Discuss - Ep #0316

[Watching Project]

Robservations - #316

And if you'd care to look back, the first WP discussion topic for this ep:

Re: Discuss - Ep #0316

[DarkLady]

Poor David! Barnabas doesn't pass up this golden opportunity to question David closely without anyone else nearby. David grows increasingly terrified until rescue arrives in the form of Burke. David hurls himself into Burke's arms. And Burke notes the real terror in David's last look at Barnabas.

Vicki makes peace between Barnabas and Burke, each of whom tries his polite (in front of Vicki) best to find out why the other decided to look at Eagle Hill. Vicki says that what's important is that David is safe. So now Barnabas gets credit for finding him, thus increasing Vicki's admiration even though she is engaged to his Hated Rival.

Up in his room, David is eating a rather inadequate-looking sandwich while Roger tries to get the truth out of him. David tries to turn the conversation to Barnabas, and Roger gives up. With real kindness, he tells David to go to sleep, but his warmth doesn't include a good-night hug. In all fairness, Roger did hug David when he came back to Collinwood--maybe he thinks he’s filled his quota for now.

Wilie defends David to Barnabas, but Barnabas decides that David's curiosity must be put to rest--permanently. As he looks out the window, wishing David "pleasant dreams," he seems the embodiment of evil.

[alwaysdavid]

I'm not quite sure why David who has been in regular quest of the supernatural and has a supernatural mother is suddenly so terrified of Barnabas. David doesn't give up his secret to Barnabas. Roger says the mausoleum is hardly a place to get warm, but it would be more protected than outside in the open.

[MagnusTrask]

I'm not quite sure why David who has been in regular quest of the supernatural and has a supernatural mother is suddenly so terrified of Barnabas.

David's ghost friends were friendly.  Toward the end, he thought his mother was too, and he never knew she was supernatural.   Barnabas is creepy, even if he's the only one who notices...

[dom]

Barnabas certainly has a lot to worry about now that David is safe at home and out of his clutches. It was great that they had Burke foil Barn's plans for David. It's like adding insult to injury. I have to wonder what might have happened had Barn been able to whisk David away to the Old House. I'm guessing the only way short of killing him to keep him quiet would be to have Julia erase his memory through hypnotism.

It was nice to see David run into Vicki's arms and then his father's. Can you imagine? I wonder if he is more concerned with Barnabas or his having been trapped for so long. I guess it's foolish to think it would be one or the other. I think that the experience of being trapped pales in comparison to the creepiness of his being delayed by Barnabas. The whole scene played really well. I especially enjoyed Barn's exit and how Frid twice looked up to the second floor to show concern as to what David might be revealing to Roger at that very moment or in the very near future.

I didn't enjoy Edmond's and Henesy's scene in David's bedroom. It was awkward and predictable and almost unnecessary. At one point I expected David to include Barnabas in his father's list of 17 searchers.

Barn and Willie at the Old House was pretty good too. I thought Frid was mostly very good today.

I did like the closing scene with David and Vicki. That made sense to me but I have to wonder if David is really unaware of where his sense of dread is coming from. The scene fabulously set up Frid's closing shot, which was visually superb. I loved it.

John Sedwick directed this episode and it was fine unlike my opinion of his last episode. The voiceover was spoken in two parts, I think that's a rare occurrence.

[IluvBarnabas]

I am really surprised it never occured to Barnabas that if he kills David (or Maggie for that matter or even Burke) he might just anger Sarah into exposing him....she's kept quiet so far. She didn't go appearing and blabbing to David what her big brother did to Jason McGuire, but Jason was a blackmailing liar that everyone was glad to see go. David is only a little boy, Maggie was someone who had the misfortune of resembling Barnabas' lost-love Josette and Burke [spoiler] is the image of their uncle Jeremiah. That Barnabas would murder someone that he'd been close to in life up until the end [/spoiler] would be especially appalling to her.

Fortunately for David Burke shows up and returns him to Collinwood safe and sound before Barnabas can whisk him away to the Old House to almost certain doom. Burke could definitely tell that David is disturbed in Barnabas' presence, and probably think that Barnabas must have done something to frighten the boy. Just because he apologized to Barnabas for Vicki's sake doesn't mean he's given up his suspicions about Barnabas.

I'm glad someone at the Old House sees the monsterous wrong in killing a little boy. But as Barnabas himself said, survival is more first with him over his little cousin's life and makes a big deal in pointing out to Willie that HIS life also depends on David's silence.

It is chilling to hear Barnabas say 'pleasant dreams' dream, looking out the window all evil as David senses someone evil is watching him. Frid was great in here I agree.

[Roland]

I actually really liked the scene between Roger and David. I enjoyed how they seemed to be talking past one another rather than to one another. David refused to be dissuaded from his own train of thought, despite all Roger's efforts to get him back to a discussion of his own wrongdoings. It's honestly one of my favorite scenes between the two.

[dom]

I wish I could revisit this ep to see if I feel differently about the scene between Roger & David some two and a half years later. I am easily influenced. 

[Roland]

I hear ya, dom. I'm often floored by the total recall some of the posters on here have when it comes to discussing episodes they may not have seen in years (and the strange thing is they're usually right in their recollections!). That's some DS dedication!