Magda makes an interesting character point at the beginning of the episode: that Quentin is like a child, always grabbing and hurting to get his own way. She nailed it right on the head. He behaves JUST like a dysfunctional child at this point. Somewhere along the line he learned that bullying and threats are the quickest way to get what he wants; yet, interestingly enough we've also seen previously that he can turn on the charm and sweet talk like nobody's business to get something.
He's like an abused 5 year old, who knows no other way to react than to lash out and hurt whomever they perceive to have hurt them. Corporal punishment was the norm then, true -- but his whole pattern, and to some extent those of the others -- imply headgames and psychological manipulation coupled with an authority figure's power being synonymous with physical strength and the power to hurt at any time for any reason were what all of them modeled their behaviours on in different ways. Edward and Judith tried to be the good little children, Carl tried to keep bad things from happening to him with his jokes, and Quentin seemed to figure as long as he was being punished anyway, might as well be as bad as he wanted and do what he wanted.
And now the scene switches to poor Jenny, who's now forgotten all about who Judth is and why she went for her last time we saw them.
Then back to Quentin and Magda, where we see THE PETOFI BOX right behind Quentin's gramophone on a shelf. LOL good point about the chimney. How else could Jenny possibly hear the music. Somehow me thinks those walls are made of something better than cheap plasterboard.
The confrontation between Judith and Quentin is VERY nicely played. JB does a lovely job of showing Judith ordering Quentin, then slowly becoming more and more afraid of him as the scene progresses. You see it first in her eyes, only then does it translate into moving away, etc. before he moves away and she enforces her authority again before leaving.
And it seems Selby went up on his lines here. He's talking to Magda about his sister's scenes then goes into a thought that doesn't go anywhere,and doesn't seem to fit, then goes "go on, Magda".
Hmm, interesting how Jenny, when she thnks the babies see her dancing, says "it was the other one". Are they trying to infer split personality? Sounds like it would be giving them too much credit, since all they seem to want is Mr. Rochester's generic mad wife in the attic.
And interesting how Dirk seems to think he knows everything about Beth and is VERY put out that she didn't share her secret with him. Well, DUH -- he told Judith he knew and was keeping a lot of Collins' secrets, so why would he think he was the ONLY servant asked to keep their mouths shut about something?
Great irony in Quentin's line about Drinking not being one of his bad habits, and never could be. At this point in his life, maybe not -- or at least not more than any other upper class man in a time when manliness was measured by capacity for liquor. But later? I'm thinking the drinking then is more a product of circumstances -- of wanting to forget all that's happening, perhaps to the point of perhaps wanting to drink so much he never wakes up.
LOL on the memory of Marie at the Fest. Dirk seemed to relish the fact that he was given permission to be rough, and best I could tell, didn't even wait for there to be provocation.
And can anyone see the sense in giving Jenny HOT Coffee? Between making her MORE wired, and the fact that hot liquid could be a weapon..... Reality checkbook, please. He deserved that clonk on the head just for being a dimwit, not even counting the rest of it.
Jeannie