No fashion notes because it's still Day 3 and everyone is in pretty much the same attire. I have to say that I'm finding starting with the first episode and slowly working my way forward, an interesting exercise. It really is true that you notice different things every time you watch the show.
These are not the most scintillating episodes, I have to say. As theoretically intriguing an idea real time plotting is, I'm not sure soap opera is the best medium for this. By their very nature, soap operas tend to have a lot of repetition and a lot of drawn-out plots--the better to hook new viewers and get the sporadic viewer caught up. So while it works for things like action flicks and shows . . . not a big fan of this device.
We've got essentially three plot points happening for these two episodes. The scoop about why a PI would be looking into Vicki's background, David's increasingly desperate efforts to find out who knows what and to shove suspicion about the accident onto someone else, and Roger's determination to make sure Burke is arrested for the accident. I'm trying to keep the plot recaps to a minimum. Robin does a much better job of this with her Robservations than I do and frankly, the plot details are not so much my chief interest. I know I have to provide some references though because I'm not writing these in conjunction with any current broadcast times and dates.
Our male version of little Rhoda Penmark has decided that Vicki's latest missive from the Hammond Foundling Home is all about him. As disturbing as his actions and attitudes are, it is kind of funny to see how he thinks about thinks. He may have sociopathic tendencies, but he's still very much a child in the way he approaches the world. Roger bursts into Vicki's room, which I also find intriguing because I got the feeling he wasn't exactly looking for David. He's less nasty than usual here. More like the eventual Roger who's in detente with his son. More than anything he just seems exasperated with David. He gives David a lecture on right and wrong which falls on completely deaf ears. David, you see, is convinced that Roger wants to send David away and that the Hammond Foundling Home is the place.
Joan Bennett's hair changes at least four times in four episodes. One day it's more poofy, then next it's higher on her head. Whatever. I still hate it. Elizabeth is very much in classic mode. Actually, I think as dull as some of the plots can be in this arc, everything you wanted to know about why the Collinses act the way they do can be extrapolated from the actions of the core family members. Even with those who live in close proximity to them, they have a public and a private face. Vicki is understandably starting to find David's obsession with his father's accident and being sent away as troubling. Elizabeth has determined that Burke is responsible. That's the version that solves the most problems, and anything that doesn't fit with it is irrelevant. She's quite haughty with Vicki and literally pushes her out the door when Vicki brings up the letter.
Pushed back in her place, Vicki makes further attempts on teaching Maine's state history to David. Not that it matters. David's sole concern at the moment is Vicki's letter. It's about him and that's that. Even when Vicki explains that the Hammond Foundling Home is only for orphans, he's clearly not convinced. David being sent away is a consistent theme for most of DS, and I think it's worth noting that he's right to a certain extent in intuiting that his father generally isn't talking boarding school.
Continuing the monomaniacal obsession theme, Elizabeth's numero uno concern has to do with silencing Vicki's questions about why she was offered the job. In a gem of a scene, she and Roger address this point. Or rather Liz tells Roger what the game plan is. She's quite the grande dame here. Roger, of course, is just as curious as Vicki when Elizabeth looks at him all wide-eyed and blithely tells him "It was your idea." It kind of reminds me of how Barnabas tells Willie that it's his problem and Willie will have to be the one to solve it, except that Elizabeth doesn't ask the impossible of him, and in fact lays out all the possible pitfalls. He'll need to come up with plausible details that Vicki won't be able to check. And when Roger protests? Ultimatum: if Roger wants to stay at Collinwood, he'll comply. No ifs ands or buts. You practically get frostbite watching this scene.
David takes the sweetness and light track with Vicki. You know, they eventually abandoned the David as embryo sociopath route, but right now? He's got it down. It's the hypersincerity, the overly earnest, Elsie Dinsmore delivery that makes this so chilling to watch. I remember reading the book that was the basis for The Bad Seed and one of the most disturbing things about Rhoda Penmark is how the mother gradually comes to realize that although her daughter is slowly mastering the surface rules of acceptable behavior and how to project the image of a moral person, she has absolutely no understanding of what constitutes right and wrong. I kind of get that sense from David here. It's like those rules totally don't apply to him.
Anyhow, I am learning more about the French in early Maine history than I ever thought possible so it's something of a relief when Roger comes in to ask Vicki to come on downstairs so he can earn his rent. He really does pour on the charm here. It's a glib and plausible explanation. So glib and plausible that you can see Vicki starting to doubt herself big time. Roger knows someone you see. A woman in New York involved with charitable concerns who had witnessed Vicki's work with the children more than once and recommended her to him. Of course, she wants to remain anonymous as surely Vicki must know rich benefactors often do (not his words, but his implication). Before he can nail the lid shut on her curiosity, Jonas calls and Roger's smarmy mood is gone and he's back to barking orders.
The last scene and the one on the following episode are kind of disturbing. Basically, Vicki returns upstairs and discovers her letter has gone missing. Correctly interpreting that David has taken it, she searches his room where she promptly finds the missing bleeder valve. Interestingly enough, David's hanging out in the West Wing (why, yes children, people did come and go from the West Wing without any kind of possession whatsoever). When he comes back, he's read the letter and at last convinced that the Hammond Foundling Home is not his future domicile, seems prepared to move on. Unfortunately for him Vicki's got the bleeder valve and she knows just what it is he did. There is then a very creepy and very physical struggle between the two of them, and although this kid is nine to Vicki's twenty and she has about 2-3 feet on him, he's very strong. Essentially she has to trick him into leaving her room and she is able to lock the door.
Little retcon has gone on. Suddenly Jonas is now a sheriff rather than a constable. Not sure why they bothered to change that, but they did. Jonas is still an independent enough man though. While Roger is frothing at the mouth because Burke hasn't been arrested yet, Jonas wants lunch. It's not the most masterful dialogue. IMHO, there's an art to writing this sort of filler and I honestly can't say that Wallace has a great deal of skill here. I fully recognize that culinary knowledge has expanded rapidly in the past ten years and that it would be ridiculous for Jonas to phone in an order to the local espresso bar for a decaf latte and a prosciutto and gruyere panini, but honestly who the hell talks about "a container of coffee?" And if you don't want mustard on your ham on rye then anyone who's ever ordered takeout should know they have to specify. The fact that I am sitting here writing about Jonas' violent dislike of mustard on his ham on rye is pretty bizarre frankly and I think is telling in and of itself. Do we honestly care? No, I didn't think so. In contrast, a future episode employs this sort of device much better. I speak, of course, of the introduction of Mrs. Johnson and the question of fresh mayonnaise.
Anyhow, Jonas is using the deficiencies of his luncheon as a way of either annoying Roger or keeping him at bay. If it's the former, he's doing a very good job. If it's the latter, it's clear that his people skills need a lot of work. Admittedly Roger is hell bent on getting Burke arrested and has no qualms about threatening Jonas directly (i.e. we employ half the people in this town and you might want to consider the implications of that when you are trying to get re-elected). Instead of treating Roger calmly and explaining the problems he faces in terms of evidence, Jonas chooses to bait him with incessant dialogue about hating mustard. Finally, Jonas agrees to get a search warrant, which very much looks like caving to me.
David runs down the stairs straight into Liz with the story that Vicki tried to hurt him. I like how Elizabeth listens to him, but you can tell that she's far from a pushover. When Vicki shows up, she and Liz agree to speak alone, which allows David to eavesdrop and learn that they cops plan on searching Burke's room. .
So Jonas has a search warrant, but manages to get some digs into Roger and vice versa. He vetoes Roger's less than brilliant idea of accompanying him to the hotel. Then we have more about the mustard. Enough already.
Let's just say that Elizabeth is not in a very good mood. Since Vicki chooses to explain the situation in a linear fashion, Liz's tolerance doesn't improve any. It's a classic soap scene. Rather than oh, blurt out that "your baby is alive!" the character launches into a very long preamble complete with confused apologies and explanations, at which point the person they are trying to speak with a) gets upset and leaves the room or b) jumps to the wrong conclusion entirely, or c) reveals something shocking that causes the initial character to clam up completely. In Elizabeth's case, she gets really irritated with Vicki really fast. Burke's guilty and that's that and why is Vicki physically manhandling David. When Vicki reveals that she found the bleeder valve in David's room, there is one brief moment where Elizabeth falters in horror. The mask is back on within seconds though. Finally Vicki and she troop upstairs to take a look at it (it's in Vicki's dresser drawer). To her utter shock, when they open the drawer it's gone. The last shot is of Elizabeth's face. Let's just say she looks very unpleasant.
