Idle Thoughts--S is for Snob 5/23

[Luciaphile]

Fashion notes first (sorry, these are very sparse today) . . .

As a general rule, I'm not big on orange.  Maybe it has something to do with my childhood or my mother (who really, really, loves it).  I dunno.  I don't like it.  This would explain why I had such a negative reaction when Hilde on "Trading Spaces" painted some shelving traffic-cone orange and nailed it around a home owner's room as a baseboard and then wanted to dye the rug the identical color.  Wrong show, I know, but I just feel the need to explain that I strongly, really, and truly am not a big fan of orange.  

Which would be why I think Roger needs to take that orange tweed jacket (and the turtleneck that shows up later) throw it, Cassandra's butterfly robe, all of Julia's suits, and most of Vicki's clothes onto the driveway and after emptying the entire contents of three Quaker State containers of motor oil, drop a match and run.


Liz in the lime green.  It's not a bad look on her, but with Cassandra donning the same shade in the same episode . . . there needs to be a rule here.  One day-glo outfit per show and only one actress gets to wear it.  In this case, it's Joan who needed not to be in the bright color, Parker as Cassandra owned the fluorescent shades.  No question.  Sorry, Joan.  

Julia's dress for episode #2.  I really less than thrilled with this.  The colors are too dark and the plaid is therefore kind of nasty.  Maybe it's how it looks on TV, but not a fan.  And the bow.  What is this?  Was Grayson feeling left out because she didn't have enough hair to wear a bow too, so as a consolation prize they affixed one to her dress?  Yecch.

Last but not least, I must address the attire of the newlyweds at home.  The opening shot was like something out of a bad magazine ad.  "When the idle rich are enjoying a quiet moment in front of the fire, they do it with Remy Martin."  Seriously though, Roger is like batting zero for me today and I usually think he's one of the better dressed mail characters.  The ascot was way too much and the smoking jacket just left me cold.  Cassandra's butterfly robe . . . I'm sorry, I know it has its fan base (a devoted one too!), but it just scares me.  I mean it's like an acid trip gone horribly wrong and it brings back memories of big bold seventies type fabrics and wallpaper and oh God, please just burn it now.  

Onto the show . . .

You know, for all I make fun of this show and as much as I detest the Eric Lang character, I do really like 1968.  It's never dull.  Great, fun clothes, some fun characters, and there's always something to say about it.

Maybe Barnabas just never paid any attention to food before.  I mean like ever, in his entire life, even when he was human.  This would explain the fact that all he had to offer his guests at his costume party was a measly bowl of claret cup (so like, ritzy punch).  I say this because the prop people were just so not on the job here.  They couldn't even come up with a couple of covered dishes to imply that they were feeding poor Adam something more than a cup of icky looking soup.  

Barnabas the teacher.  Now I realize it was too much to ask to have him and Julia raiding David's bookshelves for readers or picture books, but ahem, as an educated man, he should know (and the writers should know) that, "learn" does not mean "try."  And I really don't know that it's valid to blame immortality on not being a good teacher.  It might have something to do with not being perceptive or not being patient, but to say that I can't teach because I've expected everyone to know how to do everything for so long is decidedly stupid.  

I hate to keep harping on poor Adam, but couldn't they at least give the guy a blanket that doesn't look like it's been in the trunk of somebody's car for the past ten years?

And now we come to my beloved Roger and his son David (who is not so beloved, at least by me).  I never cease to be amazed that Roger allows David to keep his knife.  After seeing what his son could do to his brakes, I would think he'd want to keep any sharp objects away from the child, but no, he's all smiles and paternal smug, "how nice, son, now go play in traffic."

Very nice scene, btw, between Edmonds and Frid.  Liked the dialogue and specifically Roger's line about the "reminds me of someone I used to know" excuse being pretty lame.  And very nice slam back with the "I know Elizabeth rules the roost here" implication.  

Back to David.  I loved the David/Adam scene.  I know it owes something to the James Whale version of "Frankenstein," but Henesy did such a nice job here.

I find it singularly amusing that David and Barnabas both instantly do the math and realize that Roger + Firearm=Very, very bad idea.  Also find it significant that David runs not to his father's arms, but into Barnabas'.  

Apparently Roger's competitive instincts were aroused, because he does a fine job of vying with his cousin for "worst father of the year" award.  First he doesn't spend two seconds making sure his kid is all right, but instead runs off into the woods with his gun.  Then after realizing that this course of action is going nowhere fast, he's returned home.  Okay, totally get the calling the cops.  Even get the snide comments about Patterson (who on occasion makes Chief O'Hara look like Samuel Gerard).  But does he go upstairs to check up on his kid?  Hell, no.  He goes straight into the drawing room to get a drink.  

I'm not impressed here.  

Regarding the surprise that everyone seems to have about Barnabas' success with calming Adam.  I don't get it.  In their shoes, I would probably be questioning why Adam said "Barnabas" to Elizabeth, but the rest of it . . . isn't that sort of a basic psychological technique?  Adopt calming and soothing tones and assure the person in question that no one's going to hurt them?  

Rainey already raised this on the Current Talk board, but I remember the first time I saw this that my jaw pretty much hit the floor when Roger succinctly informed his wife that well, Adam was obviously "lower class" on the basis that he was "grotesque."  The pompous factor shot through the roof there and I think we can pretty much assume that if (and this is a very iffy if) Cassandra was sleeping with Roger, she wasn't after that little idiotic and incredibly snobbish remark.  God knows, I wouldn't be.

Really enjoyed the Julia/Barnabas dialogue apres gunshot.  Why couldn't they write Julia like this all the time?  Cool, collected, and intelligent.  It is so much more watchable then when they're all running around going "the sky is falling! What do we do now?"  And going to wholeheartedly vote with her first assumption about why Adam escaped; Roger probably is a dreadful shot.

Btw, kudos too, have got to go to Robert Rodan who really does some nice work here.  

That's all for today!
Luciaphil