Fashion notes first . . .
Rachel's blue and green dress. It's exceptionally frivolous, but becoming, which is fine, because God knows this woman is never going to get anywhere on her brains, so whatever the character can do to capitalize on her physical appearance is probably a good thing. Still, not really crazy about the blue and green combination.
Her nightgown, however, is another story. Can we say brazen hussy? (I have this really sick feeling that I'm going to be sympathizing an awful lot with Minerva in episodes to come).
Marie Wallace loses in the wardrobe sweepstakes again. I do believe she's stuck in the rusty black for most of her time as Crazy Jenny.
I've already commented on the interesting choice in mourning Judith made for the day after she inherited the loot. The coral ensemble is quite pretty, but she should be in deepest black for months, so it's got to translate to a "ding dong the witch is dead and I have inherited it all!!!"
Really do not care for Angelique's purple and red bib dress. Two colors that do not combine well and overall effect was not flattering. And she still has the Nellie Oleson/modified Mary Pickford curls going on.
Onto the show . . .
The reading of the will scenes are among some of my personal favorites. Judith is having the time of her life and her bitchiness as well as that of her brothers makes for hugely enjoyable television. The combined age of the performers was well over a hundred, but there are moments when they're like children squabbling over a toy.
Bennett, Edmonds, Selby and Karlen were all
superb. Lots of mudslinging back and forth. So many great lines, but this is one of my favorites:
Quentin: When you're done with the staff, perhaps we could all go upstairs and watch you write a check.
Hehe
Meanwhile, lest we get too much of a good thing and get spoiled, we have Rachel the pathological governess, who is bound and determined to poke her nose where it so plainly doesn't belong. I've been desperately trying to come up with a rationale for this character's behavior and all I can come up with is that she, like Catherine Morland, has read one too many gothic romances and feels she needs to be at the center of the drama.
I dunno. This is so poorly written that it's the best I can do. Why is she so damn hipped on who or what is utilizing a space? It's like watching a younger and prettier Gladys Kravitz trying to figure out what Samantha and Darren are up to. Yeesh.
Lordy, I want a job like Rachel's. Does this chick ever actually work? And then she goes and tells Beth she wants to be friends. Ha! Rachel, hon, you could get frostbite just from standing next to Beth, she doesn't want to be your friend. Give it up and admit you're a snoop.
And after Edward gives her a dressing down, she goes upstairs for the third time! This time, swiping a key!
The other stellar employee of the Collins family, Dirk "I'm a stud even if no one knows it" Wilkins needs to get over himself. Dirk, we're all impressed you actually have gainful employment, you're never going to convince us you actually deserve it, so spare us please.
I almost felt sorry for Judith when Nora was confronting her. Obviously Judith and Edward need to get their lies straight.
Anachronism police: Raggedy Ann isn't around in 1897. Also that 8 x 10 photo of Edward had much too much of a 20th century quality to it.
See the point, Rachel, is not whether or not you saw the lights. The point is that this has become the abiding concern of your life. You're not bloody Nancy Drew. Woohoo, Judith delivers the smackdown to Rachel at least three times!!!
A nice scene between Bennett and Wallace. The latter had the whole crazed psycho thing going on and Bennett did terror pretty well.
Meanwhile the drip decides to go out for a walk in the middle of the night after telling her employer she's not good at math?? Goes traipsing off to meet Barnabas--my God, back then that was probably enough to brand her a whore (well, not the math part
)
Hmm, well, that was interesting. Judith pre Rachel's night stroll was nasty. Post walk she's positively gregarious. I've seen these repeatedly and it finally dawned on me that she was keeping Rachel in place so they could move Jenny.
Excuse me? Since when did Angelique care two cents for David? Would that have been when she struck him mute? Or when she snapped at him for barging in? As far as I could see the only basis for affection the two shared was that she bought him a weapon. Warms the cockles of my heart no end. Go and sell it somewhere else, sister.
I really am not a huge fan of the Barnabas/Angelique scenes. Even when they're written well (and this one was not), both the characters are so screwed up that their scenes never make much sense to me. I spend half my time going "the hell?" at their various justifications and skewed views of reality that it's rather like watching a foreign film without the subtitles.
I realize I skipped over a whole mess of stuff, but I was flagging and needed my sleep
Luciaphil
