Discuss - Ep #0570

[Watching Project]

Robservations #570

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0570

[MagnusTrask]

Much moodier redo of Liz and Julia in the crypt.   Julia's much more haggard and emotional.  Frid/Karlen bungle a forced scene in which Willie taunts Barnabas to get him to admit he cares about Julia.   This seems shoe-horned in, and the only reason I can see is that it's meant as character development, to make Barnabas a sympathetic character we can approve of, finally.   It's about time.  I'm sick to death of callous-and-unreformed-yet-somehow-protagonist Barnabas.   In this and the next episode, he really does seem to care very much about what happens to her.

Grayson gets a nice "real" moment, where it hits her that she's really about to die.   This episode starts out bad, and gets better and better as it goes on.    Nice dilemma at the end, with Barnabas reminding Tom the Sun's about to rise, as they grapple.   He has to get in the coffin, but he can't leave Barnabas alive to stake him the moment he's inert, either.

 

[Gothick]

The Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqSoz2jhdw

I always cry that Frid and Karlen did not get to re-do this very important, pivotal scene they share in this episode. But Frid recovers beautifully (IMO) and suggests that the earlier stumbling was just a case of Barnabas once again struggling to hide his own emotions from others... or himself.

In the opening voiceover, Karlen speaks of Liz as "a woman who has held a family together."  I like that that was acknowledged even if only in a voiceover.

G.

[IluvBarnabas]

I thought the scene where Willie forces Barnabas to admit how much he really cares for Julia was well done and that both actors did a great job. It's about time Barnabas came clean on how much Julia really means to him.

I know that Barnabas still has his rotten moments even now that he has become human, but he's still a breath of fresh air from vamp Barnabas who was always throttling Julia and threatening to kill Maggie/David/Burke Devlin. And I liked how he concerned and warm he was towards Elizabeth...of course he got all anxious when he realized she had seen Julia but like I've said it's great to seem him so worried about her.

But why oh why didn't he wait until Tom was in the coffin to stake him? I guess we had to have some action between him and Tom but as exciting as it was, Barnabas should have listened to Willie and waited until dawn to go to the crypt.

[MagnusTrask]

At least up until now, the reason human Barnabas hasn't been killing and threatening and throttling people could have been that he didn't have the power to, anymore.   He isn't as vicious, but he's been humbled too and has to get along with people.   He may not have reformed much at all until now.

[IluvBarnabas]

Well, don't forget he recently had Angelique/Cassandra after him to return the vampire curse on him and now he's got Adam on his case about creating a woman for him or else see Vicki and the family destroyed.....I'm not saying this excuses the way he uses people (especially Julia and Willie) and disregard their feelings but under these circumstances I can see why working on his manners and being a bit more considerate toward others might be the furthest thing on his mind at the moment.

Though it certainly wouldn't hurt if he tried....

[DarkLady]

The scene where Willie uses his street smarts to force Barn to admit that he cares about Julia is one of my favorite scenes, and I think it was well done. It's certainly one of the pivotal moments in the show. I didn't watch the original broadcasts, but I'm sure it was a moment that fans were waiting for.

[MagnusTrask]

You can watch these now with Gothick's links can't you, DL?   As kids I'm sure we cared more about what happened, than about how well the lines were acted.   The two of them seemed to be stumbling and catching themselves through the scene.   Anyway, my problem with it is that I'm not sure what Willie's suddenly so intense about, and what big thing he expects Barnabas to do, unless it's to rush to Julia and profess undying love and elope, and Barnabas isn't in love, he's just having a human feeling of concern and friendship.   If Willie thinks Barnabas is in love, where did he suddenly get that from?   Or is Willie still feeling the effects of the beatings etc so badly still, that he wants to go, "Aha!  You're one of us now!"...?

 

[dom]

I agree with Magnus, that the scene seems shoehorned in. And I disagree that it was well done. It is totally pointless IMO. We already know Barn cares and he's already admitted it more than once and even at Willie's goading. I'm just as sick of this rehash as I am of Julia being scorned by Barnabas. If neither ever happens again I will be one happy fan. And while I'm grousing, if I never hear a Karlen OV-O it won't be too soon.

I'm kind of digging the way the writers brought Liz back and having her indirectly help Barn find Julia. I'm pretty sure it was Magnus who mentioned Liz & Julia both having bad supernatural days together but separate, lol. I loved that interplay here today in their scenes together.

Did not like how Willie Loomis was written today. Hall was good as victim Julia. I was impressed with her 'happy' face. The fight scene was godawful. Liked Bennett as Liz - the vacation did her a world of good.

I wonder why they choose to call them coffins instead of caskets? I don't think I ever heard the word coffin until Dark Shadows. Growing up it was always referred to as a casket in my family.

I caught a moment that was captured as a photo cover for one of the Marilyn Ross novels, as Barn was opening Tom's coffin. The Secret of Barnabas Collins.

[DarkLady]

Thanks for the image, dom. I would watch the YouTube videos if I had more time! But it's great to know that they're there, at least for now. 

[alwaysdavid]

There was a nice shot of the moon ovgtthe old house that appears to be new and appropriately fall like. Barnabas once again puts Willie down. "Are you being profound?"  Elizabeth tells Barnabas that there is a coffin in a crypt in the Collins cemetery. This is apparently a cemetery closer than Eagle Hill as Barbabas is able to carry Julia from there to the house. Willie is forced by Barnabas to get a stake and then runs off at the empty coffin. Why Barnabas is going there befor Dawn is unclear? 

[MagnusTrask]

I had the impression that this was on the Collins estate somewhere, some sort of place connected with the family cemetary on the grounds....

[dom]

I wonder if this is the cemetery (the) Laura(s) (is/are) buried in. (Should/why (do/the) Lauras even have burials/graves/crypts, etc.?) Sorry to digress.

[DarkLady]

When Barnabas is wondering where Tom could be, he has a flashback: The docks at night, he murmurs--deserted except for the occasional woman hurrying home. That certainly can't be a pleasant memory, but give him credit for facing up to it.

We get one of THE classic defining moments as Barn carries Julia over the threshold! Again, Barnabas seems genuinely concerned for her.

As Barnabas and Tom fight, the tables are turned, and the mortal Barnabas can't win against Tom's unhuman strength.

[Roland]

This is a period of ironic role reversals.

We have Angelique as a vampire, Barnabas a potential vampire victim, Julia in need of a doctor, and Elizabeth, the mistress of Collinwood, being pushed around and having her fate decided by others. This is like a therapy session in empathy, giving everybody a chance to see how the other half lives.