HAA was consistently wonderful, from his first appearance as Nicholas Blair to his demise in this ep. I for one thought it was a wonderful and imaginative touch that Wardrobe dressed Nicholas entirely in gray. He brought so much energy and enthusiasm to all his roles.
Storm as Judah: This is the first and only time we really get to see Judah in his true colors. I almost--almost--felt sorry for Angelique when she cried all the harder on realizating that her powers were really and truly gone. Well, at least her magical ones anyway--she did her best to seduce Dawson.
Nice turn by David Hurst as Justin Collins--the scene with him and Melanie is very tender and touching. And we hear the name "Bramwell" for the first time. Barnabas's reaction is him all over: What room are they talking about? Why can't I help them? But really, Barn, you have plenty of people to help on this side of the upstairs parlor!
Lovely and equally touching scene with Leticia and Desmond in prison. Even sadder when Judah stops her. I hope Nancy Barrett had a rest between those demanding scehes.
Q1 at last becomes almost Zen-like in his attitude toward his impending demise, although it's funny how his W.Va. accent creeps in when he tells Desmond they have no one to object to.
And a powerful bit of writing for Q1 when he tells Desmond, I'll go first. The deposed Master of Collinwood and builder of the Stairway through Time has only one thing left in his power to give anyone, and he gives it all without hestation: time. Plain Desmond looks almost noble as he and Quentin exchange farewell glances, friends to the last.
Anyway, a fabulous episode jam-packed with wonderful moments and an unbeatable cliffhanger ending!
