Idle Thoughts--Reunited and It Feels So Bad (4/18/03)

Fashion notes first . . .

Overall, I'm so not impressed.

Carolyn, in particular, is not coming across as well as she should. The makeup for starters. Nancy Barrett is fair skinned to begin with. Between, the ultra pale pancake, the heavy mascara, and the pale eye shadow, she's got this "I just went up for an audition for a remake of Carnival of Souls" look going on and it's not working for me. That and the hair. I realize long straightish hair parted in the middle was fashionable, but it's not a good look on her. Combined with that lilac dress with the oversized collar and the Little Orphan Annie buttons down the front, it just drags her down. And btw, before I forget, Wordy McWord about that ticky-tacky dime store pentagram. Yuck. I know five-year-olds who would turn their noses up at that.

And to my disappointment, La Bennett wasn't much better. Not a fan of the helmet hair. Did like the tweed coat though. And to whoever's idea it was to have her keep the black leather gloves on, brownie points. Nice touch.

Be still my beating heart. Grayson Hall got a decent and relatively attractive dress. Nice shade of blue and a good cut for her too. Hair looked good. Overall, a thumbs up.

Onto the shows . . .

Let me be blunt. I don't like Paul. Not a bit. He's slick as hell, and I dislike him intensely. I really do. Now Jason, Jason was worse in a way, but he had the charm thing going on (and that brogue that helped a lot), but I think because nothing in the plot ever really required me to sympathize with the guy, I didn't mind so much. Paul, I get the distinct feeling, we're supposed to care about. Or at least what happens to him. Not happening for me.

This is not criticism. I think, actually, it's a credit to the late Dennis Patrick that he managed to take two characters with many of the same traits and still made them so distinct.

Anyhow back to Mr. Slick. Well, it's too bad he's got these freaky things happening to him and all and maybe Jason did present him with an altered version of events (which I doubt, but let's give him the benefit thereof), but none of that changes the facts:

1. He was planning to abandon his wife and infant daughter.
2. If I read the scene from 1948 correctly, there was a definite subtext of violence between him and his wife.
3. Not only was he planning to take off and leave, he was stealing from his kid as he did it.

I very much enjoyed the Liz/Paul set-to, although the purist in me would have liked it more if Bennett hadn't been reading so much from the teleprompter. But still. They didn't often let her stretch her characterization of Elizabeth post-1967 so this was very welcome. Like Steve, it does make you wonder about their marriage. What I particularly liked here was how the gloves were off--on both sides. Gotta think there was a lot of passion and hurt here at one point (which is brought home beautifully in a couple of days during another Elizabeth/Paul scene that I look forward to 

A couple days ago, I posted somethings about Carolyn that were kind of blunt. A friend of mine here gave me another perspective on the Carolyn/Paul relationship and it's made me appreciate this part of the plot a lot more.

The superficial view of the plot is that she's acting like a spoiled brat. But as I consider the context, it makes a lot of sense.

She's grown up completely fatherless. Her mother refused to talk to her about Paul. No photos. No mention of the guy. Bad enough. Because her mother was reclusive, Carolyn found herself singled out (speaking here of early 1966 references to being made fun of by local children). So isolation and Princess in the Tower theme going on. When her mother finally does talk about Paul, it's absolutely brutal--honest perhaps, but brutal: your father was a nasty piece of work/didn't want you/didn't care about you. Carolyn can't take it. The fact that she is desperate enough to believe what Jason tells her kind of says a lot.

At this point in the plot, she's opted out of a traditional marriage (Joe). She's been involved with a string of angry and/or troubled men (Burke, Tony, and Chris). And that's not working out either. I think the fact that the character is getting older is significant here. (Maybe I'm being too generous, but this sudden and hitherto non-existent mention of charity committee work was interesting). Carolyn's in search of some kind of a role, some kind of a niche.

That explains, I believe, this business about "working" at the antique shop. A job, which let's face it, is a dead-ender if ever we saw one.

And I think it explains why she's so willing to believe Paul.  He's come into the picture at a time and a place in her life and presented her with a situation where she's primed and ready to respond. And that's why I don't have a lot of sympathy with Daddy there and his troubles. He's partly the reason why his daughter is in such a state and he's taking advantage of her all the same.

As for Mr. Strake, well, I'm agog. The Leviathans recruited from life insurance salesman! Who knew? I mean, I looked at the guy in his 1940s splendor and his cheery bonhomie and it was like I could see it now: the Leviathans infiltrated the Dale Carnegie organization and their minions were fruitful and multiplied 

Ah....idle thoughts from Luciaphil......my day is made.

While we're beating up on Carolyn's appearance, can I ask about the eyebrows?  Is it just me or are they thick enough to be moustaches?  Ick.

Yep, Paul's a bastard alright.  But notice how he's already in a world of trouble....unlike Jason, who got away with his smarmy crap for ages before Barney dispatched him.  I'm not sure what to attribute that rapid pacing to....things don't usually move that quickly around Collinsport.

  Luciaphil!

rainey

She's back!!

I was always amazed at the same actor coming back to play Paul.  While they clearly recycle everyone, since Jason and Paul were good friends and were at Collinwood together, the fact that the same person would portray both seemed incredible.  Yet, he really did differentiate them.  I suppose the hair, etc. make a difference, and it's been quite a while since we saw Jason, but Paul really does seem like another person, so, as you mentioned, that's quite a tribute to Dennis.

Carolyn's behavior seems rather believable.  What surprises me is her mother.  Carolyn could go in either direction--either hate him for abandoning them and not being around her whole life--or, oh my! he's my father and wanting to love him.  After he explained away her iniitial objections, she's clearly going the second way.  That should also be quite apparent to her mother.  Liz is presumably smart enough to realize how Carolyn is reacting and that her antagonism is only more likely to drive her closer to him.

Of course, she's so emotionally caught up with hating and distrusting him, that I guess it blinds her common sense, but it really bothers me the way she responds to Carolyn about him.

That should also be quite apparent to her mother.  Liz is presumably smart enough to realize how Carolyn is reacting and that her antagonism is only more likely to drive her closer to him.

You're right about that. On the other hand, Liz was caught completely off guard. All she knew was that her daughter was acting secretively. That and she seemed to be under the assumption (not a bad guess) that Carolyn was carrying on with a man old enough to be her father. Then she finds out that it is Paul and wham!

Of course, she's so emotionally caught up with hating and distrusting him, that I guess it blinds her common sense, but it really bothers me the way she responds to Carolyn about him.

Again, I would say the suddeness of the discovery probably had something to do with that. Besides she would have all of the emotional baggage that Carolyn does, plus the added knowledge that Paul really is trouble 

Luciaphil,
     Wonderful column.  I am glad Rainey mentioned the eyebrow thing.  I noticed it with Pansy and thought it was the characters heavy touch with the make-up but then it showed up on 1969 Carolyn.  She needs to have her eyebrows thinned up and a lighter shade of pencil.  They look like Rainey said.  They would be great on a man's upper-lip but on a women it looks bizarre.
     I understand the hero worship Carolyn has for her father.  I know from personal experiece.  However,  if she is given the chance to know him as an adult she would become painfully aware of his faults.  Unfortunately,  she doesn't get the opportunity.  I hate those reunion programs.  The ones where the children search for their absent father and swallow the sob story.  I feel like screaming "Wake-up and smell the coffee!".  I do the same thing when Carolyn talks about her father.  I was annoyed with her when she believed Jason about her father.  I think she let Paul off the hook too soon.

Thanks Luciaphil!  It's great to see you writing again!

I totally agree with you on the "helmet hair" for Liz.  Other than that she looks great (as usual) but that hair!! I liked it when she wore it alittle bit longer like in the early episodes when once in a blue moon you'd catch her with her hair down.  But this helmet hair has got to go. It lookes better with it up for that matter.

I agree about Carolyn and Paul too. She's so confused right now and just so happy to have finally met him that she'll believe any thing he tells her.  And like Josette said it's too bad he didn't stick around long enough for the two of them to really get to know each other.