Robservations #206

Willie has done Elizabeth a huge favor.  He has forced to think about what would be even worse than being exposed as a murderess.  She has discovered the limit of what Jason can force her to accept, and now, even though she is still submitting to blackmail, she is stronger than she was.

I think that when Willie was looking at the portrait of Barnabas at the end of today's episode, it was the first time on the show that we heard a voiceover other than the opening "My name is Victoria Winters" ones.  I imagine the writers regretting that Moltke's voiceovers will no longer be so special, but figuring it was a good way to help James Hall with his lines.  My imaginings are probably completely imaginary, however: instead the writers may have been seeing it as paving the way for the heartbeat.  First you hear what's going on inside Willie's brain, and then you hear what's going on inside the portrait's chest.

I love the heartbeat.  It's used at other times later on in Dark Shadows, and doesn't particularly thrill me, but today I loved it.  It's partly because I know what's coming and I know it's good, and partly because I can imagine not knowing what's coming.  All I have to know is that there's an unknown force - a heartbeat in the heart of Collinwood.  If it gets loud enough, it could shake the foundations of Collinwood, break the door of the locked basement room, and eject Paul Stoddard from his unknown grave.  Has it been beating there in the foyer, unheard by anyone, ever since the portrait was painted?

I really like this episode, for a couple of reasons other than the fact that the scene in the drawing room with Willie and Carolyn was well-done.

First, I like the fact that I'm relieved that Willie finally left Burke and Vicky alone at the Blue Whale - and then he shows up at Collinwood, and I wish he had stayed at the Blue Whale.

Second, I like the fact that our episode-ending cliffhanger was not about poor little Carolyn helplessly facing Willie, but rather that we got past the shortterm problem, and were left with the more serious longterm problem of Willie still being at Collinwood.

I find it surprising that Mrs. Johnson had a steak immediately available for Willie's breakfast, and I find i alarming that Roger kept a loaded gun in an unlocked drawer in the drawing room (does anybody really believe that David doesn't know about that gun?) but those are minor details.  I find it terrifically hard to believe, after watching that scene in the drawing room, that James Hall is a nice guy - and that's pretty neat.

Joan Bennett: They expect me to act with some bumpkin from Canada?  What kind of name is Frid, anyway?  Tell Dan that I want Bert Convy!  Or, if dear Bert isn’t available, then I want...

...she was sick and tired of breaking up fights between Bill Malloy's ghost and Matthew Morgan's ghost, and why couldn't they learn to share their ectoplasm the way the Widows did!!

Setup:

Elizabeth: Yes, Burke, Susie in the coffeeshop is our love child.  And Sam, our love child is Bob the Bartender.  And George - yes, you, George Patterson, I know you're listening via a bug cleverly concealed in the coatrack - our love child is...

What strikes me about James Hall is that he has some trouble remembering his lines.  Put him together with Jonathan Frid, and you could have a lot of awkward silences.

That does sound nice.  I remember driving home from work one day listening to a morning show, and they had, just for something creepy maybe, a Dark Shadows opening, with a second or two of a Grayson Hall voiceover.  I suppose if you're going for creepy, Hall's voice is the one to choose.