Discuss - Ep #0459

Robservations #459

When Barnabas said, "My mother is dead because of you!" it hit me right in the pit of my stomach: there was such pain in his voice.

Riggs is an admirably devoted servant.  He helps little Sarah to make the special candle for Josette.  He guards the bedroom doors of young ladies who have to be locked in their rooms.  He takes a silver candlestick to town to have it melted down into silver bullets.  He helps Ben carry Barnabas's coffin from the Tower Room to the secret room in the mausoleum.  If Joshua had ever become a vampire, then I imagine that Riggs would have done for Joshua what Ben did for Barnabas.

There are a couple of interesting looks at love in the 1795 storyline.  Angelique is sure that she loves Barnabas, but she is unceasingly cruel to him.  Joshua is sure that he doesn't love Barnabas, but he does everything he can to help him, and grieves at how inhuman Barnabas has become.

What we label "love" is probably actually a couple dozen different emotions or needs or attachments and fixations.     Once we slap the simple and noble label of "love" onto all these different phenomena, we feel we've said all that needs to be said, and we get to stop thinking about them, what they really are, and why we have them.   

I've been wondering if the reason the curse didn't hit all the right targets - i.e. people who loved Barnabas - is that the curse, being only a curse and not human, was thoroughly befuddled by the whole concept of love and decided that the safest course was to go after only those people who said right out that they loved Barnabas.  Angelique did, so she was doomed, but Joshua didn't, so he was in the clear.  I wouldn't be surprised if Trask and Abigail each at some point declared that they loved Barnabas, because they knew that as Christians they loved their neighbors.  And Nathan...who knows what Nathan may have said in the privacy of his boudoir?  Poor, timid Rachel never said she loved Barnabas, but she did kiss him on the cheek once, and by then the curse had enough experience to know that this could only mean love.  Julia said she cared about Barnabas, which probably had the curse saying, "Dammit, what do I do now?"  (I like the thought of a curse cursing.)  But before it could make up its mind, Angelique put it out of its misery.

PS Spellcheck doesn't like Trask.  Smart spellcheck!

PS Spellcheck doesn't like Trask.  Smart spellcheck!

I LOLed.....

Thayer David was the first man to do the opening voiceover for this episode! He did a fabulous job.

When Barnabas said, "My mother is dead because of you!" - it sent chills up my spine! Jonathan Frid did a fantastic job! Barnabas was scary when he expressed his anger toward Nathan. But I was glad! Nathan so deserved what he got! Now that I think about it, maybe Barnabas was so angry with Nathan because of Angelique - it may have been displaced anger. He was really angry with Angelique, but he couldn't do anything about her anymore, so he took it out on Nathan. But then again, Nathan was the direct cause of Naomi's suicide because he told her about Barnabas. So Barnabas's anger toward Nathan was justified.

I loved how the clock kept on appearing, and time was running out for Nathan. It was so exciting!

Joshua plans to kill Barnabas to save him. His feelings for Barnabas are obvious.

I've been wondering if the reason the curse didn't hit all the right targets - i.e. people who loved Barnabas - is that the curse, being only a curse and not human, was thoroughly befuddled by the whole concept of love and decided that the safest course was to go after only those people who said right out that they loved Barnabas.  Angelique did, so she was doomed, but Joshua didn't, so he was in the clear.

That's a good theory, Lydia. It makes a lot of sense.

That was great when Ben told Nathan that he would be dead before morning, so he couldn't stake Barnabas! But... it did give Nathan the idea to use the crossbow! If Ben had known about the crossbow, I'm sure he wouldn't have said that!  

----- Sally -----

Great episode. I too loved it when Barnabas confronted Nathan. What he did to Naomi was terrible!! Jonathan really rocked in this episode.

Strange, though, that Nathan actually showed remorse over Naomi's death, yet he isn't the least bit sorry that he just sent Vicki to her doom....I suppose one could argue that Nathan hadn't counted on Naomi killing herself...I wonder if he really was remorseful about it or just shocked.

When Barnabas said, "My mother is dead because of you!" it hit me right in the pit of my stomach: there was such pain in his voice.

It effected me that way as well.

There are a couple of interesting looks at love in the 1795 storyline.  Angelique is sure that she loves Barnabas, but she is unceasingly cruel to him.  Joshua is sure that he doesn't love Barnabas, but he does everything he can to help him, and grieves at how inhuman Barnabas has become.

I agree.

One thing Joshua said was interesting. He said something to the effect that Barnabas being a vampire had destroyed many people, and in the end it would destroy barnabas himself.

How sad that barnabas and Nathan, once such good friends are now bitter enemies, intent upon killing each other. 

Strange, though, that Nathan actually showed remorse over Naomi's death, yet he isn't the least bit sorry that he just sent Vicki to her doom....I suppose one could argue that Nathan hadn't counted on Naomi killing herself...I wonder if he really was remorseful about it or just shocked.

I don't think Nathan was in the least bit remorseful about Naomi's death, rather he was sorry Barnabas found out that he was the cause of it.