Discuss - Ep #0761

Robservations #761

Dark Shadows truly did reach for the stars.  Another great installment!   I just wish they would have moved a little this way and that way without changing plot's so often.  I am over it though.  What will be will be! Did any of you guys keep diaries I have heard about before??  I have known one original fan who did this.

I like Evan's house a lot.  Very nice.  Is this a set that has been used before.  Or a mix of sets?  OOH Q has his shirt slightly unbuttoned. VERY SEXY!   Everything he does is sexy though! As Lara Parker once commented, "HAA is a handsome devil." He could have played the Devil incarnate, or Satan if they had chose to go that far! 

Great episode winding up the Laura plot! I also love to see Barney as the hero!

It was 1897 at it's best, that's for sure!  It just hangs together so well, and has so many level, layers and multidimensional characters.  LIke a Dickens novel at its best.

Ok, here's my take on this episode:  Selby voiceover. 

We pick up right after the fadeout of the last episode, with Barnabas and Edward coming to the rescue as the children are trapped in the burning room.  Kind of convenient isn’t it, that Edward listened to Barnabas and went for the axe, rather than ask  Barn why HE didn’t go do it?  Or maybe  we’re meant to think it works because Edward would know right where the tools are? In any case, it leaves  Barn free toi use his powers without any inconvenient witnesses.  Nicely done for the time blue screen effect showing us Barn  going invisible.

In this scene we see that Edward ,behind the Victorian stiff upper lip and no emotion  shown to the world,  really does care for the children and is terrified until he sees they’re all right.

We cut to The House by the Sea (cute in joke that Evan lives in what will be Nicky's house in the future), and Evan opening his own door to the once again drunk as the proverbial skunk Quentin.  Hmm funny that he should comment on how late it is, when you get the impression that he and Quentin are well accustomed to raising hell (perhaps even literally) together till all hours.

Mr. Entltlement really doesn’t get it yet.  Just because you NEED help doesn’t mean you can or will get it, expecially if you demand and make a pain of yourself in trying to get it.  On the other hand, he is making progress judging by the way he refers to “the guilt that comes after”.  This death seems to trouble him far more than Jenny’s did – at least before Magda added the curse.   One wonders whether his statement that “I’d rather die” than go through the transformation again (think this is the first time we hear him consider suicide) is drunken wallowing and histrionics or something he’s seriously thought out and only verbalized because he’s drunk.

Great scene with Barnabas and Edward after the Dr. has seen the kids and they’ve been put to bed.  We see that Edward sees a lot more than we’d expect, even in a panic situation.  He puts Barnabas on quite a spot there, wanting to know how he got in the room, and gives the impression that he’s  not going to be easy to fool.  Edged along a window ledge the length of the corridor, huh?  Wonder if Willie ever filled him in on Harry Houdini….  In any case, he did a neat job of turning things around so that Edward trusted him again.  But of course the next time something supernatural and spooky happens, it’ll be back to good old stolid Edward the unbeliever.

Hey didn’t Quentin sober up kind of quick?  He could barely walk and talk before, and how he’s back to normal.  And he seemed genuinely concerned about Jamison’s welfare when he stopped the boy from tellingl him how his mother died in flames.  Maybe empathy, since he himself saw two people die that way, and  we saw how horrified he was the last time it happened.  On the other hand, he could have been the one who would have been creeped out by hearing the details.

So now we’re going for the big guns, and going to try and summon the Devil and risk his price.  Interesting that Quentin is now willing to risk everything and pay any price, when he was so scared of angering the ancient angry gods with the earlier ceremony.

Poor Edward, you feel for him in this scene with Nora.  He’s worried about her, and wants to do something to help, but  seems out of his depth.  The way he explains the mother’s death makes me wonder how old he and Judith were when the parents died,  and whether they ended up having to help explain it to the little boys when still pretty young themselves.

Nice foreshadowing  with the scene on the phone with Trask.

I realy like the Quentin and Edward scene.  When told it’s a family matter, Quentin goes for the flip reply about not being  treated like a member of the family.   Instead of taking the bait, Edward is trying to be nice.  Of course Quentin’s immediate reaction is to wonder whether he feels all right.  Got to give Edward points for effort and continuing to try.  He wants to try and get things on a more even keel; but his unfortunate choice of the word “unnatural” makes  Quentin  “it’s all about MEEEEE” (as Midnite so aptly described him  in an earlier post) wonder what Edward knows about his little problem.  Poor Edward is very confused by Quentin’s reaction.

Hmm this time the ceremony isn’t at the cottage but at Hanley’s house.  Wonder where the “extravagant wife” is – or does Evan simply not care what she knows or guesses about his little hobby.

Quentin is scared to death, and as usual, is drowning it in as much alcohol as he can,  and hiding  behind sarcastic snarky remarks.  Does it strike anyone else as a bit odd that Q is still wearing his coat when they’ve been in the house a while from what Evan says.  HA always is wonderful at doing these rituals.  (And these invocations actually have internal logic!)

Quentin is getting more and more scared looking  as the ritual goes on, then passes out cold  when he sees the shape in the French doors  (I guess it beats brown trousers…..)

Jeannie

Why not enlist Angelique's help.  He has powerful evidence that she can gett what she wishes.
Wouldn't you think that Barnabas would have thought he'd need an alibi and thought it up already instead of on the spot.
As Edward talks you can see on Quentin's face that the rakish fellow has a capacity for introspection.
I also enjoyed the forshadowing of talking to Trask on the phone.
But how self centered of Quentin to think that the Devil has the time to take from his busy schedule to come to his aid.

I have to ask--

What good is a key on a slide latch?

On what planet is it a good idea to convince the children that the hag who died horribly in front of them was, in fact, their mother?

Another full moon is coming up already?

Edward to Quentin:  "I want to make certain that nothing as freakish and abnormal ever comes into our lives again."
Good luck with that.  Yeah.

I like Evan's house a lot.  Very nice.  Is this a set that has been used before.  Or a mix of sets?

I do too.  I see some of Lang's house in there, especially his lab, and that same foyer will be seen later in the storyline when Barnabas ends up in a doctor's office.  And the front doors were seen before, of course.

We cut to The House by the Sea (cute in joke that Evan lives in what will be Nicky's house in the future),

Save for those front doors (though the orientation of the entry is different), I guess I missed the connection between Nicholas' house by the sea and Evan's home.

As to Quentin sobering quickly, Evan mentioned getting Quentin cleaned up first (even a cold shower with Q sounds fun, no?) and he had to get himself out of that gorgeous green robe, then they had to take a carriage (?) to get up to Collinwood, so I think it could happen.  Come to think of it, Laura said something about having to finish by midnight, yet Quentin and Evan didn't arrive at the big house until 5 a.m., so who knows how much time has passed?

HA always is wonderful at doing these rituals.

Oh, so amazing.

Why not enlist Angelique's help.  He has powerful evidence that she can gett what she wishes.

Didn't she say she didn't want to get involved with the problems between Magda and Quentin and was only concerned with Barnabas?

Wouldn't you think that Barnabas would have thought he'd need an alibi and thought it up already instead of on the spot.

LOL  I'd be more inclined to accept that Laura was a creature of the supernatural before I'd believe that Barnabas used a 2nd floor ledge to get from one room to another, but that's me.

But how self centered of Quentin to think that the Devil has the time to take from his busy schedule to come to his aid.

Well, people pray to God to help them with their problems all the time.  I know the belief is that he's omnipresent, but still.

I find Evan's incantation fascinating and had to scribble it in shorthand, and here it is, with apologies if I misheard parts:

"Prince of Fire, hear my plea.
I call upon the flame to summon you.
I call upon the raven and the bat and all the dark creatures of nature,
upon the charred and blackened star that rained (reigned?) at your beginning
to draw you like a rising mist from out of the darkness of the earth.
Prince of Darkness, I summon you in the name of the seven plagues,
of thunderclouds that weep with nightshade,
in the name of every spirit that still bends against the rash of the wind
and cries out to you,
and the subterranean rivers of blood from which demons have drunk,
from the smoke of torment which rises forever and ever.
I evoke you.
Appear to us, Satan.  Appear to us, Satan.  Appear to us."

How unlucky for Evan that the french doors blew open.  The figure was played by Marc Ashton, if anybody cares about silly trivia.

I'd be more inclined to accept that Laura was a creature of the supernatural before I'd believe that Barnabas used a 2nd floor ledge to get from one room to another, but that's me.

   That's our Barnabas, a combination of Spiderman and Harry Houdini.

or Lucy Ricardo out on the apartment ledge in the Superman costume.....

Jeannie

Lucy Ricardo

For a peripheral second I thought I'd forgotten some minute DS character! 

 

I wish I could forget the mental image I have of Barnabas in the Superman suit out on the Collinwood ledge.....

 

Jeannie

I love silly trivia and wondered who the figure was played by! Thanks Midnite!

Or Barnabas scaling the walls of Collinwood with his batarang grappling hook?

You're welcome, Taeylor!

Midnite I am full of silly or as I say useless trivia.  When I and my brother and friends are watching Buffy/Angel I have loads to tell them such as inside stories, trivia, etc.  I have to shut myself up at times because I don't want to annoy people.  They told it was fine the other night and said it was all “intriguing”.  I was happy!   Sorry to get a bit off topic!! Keep the silly trivia coming Midnite!  I know a lot of DS but have learned some much more in my time spent here!

Milestones:

1. The first time Quentin mentioned suicide.
2. Jamison wanted to be Quentin's friend again.
3. Barnabas used his powers to save someone.
4. Quentin fainted!
5. Edward actually showed some genuine concern for Barnabas, and also tried to console Nora.

David Selby spoke the opening voiceover. He sounded great!

It was amusing to see Barnabas fumble for an explanation to Edward about how he got into the locked room. It was a very good one, too. It was great to see Barnabas come to the aid of Jamison and Nora. I agree, it was a great special effect when Barnabas disappeared.   Indeed, he was like Superman and Batman rolled into one!

I found the scenes between Jamison and Quentin very heart-warming. Quentin was genuinely concerned about Jamison, and wanted to spare him from having to explain what happened to his mother. They had a very good rapport with each other.

I felt sorry for poor Nora, grieving for her mother, and Edward telling her, essentially, to "get over it". Although Edward did show some concern for her, he blew it when he opened his mouth.  

I just loved Evan's incantation! Very chilling! HAA is really great in those scenes. It was comical to watch Quentin get more and more frightened as the ceremony went along, and faint when he saw the figure in the doorway!   That was really exciting! I was pretty scared, too, the first couple of times I saw this! Oh, and they played my favorite dramatic music again at the end! Ooh! Fabulous!   Then, it ran over, so there were no credits - just the Dan Curtis Productions screen! Fantastic!

Wonderful episode! This episode really confirms just how great 1897 is, and why it's my favorite storyline. Kudos to all!

----- Sally -----

It was amusing to see Barnabas fumble for an explanation to Edward about how he got into the locked room. It was a very good one, too.

The saving of the children and then the explanation were very uncomfortable to watch for me.  I don't know who here has seen 1897 before or not, so I'll just say that there are consequences.   When I try to imagine Barnabas creeping around what must have been an awfully long stretch of ledge at night, at the warp speed needed to do it in the time required, it seems unbelievable to me.   I don't blame Edward for being so skeptical that he apparently needs to put the matter out of mind just to go on functioning that night.

Milestones: ...

1. The first time Quentin mentioned suicide.

I'm sure you meant to say his own suicide.  He told a story about someone else's suicide.

Right, Midnite. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. It was the first time that Quentin mentioned that he wanted to commit suicide.    

----- Sally -----