This is one of the best episodes in the early Barnabas storyline. Again it appears the whole episode was shot at the Blue Whale. I found myself getting a little ticked with Burke, not just because of his attitude toward Willie, but because he seemed to think he owned the town. He thought he had the right to tell people to leave if he wanted. He was not the sheriff who could later on [spoiler]order Jason out of town after his blackmail/wedding scheme blew up in his face[/spoiler] but he thought he had the right to order Willie out of town. Sure if Willie had come back and caused more trouble, the sheriff would have himself ordered him out of town but he was the only one with this authority.
Interesting conversation between Burke and Jason, Jason actually told Burke the truth about not knowing where Willie was and his concern about him, even to the detail that if Willie left it was without money. He said he had money for him, and Burke had to know the money must've come from Liz. So far he doesn't seem that concerned about Jason and whatever he's pulling at Collinwood right now [spoiler]but that will change[/spoiler]
What a gruesome story about the calf! I try to imagine I'm hearing about this and having no idea what they might be talking about. The blood was siphoned out of the calf and the calf itself left dead. Who would do such a thing? If one were going to steal it, they'd want the meat, who would want just the blood and what would they do with it? Since these people have no knowledge of vampires, they have to be very puzzled by this, as well as just plain grossed out.
Now Willie enters, and it's clear he hasn't bathed in a while, he looks quite unkempt and we can imagine he smells ripe too. When Burke saw him though, the scene became very interesting. First he reminds Willie that he had ordered him out of town. But then he saw the change in him, how Willie was so subdued and even apologized for the trouble he had caused. This was not the same man! It's to Burke's credit that though he had every reason to dislike Willie, he began to be concerned about him. Was he sick? What had wrought this change? Then when Jason came back, he told him he needed to get his friend to a hospital. Willie was indeed very sick, he was shaking like a leaf and wasn't even able to lift his drink to his lips. Burke thought maybe he had seriously hurt Willie when he'd beaten him up, but Jason assures him Willie was fine after that.
Now Jason talks to Willie and though Willie is at first pleased to see him, when Jason begins to grill him on where he had been and what he had been doing, Willie quickly became nervous and wouldn't tell him anything. Jason began to sound like a father ordering his son to tell him where he'd been. This reminded me of scenes between my father and my two older brothers when I was a kid. When Jason told him he knew he'd been to the cemetary, Willie freaked. Jason knew he had been there to rob a grave and though it seems to us that a thief might find it an easy task to "rob a stiff" Jason seemed to believe this was a very low thing to do. I wonder why? Because the thief can't fight back? Seems to me that anyone who would sink low enough to steal wouldn't care if the person could defend themselves or not.
Jason had to know something had really changed in Willie when he refused the $500. But maybe Willie was beginning to gain a bit of conscience since that money for for him to leave town and now he would not be leaving, so he wouldn't take it. [spoiler]he did later on though and one thing I've always wondered is what became of that money? Jason gave it to him just before he moved to the Old House with Barnabas. Did Barnabas take it from him? Was he able to hide it somewhere? It's never heard about again.[/spoiler]
Now Jason notices blood on Willie's sleeve and demands an explanation. We know that it's because [spoiler]Barnabas bit Willie on the wrist, not on the neck[/spoiler] but imagine that Jason had heard the conversation about the calf. It sure would look like Willie had been the person who'd done this.
A great episode!!
Alondra
