Discuss - Ep #0760

[Watching Project]

Robservations #760

[Pansity]

LE voiceover. Ok interesting question is raised here.  If the whole future of the Collins is dependent on Jamison and Nora, how where they  saved before Barnabas became a time travelling meddler? (Ok, so that one deserves a topic all it’s own.)

Replay of the last scene we saw, with Laura’s complete shock and horror when Jamison’s bed is empty and Angelique materializes in the nifty creepy green light.  First mention of Angie’s ability to create a doppelganger (which is important to remember for the future).

A vicious trick?  More like turnabout being fair play.  They’re both about even on the dirty tricks scorecard.  Angie knows Laura hasn’t much time or energy , and is having way too much fun gloating.

Meanwhile Barnabas has the herculean task of getting the unimaginative Edward to buy into not only regular precautions to protect the children, but getting him to cooperate in supernatural precautions as well. (Curious that Edward refers to having “always known” that Laura was a dangerous and disturbed individual.  Makes you wonder how they originally got together, and when this “always” that he uses for a point of reference covers.  Sounds like he courted, married and had kids with her knowing she was disturbed. Puts an entirely new light on his attitude toward Jenny.)

And here’s the lady herself, demanding that Barnabas leave so she may have a private word with her husband.  Her strength is going, and she passes out.  They take her to Jamison’s room  and she is very disappointed that he's not there.   She's cold, wants a fire, Edward holds out a good while against lighting a fire (since Barnabas warned him)
The kids are locked in a room somewhere, a room I don’t think I've seen before.  There’s an ornate secretary in the corner by the door; I’m wondering if it’s a redress of the study in this period. Funny how the kids are so convinced Laura would never leave without them, when she did before.

Of course Edward has given in (deciding that there'd be no harm, despite Barnabas' warning) and has built a raging fire in the fireplace, even helping her to sit up and face it,  Also of course she's using it as a transmitter to speak to the kids.   Now we find out it’s a locked room in the East Wing (isn't this the first mention of the East wing, outside of when Vicky arrived?), and Jamison has told her where they are.  NOW Edward catches a clue and realizes he should have listened to Barnabas (which of course he will have forgotten by the next time he gets advise on a supernatural booga booga.)

And it’s Barnabas and Angelique to the rescue, saving Edward’s bacon for him.  Laura thinks being in control of the flames gives her the upper hand, yet Angelique is doing a ritual.  Now the flames are in the room, getting closer and closer to the flames, and the children are waiting for their mother to rescue them.

Good choice of what to use against Laura, much like what was done to Angie with her portrait in 1968.  Age her to her current age. And the old hag that the children don’t’ recognize is consumed in the flames before their eyes....
 

Jeannie

[alwaysdavid]

Is this the first time we see a room in the East Wing?  It has always seemed that everything took place in the West Wing. When Angelique wanted the mirror in the prior episode, I knew, what was coming, The doppelganger.  Edward seems to be such a dunderhead, it's no wonder, that Grandmama left Judith in charge.   The scene with the children in the fire was very chilling and in the end Laura is no match for Angelique.

[Taeylor Collins]

First of all, thanks alwaysdavid for introducing me to the word dunderhead.  I make a list weekly and learn and retain new words.  I love to learn to words! THANKS!   I am not for sure if this is the first time we see the East Wing or not!   I would love to know though.

VO:  Louis Edmonds

“So I created a doppelganger! A double my dear!”  I love that line.  And Lara delivers it with such satisfaction!  DELICIOUS!!

Denise and David are great actors and (I believe) they could have went far in the industry had they chosen to.   

Laura’s looking rough! OLD!!!Great showdown between the two blue eyed blondes!  LOVED IT! 

Of course Laura was no match for Angelique! She is far more powerful!

[Midnite]

isn't this the first mention of the East wing, outside of when Vicky arrived?

I remember David and Mrs J talking about it when she was first hired, and M Findlay asked Liz to take her there first, which I assume happened (though oddly enough, she didn't mention sensing any weirdness there).

Is this the first time we see a room in the East Wing?

I think so.

[Midnite]

So how does a witch, who is vulnerable to fire, fight a creature of fire?  By outwitting her!  And so the powers of darkness have defeated the power of the Sun.  That was Diana Millay's last appearance, and I for one will miss her.

“So I created a doppelganger! A double my dear!”  I love that line.  And Lara delivers it with such satisfaction!

Speaking of new words, I'm pretty sure this is where I learned that one.  She also said "exact replica," presumably to make sure the kids understood its meaning.  (I shudder to think that for a time, there were TWO poison green dresses! )

Was Jamison's room really the closest for depositing Laura, or was there no space/budget left to create an additional set?

Great showdown between the two blue eyed blondes!

The blonde fur was really flying? 

If the whole future of the Collins is dependent on Jamison and Nora, how where they  saved before Barnabas became a time travelling meddler? ...

I'm in the camp that believes Angelique was in the original period, summoned even then by Evan's and Quentin's ritual, and we saw her show an interest in Laura's powers even before Laura became Barn's enemy, so perhaps Quentin asked her to prevent Laura from taking the children the first time around?  That's assuming that Barnabas didn't muck with events so much that Laura would not have gotten this far without his interference.

... (Ok, so that one deserves a topic all it’s own.)

True, but the question is also very on topic for this episode. 

Curious that Edward refers to having “always known” that Laura was a dangerous and disturbed individual.  Makes you wonder how they originally got together, and when this “always” that he uses for a point of reference covers.  Sounds like he courted, married and had kids with her knowing she was disturbed.

Could his comment ("I can accept the fact that she's a disturbed and dangerous woman; I've known this all along") refer to the time since she returned after running off with Q?

[Taeylor Collins]

I had thought myself about who had saved the children orignally.  I think your answer is a good soild thought to go with Midnite!

[Midnite]

Thank you.  Solid is cool.

[EmeraldRose]

I'll start off with the milestones. Since there's a limited number of smileys, I'll just post one milestone to represent them all.
1. Final appearance of Diana Millay as Laura.
2. Laura "died by fire" (again). Since Angelique made her old, was she destroyed? If so, this might be the first time we saw a Phoenix being destroyed.
3. Laura was the 3rd supernatural person to grow old.
4. First mention of Angelique's ability to create a doppelganger.
5. First time we saw a room in the East Wing - the room where the whole Laura fire drama with Nora and Jamison occurred.

In the opening voiceover, LE said, "Only Barnabas Collins is aware that the safety of Jamison and Nora is vital to the whole future of the Collins family." Actually, that statement is inaccurate, because Angelique knew this, too.

It was weird to see a picture of Collinwood in the background during the closing credits. Usually, such a photo appears during the opening voiceover.

Barnabas should have told Edward the whole story about Laura - that she was a Phoenix, and that's why there shouldn't be any fires. If Edward had known, I doubt that he would have started the fire.

Laura's fire bounced up and down from the bottom of the screen. Another blooper. 
 

If the whole future of the Collins is dependent on Jamison and Nora, how where they saved before Barnabas became a time travelling meddler? ...

I wondered that myself, Jeannie.

I'm in the camp that believes Angelique was in the original period, summoned even then by Evan's and Quentin's ritual, and we saw her show an interest in Laura's powers even before Laura became Barn's enemy, so perhaps Quentin asked her to prevent Laura from taking the children the first time around?  That's assuming that Barnabas didn't muck with events so much that Laura would not have gotten this far without his interference.

I agree with you, Midnite. That explanation makes perfect sense to me!

This was an excellent episode! Really exciting! I loved the scenes when Laura was old and Nora and Jamison didn't know that it was her. Hearing Angelique's incantation was really great, too. Kudos to all for their wonderful performances and the writers for the excellent writing!

----- Sally -----

[Taeylor Collins]

I have to wonder about the summoning of Angie! Do you think that she was summoned by Evan and Quentin to deal with Laura instead of Barnabas in the original timeline??

[Midnite]

Laura "died by fire" (again). Since Angelique made her old, was she destroyed? If so, this might be the first time we saw a Phoenix being destroyed.

Oh, that wasn't her destruction.  Angelique only made the Phoenix look like her true age, but it had no effect on Laura's powers.  Besides, if she's destined to be David's mother, destroying her would have been a huge mistake.

In the opening voiceover, LE said, "Only Barnabas Collins is aware that the safety of Jamison and Nora is vital to the whole future of the Collins family." Actually, that statement is inaccurate, because Angelique knew this, too.

Good point.

[EmeraldRose]

Good point, Midnite, about Laura. Of course, she wasn't destroyed!

Thank you, Midnite, for acknowledging my good point about the voiceover!

Well, I was brilliant once, but I guess I can't be right all the time! Inconsistency is the name of the game, isn't it!?

----- Sally -----

[Lydia]

This episode didn't do as much for me as it should have, alas.  I thought Nora came around too fast to the idea of going away with Mummy.  One second Denise Nickerson had her "I don't believe a word you're saying" expression on, and the next thing we knew, she was wearing her patented rapt expression.  I've always liked Denise Nickerson, but today she seemed too mechanical for me.

And then there were the technical bloopers - the mis-framing of the fire that EmeraldRose noted, and also the look at the strangely young arms on Aged Laura.  Old age makeup never impresses me, anyway.  I daresay Laura's was excellently done, but it didn't interest me.

And of course I got distracted by the books in Jamison's bookcase.  Have the same ones always been there?  There are a lot of heavy-looking series there.  Maybe they're the complete works of James Fenimore Cooper, GA Henty, and Horatio Alger, but they look more like non-fiction tomes.

Oh, well, it was good to see Louis Edmonds again, and fun to see Edward weaseling out of telling Barnabas and Angelique exactly how it was that there was a fire in the fireplace.

As for whether Angelique was there in the original 1897...I find it hard to believe that she would do anything but sulk in an era where Barnabas was missing, unless Nicholas Blair was there to keep her on her toes.  There was some dialogue in 1968 that gave me the impression that Angelique and Nicholas had been together in previous adventures.  But if Angelique was in 1897 originally, why didn't she open up Barnabas's coffin?

Speaking of coffins, I learned from a radio show the other day (listen up, Taeylor, I'm improving your vocabulary!) that a coffin can't be a plain box; it has to have the extra angles for broad shoulders, and therefore most of the coffins on Dark Shadows are caskets, not coffins.  I dislike the word casket, however (it smells of unctuous undertakers to me), so I shall continue to call all corpse containers coffins.