Discuss - Ep #0975

Robservations #975

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

Re: Discuss - Ep #0975

Lisa R VO, probably.  Bruno pretends to be clever, but saying nothing, in his gloaty power-loving scene with Chris.  Bruno is sort of like Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda, thinking he's an intellectual and a sophisticate, and not just a thug.  If Nick were to bring him down to earth on this point, I think Bruno's world might crumble. 

We learn that Bruno likes knives, like another visitor to Collinwood from the turn of the century.  Actually he gets pretty far with just a knife, but it just gets ridiculous when he gets to the point where he's supposedly keeping two grown, healthy, able-bodied adults "prisoner", supposedly in fear for their lives, in a bedroom of a house where they have access to a window.

Bruno's motivations are unclear and probably utterly contrived at this point.  The big Plan to make himself and everybody into snakey things is kaput.  Maybe he thinks Nicholas just doesn't fully comprehend the subtleties and intricacies of his own Plan to have Nick appoint him the new Leviathan "Leader", yet.  Or Nick is still paying for his wardrobe.

Roger's brought up to speed about Parallel Time.  It really should be more fun than it is, watching Roger be told the truth about one supernatural phenom after another.  He's taking it all too well, too much in stride.  How many times have we wished it would all hit Roger squarely between the eyes, so that we'd get to see him throw a major wobbly?  We don't hear from him a single "Why I've never heard anything so preposterous in all my life!!!" from him, or anything...  They're not giving us the entertainment obviously contained within these situations.

Welcome, PT Roger and PT Carolyn!  Snide ironic banter, love it.  Louis Edmonds must be enjoying himself more.  Nancy Barrett's great too, with a knife-edge to her words and delivery that implies a whole unseen world of harsh backstory behind it. 

Dusk.  Did Chris and Sabrina work out this escape "plan"?  It consists of Chris saying NOW, Sabrina! then they both try to leave.  As if a plan is necessary.  Well, one could try to get his arms and the other could go for his legs.  Violet Welles needs to get back from vacation or something.  Bruno locks Chris and Sabrina in the same room together.  With that cliffhanger, I'd think Bruno's the one in trouble, being a skinny guy with a knife trying to hold two people in a neighboring room with a breakable window.  But hey, I don't want to tell Bruno how to do his job...

Bruno is about as nasty a human being that Dark Shadows ever presented. He seems to have an extremely high opinion of himself that no one else seems to share, onscreen and off. I wish that Chris and Sabrina had at least put up more of a fight. The cliffhanger with Carolyn locked in the room with Chris really had me in suspense back in 1970.

Sweet little with Roger and Carolyn that nicely counterpoints the relationship between their parallel time counterparts. Louis is clearly having a blast here. He's certainly in full George Sanders mode. (Did he like anyone other than Angelique?) Nancy Barrett is in great form as Carolyn Loomis. The hair, the makeup, the way she carries herself all show that this is a very different Carolyn than the one that we're familiar with.

According to DS Wiki, Nancy Barrett reads the VO for this episode.

I also love PT Roger and Carolyn, especially that everything about PT Carolyn--hair, makeup, and especially wardrobe--is so different from RT Carolyn. I can imagine that everybody jumped at the chance to play different characters.

Presumably Sky continues to hang in the closet for the next few episodes--the writers seem to have forgotten about him.

Once again, Bruno proves that he's a nasty piece of work. I guess he's still hoping to become the Leviathan Supreme Being 3.0.

Lovely scene with RT Carolyn and Roger, who is actually very tender with her. He calls her "Kitten," probably for the last time.

Probably Bruno was wrong to lock Chris and Sabrina in the same room. Being together, even in danger of their lives, only makes them stronger. Chris looks out the (single-pane) window, hoping for some way to escape.

Roger is wowed by Barn's explanation of parallel time. Then Barn is wowed when he sees PT Carolyn and Roger. The music box theme turns out to be the notorious "Ode to Angelique," penned by-- wait and see. PT Roger addresses a soliloquy to Angelique's portrait, earning only hostility from PT Carolyn. And she's married to PT Will! She's come to get Will's book back. “The witch” stopped him from getting it for me, Carolyn says. (Presumably she means Hoffman.) A historical magazine wants to print a chapter from it, and that means money. She determinedly opens drawers in the main room and in the alcove, which we now see contains Angelique’s luxurious queen-size bed, while Roger follows her around trying to get her to stop. You would defile her room for money, wouldn’t you? he fumes. You would take her book for the two or three hundred dollars you might get? Quentin doesn’t keep us the way he keeps you, Carolyn shoots back. Stung, Roger orders her to get out. Not until I find it! she retorts, looking him in the eye. I won’t have you going through her things, Roger says, shaking with fury. I remember how she felt about you. Carolyn laughs scornfully. Stop shouting, she tells him. You make such a fool or yourself--not that that is unusual. I have no intention of leaving you alone in Angelique’s room, Roger huffs. It’s all right with me, Carolyn replies, then shuts the doors in Barnabas’s face. He calls her name and pounds on the doors but gets no answer. He opens the doors, but the room is bare and dark once more. Why does it disappear when they close the door? he wonders. Why? Is there never to be an explanation? Carolyn married to Willie, Roger in love with Angelique--even if he denies it. And Quentin--Quentin, the Master of Collinwood! What strange world have I discovered? What?

Pretty feeble escape attempt by Sabrina and Chris that results in Bruno stabbing Chris. At last Bruno wises up and takes Sabrina to another room. Carolyn (wearing her periwinkle blue dress) gets a phone call from Bruno. I’ve found a person who can make the shadow disappear, he tells her. Come to my house--without Jeb, because this person doesn’t like Jeb. You have to make this person care. I’ll be right over, Carolyn assures him. Don’t tell Jeb you’re coming, Bruno warns her. I’ll tell no one, Carolyn replies and hangs up. As she hurries into her coat, Roger comes downstairs and asks where she’s going. I’ll let you know when I come back, she says and dashes out the door. Roger asks her what happened, but she has already left.

Chris is in the room, searching for a way out or something to help him escape. He already looks like a creature in a trap. Bruno leans up against the other side of the door. Don’t cry out, he warns, even if you have the pain. Scream and Sabrina will pay! Carolyn arrives. Where is this person? she demands. I’m willing to pay you whatever it takes.

While Carolyn and Bruno are talking, the transformation begins. Chris writhes on the floor of his prison, desperately trying not to cry out.

Is this person Nicholas Blair? Carolyn asks. Nicholas could do nothing, Bruno replies. The person is in that room. It’s odd that you keep the room locked, Carolyn observes. It seemed wisest, Bruno replies, since _he_ didn’t seem to want to wait. He opens the door. Carolyn rushes to Chris as Bruno quietly shuts the door after her. Carolyn tries to lift Chris up. Get out! he screams at her and pushes her away. Pleased with his success so far, Bruno smiles as he waits outside. Jeb will have little reason to live now, he gloats. He starts to laugh as we hear Chris finally scream in pain.....

I was also surprised that we didn't hear a "Preposterous " out of Roger befor,he actually sees the change.
The idea that Carolyn is married to Will is really far out
Barnabas yelling to the other Roger/Carolyn is weird. First of all he has said they can't hear him to other people and these other PT time people don't know him so if they could hear him would they call the police.

Ha ha, David! But I'm not sure about the police. Barn would only have to stand next to the portrait of the "original" Barnabas.

Barnabas yelling to the other Roger/Carolyn is weird. First of all he has said they can't hear him to other people

That actually seems fairly normal.  Even though intellectually he knows they can't hear him, he's right there, he sees and hears them, it seems that one might naturally respond to them, even knowing that it's useless.