Discuss - Ep #0679

[Watching Project]

Robservations #679

[Lydia]

This is a Sam Hall episode.  I knew it when Maggie and David talked about Maggie "dealing" with David.

Suddenly David and Amy are good-hearted, innocent children, who wouldn't hurt a fly.  They have no malicious feelings along the lines of, "It was fun scaring Mrs. Johnson.  I hope Quentin will let us do that instead of hurting Chris."

David mentioned that he and Amy had agreed to do whatever Quentin asked.  I wish we had seen them in the act of making that agreement, thinking that anything Quentin - nice, kind Quentin! - wanted would be always be good.

Joan Bennett had trouble with her lines today, but she had some nice body language as Elizabeth walked across the foyer to talk with Maggie, after Amy had gone upstairs to talk with David.  I don't think she exactly shrugged, but that was the feeling she gave.  The conversation between Elizabeth and Maggie was interesting: I think it's the first we've seen between them since Maggie was hired at Liz's behest.  Clearly Liz has no second thoughts about the matter now that she has thrown off the burial alive spell.  It was strange, though, to see her talking about David the way she did.  She dealt with David very seriously a couple of years ago, and now she's handing the job over to Maggie.

[alwaysdavid]

Considering David's past behavior, Liz should be more concerned by his present actions, but she lways seems to be a bit of a head in the sand person until she absolutely has to face up so a situation. 
I like how the tension is building in the succession of episodes where everyone(but Liz) is slowly realizing that there is something going on with the children and that the children themselves are beginning to realize that things are spinning out of control.

[EmeraldRose]

Joan Bennett had trouble with her lines today...

I noticed that, too, Lydia. Once again, Elizabeth wore that pretty green dress that I love. Her hair was pretty, too. JB was a very classy, beautiful lady.

It was wonderful to see David and Amy banding together to make a deal with Quentin that he would not hurt Chris. They were just innocent children at that point. 

Maggie was being brave (as DS ingenues were) to follow David into the West Wing. She looked really pretty in that dress with her hair back, and I love the long necklace.

I noticed another "coat discrepancy" again. At the end of the previous episode, Amy was wearing her green coat. However, at the beginning of this episode, she was not wearing the coat. By the way, I love Amy's green dress and coat, too.

Another thing I noticed is that David's hair was swept down over his right eye at the end of the last episode, but it was combed back away from his forehead in this episode. It's hard to say what "look" I like better, but I think I'm a little partial to the "swept away from the forehead" look. He was really growing into a handsome young man.

It was really exciting when Amy started to tell Elizabeth what was going on. Unfortunately, Quentin appeared to her and scared her into silence.  It's really thrilling to watch the kids get in over their heads with Quentin.

----- Sally -----

[Midnite]

Speaking of Joan Bennett's hair in these eps, I can't decide if the entire back part (that curls under at the bottom) is a wiglet or her natural hair.  It looks like a perfect match to her hairline, but I'm leaning toward it being a hairpiece.  mscbryk, what do you think?

[michael c]

midnite thanks so much for thinking about me...

i watched the episode in question and unfortunately my hairpiece detecting prowess could not come up with a definitive conclusion.it could be a piece.it's so neat,so tidy,but i can't be sure.

with the quentin storyline however liz make the decisive move from beehive to pageboy.

included in dvd collection twelve(which this episode is on)the collector's postcard is a picture of liz(wearing this hairdo)and maggie at collinwood.i wonder if this was from a series of early 1969 publicity shots generated to "introduce" maggie as collinwood governess.

[Midnite]

it's so neat,so tidy,

Exactly!  Thank you for your insight.  It's too bad we'll never know for sure, sigh.

[Gothick]

I'm pretty sure this was a hairpiece.  We can ask Taeylor to have a look at some point.  He used to be a hairdresser.

MSC, there is a whole series of those shots from the day when that postcard was taken.  Several images from that series are in the first KLS book, My DS Scrapbook Memories, a volume I cherish for the candid series of Thayer David and the ravishing shot of Joan and Grayson in their chic mourning mini-skirts.

Apparently Ben Martin used to just drop in at the set and snap photos.  I don't think these were originally meant to be used for publicity.  There are a bunch from 1897 that were done for the gum cards.

cheers, G.

[Roland]

My favorite line is when Elizabeth says something to the effect that David has to be shown the difference between reality and all those other fantasy items like "witches, giants and ghosts."  This from a woman who until recently was suffering under the spell of a witch, watched as the governess in her employ suddenly vanished into thin air, and was chased though the woods by a creature wearing a man's clothes! 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The DS characters all suffer from selective memory. 

[MagnusTrask]

I do wonder how real people would react long term to knowing the supernatural is real.   Some obviously would be just fine with it, those who believe already, but for the rest of us, how would it change us?   Some would go into a deep denial, thiking that they are just not going to let their families and lives turn into a weird sort of Halloween existence.   Rich families with ideas about their own importance might do that more than others.

I wonder often what it might really feel like, to find out that, say, aliens or the supernatural are real.   It wouldn't be like a TV show.   Would real life feel less real from then on?