Discuss - Ep #0054

[Watching Project]

Robservations #54

[MagnusTrask]

              WELCOME SHERIFF PATTERSON!

In the scene where we first see old George (everyone knows him already, just not as sheriff... a patrolman maybe?   Paper boy?), is that the first appearance of a familiar bit of background music?    Welcome Dana Elcar.   I'm not sure if it's #54 or 55, but we hear George say that his guesses turn out better than his logical deductions.   Not a promising sign...   

[DarkLady]

The legend of Saint Elmo is a nice seagoing touch. Also interesting is the fact that Bill was afraid of the water and never learned to swim--a tradition among sailors, who figured it would only postpone the inevitable if they were lost at sea.

It seems that Roger wasted whatever effort (and cash) he put into getting rid of Sheriff Jonas Carter. Sheriff Patterson seems determined not to leave him alone about Bill's death.

[MagnusTrask]

Also interesting is the fact that Bill was afraid of the water and never learned to swim--a tradition among sailors, who figured it would only postpone the inevitable if they were lost at sea.

Yes, interesting...

[Lydia]

During the closing credits we got a good long look at the dartboard in Roger's office.  It isn't very impressive.  In fact, it looks sort of homemade.  The set people got a fancy grandfather clock for the foyer at Collinwood, but they couldn't be bothered to go out and buy a dartboard.  Or maybe the dartboard was made to order with some special feature that attracts all darts to it so that nobody can miss it.

Thayer Morgan's Matthew Morgan has a very youthful look about him, I think - or else it's just that he reminds me of a 23-year-old cousin of mine.

I keep having trouble with the idea that all Matthew had to do was to give Bill's body a shove and off it went, never to return.  The currents brought it to Widows Hill, and I should think they would keep it there.  On the other hand, this is Dark Shadows.

[MagnusTrask]

Thayer Morgan's Matthew Morgan has a very youthful look about him, I think - or else it's just that he reminds me of a 23-year-old cousin of mine.

Thayer could play all ages apparently.   I always picture TD as being most like Elliot, but he was just very good at playing older men.   Was he about 40?   I see Matthew as being at least 50, because it takes a few decades to get that crochety, plus Matthew One was definitely old.   They've gone out of their way to replace him with a younger, stronger Matthew (for later), but wouldn't breakcontinuity to that extent, making him be in his 20s.   He's of a sort of indeterminate age, I guess.

[alwaysdavid]

Roger walks along the docks and enters his office in an exterior scene.
Matthew tells his mistress that he pushed the body out to sea to spare Collinwood.  They should have filmed an exterior shot of that incident.

[Janet the Wicked]

Is it me or is Roger having a really, really bad day?
After all the badgering and bullying from Burke, Roger tells him, “I'm sure by the next time I see you, you'll have forgotten this whole thing.”
Is he kidding???

[IluvBarnabas]

Roger is sure that Burke will just forget the whole thing eventually...who is he kidding?

Burke is ticked off that the man who could possibly help clear him of his manslaughter charge has disappeared into think air. Roger's less than concerned behavior is also offensive to him. I really thought Burke was aiming that dart at Roger's head, he was just mad enough to do it, or at least frusterated.

Notice Roger doesn't waste any time taking over where Bill left off. He loves to be in charge without having to do any real work, I think.

Matthew did do a dumb thing pushing the body out into the sea, no matter what his motives were. The only thing that's keeping his hide out of the frying pan is two things...at this point Bill's death is thought of as more likely an accident and two, Matthew appears to be lacking any kind of a motive.

[spoiler] Of course, he actually DID have a motive....he wanted to stop Bill from causing Elizabeth any more trouble...thus why he 'accidently' pushed him off the cliff. [/spoiler]

[Midnite]

OMG, the phone booth is back in the lobby.

Roger says that Malloy works for him, which is odd since we never saw Roger doing anything important while Bill managed pretty much everything.

And Roger told Burke that the crystal ball was "possibly one of the most inappropriate things you could have selected for an oversensitive, over-imaginative child. You must have gone to a great deal of trouble to pick out something in such poor taste."  The sarcasm aside, I have to agree.  Though Burke did seem sincere about thinking it would be a fun gift, what an awful choice for a disturbed child that is preoccupied with death and ghosts.  Yet Roger whisked the pen out of Carolyn's hands because it was an expensive gift from Burke but didn't confiscate David's inappropriate present.
That said, I always wanted a crystal ball, lol.

Even Matthew is on a first-name basis with the Sheriff.

Burke:  I don't forget anything, ever."
Except his lines.  

Somebody walked past the dartboard during the closing credits.  Maybe it was Frid carrying hangers?  Just kidding.

Matthew appears to be lacking any kind of a motive.

In #16, Matthew said that he would harm anyone that started trouble for Liz, which would be a motive if he believed Bill's actions were going to hurt her.