Fashion notes first . . .
Millay looks worse and worse in the blue and black number. The makeup, the bad dress and that very, very bad hair piece, it all adds up to a less than attractive picture. But then she's playing an aging tramp anyway so I suppose it works, but somehow I doubt there was that much thought put into her costume.
And in the slightly-slutty,-but-hasn't-quite-fallen yet category, we have Charity in a Quaker-gray ensemble with the demure Jane Eyre hair. The gloves are a nice touch, but I would have liked to have seen some attempt at accuracy. Women, even women on the verge of a sexual breakdown, did not go bareheaded. A hat would have been de rigeur.
After dressing Ms. Millay in the style of some of the better saloon gals on
Bonanza for weeks, evidently they decided to cut the actress a break and give her another outfit. As well-intentioned as this was, one could have wished for a better choice than that very . . . pink dress. When I say pink, that's pink. Little girl, ice cream 'n' ponies, hearts 'n' flowers pink. The kind of color best suited for babies and small children under the age of six. Not particularly flattering on grown women, who are playing characters of dubious virtue. I'm not wild about the cut either. The lace overlay reminds me of a tablecloth my mother has.
Did, however, care for th 1700s outfit though. Now that was much more flattering on her. And the hair was decent too.
So onto the shows . . .
Perhaps in anticipation of Laura's pink dress and the associations it provokes, Barnabas decided to act like the kid who does something he knows he's not supposed to do, hides and then seems surprised when he gets caught. Go Magda go 8-)
Barnabas really is the epitome of a bad manager. Not just a nasty man to work for, but also a guy who really cannot focus on priorities.
So now we switch to Laura in her new digs and find that Angelique left behind her arts and crafts projects when she left. Gee, all I got from the previous tenant at my last apartment was a garbage bag full of size six shoes and a box of photos of her and her boyfriend sans clothes. Before you all get excited and point out that some might find this a better haul than a voodoo doll, I wear size 8s and last tenant and boyfriend were rather unattractive people
As Magda did her little Tarot reading, I could not help but wish that the writers had opted for something a bit more accurate. I mean, I'm no expert, but the Death card doesn't necessarily mean Death.
"I'm far too old to trust first impressions completely." Give me a break. This from the man who is the past master at not seeing beyond appearances (Roxanne anyone?)
Anyhow, Laura. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. They had a nicely creepy backstory already established courtesy of the 1966 story. 1966 Laura came from a long-standing family of people who all died really scary deaths. Why not go with that? Instead she's this mysterious creature who told Edward she'd been to college. Please. Very few women attended college in those days and Laura doesn't exactly fit the mold in that department.
Really enjoyed Selby's performances for these episodes. And no, it wasn't just because Quentin was giving Barnabas grief.
I have to ask. Since when were telegrams sealed with sealing wax?
Watching Laura and Quentin bicker, not for the first time, it leaves me wondering just how long they lasted as a couple after they left town. I'm guessing they started out fooling around here and there behind Edward's back and it was loads o'fun. Besides the purely physical fun, I'm thinking there was entertainment for both on multiple levels. God knows, if ever a character looked like he'd be bad in bed, it's Edward. Quentin probably relished being a bad boy. Both were probably bored to death before the affair. Plus, there would be the satisfaction of pricking (metaphorically speaking) the balloon of Edward's smugness.
The thing with all of this is that they weren't spending oodles of uninterrupted time together so it didn't have much of a chance to get old. So they run off and then . . . and then it must have gotten old fast. I love Quentin, but he's not exactly long-term material and Laura probably shortened his shelf-life all on her own. Then you've got money troubles. So what? A month? Two months of travelling together? How long before they realized they were just as bored together as they were with their own spouses?
I do have to admit I get a kick out of Laura manipulating Dirk. God, he's such a schmuck.
Poor Charity. Barnabas isn't content with just sucking her blood and awakening her sexually, he's messing with her whole theological education
Um, Quentin, sweetie. Even with all the Collins' money and power, kind of hard to get a legal annulment after a couple of years. Divorce might be possible, but dunno about an annulment. What kind of grounds would he have? Do have to say I love Quentin's comments about women being attracted to Barnabas. Heh.
So how did the basket chair that was last seen in Edward's bedroom (when they were still doing a cock-eyed Jane Eyre, with Rachel in the title role and Edward pinch-hitting for Mr. Rochester) end up in the Old House? I mean, what did Edward do? Wake up one day and say, "I really don't care for this. I wonder if Cousin Barnabas could use it." Yeah. Sure.
These episodes were remarkably Laura-centric, but I have to say, she certainly can manipulate with the best of them. As sick as it was, tricking Jenny like that was pretty ingenuous.
Luciaphil
