Discuss - Ep #0519

[Watching Project]

Robservations #0519

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0519

[DarkLady]

Elizabeth has spent the day at Eagle Hill. Meanwhile, Vicki calls Roger and asks if Maggie can stay at the Great House. While they're talking, Elizabeth drifts in. Roger tries to get her to talk to Vicki, but she drifts over to the french windows. With real kindness, Roger tells Vicki that as far as he and Cassandra are concerned, Maggie can stay as long as she likes. Sam’s death is news to Elizabeth, but she comments, Well, we all eventually die, don’t we? And I know who will be next. I will be next--and it will be soon. Possibly remembering the past, Roger asks his sister if she's hiding something. Apathetically she replies that she isn't, and Roger realizes that his big sister is in big trouble.

Cassandra's youthful appearance has somehow been restored and she is wearing the horrible green paisley robe while she gloats that her plan for Elizabeth is going so well. She plans to take things further by having Elizabeth reenact Naomi's death. Roger arrives and tries to interest her in helping him cheer Elizabeth up. After he leaves, After Roger leaves, she finishes dispensing some poison powder in a pill case as Rev. Trask materializes behind her. Sensing someone’s presence, she turns around but sees no one. She calls to Roger and David, but gets no reply. When her back is turned, he reappears. His chromakey bounces up and down as the scene fades.

Maggie is asleep in a guest room at Collinwood, thanks to one of Julia's sedative concoctions, when Joe arrives. Elizabeth sees not Joe but the duplicitous Lieutenant Forbes and berates him accordingly until Vicki brings her back to herself. Mortified, she runs away. Cassandra arrives a moment later and talks about "poor Mr. Evans" with her patented crocodile grin. Vicki manages to get away from her after accusing her of being responsible for Elizabeth's current state.

But Cassangelique has only a few moments to gloat (and put the pill case with its poison in the drawer of the little writing table) before she hears a familiar voice call her name--and turns to see Rev. Trask. He lists her crimes, then whips out-- his trusty cross. Cass flinches away but her power drains away and she faints.

Although he's had plenty of time to think in the dark, Trask hasn't come up with new ideas any more than Cass has. He ties her to a tree in the forest and presses his cross to her forehead. I can’t speak! she gasps. As his prayer goes on (and on), she gasps, I can’t breathe! The devils are leaving you, Trask explains. Let fire burn out evil and leave the ashes of the goodness you once possessed! he prays as he blows away a fly (classic blooper!). Let the devils be humbled and shrink, he continues (as he shrinks away from the fly), at the fear of the dark night they will shortly see! At last he finishes his exorcism. Cassandra screams (off camera). Your spirit is free! Trask proclaims, and Cassandra screams one last time (again off camera). The camera pulls back to show that she is no longer tied to the tree--she has vanished. Arms outstretched and still holding the cross in one hand, Trask falls to his knees to give thanks.…

[Despite his heroic efforts against the Dreaded Collinsport Fly, Jerry Lacy is billed as Tony Peterson, not the Reverend Trask, in the final credits.]

[Nicky]

Ah yes, one of my favorite lines:  "The Devil has painted your hair, but still, I recognize you!"

[Nicky]

And an interesting bit of mythology I've only encountered one other place outside the DS universe (in a lovely little horror filmed called Horror Hotel that is incredibly reminiscent of Dark Shadows ... and Psycho) -- that witches are as afraid of crosses as are vampires.  Fortunately, and unlike the witches and warlocks of Horror Hotel, Cassandra didn't burst into flames at its touch ...

[spoiler](Nicholas is afraid of crosses as well, as we'll discover in a few episodes.  If only Barnabas were aware of this fact, he could have witch-proofed the house, making Cassandra's tenure at Collinwood far less pleasant.)[/spoiler]

[Gothick]

I think the 1968 Cassandra period is the only time on DS when we see a Witch and Warlock shrink at the sight of the cross.  I personally find this just plain silly, but I won't belabor the forum with the reasons why.

Nicholas (when he eventually shows up) is right--Cassandra should have been able to handle Trask's ghost.  It's interesting to speculate why she ultimately fails to prevail over him.  The only answer that makes any sense is her growing emotional attachment to Barnabas AND the adulteration of her own powers with her indulgence of other emotions, such as gloating over Elizabeth's fate.

This was the 2nd episode I ever saw of DS and it made me an addict FOR LIFE.

G.

[MagnusTrask]

Will Roger in his "grief" over Sam's death regret all the arguments, insults, and threats?   No...  He's "upset" about it, or so he says!  Roger ought to have said at hearing the news on the phone, "Who's dead?!   Why, I've never heard of any Sam Evans!!   Does the sheriff want to question me about it?  Not that he'd have any reason whatsoever!!"

The only connection to the old days, though, was Liz saying, "You're very shallow, Roger."

Cass of course shuns the cross just because she's very much on the other side.   I'm going to say the cross was just one part of Trask's whole routine, a conduit for God's power, or if God isn't inexplicably smiling on Trask now, a conduit for his own ghost powers which he assumes are Godly.   A vampire on the other hand is viscerally repelled by the cross itself, even if the vampire isn't in league with the Devil at all.   It's the cross itself, not just a handy symbol for one's beliefs.

[DarkLady]

Good point, MT. Trask the ghost hates Barnabas just as much as he did in life, so it makes perfect sense that death hasn't diminished his (Trask's) overweening pride and vanity either. 

[dom]

Forgiveness changes both parties, Magnus. Though it did still seem odd - both Sam & Maggie being on the concerned lips of Roger Collins. I'll give you that. Another mile marker is the opening scene, reminiscent of the scene from day one with Liz at the window and Roger behind her. Except this time Liz is weak & scared and Roger is genuinely concerned for his sister's welfare.

Moltke OVO -

Edmonds rocks but Bennett falters. I like the green outfit, perfect pearls and matching hair bow & coat. Parker is in good form and Cass is as mean as ever. I barely get it but I've given up on trying to make sense of things at this particular point in time. Plus, so many of the words I want to use while discussing Cass are not allowed on the Forum. It's good to know that Trask is still on the scene. Now, never did I think I would be able to state that. Joe's got the right idea - marry Maggie and take her away. The foyer scene almost worked but fell short again because of Bennett. Bravo, again for Vicki for being curt with Cass. But Trask wins the prize in the fight against Cass. The scene in the drawing room was fabulous - the acting and writing. The scene at the tree was just okay. The performances were slightly lacking at times. It goes to show you how hard the craft actually is. And why they present Oscars for editing. I totally enjoyed Cass/Ang's defeat. Love Trask's black ensemble. I wonder if this is the banishment of the butterfly dress as well?

"God, have pity on this poor suffering servant!" (Visions of Yosemite Sam dance in my head...)

[dom]

I have to wonder if Trask defeating Cass (& the devil) was in any way an appeasement towards the religious critics of the show?

[DarkLady]

Were there religious critics? The show certainly has a pretty strong anticlerical theme running through it. What about the 1991 version?

[MagnusTrask]

I wasn't aware of religious fundamentalists taking devils and witches on TV seriously until the "Moral Majority" came along at the end of the 70s.   It seemed laughable.

[DarkLady]

It still does, but unfortunately not to them.

[alwaysdavid]

Ah yes, one of my favorite lines:  "The Devil has painted your hair, but still, I recognize you!"

Apparently Trask has 18th Centuryitish and has not arrived well versed in the 20th Century as did Barnabas and particualrly Cassandra.
I noticed that Roger's room is also the study for the first time today.
Trask finally seems to dispatched Cassandra.

[Roland]

I wasn't aware of religious fundamentalists taking devils and witches on TV seriously until the "Moral Majority" came along at the end of the 70s.   It seemed laughable.

I don't know if you remember something called Chick Tracts. They were crudely drawn little booklets with messages designed to convince mostly young people to become Christians. I remember the cover of one had a cartoon image of a flying witch (obviously derived from "Bewitched") and the text referenced that show as an example of how Satan was using pop culture as a means of winning a new generation over to his side. So, while there may not have been widespread concern over this issue, it certainly did exist in some quarters at the time.

[MagnusTrask]

I found a couple "Chick Tracts" where they're usually left I guess, at public phones, in the 1990s.  They do look like something older than that.  I've made weird collages using that stuff...