Discuss - Ep #0064

[Watching Project]

Robservations #64

[MagnusTrask]

When Liz goes to open the Drawing Room window, there's a stagehand standing right there, on her right!  (As you look out the window.)   But I don't have to tell you, you all just saw it!   We see a bit of him crossing the screen behind Liz a few minutes earlier, too.   I guess he thought he needed to be there, maybe to open the window if it got stuck?   Later at the sheriff's office, George's shadow is moving, when he isn't...

Matthew tries to strangle Burke in public, in the bar!   Good problem-solving!   ***  Sheriff Patterson thinks Matthew works a farm for the Collinses....

[IluvBarnabas]

Matthew's loyalty to Elizabeth is admirable in itself, but the way he goes about it is really screwy. It never occures to him that his attacking Burke (or worse) won't create more problems for her down the line? If he had ended up killing Burke, might there not be some suspicion that Elizabeth or Roger might have put Matthew up to it?

I can't say that I blame Burke for being pissed off with Matthew for trying to attack him, but Burke should have known better to say he's gonna do this or that to Elizabeth and the rest of the family when he should know from their last encounter that Matthew isn't going to take anyone threatening the family, especially the mistress of the house, lying down.

I say Burke had some nerve hinting out loud to the sheriff's face that he believes Sheriff Patterson is bought and paid for by the Collinses, which I don't feel is true. If it was, I think the sheriff would have thrown the book at him and skipped the lecture with Matthew. I think the sheriff is trying to as fair as he can.

[DarkLady]

Sheriff Patterson thinks Matthew works a farm for the Collinses....

I think this is the only mention of a home farm at Collinwood. Imagine Matthew doing all the farm work in addition to keeping the drawing-room fireplace stocked with logs! I hope he's well paid.

Sheriff Patterson escorts Burke and Matthew out of the Blue Whale. Andy, the ever-silent bartender, shakes his head in disgust, no doubt delighted to get that tiny bit of business at last, after sixty-three episodes of just standing behind the bar.

[Lydia]

Matthew's loyalty to Elizabeth is admirable in itself, but the way he goes about it is really screwy. It never occures to him that his attacking Burke (or worse) won't create more problems for her down the line? If he had ended up killing Burke, might there not be some suspicion that Elizabeth or Roger might have put Matthew up to it?

From Matthew's point of view, the Collinses lived problem-free in the ten years between when Burke went to jail and Burke came back.  Now that Burke's back, the Collinses have problems aplenty.  Take Burke out of the situation, and the problems disappear.  QED.  And Matthew figures all he has to do is tell the sheriff Mrs. Stoddard didn't have nothin' to do with it, and the sheriff will believe him, because Matthew wouldn't lie.  And if the sheriff doesn't believe him and makes trouble for the Mrs. Stoddard, Matthew will kill him.  Life is simple when you're Matthew Morgan.

I was looking for an explanation of just how it came about that Sheriff Patterson came flying into the Blue Whale in time to tear Matthew off of Burke, but didn't get one.

I think this is the only mention of a home farm at Collinwood. Imagine Matthew doing all the farm work in addition to keeping the drawing-room fireplace stocked with logs! I hope he's well paid.

Yes, in the first week - episode 2, I think - Elizabeth said they had a man to do the heavy work, but if Matthew's taking care of the farm, I don't think she described his job fully.  I was wondering about the size and location of the farm.  At this point Collinwood is still described as the house on Widows Hill.  How big is the hill?  And what do they grow?  I'm happily imagining Elizabeth going out to pick some corn for dinner in the summertime, and coming back with leaves in her hair, but she'd have to walk a bit of a ways to get to the cornfield (cornfield...hmm...) because we've seen the front of Collinwood and we've seen the back, and there's no sign of a farm.

[DarkLady]

I agree that's a nice thought, Lydia. I've always thought Widows' Hill is a huge promontory of some sort, with the Great House at the very top, and the Old House a little ways down the hill, but still facing the sea. Why the original builders didn't pick the highest ground has always been a mystery to me. Maybe the very top of the hill had a lot of boulders, and they didn't get the technology (or the slave labor) to remove them until later. Anyway, I'm sure the farm was a discreet distance away. But it's nice to imagine they had their own vegetable garden, at least. Maybe Elizabeth did some gardening in her spare time--when she wasn't working on her concert=level Chopin repertoire.   

[Janet the Wicked]

Ah. Nice surprise ending there.  (Burke showing up at Collinwood.)

[alwaysdavid]

I would guess that the original Collinwood would have been built close to the water for traveling as there would have been no roads.  They would have most likely gotten their land from a land grant or bought it from someone who did.  I'm pretty sure it was still the Massachusetts Bay Colony in those days.  They would need enough land to be able to grown enough food to feed themselves and probably the town once they founded it. 
Elizabeth gets a personal call from  Patterson to warn her of Burke's wrath and she warns Carolyn of Burke's intentions.  Burke is sent to his room by Patterson.

[DarkLady]

Burke is sent to his room by Patterson.