DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '07 I => Topic started by: Watching Project on January 16, 2007, 06:04:24 AM
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Robservations - #211
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Episode 211 is a kinescope. Looks pretty good though.
Snappy dialogue - Ron Sproat
Our story opens with Liz and Jason arguing about Willie's whereabouts. According to Liz, Collinsport offers very little in the way of entertainment.
Later Mrs. Johnson has this to say to Jason about Willie: "All the time you're talking to him you know he's thinking something, but you have no idea exactly what it is." Very perceptive Missus J. And about seeing Willie in the tool shed: "I know what I see when I see it."
Mrs. J. tells Jason that Willie was fascinated by the portrait of Barnabas Collins and that some of the Collins' had their jewels buried with them.
"Buried? With them?" Jason asks.
You ever notice how often a question is responded to with a question on this show?
Jason heads to Eagle Hill Cemetery.
Be careful touching those gravestones, Jason. They're not very stable.
The caretaker tells Jason that his friend was pretending to be somebody he isn't. Jason replies, "Well, if that were a crime, we'd all be in jail."
Back at Collinwood. Check out Jason's shirt. Wow! I wish this episode was in color.
Liz and Jason go at it again. Jason begs pardon. "And now if you'll excuse me."
"I always have." Liz replies. What a zinger!
Here is my favorite line from Mrs. J. as she picks up Jason's hat and coat from the table - "Nobody hangs up a thing around here!"
And a knock at the door. It's a man. A stranger. Mrs. Johnson clutches her throat. "Mrs. Stoddard? Cousin? England?" Look, just tell her she has company. "And, Madam, tell her it's BARNABAS Collins." Fade out.
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Here is my favorite line from Mrs. J. as she picks up Jason's hat and coat from the table - "Nobody hangs up a thing around here!"
That's my favorite part from the episode. She gives us the impression that they are a tad messy in that house.
I like the caretaker at the cemetary. They wrote his part perfectly. He makes them seem haunted and scary. The actor did a great job. The indroduction of Barnabas at the end of the episode was a good cliffhanger. However, does anyone else think Barnabas waited to long to yell out to Mrs. Johnson that he was Barnabas Collins? By the time he yelled that out to her, I would have already imagined that she was in the hall way almost to Liz's door. It doesn't take that long to go up the stairs and into the hall way.
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Thanks again, WP!
Ooh, I just love the atmospheric 40s-movie feeling of this episode. The imperfect sound contributes perfectly to it. And Clarice Blackburn fits right into that atmosphere. Gosh, lines and lines of exposition, and she never stumbles, and makes it look seem just the normal ramblings-on of a busybody. I'd like to fall down at her feet and worship her.
I guess the Collinses don't believe in locking the stable door after the horse is stolen: I don't remember the mausoleum ever being locked up again. And does anybody have any idea what happened to the Secret between 1897 and 1967? At this point, Barnabas hadn't yet gone skibbling through time changing things here there and everywhere, so Edith surely told Edward, and Edward should have told Jamison, and Jamison should have told Roger or Elizabeth - and if they pooh-poohed it in the good old-fashioned Collins way, all Jamison had to do would be to drag them out to Eagle Hill Cemetery (5 miles north of Collinwood, it was noted in today's episode) during the daytime and ask, "So how is it that this body is in a perfect state of preservation despite the fact that the man is dead?" And Roger or Elizabeth - whichever it is - says, "Oh, but it was Dr. Hoffman that declared the man dead, so he's really alive. Nice try, Dad, but you can't fool me." And so the Secret is lost.
According to Liz, Collinsport offers very little in the way of entertainment.
I'm reminded of Judith offering Quentin a large sum of money - $1,000? $5,000? I can't remember exactly - to leave, and Quentin telling Judith, "I could spend all that money in just one night - even in Collinsport."
As for Barnabas waiting so long to call out his name - I thought it a little odd myself. Appropriately melodramatic, but odd. I can't remember if we actually see Mrs. Johnson going up the stairs, but I imagine her taking her time about it - always worn out with the endless work of tidying up after the Collinses - so I think she would have still been around to hear what Barnabas said.
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However, does anyone else think Barnabas waited to long to yell out to Mrs. Johnson that he was Barnabas Collins? By the time he yelled that out to her, I would have already imagined that she was in the hall way almost to Liz's door. It doesn't take that long to go up the stairs and into the hall way.
The way Missus Johnson was moving, I suspect she was barely at the top of the stairs. 'Sides, you gotta give Barn time to reflect on his portrait and the mood.
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ITA w/Lydia about the kinescope episodes! It definitely adds a touch of noir to the show. I used to HATE them because they were all grainy and the sound was bad, but even during such future storylines as 1970PT, they add something to the show. And they DEFINITELY added something to the current storyline.
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Eagle Hill Cemetery is 5 miles away? I don't know about that!! In a later episode David walks from the woods immediately to the cemetery but then people on this show walk 100 miles in just a few hours [remembering Maggie when she escapes from Wyndcliff which is 100 miles away].
This episode belonged to Jason McGuire. He played the detective, looking for his "friend" Willie. Even though Willie wasn't in this episode, it felt like he was there. I enjoy Mrs. Johnson telling Jason about her talks with Willie. She 'doesn't stick her nose into other people's business' was a priceless line... yeah right and how did she get this job? LOL
Mrs. Johnson shows Jason the portrait that Willie is so interested in. See the ring! It's on the right hand.
And heeerrrreeee Barnabas!!
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I've always loved Clarice's reading of Mrs J's reaction to Barnabas' statement that he hails from England: "Oh, from England!"
I can just imagine Mrs J glued to the tube years later watching the Charles and Di royal wedding.
It's worth noting that in an interview somewhere or other (I have read so many, I honestly can't recall the source), Jonathan Frid praised Clarice Blackburn and basically said that it was entirely thanks to her solid support that he got through "that first day"!
There's a shot somewhere or other of Barnabas wearing that hat, a publicity shot. As far as I know, he NEVER donned it again.
I hope my contributions to this thread are suitably "refiined'!
cheers, G.
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Review:
Man, this is one dialogue heavy episode. Jason and Liz argue in the drawing room about Willie's whereabouts, the money and Jason and Liz's "agreement". Mrs. Johnson wanders in and lots more dialogue occurs.
Now I don't know about you, but if I heard that Willie had taken off with some tools and no one had seen him since, I might start checking the closed off sections of the house to see if he had broken in. The family seemed to use those sections of the house to store all the junk they didn't want anymore, but 150 year old junk is antique junk, and might be worth a pretty penny.
That's quite the lovely paisley shirt Jason has on there. I wonder if it was lime green.
It amazes me how people have such a hard time putting 1 and 2 together, and sometimes even 3.
1. Mrs. Johnson had been telling Willie about the legends of the Collins family being buried with their jewels
2. Willie asks where Naomi is buried
3. Willie disappears carrying tools
COME ON! A 5 year old could string that line together.
Naomi wasn't buried with the rest of the family, but was buried at Eagle Hill Cemetery.... where the family mausoleum sits. Makes sense to me.
I love how the older men in these episodes always remember their hats when they go out, Roger, Jason... Barnabas (for this one episode) and yet in 1897 the only character that ALWAYS rememembers his hat is Reverend Trask. I wonder if that was a "fashion of the day" observation on Jerry Lacy's behalf. But I digress.
And lo and behold, the vampire appears, and the show would never be the same again from this moment on.
Favorite line of dialogue: He pretended to be someone he wasn't! Well, now if that was a crime we'd all be in jail.
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I hope my contributions to this thread are suitably "refiined'!
I'd say you're OK for refined, but remember, I specified:
Project Participants will then discuss these episodes in this forum in an intelligent, refined, and morally uplifting fashion. Or anyway, we'll discuss them.
I'll even concede that you've been intelligent, but I'm afraid that I do not think your posts have been particularly morally uplifting. Weren't you shocked - SHOCKED - when Liz spoke to Jason as if she, a mere female, were better than he, a man and therefore by definition God's greatest gift to womankind? And yet you said nothing! (Neither did I, but I'm still concentrating on mastering the "intelligent" part.)
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Be sure to check out these (hopefully ;)) humorous topics related to this episode:
From "Caption This!":
From "Complete This Phrase / Fill In The Blank(s)":
(none yet)
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There's a shot somewhere or other of Barnabas wearing that hat, a publicity shot. As far as I know, he NEVER donned it again.
In one of the next few episodes, Barn wears the hat and then walks out of Collinwood without it. John never looked good in that hat. I'm glad he never wore it after the first few times. I think when they saw it on the TV they said no.
Lori
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I agree that Jonathan Frid didn't look good in that hat. I'm glad they abandoned it.
It's too bad Jason wasn't on the show longer. I love his Irish brogue, impish charm, and handsome face. His sparring with Elizabeth was fun to see. [winkg] I like Elizabeth this way. Too bad her part shrank after Barnabas arrived.
At the time, Daniel Keyes (the caretaker) was "only" 53. He sure looked older than that in the episode. It makes me think that people seemed "older" to me then than they do now. I remember thinking 53 was old then. I'll be 52 this year, and I certainly don't feel old now! [cheesyg]
----- Sally ----
[coolg]
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It amazes me how people have such a hard time putting 1 and 2 together, and sometimes even 3.
1. Mrs. Johnson had been telling Willie about the legends of the Collins family being buried with their jewels
2. Willie asks where Naomi is buried
3. Willie disappears carrying tools
COME ON! A 5 year old could string that line together.
Yes! And she believed that Willie's expression of sorrow after learning that Barnabas died in England indicated that there's still some good in him. Oh please! And this from a woman whose son has "itchy fingers."
Naomi wasn't buried with the rest of the family, but was buried at Eagle Hill Cemetery.... where the family mausoleum sits. Makes sense to me.
[laughing11]
...but I'm afraid that I do not think your posts have been particularly morally uplifting. Weren't you shocked - SHOCKED - when Liz spoke to Jason as if she, a mere female, were better than he, a man and therefore by definition God's greatest gift to womankind? And yet you said nothing! (Neither did I, but I'm still concentrating on mastering the "intelligent" part.)
Um... :-
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Oh yes, my dear Lydia, Dark Shadows constantly has me upbraiding my television set due to its BLATANT labefaction of moral fibre. I still shed a tear whenever I contemplate the utterly unjust fate suffered by Minerva Trask, that pillar of moral rectitude *smirk*
I do confess to finding Joel Crothers' appearance in the Lieut. Forbes uniform to be uplifting... but perhaps not in the sense intended here. *cheeky grin*
cheers, G.
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It's worth noting that in an interview somewhere or other (I have read so many, I honestly can't recall the source), Jonathan Frid praised Clarice Blackburn and basically said that it was entirely thanks to her solid support that he got through "that first day"!
You know what! I think Jonathan Frid was talking about Joan Bennett and NOT Clarice Blackburn and I was majorly dissapointed in hearing it! I also felt CB was superb and deserved high praise. Not that Joan Bennett wasn't fine, but CB added something quite special to that classic scene.
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Dark Shadows constantly has me upbraiding my television set due to its BLATANT labefaction of moral fibre.
Labefaction? LABEFACTION? I found the word in the dictionary, but where did you find it? Inside Lt. Forbes's uniform?
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I found the word in the dictionary, but where did you find it?
Well, now you must realize that our Gothick has a vast vocabulary. :)
(Something we all might strive for, actually. [wink2])
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In the voiceover for this ep, Vicki says about Willie, "Wherever he is, some violence is surely taking place."
Despite the enslavement and abuse, both verbal and physical, do you think that crossing paths with Barnabas saved Willie's life?
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In the voiceover for this ep, Vicki says about Willie, "Wherever he is, some violence is surely taking place."
Despite the enslavement and abuse, both verbal and physical, do you think that crossing paths with Barnabas saved Willie's life?
This is something that has been discussed in all the groups I'm in. What would have happened to Willie if he hadn't met Barnabas Collins? Would he have gotten killed in some barroom brawl? Would he have ended up in prison? Very possibly.
I think that after meeting Barnabas and becoming his slave, the punishment was greater than the crime. Yes Willie was an obnoxious person and picked fights with everyone, hit on the girls who did not want his attention and was generally an all round creep. After meeting Barnabas he becomes a different person. So the vampire did change him for the better. But what did his life become? He became a slave. He was abused physically and mentally. Barnabas not only beat him with his cane, he called him names and played mind games with him.
It's to Willie's credit that he eventually comes to care for Barnabas. Most of us would hate him and hate the abuse he dished out and try to find a way to destroy him.
So while I like the change in Willie and even come to love him, I do not like how the change came about.
Alondra
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It's hard to say, but I'm betting that Willie, even without Barnabas's intervention, would have managed to keep himself alive until his testosterone settled down.
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In the voiceover for this ep, Vicki says about Willie, "Wherever he is, some violence is surely taking place."
Despite the enslavement and abuse, both verbal and physical, do you think that crossing paths with Barnabas saved Willie's life?
I do believe Barnabas changed Willie's life completely. I don't know whether Willie would have been killed or gone to prison if he hadn't 'met' Barnabas but he was headed on a path of self-destruction. We meet people throughout our life that do influence us so Willie might have met someone else who could have turned his life around if he had given it a chance. I keep coming back to the episode right after Willie had that fight with Burke. Jason and Willie were in the ally and Willie swore to kill Burke for beating him up. That never came about because he released the vampire but what if he hadn't. Would Willie have made good on his promise and killed Burke? Or maybe gotten killed for trying? or arrested by the police for trying?
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:o One thing amazes me about this, we know that Willie meant it when he said he'd kill Burke. But not that long afterward when Burke had proposed to Vicki, Barnabas threatened to kill him and Willie tried to save his life by talking Barnabas into at least postponing it.
I think that if Willie had tried to kill Burke he'd have failed and if he weren't killed he would have been made to look the fool as he did in the incident at the Blue Whale. And he would have it coming.
Alondra
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In the voiceover for this ep, Vicki says about Willie, "Wherever he is, some violence is surely taking place."
Despite the enslavement and abuse, both verbal and physical, do you think that crossing paths with Barnabas saved Willie's life?
I always thought that [spoiler]releasing Barnabas from the coffin was the best thing that happened to Willie in a really warped way. True, Barnabas physically beat, treated him very badly a lot of times (and quite a few as well when he was human) but after being put under Barnabas' spell, we see Willie on his way to becoming a more remorseful, sympathetic, even likable kind of guy. Then we see Willie coming full circle and miles away from the vicious thug he was when he first came to Collinsport when he returns during the Leviathan storyline, sets out to save Maggie, and was even willing to put his own happiness on hold to protect Barnabas once more.
Willie came a long ways during the show, something that I don't think would have happened if he hadn't broken the chains around Barnabas' coffin and released the vampire. As I said, that one act, misguided and wrong as it was at the time, actually turned out to be Willie's salvation.[/spoiler]
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I always thought that [spoiler]releasing Barnabas from the coffin was the best thing that happened to Willie in a really warped way. True, Barnabas physically beat, treated him very badly a lot of times (and quite a few as well when he was human) but after being put under Barnabas' spell, we see Willie on his way to becoming a more remorseful, sympathetic, even likable kind of guy. Then we see Willie coming full circle and miles away from the vicious thug he was when he first came to Collinsport when he returns during the Leviathan storyline, sets out to save Maggie, and was even willing to put his own happiness on hold to protect Barnabas once more.
Willie came a long ways during the show, something that I don't think would have happened if he hadn't broken the chains around Barnabas' coffin and released the vampire. As I said, that one act, misguided and wrong as it was at the time, actually turned out to be Willie's salvation.[/spoiler]
As much as it pains me to admit it, (since I adore Willie, and everyone who knows me in the DS world knows that) what you say is true. I just wish Willie had changed in an easier way than this.
Alondra