Thanks, Midnite!
What a profoundly weird episode.
But he's horrified when this one is a variation on the same theme--except that this time, the woman looks almost birdlike, her expression downright feral. And she has wings that seem to be beating--fanning the flames of her pyre, perhaps.
I was noticing today that the first picture had wings, too, and I started thinking about Laura flying about in the night.
Then it must be Josette who's making Laura's big giant head come out of the painting, just as it's Josette who's compelling Vicki to give David the painting in the first place.
In that case, it would be Josette who compelled Sam to paint the painting, and Josette who is now compelling Sam to paint Laura again. That's a substantial amount of power that Josette is wielding all of a sudden - if it is indeed Josette that's doing it. Why would Josette be suddenly turning into a very active supernatural force, instead of one who stays around the Old House dancing and saying "Don't be afraid" to damsels in distress? I like the idea that after David brought Laura to the Old House and put her in the same room with Josette's portrait, Josette started taking action. But Sam felt compelled to paint before that. So, is there another power inimical to Laura at work here? Or is Sam just super-sensitive to the supernatural because he's an artist? And again, why is Josette throwing her ectoplasmic weight around - assuming that she is? If so, it must be wearing her out considerably.
And if it's not Josette, who or what is it?
Definately the most confusing storyline.
I'm not so sure about that. There's so much that doesn't make sense all the way through Dark Shadows. But at this point the writers were still trying to make sense, so I have more of a feeling here that the puzzle can be figured out, if only we try hard enough.
Sam: There's an old, battered hulk on the beach, half in the water, half out.
The town authorities should do something about it. There's no way you can keep children from playing on that sort of thing, and I'm sure it has rusty nails and splinters in abundance. But maybe there are ghosts that scare the children away. Note: a month ago, I wouldn't have suggested there might be ghosts on the battered hulk. Dark Shadows had very little to do with the supernatural back then. But now things have changed.
When Laura's head came out of the picture, I sort of expected it to say, "I am the great and powerful Oz!"
