Open All Night
Fashion notes first . . .
It is a testament to Louis Edmonds that he is able to wear that disgusting wrinkled rain coat and still look dashing.
Mitchell Ryan is probably one of the few men out there who can look sexy in the vest from a three-piece suit and his shirt sleeves. Take off the tie (as he does) and he's even yummier.
We have two new outfits from the ladies this go-around. Up first is Elizabeth in a fetching light-colored robe that has embroidered satin trim. I love the ensemble, but her hair worn down is not that flattering. I thought at first it was because Bennett's roots were showing, but it's the lighting. They keep hitting her square on the forehead and she looks well, like she needs a dye job.
And then we have Maggie. The blonde wig is gone! Auburn long hair is suddenly in appearance. She starts out in a sleeveless cotton nightgown that gathers around her neck and has an empire waist. It's flattering on her, mainly because it gives KLS the illusion of a chest. I'm less happy about the jacket she puts on over it. I think this makes an appearance later on when Barnabas shows up. It's this puffy-sleeved little-girlish number.
That's it for outfits. Why? Well, I think we know why. See, even though I'm finishing up with Volume 4 and well, they were into the fourth week of taping, we are still on Day 2. I'm sure none of you are surprised.
When I decided to start the Idle Thoughts column up again, I made a conscious decision to watch two episodes at a time once a week. I reasoned that an hour a week wasn't that big a commitment and that if I made it part of my routine, I was less likely start staving it off and then gradually ceasing altogether. I have to say though, that this four weeks of a single day over a couple month period is starting to make me a little batty. Intellectually I know damn well that eventually they will advance days, weeks, months, years. But emotionally I'm starting to believe we'll never get past this. Hell, even when I am hopeful that maybe before I turn another year older (a couple of weeks) we'll have moved on, we still have the scintillating "Who did what to whom with the fountain pen" plot to get through. Newbies? Anyone, anyone, just you wait ¢â‚¬Ëœcause it's a doozy!
Okay, enough of my psychological turmoil. Let's move on. Elizabeth is wringing her hands in her new ensemble because her daughter can't be found and is out there doing god knows what. Bill calls and we know he'll be shown later on (Yay!) because we hear his voice, which means Mr. Curtis would have to have paid the actor. Bill assures his beloved Liz that he'll track Carolyn down.
Bill, it turns out from the establishing shot--film footage of the side of the Blue Whale, which really looks like it's a dive--is in the bar. Bob gets a close up. May I say that it really is impressive how he manages to keep that cigarette in the corner of his mouth at all times. Not that I'm condoning tobacco use. Hell, the actor probably developed a raging case of mouth cancer, but it's still something I'd find physically hard to do.
Why am I blathering on about the actor playing the ever-silent Bob Rooney? Well, because the dialogue between Bill and Sam is very weird. This whole episode is weird. There's a ton of exposition (I didn't check the dates on the slates with a perpetual calendar, but I almost wonder if this episode would have aired on a Monday or something). Exposition, for those of you who don't know, is the information the audience needs to know what's going on. I've heard actors say they hate this stuff because it tends to be dullsville, and I know from personal experience that it's very hard to write (at least and still have it be entertaining). It's starting to look like Art Wallace isn't particularly good at exposition. First of all, there's this slightly bizarre vibe between Bill Malloy and Sam Evans. Almost like they're an old married couple and one of ¢â‚¬Ëœem's concerned with infidelity--now there's a fanfic for you. Also with the exception of Joel Crothers and Nancy Barrett everyone does extensive Teleprompter reading. Obvious Teleprompter reading.
But I digress. Bill and Sam are talking. Sam's trying to get dirt on what's going on between Carolyn and Burke. There's some throwaway dialogue about Bill's time in London and warm beer. Those crazy Brits love their warm beer. No, I'm not making that up. They really do talk about warm beer. Very, very disjointed scene and very, very strange.
Carolyn has caught up with Joe. He is not a happy man. Surprise. She is highly defensive and then has the nerve to tell Joe doesn't know how to behave on a date! I would have clocked her then and there. Joe just sort of stares at her.
Our old married couple are still drinking and fishing for information. Thank heavens we've moved off the subject of warm beer. We do get into some badly written and delivered dialogue about gossip and how the whole town will be talking soon. Finally Bill spills about Roger's accident.
In the best scene of the show, Joe and Carolyn, who are in the diner at this point, talk about their relationship. It's a wonderfully acted and written scene really. I think we all tend to forget that Joe's first love was Carolyn and not Maggie (no surprise since the later writers threw continuity out the window), but Crothers does such a nice job here. Joe is trying to figure out what the hell Carolyn wants and where their relationship is going. You can tell he is starting to see the writing on the wall, just as clearly as you can tell that Carolyn isn't emotionally ready for any of this. I tend to be very cynical about the whole "I need to find myself" thing, but in Barrett's hands, I get what that truly means. Carolyn is just so young here. She knows she doesn't want Joe, but she cares for him, and she's too scared to do the decent thing and break it off with him. It's an emotional moment.
Back at the Big House, Liz is back to wringing her hands. Then we have some more exposition from yet another telephone call from Bill. Evidently in the commercial break, Bill has located Carolyn and sent her and her date on home. At this point, anything that advances the time of the longest day ever is noteworthy to me. We see that Bill and Sam are now in the diner and are drinking coffee. Still exhibiting weird vibes.
You have to feel sorry for Joe. He has just been on the date from hell. He had the joy of seeing the woman he wants to marry openly make the moves on another man. Then he has to sit there as his girlfriend/erstwhile fiancee blames him for bad dating behavior. Now he's dropping off said girlfriend and it's ungodly late, and when I'm guessing all he wants to do is go home and cry in his beer, his girlfriend's mother peremptorily commands him to have a chat. Then he has to stand there as she correctly surmises that Carolyn's motives for wanting to go to the Blue Whale had much to do with making time with Burke. Yeah, sounds like a great time to me. Joe finally manages to escape. Run Joe run!
The part where Liz lets Carolyn have it is wonderful though. Man, she may be a recluse and all, but Elizabeth knows what's what. She tells her daughter how she knows damn well what she was up to, basically tells her she's a fool, and then when Carolyn tries to claim she saved the family by bringing Burke to Collinwood, Liz snidely drops her bomb about Burke and the accident. Heh. The entertainment factor is then cut down as Bennett either reads straight off the Teleprompter or gives a really lousy line delivery as she tells Carolyn about the manslaughter trial.
Roger and Vicki drive into town using the same car that he supposedly just totaled. But whatever. Roger's all but licking his lips at the thought of annihilating Burke. He leaves Vicki in the restaurant; Vicki is suddenly backtracking about her story. She also can't understand why she can't wait in the lobby. After all, how would Burke know? Best line: "Five dollars to the hotel desk clerk will get you all the information you need. I know." Heh.
Thankfully, Mark Allen is in much better form today. It also helps that he's not reduced to page after page of strange dialogue. We're back to drunken lyricism, which I much prefer. He's positively poetic at times. Vicki isn't nearly as enthused as I am, but then I'm not sitting across from a guy reeking of stale beer and God knows what else.
Convinced he's about to have this huge victory, Roger confronts Burke. To his credit, I can see why Roger believes Burke's guilty. Burke seems genuinely surprised to see Roger. He also appears to have totally forgotten just what his business idea was. Also, he does have a really good motive for wanting to kill Roger.
The subplot today concerns Sam and Maggie. Sam learns from a slip and a phone call from Mr. Wells that Maggie has a bunch of townspeople keeping an eye on him. He's not at all happy about this.
Burke finally comes up with the business deal. He wants Roger to get Liz to sell him the Cannery. Roger ain't buying. Not the deal, or the idea. He calls Burke on the accident, which naturally Burke denies.
Mark Allen's performance is improved, but KLS who started off strong starts blatantly reading off the Teleprompter. That and then the requisite zombie delivery doesn't help. Not too much else going on here, except that Sam shows her a sketch of Collinwood that he drew--I think we see that same sketch later on and I think they change the artist on us, but I can't be sure.
Roger's ace in the hole walks in the door. And Burke doesn't get it at first. When he does remember being in the garage, he downplays it. Vicki very, very reluctantly answers Roger's questions. She was all Chatty Kathy before. Now she acts like she never came forward with this stuff, which is so annoying. I mean, she thought enough of it to tell someone before. I know Burke didn't do it, but the man was in the garage. I mean, let's say you have people over to dinner. They park on the driveway or the street. They leave and then you find them in your garage ten minutes later looming over your car with a wrench. Wouldn't you find that odd? It's not that it's a criminal act, but it is odd. Burke is incensed and there's some shouting and stuff (I can only hope that there weren't guests below). Burke warns Vicki about staying at Collinwood.
We close with Roger and Vicki walking back into Collinwood. She's not happy and he's gloating. He tells her not to think too much about Burke's threat because she can't leave Collinwood now.
