Discuss - Ep #0301

[Lydia]

Robservations - #301

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0301

[Lydia]

The color looked good today.

Willie did a fine job of persuading Barnabas not to kill Burke the way he killed Jason.  But couldn't Barnabas manage a convenient accident for Burke?

The Seaview storyline continues, with Liz deciding to sell the house to Burke.  Isn't that putting unnecessary pressure on Vicky to accept Burke's proposal?  And how disappointed will Liz be if Vicky decides not to marry Burke?  And what will happen when Vicky survives the Seaview experience and Burke doesn't?  Will Liz have hired a new governess in the meantime, and will Vicky have to fight to get her job back?  This could get interesting.

Burke was like a little puppy at the Blue Whale, wanting everybody to like everybody.  It was very sweet.  If only Burke were like this all the time!

[dom]

Poor Willie must live in a persistent state of dread. I just knew Barn was going to tell him that he’d be helping him get rid of Burke because it was the last thing I would have wanted to hear if I were Willie. I guess Willie knows what he’s doing as he manages to talk Barnabas down, at least for the moment. Who is Willie really trying to protect? Everyone! Victim, assailant, innocent bystanders, himself. I’d have gone mad by now. It was a good scene and well acted for the most part.

What are we supposed to think about the look on Liz’s face as Vicki leaves the room after their discussion about Burke’s proposal? I know what I am thinking; Vicki is Liz’s daughter, that’s what I’m thinking.

I am also thinking that Burke is still handling Vicki’s reluctance awfully well.

Vicki: …I’ve always thought of myself as taking care of someone else’s children.

Burke: I’m offering you the chance to take care of your own.

My first thought was, what a beautiful and tender exchange, then the testosterone kicked in and I thought, what a horndog Burke is.

I rolled my eyes as soon as I realized this was the episode with the highly regarded “duel” scene between Burke and Barnabas at the Blue Whale. I have to confess that I was more fascinated with the unfamiliar tune playing on the jukebox. Frid admittedly delivers a fine performance, and I say bravo, considering his lackluster performances of late. I think AG had the better lines, but unfortunately they lacked their intended punch with his less than stellar delivery. Though well written and somewhat pivotal, IMO, the scene is over-rated.

Afterthoughts: I don’t mean to be contrary but I am watching VHS tapes and the color was not quite up to par. The episode had an orange wash to it. And Liz’s red outfit was bleeding. Are you watching DVDs, Lydia?

The whole Seaview thang was so exciting for me the first time I saw it, but knowing where it goes, I find the whole thing a bit of a bore. And I never thought of Liz’s actions regarding Seaview as putting pressure on Vicki but now that you mention it, Lydia, I can see your point. I’m pretty sure Liz felt Vicki out about her feelings towards Burke, so that may have been Liz trying to make a decision on whether to sell Burke Seaview to begin with. (Unless my thoughts are out of sequence.) Vicki might have felt pressured if she would have had a clue to begin with.

[Lydia]

Are you watching DVDs, Lydia?

Yes, I am.

Vicki might have felt pressured if she would have had a clue to begin with.

Good point.  Vicky did seem to think that everybody in the world would want to own Seaview, so that it would just be a nice thing for Burke if he were the owner.

[IluvBarnabas]

I don't find Frid's performances 'lackluster'...especially during this period where he's at his most ruthless. I say he may have even been at his best, or close to it during this period. JMO though.

As much as I've complained that Anthony George's Burke was a pale imitation to Mitch Ryan's, I have to admit the scene between him and Barnabas was classic...and they both excelled. But I think Barnabas may have overplayed his hand because now Burke is going to look into his background.

Willie made a good point to Barnabas the circumstances of which he would dispose of Burke would be different than when he did away with Jason. Jason was a blackmailing, lying creep that no one would miss, whereas Burke has ties to the community, he's a wealthy man, well-liked and courting the governess of the heir of the town's most richest and important family. Barnabas agrees to back off Burke for awhile, but only for awhile. However, if he becomes aware that Burke is having him investigated, he may change his mind.

I like to think that maybe Vicki's reluctance to say yes to Burke's proposal was she still wanted to find out who she is before she settles down, but unfortunately I think the writers have decided to completely drop that end of the story. Which is a shame.

[DarkLady]

This is Willie's first real chance to talk Barnabas out of killing someone, and he actually persuades Barnabas (who as we know almost never listens to anything Willie says) at least to postpone killing Burke. As usual, though, Willie's relief is short-lived because Barnabas then says that Willie will have to help him. Very nice work by JK here. He always does a great job of conveying Willie's chronic fear and also the street smarts that help him get through each night.

I love the tenderness of the scenes between Vicki and Elizabeth in this part of the story, especially knowing-- well, what we know. And yes, it's too bad that the writers forgot that Vicki's purpose in coming to Collinsport was to discover her real identity.

And I also like the big duel scene between Barnabas and Burke at the BW. Apparently it was JF's favorite in the whole series, perhaps because it shows Barnabas living his Big Lie to the utmost. Vicki’s name is never mentioned, of course--that would be the grossest insult to a lady, and each man knows that at least one of them is a gentleman.

[dom]

Yes, and under normal circumstances, had Vicki's name come into the conversation, the gentlemanly 'duel" would have degenerated into a brawl: Think Joe Haskell vs any male Blue Whale patron attracted to Carolyn. But Barn is no average foe, and neither is Burke for that matter.

I like it also when Vicki shows tenderness towards a subject. Alexandra really shines in these scenes. As a matter of fact, the character totally won me over (through thick & thin, smart or dumb) when she displayed incredible sensitivity toward David early on in the series, when anyone else would have quit and recommended military school. I melted and became a huge Vicki fan from that moment on.

I'm glad you came up with a plausible reason for Vicki's reluctance, IlB, because I was stumped. I wanted to think that it had something to do with her having a subconscious attraction to Barnabas, but that's obviously not the case.

[alwaysdavid]

I liked how Joan looked down when Vickie talked about who she is as if she could not face her because of her guilt. Vickie says she never thought of marriage. Never? 

[DarkLady]

What a nice touch, alwaysdavid. I'll have to keep an eye out for it when I get to this ep. on Netflix.

I'm sure Vicki has never thought of marriage for herself. She is so self-effacing and as you remind us doesn't know her true identity. She probably figured that she'd just keep teaching other people's kids and living in other people's houses with no place to call her own. (Wow, man, that's so sad.)

[alwaysdavid]

I was forgetting that she stayed on in the foundling home to work after she was old enough to leave and that she written more as a governess of a prior century where a poor orphan would have no prospects.