Discuss - Ep #0963

[Watching Project]

Robservations #963

[MagnusTrask]

GH's VO analyzes Jeb a little, saying that he has to use zombies because he's unable to trust even one living person.   Very ordinary looking clothes on Megan now, and elaborate yet unattractive hair (to me).  I wonder if she needed to look that way on whatever job she was on, while gone from DS.

There seem to be trees now outside the Drawing Room window, whereas the last time it was illuminated by lightning out there, it was an open grassy slope.

It took Megan not time at all to die, presumably because she was almost on empty, already.   Is Liz reaching her limit?   Semi-dirty look from her at Jeb, after he tells her it's not her house.   What right does Barnabas have to stake Megan?   The only rationale would be that unlike other vampires, he finds ways to avoid killing people, but he can't say that right now....

You can't say nothing happens in this one.   Death of a major storyline character, vampifying of same, four or five zombies running amok in Collinwood.   On the amount of stuff going on meter, at least, this episode ranks highly.

[Lydia]

Very ordinary looking clothes on Megan now, and elaborate yet unattractive hair (to me).

When we saw Megan looking out the drawing room window, for a second or two she seemed very much like Vicky to me.

Is Liz reaching her limit?   Semi-dirty look from her at Jeb, after he tells her it's not her house.

Yes, that surprised me.  I thought her devotion to the Leviathan cause was limitless.  I guess Barnabas was wise, back in his own days of devotion, not to tell her what was planned for Carolyn.  And he's wise not to tell her now, because there's no knowing how she would take it.

Yesterday I noticed, but forgot to comment on, how young all the prospective zombies were, according to their tombstones.  The oldest was 42.  (Is that significant?)  Three of them died in the first quarter of 1970.  How did these relatively young men from a relatively small town all die in such a short space of time?  It couldn't have been childbirth.
　
Today it seemed to me that the zombies didn't fit their ages at death.  One, Emory Page, the big, bald, burly one, looked older than 38, which I think was his age at death.  The others looked younger than they should have.

Exit Megan the vampire victim.  I shall miss her very much.  Marie Wallace threw herself heart and soul and body into that role.  And enter Megan the vampire - though, to be precise, she exited the Old House living room.  Honestly, by now you'd think both Barnabas and Julia would know better than to leave a corpse alone, especially when it's a newly created vampire.  It wouldn't have been that hard for Julia to put together a makeshift cross while Barnabas was downstairs whittling a stake.

[Janet the Wicked]

Barnabas: Megan and I have had long talks.
Julia: What else have you had, Barnabas?
Whoa! Go, Julia! I almost fell off the barstool laughing at that one.

It’s probably a good thing that there is no glass in the Old House window panes. Otherwise, Barnabas would be steaming them up all the time while peering out of them, not to mention that nobody would be able to eavesdrop with any measure of success.

Stupidest question in this episode comes from Julia. “Where can we find a stake?”
Try the back yard. There’s a big old forest out there. And even so, somebody is always running around with a stake and hammer. She ought to know by now where they find them.

Why aren’t the Leviathans monitoring Jeb’s incompetent approach to be their ruler or whatever he’s supposed to be? Isn’t he just a wee bit emotional for the job? He’s acting like a kook.

[MagnusTrask]

Why aren’t the Leviathans monitoring Jeb’s incompetent approach to be their ruler or whatever he’s supposed to be? Isn’t he just a wee bit emotional for the job? He’s acting like a kook.

During that brief period early on in life when I could work, I remember working best without someone looking over my shoulder.   Most employers won't buy it when you say you're better off without supervision, but maybe Jeb made a really good case to OberHaza and the Star Wars Emperor.   Needless to say, though, in reality he's running amok like a witless demonic Jerry Lewis right now....

[Janet the Wicked]

Perfect analogy, oh holy one.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Barnabas: Megan and I have had long talks.
Julia: What else have you had, Barnabas?
Whoa! Go, Julia! I almost fell off the barstool laughing at that one.

Yes, I love that too. Julia really knows how to zing Barnabas. But then, she knows him so well and there are very few things that he can put over on her. Though that rarely ever does her much good...

[Taeylor Collins]

I like Jeb’s bell bottoms.  I was excited when bell bottoms made a comeback. I loved rummaging through thrift stores for authentic ones!   Anyhoo….

The first zombie couldn't get the plastic bag off his head.  Darn, I hate when that happens.   LOL These guy’s apparently were not buried deep.   Some of the zombies are pretty creepy!

Grayson’s hair is growing --I look forward to the end result!

I like this episode a lot as I find it very creepy with zombies, the lighting  etc.

I wonder why Jeb doesn't just tell Elizabitch about Baney??

Well the afghan has made another appearance!

Barnabas seems to have premonition or prescience powers??  Perhaps it comes with his new Leviathan vampiric abilities??  Is it feasible that the Leviathan curse of the vampire is even worse than Angie's vampire curse??  B always looks so creepy in the window!

I love Megan's green eye shadow and as I have said before I love how she MW plays Megan under the influence of  Barnabas!

I wonder why Elizabitch is being nice to Julia!?  Great shot of Barney going in for the bite!  OOH  I love the music that plays after Julia tells B Megan is dead.

LOL! One can hear Christopher P. say his lines before it's time and I don't think in this instance it's the bleeding effect!

These zombies don't seem quite as smart as Sheriff Davenport!  The scene with them walking into Collinwood is quite haunting!  “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Poor Julia got the smack down!

[loril54]

I also loved the way that Julia Zings Barnabas. As its been said before they are like a married couple w/o benefits.

With Barnabas zapping people while Julia is try to cure him, the serum might not work. So Barnabas didn't take her warning. She shouldn't take the lose.

[Midnite]

When I saw this ep for the first time in 1997, it was a little jarring since SciFi/Syfy jumped from 960 to this one.  The previous cliffhanger had Davenport aiming his gun at Chris, and you didn't know how Megan got to be in such bad shape, or what set Jeb off this time.  And it seemed there were 5 zombies serving him instead of 4.  But I had the Dominion BBoards to tell me that not only had SF done this with the previous airing, but I would get to see the skipped eps soon.  And yes, fans made calls and sent emails, but SF just pointed the finger at Pierson, who was also informed of the mistake, and the result was that in 2000... the same damn thing happened again.

Pennock didn't read his incantation from the teleprompter, and I'm guessing that's why the second one was different.  (Of course, watching it years ago on cable meant this wasn't so obvious.)

Giving credit where credit is due--
Thomas Findley, with one white eye, was played by James Shannon, who was an extra several times before on DS.
John Hart, whose face had begun to decay (or the undertaker was asleep on the job), was played by actor/stuntman/stunt coordinator Cliff Cudney.  Cudney did the driving in the chase scene in The French Connection.  And remember the 70s commercials with Uni, Roy, and Al?  He was Al.
Amos Ross, who wore a tie and had hair, was played by Paul Geier.   Law & Order, and L&O: SVU fans might recognize him.  Or not.
Emory Pace/Page, the big guy, was played by Chuck Morgan.  Poor guy had to turn over to stand up.  Anyway, maybe it was his resemblance to Tor Johnson, who got zombified in Plan 9 From Outer Space, that got him his second gig as a zombie pre-1840; remember when he had to stop rampaging to remove the cloth that had fallen on his face?

The 5 new souls promised to the god of the underworld do not include Maggie.  Interesting.  Roger, Carolyn and the kids were accounted for, but where the heck was Willie?  And Mrs. Johnson?

Barnabas:  "Do you think I did this by choice?"
Julia:  "No, Barnabas, I know you did not."
Um, I do.  But at least he didn't blame Willie for not being there.
...
Barnabas:  "Why didn't she go back to Collinwood? Why did I panic? Perhaps I would have died and this would all be over."
Blood-lust is fatal?  Wait, how exactly does a vampire die anyway?

The others looked younger than they should have.

I think the crew realized that too and that's why their hair was sprayed silver or white.  The result looked like prematurely grey dead men.

Exit Megan the vampire victim.  I shall miss her very much.  Marie Wallace threw herself heart and soul and body into that role.

I agree.  She was amazing!

[Midnite]

Very ordinary looking clothes on Megan now, and elaborate yet unattractive hair (to me).

You mean with it half piled on top of her head and the rest of it loose?  What a gorgeous head of hair!  I think I saw a braid, so that may be the only hairpiece that she wore.  The experts here might know if that was all hers.

I wonder if she needed to look that way on whatever job she was on, while gone from DS.

MT, it might make you sad to learn that she spent the time away from DS at her husband's side.  She wrote about it in On Stage and In Shadows:

As grim as things were at Collinwood, it was an even sadder period in my real life. Dear Greg had a heart attack while I was playing Megan, and it became a very intense time. On the days I taped, I couldn't visit him until after the show. As soon as I could get out of the studio, I'd hop in a cab and race over to the hospital on the other side of town and spend the rest of the evening with him.

She goes on to tell a heartbreaking story about rushing over to calm him after his doctor phoned her at the studio because he apparently hallucinated that she'd been injured in a car accident.    She was doing Somerset when he was discharged, and I think he passed away not long after that-- at home, with her at his side.

[Taeylor Collins]

Bless dear Marie's heart!  I have to get that book when I am able to afford it.

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks for that, Midnite.  Words fail...