Discuss - Ep #0450

[Watching Project]

Robservations #450

[Lydia]

Great episode.  Anita Bolster was perfect as Bathia Mapes.  Her voice was aged and creepy.

I don't think we ever get a full story on who or what Bathia Mapes was.  She just appears out of nowhere and sets to work.  To me, she appears to be a living, breathing human being.  When she said (though I can't remember the words exactly) that she had herself been tempted to curse someone, she seemed like a live person living a life with other live people.  I think she can't have been a resident of Collinsport, because if she were, then surely she would have been either consulted or accused - or both - during Vicky's trial.  So she must have come from further away.  My impression is that it took less than an hour for her to respond to the Countess's call, so she cannot have come by foot or by horse, but rather by some supernatural means.  Imagine her, sitting one night in her home, tending to her herbs or some such thing, when suddenly she is called.  And off she goes, whizzing into the night, arriving at Collinwood in both body and spirit.

Or is there some exposition on Bathia Mapes that I have forgotten?

As for Anita Bolster, there must be information about her somewhere or other, but I've never looked her up.  Imagine her, sitting one day in her home, tending to her vowel purity or some such thing, when suddenly she is called by her agent.  And off she goes, whizzing under the streets of New York City on the subway, to the Dark Shadows studio.

And now, due to the Watching Project's Holiday Hiatus, Barnabas will spend the next three weeks throttling Bathia Mapes.  Somehow it seems only right that Barnabas should spend his vacation strangling somebody.

[MagnusTrask]

Imagine her, sitting one day in her home, tending to her vowel purity or some such thing, when suddenly she is called by her agent.  And off she goes, whizzing under the streets of New York City on the subway, to the Dark Shadows studio.

Just as long as it's not the sewers.   Don't know what made that thought appear.   Maybe it was the phrase : "whizzing under the streets"....   Yes, I'm very proud of myself.

My impression was that Natalie suddenly dropped all her protestations about not having witch-like powers or knowledge, and did something to summon up B Mapes from Martinique, or to send her a supernatural message to come under her own power.   Natalie had been in Collinsport for some time at this point, but I don't see her actaually getting to know anybody in town, and anyone even vaguely like a witch would be keeping a low profile at this point.

[Lydia]

Interesting idea about Natalie, Magnus.  I'm not sure it works, but I said that about another idea of yours that I later adopted hook, line, and sinker and took much farther than I believe you ever intended it should be taken.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Somehow it seems only right that Barnabas should spend his vacation strangling somebody.

Indeed it is! 

As for Anita Bolster, there must be information about her somewhere or other, but I've never looked her up.

I remember being quite surprised when I discovered she'd appeared in The Thin Man Goes Home and that she could really be quite funny. So much so that she stole every scene she was in.

Bolster had any extremely successful career. Check out her entry on the IMDB: Anita Sharp-Bolster


But getting back to Ep #450, for me the major revelation is just how talented Nancy Barrett really is. I've told this story before, so I'll keep it brief this time around, but I'll never forget the day in 1986 when I watched this episode in syndication for the first time in 18 years and how completely blown away I was by the scene where Joshua discovers Millicent in the tower room after Barnabas' attack. The way Nancy plays Millicent alternating between anger and indignance and little girl innocence is simply brilliant in the way she completely pulls it off as if those switches between emotions are totally effortless! 

[MagnusTrask]

Interesting idea about Natalie, Magnus.  I'm not sure it works, but I said that about another idea of yours that I later adopted hook, line, and sinker and took much farther than I believe you ever intended it should be taken.

Thing is, until now I had the impression that they actually said onscreen that Natalie was summoning someone from Martinique.    I need explanations and for things to make sense, so my brain filled in the gap, I guess.

I think she can't have been a resident of Collinsport, because if she were, then surely she would have been either consulted or accused - or both - during Vicky's trial.  So she must have come from further away.  My impression is that it took less than an hour for her to respond to the Countess's call, so she cannot have come by foot or by horse, but rather by some supernatural means.

Her presence isn't as bizarre if she's a local.    I want to embrace that, so I won't be throwing my hands up in the air in frustration when I see those scenes again.    I can see no way that Natalie would know this semi-witch though if she's local... and by the way, how can she have powers but not be a witch?   They had half-pennies then... did they have half-witches too?    And so's Natalie, because she "summoned" B Mapes, without physically going to get her, didn't she?

Were we talking about erased and recreated time-lines, before?    I mean, when you took on an idea of mine...  Multiple 1840s, or Angelique not being part of Phyllis Wick's (remembered her name this time) version of 1795?

Somehow it seems only right that Barnabas should spend his vacation strangling somebody.

He works hard, and he plays hard, damn it.... Maybe Joshua instilled enough of a work ethic into his head, that he just can't take a vacation from his new "job".    I'm always confused by the stranglings, though.    A vampire who strangles people might just not have thought about his new role in life very clearly.   A vampire who strangles people seems a little bit like a werewolf who shoots people or runs them down with his car.   (Barnabas did that too, come to think...)    Maybe Barnabas never read the job-description.    And again, a lot of wasted blood.... and wasted opportunities for new allies...

MB.... I wonder, how many people watching back then really appreciated all these nuances?   Maybe one isn't expected to take apart an actor's performance... feeling the right feelings in response is enough.   Anyway, I thought it might be a sad thing that it takes us decades to notice many of these things.    I'd like for the actors to have be fully appreciated like this, back then.

[Josette]

   I can see no way that Natalie would know this semi-witch though if she's local... and by the way, how can she have powers but not be a witch? 

It's been a while since I've seen this, so I may be off on my recollection, but it seems to me that she did whatever spell it was to summon "someone," and Bathia Mapes just happened to be the "someone" who answered the call, and so I assumed she was local or at least fairly close.

[Lydia]

Thing is, until now I had the impression that they actually said onscreen that Natalie was summoning someone from Martinique.

What Natalie said was that something of this sort had been done successfully in Martinique.  That may have created the impression that she expected her summon-ee to be from Martinique.  But Natalie said didn't know whom she'd be summoning.  She didn't know if it would be a good witch or a bad witch.  Hmm...given Trask's eerie resemblance to the Wicked Witch of the West, wouldn't he have been surprised if he found himself being extracted from the basement of the Old House, summarily resurrected, and delivered to Collinwood?

Josette's comment about assuming that Bathia Mapes was fairly close started me thinking about types of closeness that are not physical.  Maybe some psychic configuration in Bathia's head was attuned to the Natalie's psychic configuration.  (Training kicks in, and at the moment I'm thinking about IP addresses, fiber optics, and duplex negotiation.)

I mean, when you took on an idea of mine...

Magnus, that was when you suggested that Barnabas didn't originally know in 1795 that Angelique was the witch.  My final conclusion was that all Angelique ever did was to break Sarah's doll.  By mistake.

Maybe Barnabas never read the job-description.

He sure didn't bother to ask Angelique for any details before he strangled her.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

He sure didn't bother to ask Angelique for any details before he strangled her.

One would think that after a while Barn would have realized that his seemingly favorite M.O. of strike first, ask the important questions later didn't really work all that well after he'd already killed someone. But, no. 

[EmeraldRose]

Well, I'm finally commenting on this episode! I just saw it this week, so the "vacation" is much shorter for me. I just get caught up, and it starts up again this Monday! I'm glad we had this "break", so I could get caught up!

Anyway... This was a GREAT episode! Bathia Mapes sure looked creepy. I'm glad she was a "good witch". As to where she came from... I assumed that she came by supernatural means. I don't really know where she came from... maybe Martinique... maybe a nearby town... but I got the impression that Natalie's "spell" simply brought BM there, from wherever she was, in an instant. 

I thought it was neat that BM could look at Barnabas' portrait and call out to him. The light from the candle going to Barnabas and leading him back home was pretty neat, too. Anita Bolster did a fabulous job in this episode. Very convincing... I loved her accent, too.

Of course, Jonathan Frid did a fabulous job, too! That look on his face made me think of the little girl's face on The Exorcist. That was really scary! He had evil in that expression.

Well, to be fair, I must say that everyone did a fabulous job in this episode! Nancy Barrett did make Millicent's mood changes seem effortless.  It was so sad to see Louis Edmonds' portrayal of Joshua - he was so sad when he realized what Barnabas had done to Millicent, especially when his voice sounded like he was almost ready to cry.

This episode was exciting to watch! It had me on the edge of my seat!

----- Sally -----

[MagnusTrask]

I couldn't see B Mapes as someone with power who had any chance of controlling the situation, but maybe this is coming from the 2nd viewing where I knew the outcome (well I guess I always knew the curse wouldn't be lifted).    These rich Collinses who always got their way kept after this poor old lady to take crazy risks, and they gave irresponsible, casual assurances about important precautions such as keeping the ceremony from being interrupted, when her life was at stake... and were they even planning to pay her at any point?    First thing.... station employees/guards outside the Old House, away from the house, so no person or sound would interrupt.     Would that have been hard?

[Lydia]

First thing.... station employees/guards outside the Old House, away from the house, so no person or sound would interrupt.     Would that have been hard?

Well, yes, it would have been, because Joshua had gotten rid of everybody so Natalie could send out her SOS.

[Sunny_Collins]

I guess since Natalie summoned her, Bathia felt it wasn't necessary to knock. 

What accent is Bathia Mapes speaking with?

[Roland]

Once again that inconsitency regarding the effect of vampire bites rears its ugly head.  When Willie, Maggie and Julia were bitten, they seemed barely able to stand, so drained were they of all physical energy.  Yet, Millicent seems barely fazed by the whole thing - other than her insanity, which seemed to be creeping up on her anyways.  Carolyn seemed to be more in this mode too when she was bitten, come to think of it.  Maybe it was just something about Nancy Barrett's constitution that made that possible.   

[Lydia]

Insane people can summon the strength to do things that seem physically impossible.  I've never seen this in action, but I believe it: they don't worry about the consequences, and put their heart and nerve and sinew into whatever it is that they feel they must do.  And Millicent felt she must put up a facade of being normal - or anyway, her crackpot version of normal.

Incidentally, I thought MB's wording (with all due respect) was poor on the slideshow.  Something about "not being herself".  On Dark Shadows, that phrase takes on a far wider meaning than it does in the real world.