Discuss - Ep #0797

[Watching Project]

Robservations #797

[alwaysdavid]

A kinescope episode and there is no Lara on the scene now.
Didn't Barnabas have a clue that the one person who could help was Julianka and perhaps keep an eye on her?  Apparently his thickheadedness continues even when forwarned.
Suddenly he thinks about the book that has been moldering in a collapsed building for years and yet here it is and in fine shape.  Considering how the book was supposedly published in the 60's and was full of lies, would he really think it would tell about Quentin?  LIz and Roger didn't even know about their great-uncle.   I guess to be fair Barnabas didn't know that Quentin was sealed up in the room and died there since David and Amy took away the bones.
Good scenes Beth and Quentin liked the line, "The only trip we're going to take is to Hell" 
Julianka curses Magda in the same fashion as Angelique did Barnabas.  Is this to bond Barnabas and Magda together? 

[MagnusTrask]

I think I almost followed the "logic" this time, of the 1965 Collins family history volume being available in 1897.   Last time I watched, I just thought they were completely around the bend.    

Seems they're being selective about which actions affect history and why.    The 1965 book went to 1795 because Victoria took it there (even though we didn't see her with it at the seance).   Victoria's trip is part of history "now" in 1897 because Barnabas experienced it in his life-line.  Yet Eve's trip back to 1796 to get the 1965 history of the family and bring it back to 1968 hasn't happened yet, even though it too happened during times Barnabas just recently lived through, in 1968.   Therefore, in 1897, Eve's removal of the book "hasn't happened yet" so it's still there in 1897, having passed through the intervening century at the town hall, or wherever.  

By the same "reasoning" though, Vicki Winters' trip back to 1795 hasn't happened yet, either, so the book shouldn't be available in 1897.

[EmeraldRose]

Major Milestones:
1. Julianka died, and she was the one person who could have saved Quentin! In Jamison's dream about David, this was the second event that happened before Quentin died.
2. Julianka appeared as a spirit at a seance. This was the first time this happened. During all the other seances, the spirit who responded spoke through a living person - a medium.
3. During the seance, Quentin, who was really scared, broke the chain and ran out of the Old House. Julianka was the first spirit who remained during a seance after the chain was broken.
4. Quentin saw the pentagram on Beth's forehead! He feared that it meant he would kill her when he was the Werewolf.

I'm glad that this episode was a Kinescope. It was really spooky that way!

Magda read from the Collins Family History Book: "Before the year 1875 ended, Quentin Collins left Collinsport for a voyage around the world." 1875? She said it wrong! Later, she said: "Before 1897 was over..." She got it right the second time.

I felt sorry for Beth when Quentin was treating her so badly, but I don't blame him because he had just seen the pentagram on her forehead. Beth was actually smiling and happy for a few moments when she was fantasizing about dancing the waltz in Vienna. That was really sad.

The seance was really spine-chilling, especially in black and white. It was really scary! Barnabas had to force Julianka to cooperate with him in life. In death, she was really angry! She just wanted to get revenge by placing the curse on Magda. I don't blame Quentin for running off. I would have, too!

Julianka curses Magda in the same fashion as Angelique did Barnabas.  Is this to bond Barnabas and Magda together?

I noticed that, too. What a coincidence that Angelique and Julianka essentially used the same curse on Barnabas and Magda. I think it did bond Barnabas and Magda together. Barnabas was the only one who truly understood Magda's plight. It sure didn't take long for that curse to take effect! Those knocks on the door came almost instantaneously after Julianka's spirit left. 

----- Sally -----

[Midnite]

No one mourns the gypsy girl.  Quentin is focused on his intolerable burden.  All Barnabas talks about is his mission.  And for Magda it's all about the guilt.  It's no wonder that Julianka is furious with this self-absorbed bunch.

Why did Beth only rate a tiny pentagram on her forehead?

From #648:


Quentin:  "Good girl, Beth. Good girl and always faithful, loyal until the end."
Arf?

It's interesting that Barnabas' curse was that "whoever loves you will die."  Magda's-- "everyone you love will die."

there is no Lara on the scene now.

I don't know what the point was of having her character say "I would like to stay" at the end of the previous ep.  She forgot to ask Dan Curtis' permission?  Another difference here-- despite his ordeal, Quentin's hair is combed, his clothes have been tidied and he has a coat and tie and is accesssorized.  And Magda is now present; why then wasn't she sent to get the fresh orris root?

Didn't Barnabas have a clue that the one person who could help was Julianka and perhaps keep an eye on her?  Apparently his thickheadedness continues even when forwarned.

Thank you!  His excuse that he didn't think it would happen this soon is a joke.  The first event occurred almost immediately after he was told the details of the dream.  And by his own admission, that was 3 weeks before.  So how much time did he think he had?  

By the same "reasoning" though, Vicki Winters' trip back to 1795 hasn't happened yet, either, so the book shouldn't be available in 1897.

Yeah.  It's a mess.

During the seance, Quentin, who was really scared, broke the chain and ran out of the Old House.

Was Quentin scared at the seance?  I thought he ran off because he couldn't bear hearing that his last bit of hope had been ripped away.

[Lydia]

No one mourns the gypsy girl.

The gypsy girl didn't exactly exert herself to become beloved.

It's interesting that Barnabas' curse was that "whoever loves you will die."  Magda's-- "everyone you love will die."

Yes.  I think Angelique's curse was more interesting, but I think Julianka's curse was worse.  To discipline oneself not to love anybody has to be harmful to one's psyche.

By the same "reasoning" though, Vicki Winters' trip back to 1795 hasn't happened yet, either, so the book shouldn't be available in 1897

You might consider my fallback theory, that the I Ching had a soft spot for Barnabas - although, in this case, the soft spot was sort of softheaded, since the book didn't help Barnabas after all.  And surely he should have known that it wouldn't because I seem to remember that the entry on Quentin was read aloud by Barnabas in the Old House in 1969.

But wasn't it convenient that the Collins Family History was printed in 1965?  Do we know why it was printed?  And do we know if there were any other copies?  Golly, who would want it, except as a doorstop?

2. Julianka appeared as a spirit at a seance. This was the first time this happened. During all the other seances, the spirit who responded spoke through a living person - a medium.
3. During the seance, Quentin, who was really scared, broke the chain and ran out of the Old House. Julianka was the first spirit who remained during a seance after the chain was broken.

Julianka was quite a strong spirit, wasn't she?  She might not like being dead, but she's doing better than any of the other dead spirits we've seen.  Her strength wasn't due to her being a gypsy, because Magda spoke through Carolyn at a séance.  I guess it was Julianka's own personal mojo (I hope I am using that word correctly) that made her so strong.

[MagnusTrask]

Even if the I Ching could affect Magda's crystal ball, leading to Barnabas' being let out, I don't think it could affect how other events in time happened retroactively, that happened to other people, or affect whether a book is present in 1897 or not.   That would make the I Ching God I think.   Also I have a hard time thinking of the I Ching as liking anyone.   Alright, in some cases it seems to act as if it actively dislikes some people, like Petofi maybe, so maybe it likes Barnabas.