Discuss - Ep #0230

[Watching Project]

Robservations - #230

[Lydia]

Barnabas Plot again today.  Someday I'm going to add it all up - how many days for Barnabas, how many days for Jason.  Vicky's doing double-duty these days - involved in both the B Plot and and the J Plot - but once we get Maggie settled in the Old House, I think Vicky becomes pretty much a J girl.  My memory's been wrong before, though.

This is the episode with mscbryk's "fog that can hide many secrets".  It is also the the episode with the Willie-beating - and, as usual, I jumped when Barnabas brought the cane down.  He's so malevolent when he does it!

I'm very impressed with Jonathan Frid these days.  Well, I'm always impressed with Jonathan Frid.  But here's what impresses me at the moment:  He was hired for a 13-week gig.  It was just supposed to be a blip in his life, and then he was going to go out to California and start a new life teaching.  This job was just going to give him a little extra cash to help him along.  That's Frid's story.  And yet - for this 13-week gig that was going to fall into oblivion, he sure didn't stint himself.  Barnabas is creepy and violent and pathetic and authoritative and real.  I've never understood what impels people to act, but I'm glad that they do.

The set-up at the sheriff's office is odd.  How many policemen are there?  You hear "Everybody's out looking for today's missing person" and it seems that there are at least half a dozen men.  But you never see more than one or two of them, and really, it's very irresponsible of the sheriff to leave nobody there to answer the phone.  You'd think they could manage to get an underpaid local girl to cover it.

[Gothick]

I'm always astonished at how beautifully they staged those Eagle Hill sequences in today's show.  The atmosphere was just as thick as the penetrating fog in the ancient cemetery.

I agree with Lydia; Jonathan Frid fiercely rules in today's show.  And Vinnie did a brilliant job with his makeup today, too!

G.

[Alondra]

Episode #230

Sam wanders around the house in a daze. He is clearly agitated, the poor man. My heart really goes out to him. There's a knock and Joe comes in. Vicki and Burke wanted to accompany him so they all enter the house. (Sam must've called the Blue Whale after discovering Maggie's disappearance) Vicki thinks Maggie may have just gone out for a walk but she was too weak to move! (Of course being night, she has her strength back) Joe thinks she deliberately picked a fight with him to get rid of him so she could go out. Sam wonders why she wanted to leave at all.

In the graveyard Maggie is walking, and still has that wicked little smirk on her face.

Burke asks Sam if he called the Sheriff and he says the Sheriff and his men are all out looking for Maggie. Sam, Joe and Burke decide to join the search, Vicki will remain behind in case there is a call. It's now 8:00. An hour later at 9:00 there is a knock on the door and she opens it to see Willie standing there. (oh he looks so cute, and I've missed him) He says to tell Sam that Barnabas won't want him to come to the Old House to paint until after midnight. Vicki tells him that Sam probably won't come at all because Maggie is missing and he's out searching for her. Willie becomes extremely agitated on hearing this. He must not have been taken into his master's confidence, and he's upset to learn that Maggie is missing, he knows what's happening to her! He runs off.

Vicki looks at a picture of Maggie on the table which changes to Maggie in the woods and what a difference! Her hair is all mussed up and she looks terrible. The dogs howl and she's still wearing that terrible smirk. I hate this! She's the victim and she looks like the predator, like she's enjoying her own victimization. That look gives me the creeps!

At 9:10 the phone rings and Vicki picks it up. A voice that I clearly recognize as Willie's (well I do love him) tells Vicki that Maggie is in danger and can be found at Eagle Hill cemetary. He's got a hankie over the receiver on the phone and is trying to disguise his voice, failing miserably. Vicki does not recognize his voice and after hanging up she calls the Sheriff's office and there is no answer. You'd think the Sheriff could leave someone behind to answer the phone. What if there were another emergency? Of course today everyone would have a cell phone.

Burke comes back and she tells him about the phone call. She wants to go with him to the cemetary to find Maggie.

Barnabas meets Maggie in the graveyard and smiles, fangs showing. He tells her they must go somewhere else and tries to take her hand. Willie shows up and tells him they're in danger, Maggie's friends are on their way there. Barnabas asks how they knew she would be there, clearly knowing that Willie must have alerted them. Poor Willie didn't come up with a plausible explanation. He says he overheard them talking, but this isn't believable to that vampire. (not me either, sorry Willie...) Willie urges Barnabas to come on! They hear Sam's voice calling for Maggie. Maggie faints.

Vicki finds Maggie's slipper or shoe and shows it to Burke. They also call for Maggie, and Barnabas is forced to leave Maggie where she is, laying up against a rock. Willie urges Barnabas, we must get outta here!

Burke and Vicki find Maggie, and she comes to. She is very distraught to learn where she is, how did she get to the graveyard? She is very weak. Burke sees a figure moving and goes to investigate while Vicki stays with Maggie.

Willie and Barnabas go to the mausoleum and open the gate which squeeeeks loudly. They go to the secret door, Willie pulls on the ring, the door opens and they go into the secret room, and shut the door. They neglected to shut the gate though, and Burke finds it open. He enters, looks around and sees the three tombstones, he uses his flashlight and reads them and then turns around to leave, shutting the gate.

Willie tells Barnabas that "he" is gone and Barnabas tells him to "shut up you idiot!" (I wanna SMACK!!! that vampire!!)

Burke goes back to Vicki and Maggie and he carries Maggie home.

Barnabas glares at Willie and demands an explanation as to how they knew to find her there. Willie says he overheard them talking at the Evans cottage, that they were coming to search there so he came to warn Barnabas. Barnabas knows they'd have no reason to search in a graveyard, someone must have alerted them! And that someone must've been Willie! Willie betrayed him, he's a liar! He told them! Now he has to punish him! Barnabas raises his cane and brings it down hard on Willie...

At the Evans cottage Sam and Joe want to call in the state troopers and at that moment Burke and Vicki return with Maggie. Burke lays her on the sofa, she is very weak. She says she can't breathe and the men loosen the scarf around her neck. She falls unconscious as they discover Barnabas' autograph on Maggie's neck.

NOW will Joe make the connection between this and the cattle? They had mentioned two puncture holes on the cattle. Vicki did not see marks on Willie so she can't make that connection.

This is the first time we see Barnabas beating Willie with his cane, it will happen again for the same "offense."

Alondra

[IluvBarnabas]

Poor Willie, he really got beaten within an inch of his life!

Could Barnabas have been any more cruel?  He sure was creepy out in that graveyard wasn't he?

I really admire how Willie stuck his neck out for Maggie....I think he knew Barnabas wasn't gonna believe him no matter what story he told him but he went ahead and sent Maggie's friends out to save her anyway. Yay Willie!!!

[Jackie]

This is a very exciting episode, so much going on!  And we have SEVEN characters on this episode:  Sam, Joe, Vicki, Burke, Maggie, Willie, and Barnabas. That must have cost DC lots of money!

While Sam, Joe, Vicki and Burke worry about Maggie's disappearance, Maggie roams the cemetery.  Maggie looks SO "deathly" in that shot.

Burke takes over the role of giving orders, where people should search and asks Vicki to stay at the cottage in case Maggie returns.  [fat chance]

While Vicki waits for the others, over an hour, Willie knocks on the door.  Vicki calls out "who is it?" and usually the person answers.  Willie doesn't.  Wonder if he couldn't hear her through that door.  After Vicki explains Sam won't want to paint tonight because of Maggie's disappearance, Willie looks shocked.  So he didn't know what Barnabas was up to?  Or he didn't know it was going to be tonight?  He guesses pretty quickly though.  Willie hurries away after hearing the news which makes Vicki curious by his behavior.

Only 10 minutes later, Vicki gets a call from a stranger, we know it's Willie, to "find Maggie Evans, she's in danger. Go after Maggie Evans right now.  I can tell you where to find her.  Just listen to me if you want to save your friend.  Go to the grave yard.  That's where you'll find her."  Vicki asks questions and Willie answers that she's at Eagle Hill cemetery.  As nervous as he was, I wonder why Vicki couldn't figure out who called.  I'm glad Burke came back when he did so Vicki could tell him.  I think Vicki was ready to go to the cemetery alone.

Back at the grave yard, Maggie waits only a few more moments when Barnabas shows up, smiling with fangs hanging.  He looks much more menacing here than when we saw him at the Old House with Sam.  This is his TRUE face.

Willie shows up trying to get Barnabas to leave since her friends are coming.  Angry, Barnabas wants to know how her friends know where she is.  Willie says he heard them talking.  I hope he can come up with a plausible excuse as to how they know and how he heard them otherwise, it's not good for Willie to lie to his master!  Too bad Willie couldn't just let Barnabas be found, then Willie could escape him too.  But that bond between victim and vampire is too strong.  Maggie faints and Barnabas kneels down to her.  Willie continues to plea with Barnabas for them to leave her and get away.

Vicki finds Maggie's shoe.  I can see the "grass" carpet bunch up unlike normal grass.  Burke and Vicki go off looking for Maggie as Willie and Barnabas make their escape.  I never saw a cemetery with so many trees, as though it's in the middle of the woods.  All the cemeteries I've been in are very clean, few bushes, lots of headstones, plaques nowadays, but no woods.  Guess it's an old time country grave yard.

Finally they find Maggie who comes out of it and recognizes them.  Seems as though Maggie has two separate personalities working against each other.   Burke sees something in the distance as though it were a man and goes to investigate, leaving the two women alone.  NO WAY would I want him leaving me in this situation.  This whole situation is too scary!!  Burke tells Vicki to stay close to Maggie as he goes.  What will that do!?  If someone dangerous is out there and doubles back, what defense do these two women have, as one is nearly comatose.  Maggie would fall back against the rock and Vicki would have to fight this person off.  No, not a good idea, in my book.  Especially since they have no idea they are dealing with the supernatural.

Barnabas and Willie quietly go into the secret room, and Barnabas can sense someone following them.  As they hide, Burke searches the tomb finding nothing of course.  Barnabas doesn't believe Willie's weak excuse of how he knew they were coming to the grave yard and is beat for "betraying" his master.  This is so awful, proving Barnabas is a monster.  Sympathy is due to the beaten man, the one who tried to save the girl.

Back at the cottage, Maggie is brought back and set on the sofa.  They try to talk to her but she's choking, can't breathe but doesn't want their help.  After she passes out, they find the two fang marks on her neck.

Excellent episode, well written, well acted. Bravo. 

[Jackie]

I'm very impressed with Jonathan Frid these days.  Well, I'm always impressed with Jonathan Frid.  But here's what impresses me at the moment:  He was hired for a 13-week gig.  It was just supposed to be a blip in his life, and then he was going to go out to California and start a new life teaching.  This job was just going to give him a little extra cash to help him along.  That's Frid's story.  And yet - for this 13-week gig that was going to fall into oblivion, he sure didn't stint himself.  Barnabas is creepy and violent and pathetic and authoritative and real.  I've never understood what impels people to act, but I'm glad that they do.

Bravo for JF!!  It's only a small acting job until he goes west but he puts his entire ALL into it and I just love it.  I'm so glad he stayed.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's only a small acting job until he goes west but he puts his entire ALL into it and I just love it.

I certainly understand what you're saying, and Frid is incredible in so many of these early Barn episodes, but an actor wouldn't be very professional if he/she phoned in his/her part simply because it would only be for a short run or if it was only a small part. Actually, doing so could even be career suicide once word of mouth spread that that was the way he/she had handled the job.    Any actor dedicated to his/her craft is going to give his/her all to every part, regardless of its size or duration - Frid was that type of actor and he was doing his job - and I believe that's what you were trying to say. 

[loril54]

This was a great show. I agree with everone's thoughts. Everyone did great. Just imagine how much that they did in a very small studio and the effects that they created. I think that is why the show lives on and on. I remember I believe in Vol one disc that KLS said that JF brought up everone's skills and made them work harder.    The characters should get together and discuss the mausoleum, just think all the things that disappear there.

By the way what did everyone think of JF little interview at the end of the disc??

[CT!_CTP/FITBs]

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[EmeraldRose]

I agree, this WAS a great show.  That Sheriff's office wasn't very well staffed, though - pretty dumb not to leave someone there to answer the phone.   Maggie DID look pretty creepy wandering around in her nightgown.  The make-up jobs were excellent on Maggie and Barnabas.  Barnabas was VERY scary and evil during this episode.  I agree that Burke was pretty stupid to leave Vickie and Maggie alone. 

This was the first time Barnabas beat poor Willie with his cane.  I'm glad Willie was a hero and saved Maggie anyway, even though he was defying Barnabas.  Hooray for Willie!  Oh, and this was the first time fang marks were found on the neck of a poor victim of Barnabas. 

I enjoyed Jonathan Frid's interview at the end of the disc.  I think it was probably from at least 10 years ago, though.  Maybe it was done for the original video tape?  He looked younger than he did on the video they showed at the 2006 Fest.  Too bad we didn't get an updated interview from him. 

----- Sally -----

[Sunny_Collins]

It was great of Willie to make that call to tell Vicki where Maggie could be found, although his voice wasn't very well disguised, and I wonder why she didn't recognize who it was.

In the cemetery after Burke and Vicki find Maggie, Burke tells Vicki to stay close to Maggie while he goes in search of that:::: illusive shadow he thought he saw. I thought this was a strange thing for him to say. What if the madman causing all this trouble should come upon them? Vicki couldn't fight him off alone, and Maggie in her weakened condition would surely be of no help. 

Barnabas is sooo very mean in this episode, beating poor Willie. That was a very despicable thing for Barnabas to do!