the conclusion of the burke devlin plot

[michael c]

last night i rewatched the episodes that conclude the whole burke devlin revenge against the collins family storyline(around eps. 200).

for the monumental buildup this plot received(it was the program's pivotal conflict for nearly a year)it goes out with more of a whimper than a bang.

after the laura collins storyline this gets hastily wrapped up in just a few episodes.it's almost something of an afterthought.

not only does the plotline as a whole sort of fizzle but it's "big reveal" ends up not even being the pivotal point of the episode(ep. 201).

burke and sam storm collinwood and force roger to admit his guilt in the manslaughter incident but then burke essentially lets roger off the hook and vows never to mention the whole thing ever again.that's sort of it.this action only lasts about the episode's first ten minutes before the emphasis abruptly shifts the the jason mcquire plot and the cast changes.

suddenly jason,david,vicki and carolyn are driving the episode and the huge devlin scene is almost forgotten.it's also somewhat notable that this episode has a rather large number of characters(eight as opposed to the usual five/six).

anyways for all the buildup i'm always struck by how this storyline just sort of flatlines.it's just about a week before the barnabas introduction and my impression of it is that the producers knew that the show was about to be going in a radically different direction and just wanted to wrap this up as quickly as possible so that the characters' emphasis could shift.

from this moment on several characters defining qualities wiill be radically different.

[Gerard]

It did come to a sudden, crashing end with the revelation, but then again, what would Burke accomplish if he pursued making Roger pay for what had happened?  Burke was now getting involved with Vicki who was already pretty much a part of the family, he had a fondess for David and what benefit would there be by harming him, and he developed a certain respect for Elizabeth who had suffered enough.  Burke was wealthy already, building it up after his release from prison, so an estate and businesses more in his pocket would accomplish nothing in that area since he was richer than the Collinses.

Still, it would've been nice if he would have made Roger pay in some way, such as making him dress up in one of Mrs. Johnson's outfits and forcing him to go to the Blue Whale or the Collinsport Diner and apply for a job just for the enjoyment of the humiliation.

Gerard

[michael c]

i hear what you're saying about burke but i think in terms of writing and plot development this comes across as something of an anticlimax after all the buildup it received.

it was a HUGE storyline and then it's over in half an episode.

again i just think the producers wanted this out of the way so the barnabas storyline could get underway unimpeded with too many dangling plot threads.

i suppose we should be glad that they took the time to wrap this plot up at all considering the show's other big mystery at it's outset...that of victoria's parentage...goes unanswered.

[Gothick]

All excellent points, msc.  It is certainly interesting that the sidelining of what had been a major pivot of the plotline takes place fairly well in advance of Barn's arrival.

For me, the episode that cinches it that we're now in a very different world is when Liz wants to invite a married Vicki and Burke to occupy the West Wing of Collinwood.  Roger, of course, is appalled, but the scene where this plays out is very much just a sidebar to whatever is happening with Barnabas, Julia, and Woodard ...

G.

[Joeytrom]

I am surprised they allowed the Liz/Jason story to run along with Barnabas' arrival.  I guess they couldn't do that in the span of a couple of weeks.

The period between Laura's last appearance and Barnabas' release from the chained coffin is an interesting one though.  It is like a regular soap opera as it was in the beginning for this month.

[Gothick]

I actually think the interweaving of Barnabas' introduction and early storyline, and the Jason story, works really well.

Both are predators, both charming in their way.  The contrast is that everyone in the family is well aware that Jason is bad news, an unscrupulous, scheming rogue, with a "winner take all" plan that is gradually revealed.  Whereas everyone in the family is fooled by Barn's "charming cousin from England" act.

I would write more about this but am less than stellar today... just wanted to put it out there that the counterpoint between these two stories gives an extra interest to that period of the series, in my own opinion...

G.

[Zahir]

Gotta say I agree that the whole Burke's Revenge storyline fizzled rather than ended.  I'm not saying it was unbelievable that Burke decided to let Roger off with the humiliation of admitting his guilt before others, but the actual execution was abrupt to say the least.

[Gothick]

Burke did have a wonderful closing salvo, if I remember correctly:  he said to Roger something along the lines of:  "People like you rot wherever you are."  And Roger just had to sit and take it.  quite a galling put-down.

G.

[michael c]

from this point onward roger is written as much less of a weasel. by late 1967 he can be referred to as one of the "beloved" stalwart characters as the monster-of-the-week situation begins to take root.

gothick if nothing else this week or so of episode introduces us to one of my favorite(and i'm sure your)day players the lovely MRS. portia fitzsimmons.

i say MRS. because she's quite emphatic about it. she corrects sam a number of times when he mistakenly refers to her as "miss". i'm not sure why the writers made a point of this but it's just one of those amusing throwaway details that make the show such fun.

boy does this (fur clad!)diva make an entrance! she saunters into chez evans like she owns the place. the swagger! the audacity! the nerve!

great fun.

[Joeytrom]

Too bad they couldn't keep Mrs. Portia Fitzsimmons around somehow. 

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Doesn't Mitch Ryan leave shortly after this episode?  I really can't remember to be honest.  That's why I'm asking.

But, if that's the case, I would assume that the writers wanted to wrap up the plot quickly so that Ryan could play out his character to an end.  I  never saw Anthony George playing the same Devlin that Ryan played.  Ryan's character was outright vicious whereas George's was much more laid-back and less likely to fly off the handle.  With George in the role, I could never see the Burke-Roger plot continuing the way it had in the first year of the show.  

[Midnite]

Doesn't Mitch Ryan leave shortly after this episode? ...
if that's the case, I would assume that the writers wanted to wrap up the plot quickly so that Ryan could play out his character to an end.

Burke got his long-awaited moment in #201, when the story shifted from Roger's secret to Liz's.  Barnabas was released in #210, yet Mitch Ryan's final appearance wasn't until #248.

There wasn't a conscious effort to match the Burke stories to the actors playing him since MR wasn't phased out-- he was fired.

[Joeytrom]

In the episode where Roger & Burke are searching the woods for Jason McGuire, Burke (played by Anthony George) brings up being in prison for 5 years on the manslaughter charge.

[michael c]

yes from what i understand ryan's departure was very abrupt.

it certainly wasn't planned on or written into the scripts. it's something of a coincidence that his big storyline was wrapped up shorty before he ended up leaving the series and it ended up going in an entirely different direction with a different actor playing a somewhat repositioned burke.

what's intersting to ponder is that as the show's original lead ryan probably had a long-term contract. had he not left abruptly and been replaced by an actor who only signed on short term the character of burke devlin(and various incarnations for ryan during the time travel storylines)might have been with the series for many more years.

from what i've come to understand before it became clear that barnabas was such a runaway success on the program the original intent was for burke(played by ryan)and doctor woodard to kill him after his thirteen week run. we know how that ended up being played out.

[michael c]

incidentally there is a rather odd episode(i forget which number)immediately after ryan's departure but before anthony george had been cast where there was no time to rewrite the scripts so burke's lines were given to joe haskell and joel crothers played the scene.

it's during the buzz plot and vicki and joe are at the blue whale. it sort of has an odd tone(why is vicki hanging out alone with joe at the blue whale?)until you know the backstory.