The April 18th Episodes

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's always fascinating when a certain prop figures prominently under similar circumstances in episodes that were originally aired on the same date of a given month but in different years. For instance, in Ep #211 Barnabas first reveals himself in front of his portrait:

1967: Ep #211 - Barnabas Collins arrives 'from England.'

And in Ep #474 Cassandra conclusively reveals who she actually is by addressing Barnabas' potrait:

1968: Ep #474 - Cassandra reveals she truly is Angelique by
vowing Barnabas has not escaped her.

And speaking of Ep #474, I just love this moment between Liz and Cassandra:

1968: Ep #474 - Liz believes Cassandra could make Roger happy
by annulling her marriage.

I ask you, who else but Liz would have the chutzpah to tell a new bride that she can make her husband happy by annulling their marriage?      And for Joan to do it with such an air of calm authority only adds to the crushing impact of Liz' brazen suggestion.


And another moment that I just love from today's episodes occurs in Ep #735. After Laura causes the earpiece on the imperious and pious Trask's phone to be so hot that he instantly drops it while attempting to call Collinwood to confirm that she really is Nora and Jamison's mother and Trask comments that it burned his hand, Laura remarks: "I've always thought the telephone an instrument of the Devil. Haven't you?" Truly priceless!    But then, 1897 Laura seems to have at least one priceless moment in almost every one of her scenes, which is the main reason I've always enjoyed her character so much. She's just written so well, especially her sense of humor - and Diana Millay expertly milks every situation and every word of Laura's dialogue for all they're worth. 

[Sandor]

Agree on all counts, MB.

Elizabeth was too much of a lady to make a crack about Cassandra's hideous bright green Ohrbach's frock, but I'm sure it was tempting.

[PennyDreadful]

Very well stated MB.  I really love all those scenes above.  Wonderful stuff.  Especially the Laura/Trask sequence.  Really great.

[arashi]

In a way I wish they hadn't gone as overboard as the did with the whole

[spoiler]Liz cursed by Cassandra - buried alive thing[/spoiler]

I think it would have been far more fun to see Liz square off against Cassandralique more often.

[Ian]

I was actually thinking earlier about making a similar thread about yesterday's episodes, being both Barnabas's and Cassandra's first appearances, although technically today was J.F.'s, yesterday was his first appearance. Just thought it was really interesting how they introduced those characters exactly a year apart. 

[Josette]

Elizabeth was too much of a lady to make a crack about Cassandra's hideous bright green Ohrbach's frock, but I'm sure it was tempting. 

Actually, at some point in this storyline, I think Elizabeth wears a very similar-colored dress.

[Jackie]

In a way I wish they hadn't gone as overboard as the did with the whole

[spoiler]Liz cursed by Cassandra - buried alive thing[/spoiler]

I think it would have been far more fun to see Liz square off against Cassandralique more often.

Amen, I'm reviewing these episodes right now and I'm totally bored with this "buried alive" theme.  It's stronger than the energized bunny.  This theme keeps going and going and going!!
 

[michael c]

In a way I wish they hadn't gone as overboard as the did with the whole

[spoiler]Liz cursed by Cassandra - buried alive thing[/spoiler]

I think it would have been far more fun to see Liz square off against Cassandralique more often.

i totally agree.

in general the writing for elizabeth was horrible in 1968.i loathed every minute of the tedious "buried alive" plot and as has been pointed out it went on ad nauseum.sometimes i'd forget that liz was still on the show and then she'd walk into a room and it was the same old same old.

it was a total waste of joan bennett's time and talent.imho she might as well have taken the entire year off.she gets a few moments during quentin's haunting but it isn't really until she portrays judith in 1897 that she's again given some material worthy of her.