Discuss - Ep #0997

[Watching Project]

Robservations #997

[Lydia]

We are deep, deep into parallel time: we saw both afghans - the primary and the secondary - together in the same room today.  It's possibly the most thrilling scene in all of Dark Shadows.  The two afghans were on separate features of furniture, so apparently their relationship is platonic.  Or, alternatively (when one is dealing with an alternate universe, one has to offer alternatives), ABC Standards and Practises put their collective foot down.  Do we know the genders of the afghans?

Other than that, I couldn't stand the episode.  Jonathan Frid is quite right: unmitigated evil is no fun to watch.  Or, alternatively, Christopher Pennock as the bad guy is no fun to watch.  I had enough of him being bad in the Leviathan storyline.

And I don't like Elizabeth Eis in this downbeat subplot.  She was great as Nelle Gunston, full of guts and gumption.  But Buffie is hopeless, and apparently feels some attraction to John Yaeger simply because of her hopelessness.  It just doesn't work for me.  I was far more distracted than I should have been by the mention of Worcester, which is where Buffie, in her hopelessness, thinks she'll end up if she leaves Collinsport.  Or, alternatively, I would have been distracted anyway by the mention of Worcester, but today I was delighted to be distracted.  Worcester was mentioned in the 1897 storyline, as the place where Tim Shaw's best friend had ended up.  I know somebody who lives in Worcester, but she wishes she lived in New York City.  That's the sort of place Worcester is.

[MagnusTrask]

If Cyrus is so intent on eliminating "evil" from his own ,imd, then he must be silently tormented by it.   Buffie has the black afghan...

Is there actually some self-destructive attraction to abusive, violent men on the part of some women?   I mean, for its own sake?    Some policeman drove Yaeger across town and all the way back home with his constant police-whistling...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The screen captures have finally been added to the Robservations for this ep. 

[Janet the Wicked]

Yes! I noticed the afghan too!

Not only is my landlady a nutcase like Buffy's, but I also have earrings like Buffy's.

I think JY is the man for me. If he can convince my landlady to fix up my place, then, yes, he's my man.

I know a lot of actors will watch old movies to get an idea of what goes into playing a certain part. Not that they're copying any particular actor - it's just to see how somebody else portrayed a certain role. I think Chris Pennock is doing pretty well here. I would like to see him reflect a bit of Spencer Tracy's portrayal of J&H, but I think he's doing a fairly good job - for a soap.

Lydia, let me tell you something of my home town. Worcester is one of the biggest melting pots in the country. We have every ethnic community here. There are Swedes (me), Poles, Italians, Irish, Latinos, and on and on. You can find the best bagels, sour pickles, the best seafood, and any other food you can imagine. It's still full of old-time mom & pop stores - Table Talk Pies, oh, christ I could go on forever. John Karlen enjoyed Wocester when he breezed through during one of his many play performances.  On just about every block there is a pizza parlor. Some are owned by the Greek people and some are owned by the Italians. Speaking of which, we have our own Little Italy. And I....

Uh oh. Mysterious Benefactor is going top boot me out for this one...

[Lydia]

JtW, thanks for the information, which I found very interesting.  My Worcester friend is a native of Poland.  Worcester has always been something of a mystery to me, and now it's a little less so.

[MagnusTrask]

I think JY is the man for me. If he can convince my landlady to fix up my place, then, yes, he's my man.

LOL!  Thanks from me too for the home town data.   I'm somewhat Norwegian.   Wait, am I a Swede's enemy if I say that?   I'm not up on the history.

[loril54]

Yeager, was really bad and enjoyed it.  Sometimes we need some of our bad side to make a decision.

Yeager, likes violence for violence sake.  My question is why is Buffy even giving him any time.  Maybe
she doesn't think much of herself.

By the way with the Whip in Chill, I forgot to say, I think they used soda and a juice to do the foaming liquid.

[Midnite]

Happy Birthday, DS!

The show was ahead of its time in practicing the 3 Rs:  The print of Van Gogh's Sunflowers that we saw in Maggie's bedroom in RT made a different choice in PT and hangs outside Buffie's room.  The doors to Minnie's house were part of the train station set seen during Leviathans.  And the bones of Buffie's apartment were recycled from Dr. Lang's lab/Evan Hanley's living room.

Barnabas met Audrey the Vampire Girl at the same spot near the Greenfield Inn sign where Steve fought with Yaeger.

I wonder, did Lydia and Janet the Wicked approve of Buffie's pronunciation of Worcester (WOO-STER)?

Is there actually some self-destructive attraction to abusive, violent men on the part of some women?   I mean, for its own sake?

I don't believe that any woman is attracted to the abusive or violence nature.  I think they're attracted to other qualities and become blinded to the danger, rationalizing or excusing the extreme negative behaviors, though there are also women who know violence and abuse in childhood and become inured to it, or sadly they even come to believe that it's normal.

Some of the qualities Buffie may have found attractive in Yaeger are his dominance, unpredictability, or the challenge he presented, perhaps thinking she could change him or nurture him.  Maybe she found him physically appealing? (?!)  He offered her money and possessions that she could never hope to attain, and financial stability at a time when she was broke, alone, desperate and in a dead-end job.  She was completely unprepared for his talents at manipulation and control, and he did the one nice thing for her-- he paid for the damage in the bar and then some, thus rescuing her from unemployment, whereas her boyfriend was too busy plotting revenge to care about her feelings or the spot he put her in.  We also know nothing about Buffie's childhood or prior relationships.  Eis' performance is often hard to watch, but I find it riveting.

[Lydia]

I wonder, did Lydia and Janet the Wicked approve of Buffie's pronunciation of Worcester (WOO-STER)?

I didn't even think about it, so it must have been OK.  I remember my brother mentioning years ago that somebody on St. Elsewhere had said Wor-ces-ter.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I wonder, did Lydia and Janet the Wicked approve of Buffie's pronunciation of Worcester (WOO-STER)?

I didn't even think about it, so it must have been OK.

It sounded perfect to me.

I remember my brother mentioning years ago that somebody on St. Elsewhere had said Wor-ces-ter.

I remember thinking that everyone involved in letting that slip by deserved a good smack upside the head! 

Eis' performance is often hard to watch, but I find it riveting.

Indeed. I love her work in this storyline.