Author Topic: Discuss - Ep #0434  (Read 1238 times)

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Discuss - Ep #0434
« on: April 12, 2013, 05:17:05 PM »
Robservations #434

And if you'd care to look back, the first WP discussion topic for this ep:
Re: Discuss - Ep #0434

Offline dom

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2013, 07:35:55 PM »
In case no one's realized it: A seance has been held in the great house at Collinwood - a seance which has sent Victoria Winters on an uncertain, frightening journey into the past - back to the Collins family who lived in the year 1795 - there, Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger in a sea of familiar faces.

Nathan Forbes & Peter Bradford - Yawn. Bradford kicks Forbes' ass - okay, whatever.

This episode belongs to Louis Edmonds. I really enjoyed watching him play Joshua. The interplay between Joshua & Naomi in their first scene was interesting and somewhat of a rare treat. We even got some of the answers to some of our questions about the family dynamics re: Abigail. I very much liked the writing - the acting was just okay.

Trask & Forbes - Trask utters a classic line of his, I believe recently quoted by MT (I hope I got that right): "I'm afraid physical love is beyond my comprehension." (Love it.) Forbes tries to grow a pair to force Trask into talking him up to Joshua. I guess this was written to tell us why Nathan testified against Vicki - but just like the opening voiceover - I don't really think it's necessary - well, at least not for us - we know what's going on with the time period and with Nathan forbes.

Joshua/Trask/Nathan - Good stuff, contextually - again, Edmonds steals the scenes. Lacey is very good too.

Naomi & Joshua, closing scene - More good stuff, Naomi lays down the law, fun lines & dramatic lines - and we get to have renewed hope for Vicki - and a hip, hip, hooray for Naomi - ultimately making her a beloved character.

Random Thoughts: One of Collinwood's drawing room chairs shows up in the office that the meeting between Joshua, Trask & Nathan takes place in. Trask is beginning to take on the appearance of a raccoon. Should we be surprised that no one is in black mourning attire for Abigail? The lighting at the drawing room window was fantastic.

PS - Roger Davis' vocal delivery is starting to grate on my nerves. As a kid I thought it was so realistic, but maybe it's changed at the point where I started watching regularly as a kid.

Offline MagnusTrask

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2013, 03:42:00 AM »
Trask utters a classic line of his, I believe recently quoted by MT (I hope I got that right): "I'm afraid physical love is beyond my comprehension." (Love it.)

Close dom, I was about to... you are beginning to transcend time.  Or... I may have commented on it in the WP last time around...  This time, I wondered if that was considered a desirable quality, something to boast about, for a man of the cloth back then.  It certainly wouldn't be for a military man, and that's who he was speaking to.   In any case, there's a possibly immaculately-conceived l'il Lamar somewhere at this moment, in the womb or out......

Where would a Navy lieutenant live, in a regular civilian apartment or rented room like this?   He works at a civilian facility... makes me wonder where the Navy comes in.  I've always been tempted to think the yellow un-uniform uniform was just a wild costume Forbes picked up somewhere.   Did Navy officers all wear bright yellow?  Really?

I'm tempted to side with despicable Forbes over good-guy Bradford.   Convincing fistfight, all apparently real, except that fists didn't actually connect.  The unconvincing part was that Peter could beat Nathan, with Nathan then breathing heavily and dejectedly on the floor, saying you win this round blast you Bradford, or something like that.   It was a good, well-executed move, PB throwing himself bodily into NF's stomach, just in time to prevent NF from hitting PB over the head with a chair.   And I don't even like fight scenes.

As for R Davis's delivery, dom, here's my recent impression of him:  he seems like one of those really irritating small, yappy dogs always nipping at your heels, who thinks he's really a pit bull.

Great Naomi dialogue concerning Abigail, to Joshua.   I meant to check to see who wrote this, but forgot.   Senseless death, but also a senseless life.   In the 60s, I remember there was a growing building consensus, that a more open, tolerant, and rational attitude was replacing strict religious intolerance and fanatacism.   I certainly never suspected we'd start losing that consensus in my lifetime.   I wonder if any shows say things like this now.

Abigail was like a businesswoman with no business to run.... good observation from Naomi.  Naomi runs off to testify... is a carriage and driver always ready at a moment's notice?
"One can never go wrong with weapons and drinks as fashion accessories."-- the eminent and clearly quotable Dark Shadows fan and board mod known as Mysterious Benefactor

Offline DarkLady

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2013, 06:35:27 PM »
I think Joshua at least is wearing mourning in the form of a purple rosette for Abigail (and Barnabas and Sarah and Josette and Jeremiah). Naomi, however, is wearing her dark green velvet gown. Maybe she's just fed up with everyone around her dying.

Three cheers and three cheers more for Naomi! She is profoundly perceptive about Abigail's misdirected gifts. I'll bet Abigail would have given Joshua a run for his money if she had set up a rival business. Sadly, he just doesn't get what Naomi is trying to tell him--probably happens all the time, too.

In the fight scene, Peter has to duck a chair that Nathan throws at him but finally knocks Nathan down, despite the latter's couple of inches and probably 20 pounds in his favor. (Hey, I don't arrange these fights, I just report 'em!). Nathan wipes some unconvincing blood off his face and tells Peter, You may have won this round, but you'll lose the fight. We’ll see who won when Vicki is freed, Peter retorts. Despite the unconvincing blood, though, Roger and Joel do pretty well and are careful to stay out of each other's way.

And yes, that is the real and actual blue and buff U.S. Navy uniform. Here is a Web site that describes it--scroll down a bit for the lieutenant's uniform. I couldn't find a pic, but the description is pretty thorough.

When Trask said that physical LOVE was beyond his comprehension, that doesn't necessarily mean that he is neglecting his biblically prescribed duty to be fruitful and multiply. I also think that Lamar is gestating somewhere.

MT, I also remember that consensus from the 1960s. I think the pendulum may be swinging our way (if I may be so bold) again. Look at the generational shift on gay marriage, to give just one example.

I love love love, Naomi's defiance of Joshua at the end of the episode. As for the carriage and driver being ready, I'll bet she had already ordered them before she even spoke to her husband.

Offline DarkLady

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2013, 07:11:24 PM »
MT, Nathan is the navy's representative at the Collins shipyard. No doubt Joshua has scored a big fat defense contract. There's no naval base at Collinsport--at least not that we know of!--so Nathan would have to find his own housing.

Offline Joeytrom

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2013, 12:01:27 AM »
In addition to Lamarr, there had to be an older son to carry the name to Gregory.

Offline alwaysdavid

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2013, 03:10:42 AM »
We learn that Abigail only loved Joshua. Joshua calls Naomi ridiculous. So much for a happy marriage. Then she tells him she will go to the trial and sit on Vickie's side. For a witch that was supposed to have the whole town up in arms over her spells, there is certainly no interest in seeing the testimony against her.
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Offline Lydia

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #7 on: April 15, 2013, 11:05:14 AM »
In addition to Lamarr, there had to be an older son to carry the name to Gregory.
I'm not so sure about that.  We see 1840 after we see 1897, so it may be that originally, before 1840 got messed with, Lamar married and had children.  Maybe as a result of the changes that Barnabas and Julia effected in 1840, Gregory Trask never existed.  Or else Gregory Trask was descended from another Trask, not the Reverend that we're seeing here.

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2013, 11:42:36 AM »
In addition to Lamarr, there had to be an older son to carry the name to Gregory.

Well, that reduces the number of immaculate conceivers, but not the number of immaculate conceptions...
"One can never go wrong with weapons and drinks as fashion accessories."-- the eminent and clearly quotable Dark Shadows fan and board mod known as Mysterious Benefactor

Offline DarkLady

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2013, 02:46:43 PM »
The idea of there being more than one Rev. Trask makes my blood run cold.

But Gregory doesn't appear on the scene until [spoiler]1897, so he must be Lamar's son and the Rev.'s grandson. Otherwise he would have been about a hundred years old. [/spoiler]

Offline Midnite

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2013, 08:07:10 PM »
Reverend Trask is Gregory's great-great-grandfather.  The latter told this to Barnabas in #726.

Offline DarkLady

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Re: Discuss - Ep #0434
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2013, 03:31:16 PM »
Ah, thanks, Midnite! I didn't realize there were so many generations separating them, or should I say so many begats.