Only one lone little fashion note . . .
Carolyn's outfit for her night on the town looks like the one she wore awhile back sans the sheer sleeves. It's a black sleeveless dress. There's a ruffle on her one shoulder and the neckline is sort of gathered at the collar. Her hair is very mod.
Onto the show . . .
It's Day 10. John and Art brought you the first episode, whereas Lela and Francis are responsible for the second episode. I love the production slates. Moltke peeks out from behind the slate. She's got a lovely smile.
Vicki's prison: they did a very good job with this set. In comparison with later efforts, this is a fairly secure little holding cell. It's dark. It's isolated. There's one window which is easily nine feet high; it's also barred and is set on an angle. Also, hello? She's in the attic so it's not like jumping out would even be an option. The door is fairly thick too.
Drawing room: So it's storming to beat the band and Carolyn announces she's hitting the bar in search of excitement. Wonder how her mother could possibly object to such a course of action? Carolyn being one of those people who like to take out their frustrations on innocent bystanders is spoiling for a fight and since she's still ticked that Joe dared to make plans, Mom is her quarry. Unfortunately for her, Elizabeth is in full ice queen mode. Go Elizabeth go! To my great joy, she rips into Carolyn. It's not that she's shouting or anything. She's just very cold, very deliberate, very precise. For those of you who are more familiar with the later years of DS, think Leviathan Liz when she's interacting with Paul. Anyhow, Carolyn is immune. She pretty much states that she's on the prowl for someone - anyone who can show her a good time.
Blue Whale: Damn it, now they're calling Bob Rooney "Andy." Oy. Burke seems to be well on his way to the blotto stage of intoxication when Sam comes in. Sam, in contrast, is a miracle of sobriety heading straight for the phone. He evidently learns about her dinner guest and cautions her (along the lines of maybe you shouldn't mess with fire). That accomplished, he joins Burke who loves all mankind right about now and wants to declare a temporary truce.
Drawing room: Understandably, Elizabeth doesn't want her daughter coming home with a case of the clap and/or knocked up. Carolyn calms down enough so we know that she's not desperate or enraged enough to make some truck driver very happy. Elizabeth tries to persuade her to stay home to help her look for Vicki, but we know that won't be happening.
Vicki's prison: I do like that Vicki is still actively attempting to escape. She gives the window the old college try, but that's not happening. Also, I think grabbing on to iron bars in the middle of a thunderstorm is probably not a good idea anyhow.
Blue Whale: as might be expected, Sam catches up with Burke. It's a strange episode really. I like Mitchell Ryan as much as the next gal, but I have to tell you, Burke drunk is about as attractive as Sam drunk (or sober). I can tell that Art wrote this episode because the dialogue gets bizarrely metaphysical real fast. Not perhaps the best idea for one player who isn't the best at remembering his line - and also drunk people expressing their opinions on metaphysics and spiritualism? loses something in the translation. It is cute though that Burke gets mushy about Vicki. Then they talk about Bill and posit that he's probably a ghost now. I want to make it clear: these bozos are drunk. Drunk. Not lightly toasted. Not slightly incoherent. They are drunk. Very, very drunk.
If that wasn't apparent before, it becomes so when they start to sing. What do they sing? Why that old classic "What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?" Bill Malloy's favorite song. Yep, that's right. What I love about this song is that the lyrics are a lot more suggestive than one might think. In any case, it adds a whole new perspective on Bill Malloy. Burke and Sam are rendering their duet when Carolyn comes in. I might add that Carolyn's choices for companionship are rather limited. There's Bob Rooney. There's Burke and Sam. There is also the one lone Rotarian extra at the bar. She opts for Sam and Burke.
If Carolyn were a little smarter and/or more experienced, she would take Burke's drunken wish that Vicki were here to join them to heart. In vino veritas, sweetie. She finds the whole situation pretty funny. Maybe it's my age or jaded character, but the thought of spending a rebound evening with two sloppy drunks just does nothing for me. Sam does spoil the jubilant mood somewhat by revealing that he's got to get home because Maggie is expecting "a young man" to dinner. Heh. After he leaves, Burke tries to get Carolyn back in a good mood again by serenading her with another verse of "What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?"
Vicki's prison: Vicki has been lying down. It's a logical choice; she's got nothing else to do. Unfortunately for her she wakes up only to see the late Bill Malloy (Yay!) who is glowing and dripping seaweed. He warns Vicki to get away as she's in danger. And he vanishes. Her first reaction is that she was dreaming, but when she sees a pile of wet seaweed on the attic floor, that's shot to hell.
Holy Mother of God. The sound guy found a rain f/x to use. Who knew they had it in them? This is historic, people. It was always thundering and lightning to beat the band in Collinsport, but it almost never rained.
Upstairs in the attic, we see Vicki begging to be let out.
David is sneaking around when Elizabeth finds him. She hasn't given up looking for Vicki. Roger, of course, is totally unconcerned. David Henesy's knack for imbuing his role with both comedic overtones and sociopathic undertones is nothing short of wondrous. He blithely suggests that perhaps Vicki got caught in the rain somewhere. He does his gosh, golly gee whiz Aunt Elizabeth routine, but Aunt Elizabeth is still positively glacial.
Roger doesn't share his sister's concern about Carolyn. I'm not sure with whom he thinks Carolyn is planning on hooking up with. It's not like she stormed off to the country club in a fit of pique juggling the decorous overtures of investment bankers and polo players. She said she was going into town for a good time and she didn't care much who gave it to her. I suspect he'd be a lot less blase if he knew that Carolyn is now currently hanging out with Burke after hours in his hotel suite.
Speaking of hotel suites, the action moves there. Carolyn is strictly a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. She breaks down and asks for a drink though. Yum, straight whiskey (or scotch). Yeah, no way would she not be hacking after a big ol' sip of that. Hell, I could drink her under the table any day of the week and I still can't stand that stuff. They have some music and proceed to engage in some rather suggestive flirting. It still shocks me a little bit, because it's all very misogynistic and dated (references to Carolyn's chassis and "carriage"--and they ain't talking posture).
Back at the ranch, Roger is onto his son. You know, I have to contrast this shrewdness with the total blindness later on whenever David is possessed. David's still hipped on the crystal ball. Somebody buy this kid some Lincoln Logs or something. Dear old dad clearly intuits that his son was behind Vicki's disappearance.
In her attic prison, Vicki is looking awfully worse for wear. It's very realistic I suppose. She's in a rather filthy room and she's been lying down. Compare this to subsequent SYTs in captivity who always look like they've stepped out of a bandbox. We hear a door creak, but we as the audience get to see that whatever's making that noise, it's not David.
In Burke's hotel suite, he's recounting his experiences at Rio during Carnival. He's buzzed (albeit no longer singing); she's willing. Why they're still vertical and talking about his tourist experiences is anyone's guess. Then she brings up "love" and the mood is shattered. Sweetie, whatever the two of you got going, it sure as hell ain't love.
Downstairs at Collinwood: Elizabeth waves the key to the west wing that David's had in his room. He lies, but Roger is so so onto him.
Hotel suite: it's like watching a more attractive version of Rick Steves but without the knowledge base. These people are the most inept at lovemaking that I have ever seen. He finally kicks her out good naturedly. She's too naive to realize that he's playing her and that she had an extremely lame evening. There's a brief (blink-and-you'll-miss-it) kiss.
Collinwood: Roger is in a remarkably chipper mood. He toasts Vicki in absentia.
Unsurprisingly, Vicki isn't in such a good mood. She tries to lob an object at it in an attempt to break it. She then realizes that the key is still stuck in the lock on the door. Rather cleverly, she takes a sheet of paper and slides it under the door. Then using a hair pin, she pokes the key out. On the other side, we see that it lands on the paper. She tries to then pull the key and the paper back in. It's a rather ingenious attempt, but they key will not fit. And that's where we leave Vicki. Upset and scared and still very much trapped.
