Discuss - Ep #0238

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Interesting that Elizabeth says she's already seen some of the restoration work that's been done on the Old House.

We saw Liz visit the Old House in Ep #223. 

[Lydia]

You're right, I completely forgot about that - and it didn't strike me at the time.  I'm back to wondering: how is Liz going to keep an eye on the Collinwood basement from the Old House?

[Alondra]

About the business of not going out after dark...I remember reading an article 30 years or so ago.  I think that it was by Laura Shapiro, and that it appeared in the Real Paper of blessed Cambridge memory.  It suggested that an after-dark curfew be imposed on all men, and pointed out that this would not be so outrageous, given that there was, for all intents and purposes, an after-dark curfew on women in the city.  This would just make it so that it was the other sex that couldn't go out.

I read something to this effect, that when it was suggested to impose a curfew on the women during a time when rapes were taking place someone switched it around and said since it's men who are doing the raping, let them be the ones under a curfew.

As for Liz I agree that it seems she'd stay inside the house at all times since she couldn't keep an eye on the basement from another house or cottage on the property, and even inside the house, when she was upstairs, she couldn't always know what was happening downstairs. Seems with that huge bolt on the door she should have felt safe (at least til Jason showed up) but apparently not.

Alondra

[Mysterious Benefactor]

As for Liz I agree that it seems she'd stay inside the house at all times since she couldn't keep an eye on the basement from another house or cottage on the property

Though as mscbryck has already mentioned in reply #13, it was made clear that Liz doesn't stay in the house all the time and that she roams the estate freely (why does that make her sound like a free range chicken? ) on occasion.

[Jackie]

This was a fun episode and a very scary one with the girls exploring all the new and delightful things in the Old House.  I could feel the excitement in the girls as they looked at all the beautiful things but at the same time, I wondered, where was Willie!?

First, what made the door open in the first place?  Could it have just been Vicki's knocking as she supposed?  Then Vicki yells for Willie several times but he never responded.  I found that rather unlikely since it was getting close to dusk and he was usually close for when Barnabas appeared.  The door slamming in Josette's room came as a surprise since there's no wind in that room.  But where's Maggie?  I wondered where they had her locked up if she's not in Josette's room.  Willie showing up suddenly was a very good scary effect.  Poor thing, so nervous that the girls were in the house just before dusk and wanting to get them out.  I was surprised he didn't walk them downstairs but his attention was directed to the neatness of the room.  Maybe if it was messed up, Barnabas would get very angry with him and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

When Barnabas did show it, which was creepy in itself, I would have thought that would surprise the girls.  One minute, no one is around and the next, the two occupants are there without overcoats.  But where's Maggie in all this?  Oh there she is, walking down the stairs in a wedding dress, going to dinner.  What an ending!!  Was that KLS?  The credits didn't say so I'm guessing it was her stand-in.  We still have 6 people on the show.  Don't stand-ins get paid?

Very good episode.

[michael c]

if i may make one more observation on the subject i wonder if it was originally planned that elizabeth never left the house at all(that was implied in the earliest of episodes)but that that became too limitting in terms of her character and how other plots could unfold?

for intance she was conveniently made absent in a few episodes where the plot dictated that vicki be left alone on the house.[spoiler]one being the episode where david lures vicki to the closed-off section of the house and locks her in.the other time being where roger grabs her and places his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming during the time she thought he was involved in bill malloy's death.[/spoiler]

during these episodes i was like "where's liz?" but it gets hastily explained that she was somewhere on the grounds with matthew or mrs.johnson.

of course she couldn't have had her awsome showdowns with [spoiler]laura if she couldn't storm into her cottage and she couldn't have comtemplated jumping from widows' hill during the jason mcquire plot if she couldn't leave the house either.[/spoiler]

i remember in some later episodes where liz was "in town" how strange it was to see her away from collinwood.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

of course she couldn't have had her awsome showdowns with [spoiler]laura if she couldn't storm into her cottage and she couldn't have comtemplated jumping from widows' hill during the jason mcquire plot if she couldn't leave the house either.[/spoiler]

i remember in some later episodes where liz was "in town" how strange it was to see her away from collinwood.

And, of course, the huge deal it was when Liz went into town after [spoiler]Carolyn was arrested.[/spoiler]

[Lydia]

if i may make one more observation on the subject i wonder if it was originally planned that elizabeth never left the house at all(that was implied in the earliest of episodes)but that that became too limitting in terms of her character and how other plots could unfold?

Neat idea!

And, of course, the huge deal it was when Liz went into town

Yes, that's what I was remembering when I assumed that she never left the house.  There's this great scene with Elizabeth walking out the front door of Collinwood as if she were going through an iron curtain into another world - when in fact she's probably been in and out of that door a dozen times that day already.  It's too bad they didn't have a set for the gates to the estate; that would have made a lot more sense for the scene.

[EmeraldRose]

As I watched this episode, it struck me that Vickie again was acting stupid in my opinion.  Remember the old expression, "Curosity killed the cat?"  Too bad she didn't listen to Carolyn.  That was pretty rude to be walking around the house.  It was nice to see them impressed with the work that was done, but they should NOT have walked in - especially since the door opened by itself.  That would have scared me enough to run away! 

I was wondering where Maggie was, too.  Perhaps the speculation about Willie escorting her to the outhouse explains it.  But then how did Maggie get upstairs so she could walk down them at the end of the episode?  Is there a rear entrance to the house?

Wonderful scenes, as usual, with Barnabas and Willie.  JK did an excellent job again!  I noticed a blooper in this episode.  Something crashed and broke off-camera when Barnabas and Willie were talking after Vickie and Carolyn left.  They were so professional, nobody even batted an eye when it happened.  It amazes me how they can stay focused during those times. 

----- Sally -----

[Lydia]

Is there a rear entrance to the house?

Yes, we see it once in 1795, in a scene between Angelique and Nathan Forbes.