I apologize for the absence. It's been a combination of summer, work and the reading I'm doing for my YA class. There's been some real life stuff too.
Anyhow.
Fashion notes first . . .
Poor Lara Parker. After Cassandra's multitude of attractive clothes, she gets stuck in a handful of godawful ensembles the likes of which I really don't want to see again. Is this part of the character's punishment? Being forced to wear the ruffled cocktail dress from hell? Or is this what happens when La Bennett is coming back from v-kay and wants the wardrobe goodies back where they belong? I want to know
The brown suit of Mr. Collins needs to go. It is just too shiny and too icky for words.
Joe's windbreaker matches the blue candles at the Old House (not a criticism, merely a comment).
This is not going to be a fun-filled, sarcastic commentary. So if you're looking for that, maybe you ought to back right out of this one. I may have some acerbic things to say, but I think I'm going to get serious here . . .
Onto the show.
Oh. My. God. I tell you, I sat down and actually watched today's episodes and it was just sickening. And no, it wasn't the clothes (although the ruffled dress was pretty bad). It was the absolute absence of any kind of human decency in this plot.
I've seen this part of DS before. Maybe it's because I haven't really been watching the show in the past two weeks and I happened to sit down and watch it today. Hell, maybe it's something else in my life. Wouldn't be the first time.
It's not just that these characters are too damn dumb to live. I'm used to that.
I think it's John Karlen's fault. He was the shining light in these two episodes. He was playing the only character with any humanity today (except for Crothers but he's not really involved with the Experiment so he doesn't count).
I like to think that there are some things in life that are too morally abhorrent to contemplate, let alone do. I also like to think that if you're back is up against the wall and someone is telling you to do these things, what you need to do is to say no.
You say no and then you come up with a better choice.
Has Adam really got Barnabas and Julia with their backs to the wall? Um. No. There are alternatives here. Barnabas is just too damn stupid and self-involved to even bother to look for them and Julia is mired in some kind of sick dependency kick to grow a spine.
In fact, let's talk about Julia. WTF is she still doing in town? Is this supposed to be like a battered woman thing? Or having killed someone has she just lost it? She's obviously feeling guilt, but there's nothing beside that.
"I no longer know what's right or wrong. I only know what is necessary."
That pretty much sums up Julia. What kills me is that this is not necessary. And that it's the character's bloody business as a doctor and as a human being to relearn just what the hell is right and wrong.
She knows better.
Maybe it's because we've left Campy and gone into some sort of weird amalgam of
Weird Tales and Frankenstein and Karlen just did his job too well on those days.
An aside to all of the fanfic writers out there who have this burning desire to give Barnabas and/or Julia children. This episode is an object lesson as to why that is a really, really bad idea.
In a way, Karlen made watching this bearable and in a way he highlighted what is so discomforting to me about Barnabas and Julia. Barnabas keeps getting creepier and creepier (and he hasn't hit bottom yet).
Willie, the ex-con, is the only one who sees just how wrong all of this is.
Why do they need Willie? Barnabas got them into this mess. You'd think he could dig his own damn graves.
What a disgusting thing to do to Willie and to Maggie by threatening her (although Barnabas will get worse on this score.
And lastly, Barnabas has dug himself into his own private hell. Julia's stupid enough to stick around--why does he feel the need to drag Willie into it as well?
Karlen--he was absolutely right on target with the part, the lines, the horror, the resignation, the despair.
Crothers is another one who really did a superb job. I have to admit I kept hoping that he would just dismiss Angelique as the freak that she is and run out of there, but then we wouldn't get to see him doing some of the best acting he did on the show.
In reference to Joe, "I have the feeling something strange is going on." An ex-vampire is planning to put together dead body parts and he thinks that something strange is going on . . . things that make you go hmmm.
Someday I'd like to see (I know this will never happen, but I can dream, can't I?) just maybe to see someone just be sick. You know with like the flu or a cold. Honest-to-God sick. In Collinsport. With maybe some snow or rain.
Sorry this is so dark a commentary . . . it just was something that I had to say.
Luciaphil