daphne is being guarded as this episode opens.

i'm not sure if i could sleep with a sheriff's deputy seated a few feet away from my bed in a room with the lights on but then again this is not my sleep it's daphne's.

when she leaves her dozing watchdogs and heads outside to meet barnabas it looks like daylight to me but this must be one of those pesky "day for night" photography issues so whatever.i was surprised to see them making out.in other vampire tales it's lustful nature is implied but here it's spelled out quite graphically.

daphnes funeral was very effective.it had the air of an old agatha christy mystery where all of the suspects are gathered together in the drawing room.well done.

we learn that roger and maggie evans are hooking up.i'm not sure where this is going.does maggie live somewhere on the collins estate?her place looks like it's somewhere on the grounds with all that gothic statuary and the dilapidated greenhouse and such.speaking of which have we learned why so much of the estate in in disrepair?

here we go.in episode one i said it bothered me that vampires were being mentioned so soon.that it took alot of the mystery and suspense out of it.still it was just a mention.but here we are in episode three and the cat is already out of the bag.the central mystery has been solved and everyone in collinsport knows vampires are on the loose.i find this pacing to be astonishing.again,for me this takes an enormous chunk of the suspense and mystery and atmosphere out of the proceedings but i'm sure others will differ.

so now we get law enforcement that runs around with crucifixes.and not just ordinary,every day,run-of-the-mill crucifixes but big,shiny,mirrored crucifixes(the better to showcase that big,shiny,1991 budget!).

daphne is quite creepy when she tells joe "don't worry" and goes in for the kill.still with the orange "thriller" contact lenses the way this sequence plays out has a cheese factor that is quite high.

the collins family knows there is a vampire in their midst and yet no one thinks that their very recently arrived(the very night of the first attack to be precise),never seen during the daytime relative might play a role in this.elizabeth only comments on what a "comfort" barnabas' presence always is which is odd since he's only been around for a few weeks at most.much is made of what a "dear" relationship barnabas has with his "cousin elizabeth" but whatever.we don't see this being played out so it's sort of irrelevant.

finally,in a neat trick,julia has the presence of mind to glance into the massive drawing room mirror that no one else seems to notice that cousin barnabas casts no reflection in.strange but whatever.doctor hoffman's got the goods.

fun episode.

true gothick...

i'm on the fence about much of this series but am becoming quite appreciative of the "minxy" barbara blackburns' take on carolyn stoddard.

quel scandale!

you mean the clothes from that store were knock-offs?

i always thought they were fresh off the runway at the paris haute couture...

what a let down.

high-waist,wide-pleat trousers oh how i loath thee!i had tried to wipe these from my sartorial memory bank but this series is resplendent with them.

mysterious' highly detailed wardrobe description reveals that the clothing being worn was purchased at high toned establishments like the lamented 'i.magnin' and i presume were supposed to look "rich" but they don't look expensive to me.

vicki is attired strangely.she gets these very "romantic" looking getups like-lace collared blouses,cameos and flowing floral print skirts but they're topped by puffy,incongruously sporty looking jackets.weird.liz gets one of these too at the hospital and it doesn't suit her.she doesn't look "regal" enough.

i'm trying to figure out what kind of heroine victoria winters is.she's pretty.she's nice.she sticks up for underdogs like willie and blandly tolerates david's antics.this is meant to convey that she's "kind" and "virtuous" and of course worthy of an undead suitor's ardor.like most heroines her supporting cast gets to be more "colorful" and "eccentric' than she is.still she's not quite as "ingenueish" as some heroines one sees(wink).

but of course like all good heroines she sits before an elaborate vanity,in diaphanous chiffon sleepwear,and dreamily brushes her hair before going to bed.does anyone really do this?

here we learn that david has friend named "sarah" whom of course everyone will assume at first is a figment of his imagination.when pressed vicki gives that classically patronizing "i believe she's real...to you" line that would infuriate any savvy kid.
david nearly stumbles across barnabas' coffin at the old house.did i miss something?i thought the coffin was in a mausoleum or at the very least a secret chamber.how did it end up on a platform at the bottom of the stairs in a house teaming with workmen?

carolyn gyrating at the blue whale.something about this seems familiar(wink).turns out this is a clumsy setup for some carnage.carolyn gets hit on by some drunken townie riffraff.his equally drunk floozy girlfriend "gloria" stomps out in a jealous huff.two instantly introduced,easily disposable characters.i see where this is going.of course they end up toast but in a crowded bar parking lot?barnabas is attracting too much unwanted attention.he needs to be more cautious.more discreet.

we see later how discreet he can be when he tosses his next victim off widows hill.some sloppy work on the part of the makeup department that this victim has bloody wounds on her neck after being immersed in salt water.wouldn't that wash the blood away?whatev.

was maggie evans even in this episode?i kind of like her.

we end with julia hoffan's introduction and boy is she on to barnabas like frosting on a cupcake.we see where this plot development is going.

fun episode.

i believe it was discussed that perhaps a certain green wool coat gets alot of passing around.

however i think that each character...vicki,liz,cassandra...who dons this splendid garment actually gets her own for keeps!

love it!

grayson just seems like the kind of "broad" that lived on cigarettes,scotch rocks and coffee.

and i mean that in the best possible way.

i realize that the audience for this show was obviously going to get the vampire angle from the get-go.

i was refering more to collinsport law enforcement and the townspeople getting wise to it too soon.that's why i was surpried to hear it referenced so quickly.

but frankly i feel rather bullied in this topic so this will be my last post in it.

as i said i was just expressing an opinion...

but i still don't considering building suspense as being "strung along"...

nor do i consider myself to be "unsophisticated/unaware".

and i find the tone of these comments,whether intended or not,to be quite insulting.