Discuss - Ep #0793

[Watching Project]

Robservations #793

[Pansity]

Opening with the same scene with the scarf and the poppet.  Is it me, or are they reusing the doll with the tricorn  hat that she used for Barnabas?  I really like Angie’s dress.  I don’t think we ever see it again, either.

Ah, we haven’t seen Beth in a long while.  Apparently she’s been there (though not on screen)  and is in the loop, since Edward refers to Judith being “worse”.  This infers Beth’s witnessed Judith’s decline from the beginning. She seems to be back on the payroll again, too, as he wants her to go with him to take Judith to Portland to Rushmore Sanitarium.  She seems really shocked by the mention of a sanitarium (I’d think so, since they were so careful NOT to take Jenny to one to hide their deep dark secret of insanity in the family – now after a short time they’re carting Judith off).  Considering the reputation of mental hospitals at the time (which has been pretty well covered in various topics about Jenny), I can’t say I blame her.  

At least she’s back to being Beth with a backbone   (and she actually used the servants staircase for a change).  She stands her ground politely but very firmly when Edward wants her to NOT go Quentin hunting. (Note that it was a request “may I ask” not the order that one would usually give an employee.) Apparently there’s an unspoken understanding that there’s something between Quentin and Beth, else Edward would  have dug in his heels and made it an order.  Or questioned why she was taking it on herself to see to the well being of a grown man with no ties to her.  Both Edward and Judith, no matter what they know or guess, treat her with respect, so apparently Beth is not thought of as another one of Quentin's doxies (poxie doxies?   ) He’s also straight to the point about it just being Quentin’s niormal carousing, “one of his sprees”  and he’ll come back when he’s done.  “Unfortunately, he always does.” LOL nice line there for LE, reminds me of the wonderfully dry, snarky GOOD lines he used to get as Roger.

The undone Aristede, lying on the ground where Angie left him is now roused by a mysterious pair of feet.  Said feet are attached to a nasty, domineering character, connected somehow to the mysterious hand – our first introduction to Victor Fenn-Gibbons.

Quentin in the canopy chair, and Beth comes in the unlocked as normal door, looking for Barnabas.   Quentin gets up and she screams.  She still has a brain, she recognizes the voice!  FINALLY , SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN!!!  

Ego, thy name is Quentin. “I’d rather die than look like this the rest of my life.” Life is tough, get over it. Though, on the flip side, he wants Beth to leave and forget about him, for her own good.   He’s done some growing up.  He’s thinking of someone besides himself here, as he needs every bit of help he can get from everyone.  It’s against his best interests to try and convince someone who helps him so much to leave. Yet he’s trying to get her away, because there’s no future for her with him.   Bless her, she stands her ground and tells him she won’t, and they can find a way out.  There’s very mixed emotions here. She holds him like she’d like nothing more than to protect him from all this. It’s like he doesn’t understand how she can accept him, when he can’t accept himself, and doesn’t feel he’s worth her putting herself in danger for.  Even the hesitation before he hugs her fits into this.  He wants the comfort and caring, but doesn’t feel he’s worth it.  

Edward picks the WORST time to distrust someone.  The audience knows Ang is trying to help, but all Edward sees is that as Barn’s fiancé Ang  -- by his calculation – HAD to know everything about him, including where he is now.  VERY nice performance -- actually a performance within a performance -- that LP gives as she relates to Edward her version of what happened with Barnabas.  VERY nicely played;  bits of business, gestures.  Perfect.  

Ang has brought Edward around, but now we have the arrival of Victor Fenn-Gibbons, with a letter of introduction from Edward’s friend the Earl of Hampshire.   Oopsie – Angie walks out of the room with the hand in hand (so to speak).   As soon as Angie makes for the door with the box, we see the kindly mask drop, and the look of pure fury cross Fenn-Gibbons face.

We get some information here that Fenn-Gibbons claims to have served with Kitchener in the Sudan, his rasping voice a souvenir of a wound he received.  History buff that I am, I only have the vaguest memory of Kitchener and Africa. So I got nosy.   Here's a wikipedia entry about him.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Kitchener,_1st_Earl_Kitchener
Looking at this, my guess is that FG is claiming to have served with him in the early 1880s.

Cut to The Old House, with Angie and the hand joining Quentin and Beth.  Beth is skeptical, apparently no one filled her in on the hand.  Angie for some reason doesn’t even want him to open the box and show it to Beth.  Is her explanation of being afraid of what it will do her real reason?  Or is something else going on?  Most of the characters have opened the box and looked at the thing with no ill effects – or maybe Ang is afraid it will go at Q again. Beth keeps asking questions, intelligent ones.  Ang makes her leave because the ceremony must be only between her and Quentin.  Wonder if that’s true, or whether she just doesn’t like Beth’s questioning -- and the fact that Beth feels she has the right to question this on Quentin's behalf.  Beth doesn’t want to go, but Quentin finally talks her into it.  She gives Ang quite a look before she leaves,  I don’t think she trusts her.  Hmm, does she have any idea about Ang’s real origins?  Maybe the audience is supposed to assume Quentin filled her in way back when?

Hmm, Edward was shooing Beth off to bed at 9PM because they were to leave with Judith at sunup, yet here he is with Fenn-Gibbons as the clock strikes 11.

Oh, now we have it: why Ang. wants Beth out and away.  Her price.  She wants Quentin to marry her.  This girl just doesn’t learn – blackmailing men into marrying her is NOT going to make them love her.   Slime – his immediate reaction is why would you want to marry me, knowing what I am. (Didn't stop Beth, did it, dingdong? Speaking of whom, note that he mentions NOTHING about that as a reason he can't marry Ang. Double slime.   Question arises of which one of them he thinks he’s going to be BSing – maybe both of them (and as we find later, this little promise has BIG repercussions down the road.)

The ceremony begins.   Oh dear, think she’s over her head with this one.  The hand is getting out of her control – and it wen’t straight for Quentin.   Oh, this is bad, she doesn’t know what to do to stop it, and is as close to panic as we’ve ever seen her.  His transformation pains are starting, without the full moon.   And he transforms.  Angie seems rather calm considering she has no special protection to keep the wolf from ripping her up.  Now we see that this little debacle has a witness: Fenn-Gibbons staring through the window.

Jeannie

[MagnusTrask]

I love V F-G seeing Ang with the box!

[alwaysdavid]

I imagine Trask is relishing in the circumstances that Judith will find herself in at Rushmore.  Edward seems to be acting as though he were in charge.  Where is Trask? 
What would possess Angelique to marry Quentin?  His looks?  To try to make Barnabas jealous?  There should be some kind of motivation. Considering how she has gone through the centuries reminding Barnabas that she is his wife,  she should take her marriage vows more seriously, but then they have parted in death several times so maybe she feels it's over.   Victor is disturbingly creepy.

[EmeraldRose]

Major Milestones:
1. First appearance of Thayer David as Victor Fenn-Gibbon, when it was revealed that Victor was Aristede's "master". Victor introduced himself to Edward as Victor Fenn-Gibbons.
2. First time the Earl of Hampshire was mentioned.
3. First time Beth saw Quentin with his deformed face.
4. Angelique did a very convincing acting performance on Edward when she lied that she was Barnabas's victim, just as Charity was.
5. Angelique tried to use the Hand to help Quentin get his gorgeous face back and possibly end the curse. Before doing so, she made a deal with Quentin that he would marry her.
6. Beth was back onscreen, and was apparently on the Collins payroll again because Edward wanted her to accompany him and Judith when they were to leave at dawn to take Judith to be committed.
7. First mention of Rushmore Sanitarium, where Judith was going.

It was nice to see Beth again. Terry Crawford had an even longer "vacation" than David Selby did. I just checked: her break lasted 12 episodes, and his break lasted 11 episodes. Only one day longer? Gosh, I thought it was a longer break than that!

I felt sorry for Quentin when he was sitting in the shadows in that chair, hiding from Beth. He hated the way he looked. Although Beth was scared of him at first, she said she wanted to support him. Very sweet exchange between them.

I love Victor's poodle wig!

I think it's rather amusing that Angelique wanted to trade one supernatural creature (Barnabas, the Vampire that she created) for another supernatural creature (Quentin, the Werewolf).

The ending was really exciting!   I'm surprised that this wasn't a Friday show. Angelique tried to use her powers to make the Hand do her bidding, but the Hand had a mind of its own and went for Quentin's chest again! It changed him into a werewolf, even though it wasn't a full moon, and Angelique was powerless to stop it! We saw Quentin's hand change into the Werewolf's hand, and Victor watching from the window! Then... my favorite background music was on again! Bum... Bum... Bummmm! Ooh! Love it!

----- Sally -----

[Midnite]

Aristede to Angelique:  "Let me breathe."
As mentioned before, if you're not able to breathe then you're not able to talk.

Beth told Edward that Quentin hadn't been home since the night before, and soon after Quentin tells her, "There was a full moon again last night. ... When the dawn came, I made the transformation. To this."  This indicates that the following occurred between daybreak and 11 p.m., at the most a period of 18 hours:

• MORNING:  Edward witnessed Quentin's transformation and followed Judith to the cemetery where she was possessed by Minerva, Evan's face reverted and Judith attacked him at Collinwood, Gregory and Evan hatched their plot.
• EVENING: Gregory visited Evan, Edward urged Greg to get an annulment, Evan conjured a version of Minerva to stalk Judith and Greg locked Judith in her room.
• NIGHT:  Magda visited the jail and Barnabas set Quentin's escape in motion, Magda visited Judith, Quentin found himself at Collinwood but was chased away, Evan arrived with papers and Judith was convinced to sign them, Minerva was dismissed, Judith was taken to the tower room, Gregory and then Quentin visited Evan, Aristede showed up, Quentin summoned Angelique at the Old House, Angie visited Evan, Angie tricked Aristede.
• 9 PM:  Beth found Quentin, Edward invited Angelique and Victor to stay at Collinwood.
• 11 PM:  Angelique brought the hand to the Old House.

Whoa!  And it means that Judith went from distracted to psychotic break in the same day.  Pretty wild, huh?

We also learn in this ep that Angelique's last name is DuVal.

What would possess Angelique to marry Quentin?  His looks?  To try to make Barnabas jealous?  There should be some kind of motivation. Considering how she has gone through the centuries reminding Barnabas that she is his wife,  she should take her marriage vows more seriously

Good point about her vows.  In time, Angelique does reveal her reason for wanting Quentin-- reasons, actually.

they were so careful NOT to take Jenny to one to hide their deep dark secret of insanity in the family – now after a short time they’re carting Judith off).  Considering the reputation of mental hospitals at the time (which has been pretty well covered in various topics about Jenny), I can’t say I blame her.

Wouldn't Jenny have been sent to an [insane] asylum?  I could be wrong, but I thought a sanitarium in those days referred to a specialized hospital.  Maybe the family could say that Judith took Carl's death very hard so she checked herself in at the sanitarium to get some much-needed rest, whereas it would be more difficult to explain Jenny's prolonged stay at an asylum.

(and she actually used the servants staircase for a change).

Beth's room has always been beyond that entrance under the staircase.  

Terry Crawford had an even longer "vacation" than David Selby did. I just checked: her break lasted 12 episodes, and his break lasted 11 episodes. Only one day longer? Gosh, I thought it was a longer break than that!

Wait, wasn't #771 her last ep before this?  That's 22 eps.

[EmeraldRose]

Oops! My bad! You're right, Midnite, it was 22 episodes. I was off by 10. So Terry Crawford's "vacation" was twice as long as David Selby's! I knew it was a long time!

----- Sally -----

[Lydia]

I found this episode very satisfying.  The Hand made such a nice hocus-pocus focus of everybody's energy.  The beginning scene, cut off from the complete scene of yesterday, was pleasing.  Back in the 1980s I watched Falcon Crest once or twice - just for the fun of trying to figure out what was going on.  It wouldn't have been any fun, I figured, if I watched it more often.  I remember watching an episode and, about half an hour in, determining, with great triumph, that a certain girl and a certain guy must be boyfriend and girlfriend - and then at the end of the episode I realized that the girl was the guy's aunt!  That's sort of how I felt about today's first scene - what fun it would be to watch it, knowing nothing about Dark Shadows, and to see this lovely young woman strangling this lovely young man via remote control and demanding THE HAND!

When Angelique told Quentin yesterday that he might as well accept her terms because things couldn't get much worse for him, I was thinking: "Ha!  Angelique can always make things worse for anybody!"  And now here she is roping Quentin into marriage, and we know what an insanely jealous wife she can be.  I'd rather be a werewolf with a Play-Doh human face than married to Angelique.  But I suppose Quentin doesn't know that Barnabas was ever actually married to Angelique, so he wouldn't go to Barnabas and ask Barnabas for a rating (1 to 10) of Angelique as a wife.

Oh, gosh, Edward tells Angelique he won't be swayed by an emotional display, and then she proceeds to sway him with an emotional display.  I'd love to be married to Edward; I could get away with anything.

We get some information here that Fenn-Gibbons claims to have served with Kitchener in the Sudan, his rasping voice a souvenir of a wound he received.  History buff that I am, I only have the vaguest memory of Kitchener and Africa. So I got nosy.   Here's a wikipedia entry about him. ... Looking at this, my guess is that FG is claiming to have served with him in the early 1880s.

Yeah, the mention of the Sudan had my ears pricking because this summer I started reading The River War, Winston Churchill's account of Kitchener's progress up the Nile to defeat the Sudanese.  Alas, Churchill had a few too many laundry lists of which regiment was where at what time, so I gave up.  But the Sudanese effort started in 1896 according to Wikipedia (one of the other aspects of The River War that I disliked was a paucity of dates, so I couldn't be bothered to check Churchill today), and Fenn-Gibbons does say Sudan and not Egypt, so I'd say Edward could have figured out that Fenn-Gibbons was lying if he hadn't been so impressed by the letter from the Earl of Hampshire.  Yes indeed, marriage to Edward would have been a breeze.

[MagnusTrask]

(1)

hocus-pocus focus

(2)

what fun it would be to watch it, knowing nothing about Dark Shadows, and to see this lovely young woman strangling this lovely young man via remote control and demanding THE HAND!

(3)

"Ha!  Angelique can always make things worse for anybody!"

(4)

 I'd rather be a werewolf with a Play-Doh human face than married to Angelique.

(1) That's a fun record.  It's going through my head now, thanks to you.

(2) That would rope me into DS forever.  But would it be a fun date?

(3) I near-LOLed.

(4) I LOLed.

I saw a Charlton Heston movie about the Kitchener-Sudan days.  It wasn't helpful.

[IluvBarnabas]

Edward wasn't totally wrong about Angelique...she DID know what Barnabas was, she should since she is the reason he is what he is! But I am surprised it never occured to Edward before Angelique's performance that she COULD have been Barnabas' victim, just as Charity was.

Typical Angelique. She leaves Barnabas out to dry so she can carry out her own plans. But then should we expect any differently?

Edward sounded like Joshua when he said he would not be taken in by emotion. I remember Joshua saying something similar to Angelique back in 1795 after Barnabas 'died'. However, he DID respond to Angelique's performance and allowed her to come back. Joshua never yielded in his disdain for Angelique. That's the difference between Edward and Joshua.

I don't see how Edward and Judith ever respected Beth...Judith was very cold to her when giving her her pink slip after [spoiler] Jenny's death [/spoiler] and Edward wasn't exactly grateful or kind to her when [spoiler] Jenny tried to burn him to death in his bed, and Beth saved him. [/spoiler] They only tolerated Beth seeing as they needed her to help care for Jenny.

I think Angelique sent Beth out of the house because she didn't want her to know she intends to marry her man. That WOULD cause some discontent there.

When even Angelique can't control the hand, you know it's got power.