Discuss - Ep #0451

[Watching Project]

Robservations #451

[Lydia]

I liked Bathia Mapes's fear today.  She knew what she was dealing with, and she knew it was bad.  People on Dark Shadows tend to think they'll be able to do whatever they want, but Bathia had no illusions that she was invincible.
 
She said that she was only human.  So, she was definitely a human being, and not a spirit of some sort.  What was her background?  What was her training in this stuff?  Probably there was another person who taught her - or did she get her knowledge from visions and voices, like Joan of Arc?  There's a whole world out there, within the Dark Shadows universe but unknown to us, and we just got a glimpse of it.
 
I am surprised that Angelique is so powerful.  She never came across that way when she was alive.  Granted, she was able to do her spells - but the power that Angelique appeared to have today seemed to be such that she wouldn't need such petty things as spells.  My feeling is she was changed by Barnabas's curse, and also by the fact that his first response to the curse was to kill her.  Angelique did something very bad when she created that curse, and the devil her master rewarded her and at the same time punished her, by making her act as the agent of the curse whether she wanted to do so or not - that's the punishment - and by giving her the power to make the curse stick - that's the reward.  I'm bearing in mind, of course, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that the devil knows that and uses it - so, in a way, the reward was a punishment as well.  I haven't got the whole business worked out yet.
 
Wonderful performance by Jonathan Frid today.  Back when Barnabas tried to bring Josette back from the dead, I was thinking about how, although it was a supernatural story, the basis was human: when somebody that you love dies, you just have to let go of that person, and pick up the pieces of your life and carry on without him or her.  And today, looking at Barnabas suffering, I was again thinking about non-supernatural correlations: in cancer, the chemotherapy can make you sicker, for a while, than the sickness did.

[EmeraldRose]

This was a spectacular episode! One of the best! The attempt by Bathia Mapes to end the curse was very dramatic and exciting! 

It's a shame that the blooper during which an offscreen person fed the lines to Anita Bolster is not on the DVD. I had to buy the VHS tape to watch the blooper...  Actually, I just changed my mind. I think it's good to see the scene the way it was supposed to be. I can compare it on the DVD and the VHS tape. On the DVD, that scene shows up as a dramatic pause which adds to the suspense. If the blooper had shown up on the DVD, too, then that scene wouldn't have been seen at all in that way. 

I think Anita Bolster did a fabulous job, otherwise. And of course, Jonathan Frid did a wonderful job in this episode! I felt so sorry for Barnabas.  He had such longing and despair in his voice when he spoke the word, "Mother".

Bathia Mapes was defeated because of the interruption by Naomi. I believe that ultimately, Nathan was to blame for this. If he hadn't encouraged Millicent to go to the tower room, she wouldn't have found Barnabas there, which caused her to go mad after Barnabas bit her. That whole discussion with Millicent, Nathan, and Naomi wouldn't have happened, and Naomi wouldn't have gone to the Old House.

It was so sad to see that Millicent had gone mad. Nathan was shocked to see it, but he had his part in it when he was gas-lighting her. He didn't realize just how successful his plan would be. But her finding Barnabas in the tower room, and his biting her was what ultimately caused her to go mad; Nathan just helped it along.

It's my guess that Angelique conjured up her portrait. It was neat when it glowed. 

----- Sally -----

[IluvBarnabas]

Great episode. I too felt pity for Barnabas. For a brief moment he had a hope of seeing an end to the curse and the next moment it's cruelly taken away from him with the death of Bathia Mapes at the hands of Angelique.

Angelique won't let up will she? When she cursed Barnabas for eternity, she meant it and would destroy anyone who dared to try and put a stop to it.

[Sunny_Collins]

I liked the method by which Bathia was able to tell if the ribbon belonged to Angelique. It was quite clever.

[Roland]

Speaking of bloopers, Joan says she is going to David's room rather than Daniel's.