Discuss - Ep #0738

[Watching Project]

Robservations #738

[Midnite]

From the voiceover:  ...Knowing that when the fire is out, there is nothing left for her but eternal darkness.

So, it's possible to prevent Laura from ever coming back again?  Or does "eternal" have a different meaning for a Phoenix than it does for you or me?

A couple of things are very different in the opener from the way they played out at the end of the last ep.  The first is that Dirk found Laura pacing instead of lying on the floor unconscious.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say the change was because, in #737, Diana Millay appeared hurt by the way Roger roughly picked her up off the floor, or by the way he roughly carried her, or by the way he roughly placed her on the bed.  Or all of the above.  Anyway, in the previous ep she looked a little shaken and was touching and rubbing her neck after he moved her, the poor thing.

The second difference is that in #737 (as directed by DC), Laura lost consciousness and Dirk awakened her by frantically repeating, "Laura!"  It seemed odd because until this point he always referred to her as Mrs. Collins.  In the restaging (by Kaplan), she passed out and he awakened her by chanting to Amon Ra.  It makes more sense, too, that he was able to rouse her supernaturally.  Now I get that RD was improvising the first time because he forgot what he was supposed to say!

[For fans of 24] the following takes place at 3:00 a.m. or later, tick tick tick...  And no one at Collinwood seems the worse for wear!

Why didn't it occur to Jamison before that he can boss the servants around?

Dirk's expression when he's summoning the scarab from the fire is just too funny!!

A couple of Laura's better entrance lines--
The poor lady never felt better.

  and later--

Did I hear you say something about bitter medicine?

This one made me LOL--
Charity:  Oh Barnabas, please, make me happy.

It's not easy to distract me from Quentin, but I learned that a bouncing boom mic behind his head does the trick.

Finally, are we supposed to believe that with all the lookalikes that Barnabas has encountered through 3 different centuries, he meets a woman with the same name as one who died more than 100 years before and he automatically assumes she's the same person? 

[MagnusTrask]

Finally, are we supposed to believe that with all the lookalikes that Barnabas has encountered through 3 different centuries, he meets a woman with the same name as one who died more than 100 years before and he automatically assumes she's the same person? 

Why yes, yes we are!

[Midnite]

Why yes, yes we are!

Augh, I say!  AUGH!!!

[Pansity]

Good point about the differences between the end of 737 and this teaser. I went back and looked, and saw the same thing about Diana Millay.  RD strikes again!

I wondered the same thing about Jamison. Since everyone had originally assumed Edward would get it all, wouldn't he have been grooming his son to be the MASTER OF COLLINWOOD?  One wouldn't think Quentin would have to point out that fact about the servants; matter of fact a servant should have been the one to have gotten the news about the fire and roused the family (most likely the butler that should have been there, but whom we never see). And given the attitudes of the Gilded Age, and Edward's pomposity, one would think he would have taken out a front page notice in the times that his  brother was a werewolf before any of the family would have sullied themselves by opening their own front door.

Oh, that scene with Charity.  Even for Quentin the bullshit quotient was waaay over the top.    I was waiting for his nose to start growing.  Anyone figure out why they set up the marks so he was staring into the mirror while he was giving his monologue?  Seems an odd thing to do during a conversation, since the mirror didn't change the action one way or another.

Charity sure was addicted to Barnabas very fast wasn't she.  Back to the Victorian analogy of sex with vampire bite.  Rather kinky about her wanting no will of her own.

I almost missed that bouncing boom mike 

OOH that was evil ragging HER about carrying on with "one of the servants". And what does he call what HE'S doing? 

Interesting how Barn reacts to the lookalike, as you pointed out.  And its not like Laura is a very uncommon name, either.   Guess we should be glad he didn't do that when he met Rachel.

Jeannie

[Midnite]

Anyone figure out why they set up the marks so he was staring into the mirror while he was giving his monologue?  Seems an odd thing to do during a conversation, since the mirror didn't change the action one way or another.

Maybe the director thought it was a good idea since Quentin was being all self-examiney.  (I'm aware that's not a real word.)

OOH that was evil ragging HER about carrying on with "one of the servants". And what does he call what HE'S doing?

Getting some local action? 

[Pansity]

Making up words can be FUN!     

And as to Quentin and the local talent ....     

Jeannie

[alwaysdavid]

The restaging of the scene was one of the more noticable ones and it makes sense the way RD throws people around.
Charity reminded me of Carolyn in HODS.  I wonder if the writers were doing a dress rehersal for the film as it apparently was in the works at this time since Dan Curtis has been learning how to direct at this time. Maybe they liked the interacintoin between the two actors and now that they are not cousins are really playing up the sexuality of the relationship.

[Joeytrom]

I never understood why he was so alarmed about seeing Laura.  Obviously she was there originally and the family continued to the present time.  It made no sense for Barnabas to feel he had to interfere at all to protect the family.

He intentionally distracts himself from his purpose of being there by involving himself in things not connected to Quentin & David in the present.  Its like he forgets for a while his mission.

For all it's flaws, the 1840 storyline was mostly free of Barnabas interfering with events as they happened.

Finally, are we supposed to believe that with all the lookalikes that Barnabas has encountered through 3 different centuries, he meets a woman with the same name as one who died more than 100 years before and he automatically assumes she's the same person? 

[Pansity]

He intentionally distracts himself from his purpose of being there by involving himself in things not connected to Quentin & David in the present.  Its like he forgets for a while his mission.

I just got this terrible mental image of Barnabas, and Dr. Lang's tape recorder.  "Your mission, should you decide to accept it....."

(Sorry, it was one of THOSE days at work today.)

Jeannie

[EmeraldRose]

LOL, Jeannie! DS Meets M:I. 

Very romantic scenes between Barnabas and Charity, especially when she said, "Make me happy," and Barnabas said, "I will," and then he bites her again! Sizzling hot! 

Finally, are we supposed to believe that with all the lookalikes that Barnabas has encountered through 3 different centuries, he meets a woman with the same name as one who died more than 100 years before and he automatically assumes she's the same person? 

Why yes, yes we are!

Augh, I say!  AUGH!

LOL!

I like the way the scenes with Dirk and Laura played out at the beginning of this ep. It makes more sense that Dirk would rouse Laura with the incantation.

A couple of milestones: This was when Barnabas met Laura. Also, this was the first time that Jamison got angry with Quentin.

Yes, indeed, it was quite odd that Barnabas would assume that the Laura she knew over 100 years ago was the same one in 1897. Maybe part of Barnabas' supernatural powers makes it so he can know when he's seeing someone he saw before, and who is also a supernatural creature. It takes one to know one!?

It's understandable to me that Jamison would get angry, since Quentin had just tried to kill Jamison's mother. 

The closing credits went by very slowly 

----- Sally -----

[Lydia]

I loved the horrified look on Charity's face when Quentin was talking about the dreadful things he had done.

It's interesting how, when Barnabas bit Carolyn, she went from warm-hearted to cold, but when he bit Charity, she went from cold to warm-hearted.  By the way, I can't remember whether or not Angelique ever throws a jealous fit over Charity in 1897, but if she doesn't, she certainly should.

The fight in the drawing room between Quentin and Laura was beautifully executed.  It was an awful shame that Dirk interfered.

I was a little dubious when I read in Pansity's post that Laura wasn't an uncommon name.  I don't remember seeing Laura much in older names.  So I checked the web and found it was the feminine of the Latin name Laurus, and that in the 9th century St. Laura, a Spanish nun, was thrown by Moors into a vat of molten lead.  I feel sorry for the lady, but at the same time I wish I could have seen that dramatized on Dark Shadows.

[Midnite]

By the way, I can't remember whether or not Angelique ever throws a jealous fit over Charity in 1897, but if she doesn't, she certainly should.

I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts after you've watched the next ep.

[Lydia]

It's nice to know the writers listen to me.