Fashion notes first . . .
The hair stylist had this interesting habit of experimenting with Joan Bennett's hair, which is fine except for the fact that it's been the same day for like a week now and every time we see her, it has a different look.
Maggie has on a wool checked suit. The skirt is straight ending at the knee. The jacket is waist length, straight as well, single-breasted and bracelet length (although she's not wearing one). She's carrying gloves and a pocketbook. Her hair is up in some sort of a beehive. I'm not sure how to describe the yarn bow in the hair. It's rather bizarrely tied around part of the bun. I'm inclined to think that was deliberate because it undermines the sophistication of the outfit, making her look rather like a little girl in Mommy's clothes, more on that below.
Onto the show . . .
Art wrote both of these episodes, by the way. Night of Day 6. Still.
Blue Whale: So Carolyn and Joe have returned from their day gallivanting in the countryside or wherever they were. I find myself more intrigued by the extras they have peopling the Blue Whale. There's one girl with long black hair who looks like she's about 20. She's with the requisite clean-cut young man. The rest of them . . . if I had one word to describe them, that word would be middle-aged. None of them look like they're the type to be in this kind of a bar either. I particularly love the dumpy lady with the helmet hair. She's not wearing a twin set, but she looks like she should be; man, all of these people look like they stopped off after a school board meeting or bridge at the Cleavers. Ack. Joe does it again; he calls Bob "Punchy." Carolyn isn't in a party mood. Joe blames it on Bill's death. He brings it up and then tells her she's dwelling on it. They dance while the mildly geriatric crowd looks on.
Collinwood: Elizabeth is hanging out in her drawing room when Matthew comes in with the firewood. By hanging out, I mean she is sitting on a chair, legs crossed and hands just so. Liz questions Matthew about Bill's body. Man, these people need a TV. Matthew gets upset that she's now going to be hounded. When Liz says she doesn't think the talk is ever going to die down, he seems even more troubled.
Blue Whale: Maggie shows up looking for Sam, who of course, neither Joe nor Carolyn has seen. Maggie's pissed at Burke and is visibly upset. She and Carolyn engage in some mild sniping.
Collinwood: Matthew is acting a lot like those mental outpatients who always want to sit next to me on the bus or come up to the reference desk asking me how they can keep the government agents from breaking into their homes and irradiating their food. Liz, who lacks my keen problem-patron spotting abilities is oblivious to his instability and thanks him for his help. He leaves, probably to go light a candle in his Elizabeth Stoddard shrine and Maggie shows up looking for Roger.
I have to give Mostoller credit for Maggie's outfit here. It's perfect. You can tell it's probably the classiest thing Maggie owns, and yet in the Collinwood set, it looks cheap. You get the sense that she put it on because she was going up to Collinwood--a place she's never been and she's carrying those gloves--that you know she never wears and that pocketbook--that you know she never uses--probably because she wanted a boost of self-confidence to call on Roger. Now she's standing next to Liz (and remember Joan Bennett's been in that same dress for several days now) and she looks so . . . well, my heart goes out to her.
This being back in the day when they bothered with things like this, KLS gets to look around Collinwood in awe. She's never been in a house like this and here she's in the same room with the mysterious Mrs. Stoddard and she acts like it. Not like later when characters, who were supposed to be declasse wandered in with the same attitude they'd have toward a fourth floor walk-up with a community bathroom down the hall.
Elizabeth, of course, has no idea who she is and would like to know why she wants to see Roger. I would love to know what Wallace intended Liz to be thinking was the reason. Maggie explains and gets the Freeze. She then further blunders by talking about her interest in this side of Collinwood. Yeah, that'll work. Because I'm sure the Grand Lady of Collinwood just loves being treated like a side-show freak. Maggie eventually explains that Burke is saying these awful things about her father and Roger and she wants to hear Roger's side of things. It's a nicely rendered performance on KLS' part. She manages to convey that she's intimidated by the setting, but that she cares about her father enough to stick up for herself and fight for the right to get to the bottom of this.
Joan's kind of phoning it in here unfortunately (maybe because she's been in that same damn dress for days and this soap is far more work than her agent promised it would be). Finally Liz relents and goes to look for Roger. I like the camera work here. Maggie's alone in the foyer and the camera gradually pulls away from her until you see how tiny she is in this big room. Considering that the Collinwood set was reportedly rather small, it's a credit that they could achieve that effect.
Blue Whale: Joe's settling up the tab when Matthew comes in. He's looking for Burke. They all seem surprised to see him as he isn't a typical habitue of the Blue Whale. But then with the extras who probably all had stints on "Leave It to Beaver" and "The Ozzie and Harriet Show," it seems it's that kind of a night here. Matthew tells Carolyn to let her mother know "everything's gonna be all right." Carolyn senses that Matthew's at least one sandwich short of a picnic and makes me like her for two seconds. Then she goes and spoils it by starting in on how Burke has nothing against her family.
Collinwood: Roger's out and Liz suggests that Maggie leave. She's not mean, really, but there's a very lady-of-the-manor attitude wafting from her. She suggests that Maggie talk to her father if she wants the truth. There's some discussion of Burke and conjecture that he could be capable of murder. Liz declares he could be. Right then Carolyn walks in.
So second episode opens and Maggie's gone. Carolyn's in full brat mode and wants to deconstruct Maggie's visit. Predictably, she's indignant about Burke. Because Lord knows he's only a full-grown man with more money than God who can't possibly defend himself against the discussion of a woman who won't leave her house and the town waitress (which is how Carolyn refers to Maggie behind her back). I so want to slap Carolyn. Liz gets artic with her. Carolyn brings up Matthew and his message.
Blue Whale: Middle-aged extras are actually kind of cute. The couple in the foreground (dumpy lady in the not-twin set with the old man), who have apparently switched tables appear to be on a date. There's also a new jazzy, peppy number on that I haven't heard before when Burke walks in. He spots Matthew and asks if he knows where Roger is. Matthew grabs onto Burke's arm in a threatening manner.
Collinwood: Liz is on the phone to the Blue Whale and is told Matthew isn't there. Carolyn is worried for Burke. Her only good argument is that Matthew is a whack job (my words not hers). The sheriff calls and tells Liz to phone him should he show up. Liz meanwhile wants to talk to him about Matthew.
Blue Whale: Matthew warns Burke to stay away from the Collinses. He also threatens to kill Burke if he doesn't leave them alone. Burke, for one moment, abandons conspiracy theories as you can see him realizing that Matthew isn't quite sane. Burke then ruins it by calling Liz a neurotic. Matthew lunges for Burke, pushes him against the bar, and tries to strangle him in front of the lone youthful extra, the lady in the not twin set. The geriatric guy who looks like he belongs in a feed store tries to pull Matthew off Burke. Nothing's really working until Sheriff Patterson comes in. He stops the murder attempt and drags them both off to his office.
Police Station: Now I know I rag on George a lot. He's just such a dweeb most of the time, but not here and not now. For those of you with children, this entire scene and George's handling of it should be very familiar. Matthew and Burke are pretty much having the "he started it!" argument. You know, also known as the "he's looking at me, Ma!" line or the "it's all his fault!" mentality. The sheriff makes them sit at opposite sides of the table. Heh. Then he makes Matthew go sit outside. He even tells him to go sit on the bench. At which point, George rips into Burke. He wants Burke to stop trying to do his job. He warns him to leave the police work to him. Burke has all sorts of excuses, but George isn't having any of it. Damn. George is wheedling my way into my heart.
The other five-year-old is reaming out her mother. Carolyn's bound and determined to pick a fight. Liz coolly relays Burke's accusations against Roger and Sam. Which helps for a few minutes.
Meanwhile back in the principal's office, George drags Burke's visit to Sam out of Burke. This entire sequence (and that goes for Thayer David too) is wonderfully played. It's almost as if the director told them to act like they were squabbling toddlers being disciplined by Papa. Burke has excuses, of course, but the Sheriff doesn't care. He calls Burke a vigilante and orders him to go back to his hotel room and stay there. God, I want to bear George Patterson's child. (Don't worry, that will pass, but for this moment in time, that was my reaction).
Then it's Matthew's turn and George lets him have it.
Collinwood: Tentative rapprochement. Carolyn confesses that she likes Burke and is going to talk to him about these accusations. Liz tells Carolyn she's an adult (Ha!) and that she can make her own choices. As a parenting technique this approach is probably wise because Carolyn is clearly testing boundaries. Part of the attraction with Burke has got to be the fact that her family hates him. The fact that she's so determined to champion him seems to indicate that she's trying to prove herself to them. Unfortunately, I think Burke's got Carolyn's number and has already figured all of this out.
We close with the revelation that Burke has chosen to ignore the future father of my virtual child by coming to call. I'm even more annoyed because this means that Day 6 is still not over.
