How did they get the coffin to the mill? Can Petofi transport stuff by will now? How'd they get into the west wing and out with it without being seen, at least?
At this point, it's almost as if one storyline has ended and a new one has begun, because suddenly, one evil goal, P's recovery of his hand, has been replaced immediately with another, going to 1969. Things are more contrived at this point, with a possibly unnecessary head to head contest of wills between Petofi and Barnabas, when a thorough discussion of the I Ching and Barnabas's experience with it might settle everything. They could cooperate a little.
I get the feeling they looked around a little, assessed what they had in the story already that could be used to make a new plot thread, and had to fall back on the time travel, though I actually love Petofi not being thrown by the idea, and contemplating the exciting, exotic "future" of 1969. I'm only complaining about some simplistic good-n-evil and other contrivances intruding into what had been a more adult story, but this is still my favorite storyline, and it's just painful to see the flaws in something great.
It's still adult, though, despite some silly "I'll do it 'cause I'm evil" moments. I wonder how many audience members were screaming at the TV for everyone to stop pushing Petofi, and demanding and guilting him, because it only took an indifferent and callous character and made him openly hostile. Barnabas and Quentin are clearly taking the wrong tack toward Petofi, and making things worse and worse for themselves, but they never, ever come to see it. They just go on being puzzled by his "evil" behavior, most of which is retaliation against provocation by them. This is all an excellent lesson in how not to deal with difficult people, when you want something....
The nature of the future starts being revealed by Petofi, through Jamison's channeling of pre-existant David. Quentin starts to wonder why his name comes up in David's ramblings... Did Q know David was living in the future?
Classic DS collision of plot threads and characters in great ways, as Tim only now realizes the Hand has slipped through his fingers, while events have moved on SO far beyond him! It's one of those moments when one part of the story catches up with the other part. Oh yeah, we think, we forgot about Tim!! What's he going to do now?! I love that moment when a totally fumbling and desperate and unrealistic Tim Shaw tries to get the Hand back by demanding that Quentin tell him what the hell happened to it... as if he has some special claim on it, as if he didn't just pick it up off the floor and steal it... Tim's still young and very naive, no matter how worldly he may think he's managed to become, over the weekend in NYC... Quentin sending him to the mill for it is a classic moment. Tim's become a total out-of-control fool now. He'd almost chase the Hand off Widow's Hill if he had to...
Tim's period lines are pretty awkward here, with the word "whippersnapper" coming out of him as uncomfortably as humanly possible... After he sends Tim in pursuit of a wild goose, Quentin decides to use his awesome magical powers to summon Barnabas... by taking one or two steps forward, where ghostly underlighting from a lamp was fortunately waiting for him, and calling out for Barnabas. Along the same lines as the look-at-a-candle, cast-a-spell principle, underlighting is all that's needed to summon someone through the ether. I wonder if Quentin has all the appropriate spots to step into, where a lamp will underlight his face sufficiently, all mapped out in his head, already, in case he needs to do whatever generic magic he needs to do at a moment's notice.
Tim's got a gun, he's at the mill, and he's ready to kill. He hasn't stopped to wonder why Quentin sent him there, why Quentin hasn't gotten it himself. Yet another classic DS moment... that very, very strange and intense look on Tim's face, as he tries to take in the sight of the Hand, attached to this man he's never met!