Discuss - Ep #0214

Robservations - #214

Great episode!  I remember the first time I saw it in '76 being enthralled by the wealth of detail Barnabas rolls out about the building of the Old House.  Vicki continues to be sharp on the ball here, too.  I know there's an episode in one of these early ones where Barnabas actually delivers a veiled threat to her.  There's a "Nancy Drew" element to Vicki, continued from the Matthew and Laura storylines, that I wish they had kept.

Isn't this the show where Roger makes the remark about bringing back a recipe for Indian pudding for Mrs J?  And he makes some smart remark about how hopeless her cooking is.  I love little details like this that add some color to the proceedings.

Anyone remember who wrote this show?

G.

My oh my, was Barnabas ever creepy in the Old House with Vicky.  Very injudicious of him, but it seemed he just couldn't help it - it came pouring out of him.  Lots of fun to watch.

And the conversation between Roger and Carolyn was most enjoyable.  After yesterday's scene in the Blue Whale, I thought to myself, "I don't like horror movies, but on the other hand I never like Dark Shadows when they abandon the supernatural."  Today I've got to rethink that notion.

Question: is Mrs. Johnson's boiled dinner mentioned at any other point in the series?  And if she made Indian pudding from the recipe that Roger brought to her, would she serve it with whipped cream or with ice cream?  Or with mayonnaise?

The real question is whether Mrs J used to serve Whip 'n' Chill as the dessert nearly every weeknight at Collinwood.

Oh boy, I am really pushing those memory banks here...

G.

Anyone remember who wrote this show?

Malcolm Marmorstein.  Love Roger's snappy dialogue!

After yesterday's scene in the Blue Whale, I thought to myself, "I don't like horror movies, but on the other hand I never like Dark Shadows when they abandon the supernatural."  Today I've got to rethink that notion.

That's great news, Lydia.

  I loved the conversation between Roger and Carolyn. "You just can't keep the jet set down. Has he accepted an invitation from the prince and princess of Monocco or maybe he just couldn't stand another of Mrs. Johnson's boiled dinners." Seems there really weren't that many references made to Mrs. Johnson's lousy cooking but this one and the one between Jason and Willie when Jason praised it to the skies while she was in the room and after she left he said she burns everything.

I'm not sure just what Indian pudding is. It sounds good but not if she boils it lol!

Alondra

I loved watching Barnabas, how he walked, talked and presented himself to others.  He sure changed as the years moved on, less formal.  When he talked about the people who lived in the Old House, the "son" that died there, you just knew he was talking about him.  And that shot of him staring through the banister, WOW.

The real question is whether Mrs J used to serve Whip 'n' Chill as the dessert nearly every weeknight at Collinwood.

Oh boy, I am really pushing those memory banks here...

Whip & Chill?? Is that the Jello dessert?

There's no doubt about it. This is Frid's episode. He is sooooo convincing as Barnabas, he makes your skin crawl.
Barnabas talks about the Old House being made of clam shells and horse hairs and sweat and tears. He has so much pride in this house. This is one of my fave episodes and Frid carries it off in spades.
Big Lou is sanctimonious as Roger. Let us indulge in Misssus Johnson's Indian pudding. Such as it is.
Bravo for Jonathan. Kudos. This is his episode.

Be sure to check out these (hopefully  ) humorous topics related to this episode:

From "Caption This!":

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I'm not sure just what Indian pudding is.

The Joy of Cooking recipe includes, among other things, molasses, milk, cornmeal, ginger, and sugar.  I don't cook unless my life depends on it, so I used to pester my sister to make Indian pudding.  She would always say it was too much trouble.  Since it involves boiling, double boiling, baking for three hours, and pouring a cup of milk over the whole concoction an hour into the baking, I guess I can see her point.  But when served with vanilla ice cream, it is truly sublime.  Next time you're in Boston, Alondra, go to Durgin Park (an old-fashioned restaurant near Faneuil Hall) and order it.  Every time I see this episode, I wonder if Roger was at Durgin Park.

Wow, I've lived in Boston for 13 years and never been to Durgin Park!

My sister made Indian Pudding once back in the Seventies and it did indeed take 3 hours.

I had the feeling this was going to turn out to have been a Malcolm Marmorstein show.  I really loved his writing for DS.  He got a bum rap in an interview Sam Hall did that was widely printed in an early DS themed publication.

G.

Wow, I've lived in Boston for 13 years and never been to Durgin Park! G.

I've NEVER lived in Boston and I've been to Durgin Park half a dozen times!!!

Skipped the Indian Pudding, tho.....

Wonderful scenes of Barnabas showing his angst.  I agree, it's too bad the "Nancy Drew" aspect of Vicki disappeared.  It's a shame that they "dumbed her down" .

----- Sally -----

Vicki continues to be sharp on the ball here, too.  I know there's an episode in one of these early ones where Barnabas actually delivers a veiled threat to her.  There's a "Nancy Drew" element to Vicki, continued from the Matthew and Laura storylines, that I wish they had kept.

i'm not part of the "watching project" so i haven't really been commenting on these episodes but i did see them quite recently.

i agree with gothick that in these very early barnabas episodes vicki retains the appealing "nancy-drew-ish-ness" that she had for the first year or so.in fact there is an episode right around here(when barnabas was still only supposed to be a thirteen week character)that she actually seems "on" to him.not specifically on to the the vampire thing but there is a scene where carolyn is babbling on about how great she thinks barnabas is and vicki counters with a note of suspicion about how odd he is.i got used to seeing the character like this and was surprised and disappointed when she gets watered-down so much later.

shortly after this when barnabas shifts his attention from maggie to vicki they change the writing so that vicki becomes "fond" of barnabas.this not only changes the storyline but the nature of the character completely.