Unfortunately for my sanity, it's still Day 3 and no one is wearing anything differently than they were oh, last week. Aside from Joan Bennett's hair which changes every damn day and a skimpy tie on Roger, I don't have anything meaningful to say about attire and general appearance.
Monday's are a slow TV night for me. See, Tuesdays I have The Amazing Race and Gilmore Girls and Wednesdays is devoted to Lost (Phone is off the hook and both VCRs are recording lest I miss one second of this amazing show. Best damn thing I have seen in years, and if you're not watching, you should be. Oh, and I also watch Project Runway. Thursdays and Fridays, well, I do occasionally get out of the house and all. Anyhow, this is why you're getting a second column so soon.
Burke has dropped his not-so-little bombshell and for like two minutes everyone just stares at the bleeder valve. Then Roger happily moves back to theory Numero Uno. Heh. I love how Roger collars David as he tries to sneak out of the room. Burke comes up with a cock and bull story about finding it on the road, along with David, which the kid gladly corroborates (thus demonstrating his command of his new word).
Chummy little chat between Burke and David on the stairs. It's charming and at the same time there's a very unhealthy vibe there. I don't mean the friendship. It's the cover up that bugs. Burke does admonish David about what he did, but it's not like the kid did something minor like break curfew or smash a window. Regardless of Burke's feelings about Roger, this is deep, dark stuff and the "let's be pals" isn't going to change anything. I do admit to laughing, however, when Burke says they can be friends as long as David stays away from his automotive brakes. I dunno. The whole scene plays like he's scolding an armed robber. The child has problems. Roger's not wrong about that.
Dad is taking Vicki to task for not keeping the valve in her possession. He has a point. Roger is pretty upset too. They conclude that David must have dropped the valve on the road and that Burke found it there. Call from Carolyn rips the cover off of Burke's story and Roger's off again.
Meanwhile David produces a snapshot of Laura with him for Burke. They share a tender moment, or as tender as a moment can be that immediately precedes dark threats against the governess because it's all her fault. Mr. Devlin? This is your cue that this kid has serious, serious issues and that maybe as a responsible human being you ought to set aside your revenge plans long enough so that they can get him to a psychiatrist.
If we had any doubts about the mental health of cute little David Collins, those are totally wiped clean in the next scene. He's so hostile with Vicki that it makes his previous interactions with her seem positively affectionate. When he says "I hate you this time," you get the sense that he's got plans for pushing her down the stairs. She tries to lecture him, but he's not interested. She's at fault. His hands are clean. She got him trouble and she's going to pay.
Roger's on like his third or fourth drink of the day (not counting the one he probably snuck in his bedroom that morning and the ones he had at lunch and at work. The man really pounds down the hootch. I had like one beer last night and I woke up on the sofa four hours later). There are some very nasty, ugly moments between Burke and him. Burke gets off some zingers, which probably doesn't improve Roger's mood any.
There's a lot of moving back and forth between sets for some reason. Now Burke and Vicki are hanging out in the drawing room while upstairs Roger is dealing with David. He plays "Chopsticks" and gets in the now obligatory daily warning that Vicki should leave town. He does add that he thinks he likes her. She's not leaving. She needs to find out who she is and where she belongs. He tells her he has a report on her and invites her to dinner if she wants to see it. I think in there somewhere he also assures her that Roger won't hurt David. On what he's basing that I have no idea, because a) how the hell would he know? and b) at that same moment Roger is laying his hands on David and threatening to send him away for good. It's particularly ironic because David starts screaming and runs downstairs into Burke's arms. Roger literally yanks him away and back upstairs.
Miss Winters doesn't have a whole lot to say to Burke.
Elizabeth and her hair, which ought to have its own screen credit come on home. She gets the news from Roger, who's having yet another drink. He takes great pleasure in telling her all the gory details.
The intrepid Jonas Carter, unhindered by erroneously filled takeout orders, is on top of his game. Bill Malloy (yay!) shows up and they proceed to have an awkward discussion. Bill is way behind in terms of current events. He's still on the Burke Devlin page and doesn't quite get why Jonas is so upset. Nor does he understand all this interest in David.
And it's Damage Control Time! Liz is licking her lips, which I've come to recognize as a bad sign. Roger, brandy glass in hand, is thinking long-term institutionalization. He's bitter, and for the first time (well, for us anyhow) opines that David is not his son. Laura and Burke were dating just before the accident. Roger married Laura right after the trial and eight months later there was David. I can't do math. I freely admit this, but usually, isn't the trial oh, awhile after the investigation? Even with witnesses, I was under the impression that the D.A.'s office likes to have depositions and actual evidence, and then of course, the defense is usually given time to prepare a case and all. So was Burke on bail? Were he and Laura still together then? These are little facts that I'd like to see thrown in here somewhere because otherwise this just doesn't compute the way Roger seems to think it does. Elizabeth isn't going down that road. He's a Collins and that's that. Moreover, he had no idea what he was doing. That's her story anyhow, and she fixes Roger with an eagle eye.
Meanwhile, Bill is looking upset. He reluctantly admits that David did threaten to kill Roger. Jonas presses his case. He's got the prints from the wrench and while he says he could be wrong, he shows Bill how Burke's prints are sandwiched between David's. They're both at a loss.
Roger's on yet another drink. The kind way to describe Liz's mental state at the moment is that she's freaking. Roger is talking about a special school and no doubt is also fantasizing about never seeing his son ever again when Elizabeth lays down the law. David is staying and the sheriff is not going to be told the truth. She blames Roger for his never-ending hatred of David and the environment in which he raised him. She's not buying his argument about David not being a Collins. Essentially, she tells Roger she's taking over the child-rearing and he's to stay the hell away from the scene.
It's unfortunate that neither Edmonds nor Bennett are on top of their game in these scenes.
Jonas comes by. Roger's on drink #5 (of the ones we actually see), and he's getting pretty bombed. Elizabeth outright lies about the valve falling off accidentally. For good measure, she volunteers that Matthew had reported problems with the valve being loose prior. Roger hands over the valve, and although he's not happy, he doesn't interfere when Elizabeth pointedly tells Jonas he should drop the case.
I do love the moments when Roger and Liz are alone together. He looks at her with utter disgust. Tells her that she's protecting a monster and she knows it.
I have to say it; he's right. Abusive upbringing aside, David needs more than kind words and personalized attention. There is also a slight hint here of something Roger will latch onto later on, namely, Elizabeth's plans for David. She's concerned with legacy. Since she's willing to marry Carolyn off to a local boy, I don't think she's planning on her taking the reigns. She's written off Roger (rightly or wrongly) so that leaves David.
Something that does impress me is the repeated theme of the family's determination to rewrite their own history. By the time, this episode is over, I get the sense that Elizabeth has convinced herself that David had no idea what he was doing or what he could have done to his father.
