And Even Yet Another New Slideshow

[Gothick]

Amazing.  I finally remembered something else from my single viewing of this cakewalk!

Roger's scenes were really heavily cut in the final edit, weren't they?  Or maybe some were simply never filmed...

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Roger's entire part was cut from the breakfast scene when it was combined with the current scene (of which Roger never was scripted to be a part). His dropped stuff is all detailed between reply #331 and reply #350. And when Carolyn's hospital room and the hospital corridor scenes were combined into one longer hospital corridor scene, Roger's lines from the original portion of the script that took place in Carolyn's hospital room were dropped - but they were reworked/added to the original corridor portion, so in that case he didn't lose much if anything. And while a sentence or two or Roger's may have been dropped from other scenes here and there, that happened to pretty much all the characters.

Truthfully, with the exceptions of David and Angelique, I don't believe there are any other characters who didn't have at least one entire scene dropped from the script. In fact, Willie and Barnabas had at least two entire scenes. For Willie they were the scene with Sophia in the kitchen and the one in the mausoleum's secret room when Barnabas returns. And for Barnabas they were that same scene in the secret room and the scene in the woods with Sarah.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I forgot to post the other day that after Wednesday's quote -

Page 42 - Victoria: 'Actually, no. He's with David and Sophia, finishing lunch. (beat) I wanted to see you.'

- it's scripted that -

Elizabeth puts her book down, pensive.

- before Elizabeth asks Thursday's quote -

Page 42 - Elizabeth: 'Is everything all right?'

And just as a heads up, starting this coming Tuesday we'll begin getting to the parts of this scene that were used in the pilot...

[Gothick]

It really does seem as if all the best lines were cut from the final edit of this piece.

Many thanks, MB, for your continuing work on this intriguing project.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

To remind ourselves, this is the dialogue that was taken from the originally scripted dining room scene - as well as how it might have been changed in the pilot:

The script sets up this new scene as:

INT. DINING ROOM - COLLINWOOD - DAY

...

And it's right then in the script that Elizabeth asks Vicki today's quote -

Page 27 - Elizabeth: 'Sleep well?'

- however, before Elizabeth even asks Vicki how she slept, in the pilot she and Vicki exchange good mornings.

Page 27 - Victoria: 'I've had better nights.'

- (which was certainly an understatement from Vicki given what David did), ...

Vicki replies in the script with:

Page 28 - Victoria: 'We bumped into each other. (beat) Before we get started, I could use some more background. Anything you think might have impacted his behavior.'

However, everything concerning the bump to Vicki's head (which I'm still not sure she even sustained in the pilot) was dropped in the pilot and Vicki gets right to the point after explaining how she slept by telling Elizabeth: "I could use some more background on David. Anything you think might impact his behavior."

... today's quote -

Page 28 - Roger: 'It's all in his file.'

- was given to Elizabeth in the combined scene. Though what Elizabeth actually says is "Well, I’m sure you’ll find all you need in his medical file." And then to attempt to change the subject, she quickly asks, "Tea?"

Rather than delivering today's quote -

Page 28 - Victoria: 'Not everything. For instance, what's his relationship with his mother?'

- as scripted, after Vicki acknowledges that she would like some tea, what she says in the pilot is "Not everything. For instance, there's no mention of his mother" as Elizabeth pours the tea for her. And after pouring the tea, it's quite obvious due to Elizabeth's silence that she's taken aback by Vicki bringing up David's mother.

And from that point on (with the exception of the very end, which we already dealt with back in June) the combined scene switches to what was scripted for the current scene. So, today's quote -

Page 42 - Victoria: 'But she's not here. (off Elizabeth's silence) I know it's personal, but if I'm going to help David, I need to know what happened.'

- comes up in the reworked dining room scene - however, the "But she's not here" part was dropped because, obviously, Elizabeth's remark that David's mother "loved David with all her heart" wasn't included in the combined scene. Instead, off Elizabeth's silence, Vicki goes right to "I know it's personal, but if I'm going to help David, I need to know what happened."

[dom]

Is Vicki being presumptuous? 'Helping' David? Isn't she there to tutor him? 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before today's quote the script indicates -

Elizabeth considers, then finally...

- and that's when Elizabeth is scripted to say -

Page 42 - Elizabeth: 'David's mother was... institutionalized several years ago.'

- though in the pilot what Elizabeth actually says and how she struggles to say it is: "David’s mother... (long pause) The truth is... She... was institutionalized several years ago."

[Gothick]

I haven't had time to go back and read Vicki's opening scenes, but her role in this version seems rather more complex than was the case in any of the other versions.  I recall a crudely written line about Vicki reading David's psychological evaluation file (I really do not see how this would have been possible, but who knows).  The implication is that Vicki isn't just there to teach David, but perhaps do some types of therapeutic work with him.  By 2004 such techniques as play therapy were well established in dealing with what in the 1960s were called "troubled children" (I have no clue what the current approved lingo for psychologically disturbed kids is).

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oops - I forgot to post that after Sunday's quote -

Page 43 - Elizabeth: 'Frankly, we're not sure what he remembers.'

- the script indicates that -

Victoria is stunned.

- and that's what prompts her to ask Monday's quote:

Page 43 - Victoria: 'Did you really think not talking about it would make it go away?'

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The current quote from Elizabeth -

Page 43 - Elizabeth: 'No, but sometimes it's easier to live with a lie.'

- is the last for the scene and the script wraps things up with:

As Elizabeth leaves, OFF Victoria, chilled...

[Nicky]

That quote from Elizabeth seems to be one of THE themes driving the series in almost (?) all its incarnations.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And the latest chart -

- gives a peek as to what's coming up next...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

This is how the script sets up this newest scene:

EXT. COLLINWOOD - NIGHT

Clouds race in front of a full moon.

INT. DAVID'S BEDROOM - COLLINWOOD - NIGHT

As a light WIND begins to sound outside, MOVE IN ON DAVID. Asleep under the covers. Outside, the wind continues, growing LOUDER, more intense... and suddenly joined by an ETHEREAL WOMAN'S VOICE.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 43 - Woman's Voice: 'David... Daaaavid...'

- comes up.

And why does today's graphic feature three question marks rather than a photo? Well, unlike the nurse in the hospital corridor scene, the identity of the actress whose voice is heard is known - but the name of her character has yet to be revealed in the script - and until it is, her identity in the graphics will remain a mystery...

[Uncle Roger]

And the plot, as they say, thickens.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before today's quote the script indicates:

Half-asleep, David turns toward the window.

And that's when David asks:

Page 43 - David: 'Momma?'