Discuss - Ep #0206

[Lydia]

Robservations #206

[Lydia]

We open with Elizabeth buffing her nails - or filing her nails - or doing something to her nails.  All I ever do to my own nails is clip them, so I don't know the correct verb for what she was doing.  And then she put on her earrings.  I just love watching Elizabeth doing stuff like this, because with Joan Bennett it's the real thing, and it's outside of my world so it's sort of exotic.

John Karlen's Willie is quite different from James Hall's Willie: smarter and less slimy.  I had trouble putting Jason together with Hall's Willie, but not with Karlen's Willie.  And that makes Karlen's Willie less interesting, but far pleasanter to watch.  I love the way Karlen runs so familiarly across the landing and down the stairs to the foyer.

I was surprised when Vicky reminded Burke that he and Elizabeth were enemies, and then I remembered that Vicky wasn't present when Burke let Roger off the hook.  But then Burke acknowledged that he and Elizabeth were indeed enemies, which surprised me.  Management can try to keep the Collins vs. Devlin tension alive, but it isn't worth much anymore.

[IluvBarnabas]

Yay! John Karlen is here!

With all due respect to James Hall, the REAL Willie Loomis has arrived.

I wouldn't say that Karlen's version of Willie is less interesting than Hall's Willie. He just portrays him in a more quiet, sinister like quality. Willie is still an obnoxious jerk though. He was just begging Burke to knock his lights out.

Elizabeth says it's good for her to have houseguests....I know Jason makes her feel trapped into a corner, but she's not doing anyone, including herself, any favors trying to downplay Willie's violent behavior. The more she does this, the more likely that everyone is going to get even more suspicious and I know that isn't what she wants, or Jason either for that matter.

I like that Burke wants to help Elizabeth, the remark about them still being enemies nonewithstanding. Burke has a gasp on the situation, Jason DOES have a hold on her, no matter what she says otherwise, the same way that Burke, in a way, had a hold on Roger over the manslaughter mess. The difference between Burke and Jason is that Burke wasn't interesting in draining Roger out of as much money as he can, he just wanted to right the wrong that was done to him. Jason is actually the one who is doing wrong to Elizabeth....[spoiler] his hold over Elizabeth was actually one, big, fat, bluff...she never even killed Paul Stoddard at all. [/spoiler]

[Janet the Wicked]

John with that Southern accent. I’m not sure what James Hall’s Willie accent was supposed to be, and who knows what TPTB told JK about the character, but I am ever so glad the accent doesn’t last and we are soon regaled with John’s own Brooklynese inflection.

 
“A good heart and a good conscience are the only jewels worth having.”

“Judge not lest ye be judged.”

Isn’t Mrs. J just full of aphorisms today?

[DarkLady]

WELCOME JOHN KARLEN!

Loved loved loved the scene with Willie and Mrs. Johnson. It was fabulously well acted--and presumably on JK's first day in front of the camera. One of the best scenes in the whole show.

I had to laugh at JK's attempt at a southern accent, which he dropped very soon. And I like his quieter, more concentrated, coiled-spring portrayal of Willie. He was much scarier than James Hall.

And yes, the scene with Vicki and Elizabeth was also terrific. You really do get the feeling that we are seeing Elizabeth's morning toilette as she performs it every day--hair, nails, makeup all perfect, accompanied by her cup of coffee. Her bedroom is nice too, large and graciously appointed, all in impeccable taste.

[Watching Project]

The Robservations caps for this ep have been posted. 

[MagnusTrask]

Last time Karlen was an anticlimax for me, but this time, Karlen seems just as potentially scary as Hall, with the added benefit that you sense that there's interesting stuff going on beneath the surface.   I said Hall's acting was good, but now I think that it was good for portraying some typical dime-a-dozen repellant punk, with notrhing else going on inside.   If James Hall's version of Willie had come and gone from Collinsport in a matter of a few days, I'd have said he did a perfectly good job.   You need Karlen for a three dimensional character, though.

One handicap for the viewer may be that we didn't see Karlen nearly raping Carolyn, so Karlen can't compete with Hall in meanness in our minds, even though JK might have acted it better.

The Barnabas portrait has a pinhead....No redo scene where we can compare the two Willie actors, as I was expecting.   Is Mrs. Johnson down to one paycheck now?   

Liz should be on her knees begging Burke's forgiveness on behalf of the family, now.   She should be inviting him to dinner, and giving him a better seat than Roger.   She should be racking her brain trying to come up with adequate ways of making it all up to Burke.   Maybe Liz is still reeling at the thought that anyone would dare compete freely with her in the sardine business.

Schizoid Burke: "If anyone does her [Liz] in, I want it to be me."   Lame.   How about, "Vicki might get hurt."?

[IluvBarnabas]

One handicap for the viewer may be that we didn't see Karlen nearly raping Carolyn, so Karlen can't compete with Hall in meanness in our minds.

I'd wait until the next episode before making that judgment.

[alwaysdavid]

A double image of Vickie in Elizabeth's vanity mirror. The resemblance between mrs Stoddard and her governess is very noticeable today in their close proximity to one another.  New Willie pumps Mrs J. For information and she is willing to tell all.