Shadows on the Wall: Episode 5

  

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/07/episode-5-7166.html

Then & Now

John: Coming off my suggestion yesterday that Vicki should have quit after Roger's antics, let alone David's 'greeting' last night and behavior today, I'm still surprised Carolyn was able to convince her otherwise, just because she wanted a friend. 

Carolyn calls Roger's kiss 'delicious'. The horrors at Collinwood are not aways supernatural!

I forgot that Sam Evans was one of the roles that would be recast throughout the run of the show. 

Christine: One thing that struck me on this viewing is just how many of the men make a poor first impression. Joe spends the evening sulking instead of dancing with Carolyn, Roger has already made Victoria—and all of us—uncomfortable, and Sam Evans quickly establishes himself as a volatile presence. Collinwood may have its share of supernatural horrors, but the ordinary ones are arriving first. 

Shadows on the Wall

John: How many kids from Foundling homes have monogrammed luggage? At least David gave us an idea of how many clothes she could pack in it!

Sam introduces Vicki (and us) to Josette Collins (no painting —yet), the source of tears (doh! — I was surprised by this revelation just as I was 10 years ago!), who jumped off of Widows' Hill.

Christine: Along with our introduction to Josette comes the striking image of Victoria standing at the edge of Widows' Hill before learning the story of Josette's leap. I had completely forgotten that visual connection, and I found it especially powerful on this viewing.

A fun little continuity mystery caught my eye. David manages to knock the monogrammed initials off Victoria's luggage. Even after the scene shifts downstairs, we continue hearing him gleefully pounding away. By the next scene, however, the initials have somehow found their way back onto the suitcase.

Did anyone else notice something unusual about today's slate?

Shadows on the Wall: Episode 4

 

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/06/episode-4-63066.html

Then & Now

John: Like Elizabeth, I want to know what Roger was planning to do with Vicki so late at night, in the privacy of her bedroom.

I love when Liz tells Roger to act like a Collins. It's like The Godfather telling Johnny Fontaine to act like a man!

Roger calling Carolyn kitten continues the ick factor of their relationship. And when he ushers Liz out so he could be alone with Vicki... It's frankly pretty amazing that she didn't catch the next train out of Collinwood the following morning. 

Much like it did 10 years ago, Carolyn's jokingly suggesting that Roger turns into Dracula at midnight certainly resonates with viewers knowing what's to come!

And who will prove to be La Llorona haunting Collinwood? I think 10 years ago I was assuming it was Liz. 

Christine: I had forgotten about Carolyn's Dracula comment. Her casual reference to Dracula is amusing, considering that once a vampire actually takes up residence at Collinwood, I don't recall anyone ever invoking Dracula again or drawing much on traditional vampire lore. 

Shadows on the Wall

John: I wish we could see what book Vicki was reading. 

Another two drinks for Roger. We should track how many drinks he pours across 1225 episodes.

Isaac, Jeremiah, and now Theodore and Benjamin Collins are mentioned, albeit in name only. Two more names to track. 

Christine: A Roger drink tracker? I don't know that anyone could reasonably keep up with that! 

Ten years ago I documented the movement of Isaac Collins' portrait to different locations throughout Collinwood, which you can explore on the Collinwood Portraits page. What I hadn't noticed until this viewing was that when the portrait was moved to the right of the drawing room windows, it displaced the cherub globe lamp, which had previously occupied that spot and now appears to the left of the drawing room doors. 

One question for our fellow visual detectives: Can anyone identify the set location where this episode's slate was filmed? The vase and patterned wallpaper look familiar, but I haven't yet placed them.

Shadows on the Wall: Episode 3

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/06/episode-3-62966.html

Then & Now

John: If someone came pounding on my door like Roger did, I wouldn't open it, either! Of course he denies such a thing is part of his repertoire when he talks to Maggie.

The biggest surprise from this viewing was the suggestion that Vicki has a friend back home.

And I'm sorry, it's still super creepy that Carolyn considers Roger to be 'a real doll.' 

Another thing that surprised me in this viewing is just how young Joe seems to be. He kinda reminds me of good ol' Archie from Riverdale. 

Bill Malloy obviously knows what's up with Burke. Funny he would even think Burke might just let it rest. 

Christine: One thing that stood out to me on this viewing was just how often ghosts are mentioned. Carolyn warns Victoria that she'll have to try to get used to doors opening by themselves, while Burke tells Bill Malloy that as a kid he used to go up to Collinwood looking for ghosts because people always believed the house was haunted. No one could have imagined that these passing references would eventually open the door to vampires, witches, werewolves, Leviathans, parallel worlds, and just about every other supernatural phenomenon imaginable. 

Shadows on the Wall

John: This episode, we're introduced to Isaac Collins, who founded the town in the 17th century, and put the family into the 'fish business.' I'll be interested to see who's the first historical figure we're introduced to that we actually meet during a flashback.

Christine: It's interesting that Isaac Collins' portrait became such a focal point so early in the series. If you'd like to learn more about it, you'll find a detailed history in the Collinwood Portraits section of the Collinwood Collection. Unless I'm forgetting someone, I don't believe we ever actually met Isaac during the series' many journeys into the past. 

One detail I had never noticed before was the perspective from inside the Blue Whale's phone booth. It's an angle of the set I don't remember seeing before. I'll be interested to see whether the booth itself is ever visible in wider shots of the Blue Whale's interior. 

Ten years ago I gave a shout out to announcer Bob Lloyd, whose slate announcements became a familiar part of our early Dark Shadows viewing. As part of the Collinwood Collection, I've begun assembling a new Slates archive documenting the surviving slate announcements and the unique moments they capture before each episode begins. 

What did you notice during this viewing that you had never noticed before?