, could it have been Phyllis Wick who was the governess?   Then, maybe Ang going to the crypt ever year was the way it was "supposed" to happen originally, then Vicki's interference distracted Ang from that course, attracting her to 1968, unhappening the 1840 we see before we even get a chance to see it.   If so, how did that "earlier" timeline get re-established?[/spoiler]

[Nicky]

[spoiler]Ooooooh, I like that idea!  I used to tell myself that the Devil sent Ang back to 1840, just as he did Cassandra in 1968 after she was de-vampirized and was amusing herself screwing with Liz's head again, but this time after she actively helped Barnabas end the Leviathans.  [/spoiler]

[MagnusTrask]

[spoiler]I wonder if it was Barnabas's later interference with 1795/6, or something to do with the Leviathans and being there in 1795/6, was it that they needed Barnabas to time travel?   These things happen "later" in Barnabas's personal timestream, so maybe they could change history back.   Not sure how... [/spoiler]

[DarkLady]

Wow, MT, I really like your ideas about how Vicki changed EVERYONE's past!

And the Julia/Barnabas show begins…

I totally agree, dom! Hooray!

[alwaysdavid]

The slide is backwards in the beginning. Barnabas and Julia are acting fairly cozy and it's like there was a missing all is forgiven scene for his trying to kill her etc. Roger suddenly has decided the painting is bad and wants to get rid of it but it won't let him and he has a blank canvas and the painting is back at Collinwood.

[Roland]

Julia learns the horrible truth that no matter how things may turn out in the future, she will never be the first Mrs. Barnabas Collins.

In retrospect, I love how casually Julia asks, "Who's Angelique?" considering how monumental a nemesis she would prove to be throughout the course of the series (however, Julia already asked that question a few episodes back when she and Barnabas were conversing in the Old House, though apparently she, or the writers, had forgotten that).

Dr. Lang seems to be suffering from that same cognitive dissonance that so afflicts the residents of Collinsport. As he's standing face-to-face with a 200-year-old vampire, he just can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that there might be such a thing in this world as witches and witchcraft.