Discuss - Ep #0826

[Watching Project]

Robservations #826

[alwaysdavid]

King Johnny admits he put the knife in Sandors back and killed him.  So his death was not really the result of Julianka's curse as this happened before he died and eplains why he was cold as if he'd been dead a long time.   The appearance of the ghosts to judge Magda was well done. 

[Midnite]

King Johnny admits he put the knife in Sandors back and killed him.  So his death was not really the result of Julianka's curse as this happened before he died and eplains why he was cold as if he'd been dead a long time.

It reveals who put the knife in Sandor's back, but it doesn't explain the rest, such as why he turned up as an icy zombie.  In that same ep (#798), we learned that Quentin's baby son was fine and playing when he suddenly let out a scream and was immediately found very cold in his crib as if he'd been dead a long time, same as Sandor.  (brrr!)

[EmeraldRose]

Major Milestones Not Already Mentioned:
1. The entire episode was about Magda's gypsy trial and the "Hunt the Weasel" game. Very well done, too!
2. King Johnny brought back five gypsy murderers to be jurors and Sandor to be a "witness".
3. King Johnny didn't let Magda ask Sandor the right questions.  
4. Of course, the verdict was "Guilty".  
5. Magda was able to get rid of all the ghosts who were chasing her, even Sandor.
6. King Johnny and Istvan trapped Magda at Widow's Hill.

Those jurors were pretty scary looking. Even Sandor was pretty scary, with his drugged-looking stare.

I thought it was really neat when Magda was able to get rid of all the ghosts with her incantations. In fact, all the incantations were great, including King Johnny's.

I felt sorry for Magda having to see Sandor again, but only for a short time. As much as she loved him, she did not want to die in order to be with him.

I really like King Johnny's hearty laugh.

There were only three credits at the end of the show - Magda, King Johnny, and Sandor. All the other ghosts and Istvan weren't listed. How hard would it have been to add their names?

This was a very exciting and suspenseful episode! It was thrilling to watch the trial and the cat-and-mouse game that ensued afterwards. Even though Magda was very frightened, she still had enough of her wits about her to be able to get rid of all the ghosts. Very commendable.

----- Sally -----

[Midnite]

The only thing in this ep that isn't about gypsies is the shot of the empty mill during the closing credits, probably the result of a last-minute scramble for a background.  We get a gypsy king, a gypsy servant, gypsy ghosts, gypsy justice, a gypsy game, and a convicted gypsy.  Anyone who can't get enough of DS' gypsies will feel like they died and went to gypsy heaven (where they'll be safe from the likes of Sergio and Marco, apparently).  I just feel gypped.  The villainous ghosts weren't scary (the sight of the guy with the eyepatch and scar amuses me to no end), the trial was devoid of suspense, and 20 minutes of a histrionic Magda is never a good thing ("Jo-o-ohnny, stop the ga-a-a-a-a-ame").

Magda was charged with stealing the hand, murdering Julianka, causing the death of Quentin's son, and trying to pull the bajour on King Johnny.  If we learned anything at all from the jury, it was that the Romany (mispronounced here by its own king) tribe puts its murderers to death.

Magda managed 3 separate banishing spells using the only things at her disposal-- a match (hey, where DID that come from?), her tears, and some dirt.  Impressive!  I loved her incantation for Sandor:  "Oh death, who makes the earth grow..."

There were only three credits at the end of the show - Magda, King Johnny, and Sandor. All the other ghosts and Istvan weren't listed. How hard would it have been to add their names?

Didn't an actor's end credit (not to mention a higher pay scale) usually require a spoken line?

The names of the characters and actors vary from source to source, but to the best of my knowledge (and my ears) they were:

Andras:  Ray von Orden
Marco:  Johnny La Motta
Stefan:  Vic Mohica (lol)
Fedor:  Anthony Goodstone (also in the courtroom during Vicki's trial)
Sergio Kordash:  Joe Dellasorte (also briefly played the headless body in 1840)

[EmeraldRose]

Didn't an actor's end credit (not to mention a higher pay scale) usually require a spoken line?

Good point!

Thanks for supplying the names, Midnite. You have a plethora of DS knowledge at your disposal.

----- Sally ----

[Midnite]

You're welcome. 

[Lydia]

Now, with Midnite's information, I have to go back and sort out the gypsy ghosts sometime.  The short one seemed to be the least impassive, which was wrong for the part, so I liked him.  And there was one - the one on the left end of the lineup, I think - who seemed familiar to me as a funny guy, but I recognize none of the names Midnite gave.

The incantations sort of interested me because they were different from Evan's - no bat, no raven, no owl, or whatever it was - and also from the incantations used when Quentin and Angelique were trying to get rid of Laura.  It's a strange world.  If Johnny had used non-gypsy incantations, could he have raised gypsy ghosts?

Magda heaped Sandor with insults when he was alive and wouldn't admit to Beth that she loved him, but now that he's dead, she refers to him as "my beloved Sandor".  I liked that.  And I liked that her first question to him when he was appeared was, "How is it with you?"  In the midst of her terror, her first thought was to see if he was all right.

First Johnny says he himself killed Sandor, and then he says that Magda killed Sandor.  I understand what he's saying, but the logic is repugnant to me.  And I imagine that when he was dealing with Sandor, he blamed Sandor for everything, with nary a hint that Magda might be at fault.  Probably he told Sandor that a true gypsy doesn't allow his wife to order him around.