Discuss - Ep #0234

[Watching Project]

Robservations - #234

[loril54]

Today's show is great. It is hard to just watch one. KLS did a magnificent Job, going from on emotion to another.  Maggie I think knew what was going to happen to her. She begs Vickie one minute and tells her to go away the next. AM did a great job her self with the emotions she was going through. You can see the terror.

There was a great scene between Barnabas and Willie. It was an abusive relationship. Willie almost wants to do almost anything to make Barnabas happy so that  he won't get beat up again. JF one minute was bad very evil and next just a regular guy. JK was so timid. You wonder what happened  when they went to commercial break.

I was thinking how they did the camera work in Maggie room. It was like they showed it from all angles, with those big camera's. This great work that was done in a Soap Opera was just very special that is why I think it is still around and being watched.

[Lydia]

I suppose Vicky didn't know just how much was at stake when she was calling to Maggie to let her back into the bedroom, but I did, and I was trying to get her to kick the door in.  She didn't get my message - and a good thing, too.  Maggie's just so much more interesting when she's under Barnabas's spell, responding to the growling of the dogs.  So...the real meaning of all this is that Barnabas has syphilis and he's infecting Maggie with it?  That reminds me - when they found Maggie in the cemetery, I was surprised that nobody suggested that she might have been...um...seduced.

Poor, poor Willie.  Who'd have thought he had such valiant goodness in him?  Was there any sign whatsoever of a conscience in pre-bite Willie?  I find it hard to believe that it sprang into being out of nothing.  Fairy tales are coming into my head in which a girl pricks her finger on a thorn, and a drop of blood falls from her finger onto the ground and grows into a beautiful rose - but I don't think it worked that way for Willie.

And how in heaven's name is Willie going to throw Jason off the scent?  There he is, quaking like an aspen, and he's supposed to make Jason think everything's just tickety-boo while Barnabas meditates.  Gosh, I laughed when I heard the meditation line.  "Got the violence out of my system by terrorizing Willie, and now my mind is an empty vessel, an uncarved block, ready to become one with the universe."

I liked Alexandra Moltke's delivery of the voiceover today.  Looking at the Robservation for this episode, I believe that what caught my attention was the way she said "motionless".

[IluvBarnabas]

Frankly I think Barnabas should tell Jason himself to go away and STAY away and stop being so nosy rather than have Willie do it, especially since Jason is already suspicious of Willie. Nothing Willie said or did was gonna deter Jason, if anything it'll make him more determined to find out what's happening with him.

I'm surprised Vicki didn't try to get Maggie out of the room with her, especially with those dogs so close and determined to break through the doors but it probably would have been useless anyway, Maggie wouldn't have wanted to leave, not in the mood she was in the time, responding to "the night".

Maggie didn't hear the dogs? That's a laugh. She heard them all right, but was just trying to convince Vicki it was only in her mind. Well if the howling was in doubt, those dang things trying to bust into the room certainly wasn't imaginary!

Yet another great episode.

[Alondra]

Episode #234

Got a bit distracted in my reading others' posts about this episode with Laura floating around lol!

Ok, so my darling Willie has just been caned again for the same "crime" he was caned for at the mausoleum. I guess it's because Barn learned some new information, that he had made a phone call. So he thrashed him and then asked him sarcastically if his tongue was loosened now. Willie said he didn't do it and Barn threatened to thrash him some more til his tongue became looser. I find it hard to imagine that this fiend who is so cruel to Willie now later on becomes a nice guy, a hero who will make tremendous sacrifices to help his family. Barnabas says Willie made the phone call, which brought Burke and Vicki to the graveyard, (Vicki had told him that they never would have thought to go there) and Jason followed. He doesn't like people who ask questions, and people who inspire the questions. He also dislikes people who break a trust as Willie did when he called Vicki to alert her to Maggie's whereabouts. *I* don't like people, vampire, who victimize a girl and try to force her to change her life, and who canes a man for trying to help that girl. YOU, vampire, are a first class creep!

Barn backs Willie up to the mantle where he pushes his cane at Willie's throat and after ragging on him some more, tells him to get Jason to stop coming by and asking questions. When Willie asks how, Barn says that's your problem, just do it. Barn reminds me of a man my husband and I used to know who was the same way. He would give orders and when you asked how to do it, he'd say the same thing. Oh, but woe betide you if you did it wrong! Barn also tells him to get Jason to stop snooping around. He tells Willie if he fails...well, don't fail! Gak, I hate him! Willie says he'll do it, poor darling. Why doesn't Barnabas go fang Jason and make him a slave? It would help out his cousin Liz (who he knows is being blackmailed by that fiend since Willie had to have told him).

Barn tells Willie to get lost, he wants to meditate. Ok, I'll give you a subject for your meditation, Barnabas, kindness. Do you know what that word means? I doubt it!

At the Evans cottage, Maggie is at the window feeling a lot better. (I think it's two nights since she was bitten) She and Sam talk, the storm is over now. She tells him that Vicki thought she saw someone at the window, but she was wrong. Sam wants her to sleep now, but Maggie isn't tired, she feels better. She says she'll try to sleep and tells herself not to dream.

The next day, Dr. Woodard examines Maggie and she's feeling well enough to go back to work. Dr. Woodard says not yet, just rest. Maggie's tired of being told to rest all the time. Dr. Woodard asks about the wounds on her neck, they are nearly gone. He says he'll be back in a day or two.

In the living room, Dr. Woodard and Sam discuss Maggie's condition. The doctor says he's waiting on the result of a blood test. She still needs to be guarded at all times. Sam asks if the sleepwalking is a psychological thing, should she see a specialist? Dr. Woodard says not yet. He's concerned about the puncture wounds on Maggie's throat.

Later, Vicki has come to sit with Maggie while Sam goes to the Old House to work on Barn's portrait. He can't lose the commission (yeah, since Maggie can't work right now, it's the least that vampire can do!) He tells Vicki not to leave Maggie alone for any reason. Maggie is cranky and resentful that she must be kept in bed all the time, and if she acts that way, Vicki should just ignore it.

Vicki goes into Maggie's room and at first Maggie is glad to see her but slowly begins to get nasty. She's frustrated at having to be watched, at not being able to get up when she feels perfectly fine. She wants Vicki to go. Vicki offers warm milk (yuck!) and first Maggie says no, then says ok to try to get rid of her. When Vicki gets up to get it, Maggie begs her not to go. She's acting very afraid but she can't tell Vicki why.

At the Old House, Sam is having a problem with the portrait, finding the right color for shading. Barn tells him to work on another part of the painting and come back to that but Sam says he always wants to keep working on the problem spot til he gets it right. Barnabas gets up to go for a walk, the night is too lovely to be wasted! As he leaves, we hear the dogs howling. We also know where he's going.

Willie comes into the house, and sees Sam working, he asks for Barnabas. Where did he go? Did he say when he'd be back? Sam claims he doesn't know where Barn is (he knew he went for a walk) and gets very irritated with Willie for bothering him. Can't he see he's trying to work? Then Willie asks about Sam's daughter (does not say her name) and when Sam hears that, he goes berserk. How dare Willie mention her name, he is NEVER to mention her name! (he didn't mention her name) Willie asks if she's still sick and shows concern but Sam is livid, tells Willie to stay away from her, even grabs him to make his point. I think he was a little too hard on Willie, but I do understand where he's coming from. This is the man who all but asked him if he painted his daughter in the nude, so I can understand him being angry, but this was a bit over the top.

At Maggie's, she gets very angry with Vicki, orders her to leave, she doesn't need her there, she is fine. The dogs start howling and we know she wants Vicki out of the way so that her fanged lover can get access to her throat. Vicki gets nervous about the dogs howling, and Maggie says, if you're so scared you can leave! She claims not to hear them. They were very close and loud, so how could she not hear them? It's clear she's lying. The dogs start pushing against the double doors (or it might have been the vampire) and Vicki gets very agitated, she leaves the room to go call Burke. Why didn't she use the phone beside Maggie's bed, the one Maggie used to call Joe after she had that dream about herself in a coffin? Vicki went to the living room and begged Burke to come ASAP. When she left the room, she left the door wide open but now as she goes back, the door slams shut on her and she can't get it open. She begins to bang on the door calling for Maggie.

This was a very frightening scene and I think I'd be very afraid like Vicki was.

Alondra

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[Lydia]

Vicki gets very agitated, she leaves the room to go call Burke. Why didn't she use the phone beside Maggie's bed, the one Maggie used to call Joe after she had that dream about herself in a coffin?

Good point.  A line from the movie Notorious popped into my head tonight - something like, "Unplug the phone.  Madam must not be disturbed."  But was it possible to unplug the phone in Maine in the 60s?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Plug in phone jacks definitely existed in the '60s. The plugs, however, were much more like an electrical plug, but with four prongs.

[Jackie]

WOW what an amazing episode.

After being beat, Willie continued to deny that he made the phone calls.  The vampire still didn't believe his servant but Willie continued to deny it.  That says a great deal about Willie and how he believes more in the safety of others then himself, at this point.

Barnabas wanted to meditate.  Really?  Since when do vampires meditate?  LOL  He also wanted Willie to handle Jason and make him stop asking questions.  Willie had done all that and still Jason asks.  Barnabas offered no suggestions on how to persuade Jason to stop coming around but he also told Willie to be discrete.  Willie?

Woodard visited and examed Maggie.  Today, he seemed to be less formal and useed Sam's first name while Sam used the doctor's first name, Dave.  First time we hear them be so friendly.  Dave said he's known Maggie for years but Woodard #1 acted as though he didn't know the Evans very well.

Vicki came to stay with Maggie while Sam went off to the Old House to work on the portrait.  Barnabas left Sam to work on the portrait.  Willie came around and asked questions about the whereabouts of Barnabas and Sam's "daughter".  Sam got very angry at Willie and demanded he NOT use her name.  Willie never said Maggie's name.  Was that a writing error?

Vicki freaked out when the dogs came closer to the house but Maggie insisted that her visitor LEAVE her at once.  She also acted as though there was nothing worry and it was all Vicki's imagination.  Yeah right!  It seemed very scary to me to hear the doors rattling so fiercely as the animals snarled right outside.  Vicki did the one thing she wasn't suppose to do, she left Maggie alone in her room.  Just to make a call to Burke but it was enough time for the supernatural being to close and lock the door.  Maggie didn't seem frightened at all, in fact, she seemed to welcome it.

Anyone notice the portrait next to Maggie's room?  It wasn't there previously but it's a very nice portrait.  Is that of Maggie's mother?  Looks like Vicki.

[loril54]

First time we hear them be so friendly.  Dave said he's known Maggie for years but Woodard #1 acted as though he didn't know the Evans very well.

Maybe there are different writers, writing at the same time. They probobly didn't think that people would see these again, and again.

Vicki freaked out when the dogs came closer to the house but Maggie insisted that her visitor LEAVE her at once.  She also acted as though there was nothing worry and it was all Vicki's imagination.  Yeah right!  It seemed very scary to me to hear the doors rattling so fiercely as the animals snarled right outside.  Vicki did the one thing she wasn't suppose to do, she left Maggie alone in her room.  Just to make a call to Burke but it was enough time for the supernatural being to close and lock the door.  Maggie didn't seem frightened at all, in fact, she seemed to welcome it.

Did Vickie think that Maggie wanted her to leave the room, she had already kicked out Joe. At this point she didn't understand. 

Anyone notice the portrait next to Maggie's room?  It wasn't there previously but it's a very nice portrait.  Is that of Maggie's mother?  Looks like Vicki.

The picture was done, but Sam had nervous energy and decided to reorganize his pictures.  He didn't want to drink.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Willie came around and asked questions about the whereabouts of Barnabas and Sam's "daughter".  Sam got very angry at Willie and demanded he NOT use her name.  Willie never said Maggie's name.  Was that a writing error?

Possibly JK was supposed to say Maggie's name at some point in the conversation, but he didn't. Either that or DF was supposed to have said something to the effect of never speak/ask about my daughter, but instead it came out the way it did.

Considering Willie's personality change, it would have been more respectful for him to ask Sam about his daughter rather than refer to Maggie by name. If the writers were going for that angle, the mistake would seem to have been more on DF's part.

[EmeraldRose]

I agree, MB - it seems to me that it probably was DF's fault.

Poor Willie, being beaten again by Barnabas. Barnabas told him to handle Jason, but didn't say how.  What a conundrum.

Those scenes with the dogs and the door slamming were REALLY scary!  Some of the scariest of the whole show.

I wondered about that, too - Vickie should have used the phone beside Maggie's bed. 

Another great episode! 

----- Sally -----

[Sunny_Collins]

Yet another episode where Barnabas is so cruel! Unfortunately, we have to endure many more episodes of this attitude from him.

When Barnabas tells Willie he wants to meditate, might he be thinking of the family he lost so long ago? I have to find some redeeming hope, since he is so terribly violent with Willie and victimizing Maggie.