Then & Now
Christine: This episode has me convinced that Vicki really is Elizabeth's daughter and may be the only reason she was hired as a governess. It's not just because Liz told Roger that Vicki received a message from the foundling home that might cause trouble, but also because Vicki seems remarkably ill suited for the job. When David asks if she has ever tried to kill someone and she smiles before replying, "I'm afraid not," it almost sounds as though she regrets never committing murder. I have to wonder what that little girl did to earn a bloody nose, and whether Vicki's only regret was that she stopped there.
John: So let's stipulate that she's Victoria Collins... do you think she's named Winters for the same reason they named the bastard Jon 'Snow' in Game of Thrones?
I like that today's show could have been an episode CSI: Collinwood. The Constable tells Roger that Liz is a fine woman. Do you think he's interested?
They sure lingered on David contemplating grabbing the wrench to put his fingerprints on it, which made it great when Vicki stopped him from doing so, but then silly when he did so after being admonished about it.
Christine: The kid is developing a criminally brilliant mind. Perhaps he's learning more than expected from all those magazines he's been reading. And yes, Vicki was named after the season she was left at the foundling home.
Shadows on the Wall
Christine: Shout out to the props department for creating such a cool Night Crawlers comic book for David to read. It's only visible for a brief moment, but these are the kinds of little details many of us appreciate. Also, is that a ghost appearing in David's mirror behind him during that scene?
John: At first I thought that they had made a mistake making it magazine-sized, rather than comic-sized, but magazines weren't under the same restrictions as comics under the Comics Code Authority (CCA). As a result, they could be a little more risqué, which would explain David's reaction when Vicki walks in on him reading it.
Is it worth noting that Roger didn't have a drink in the episode?
I can't tell if the robot on David's desk in the end credits is one of those that we've already seen... Perhaps if they get around to creating enhanced Blu Rays of the pre-Barnabas episodes (MPI just announced at San Diego Comic Con that they would be releasing the first volume of the series starting with Barnabas' arrival), we'll be able to better identify David's robot army.
Christine: As a portrait watcher and someone fixated on the minutiae of Dark Shadows, I certainly welcome the possibility of gaining more clarity on the episodes. Remind me I said that when the mutton chops arrive in high definition.
No doubt Roger pursued a liquid solution after David contaminated the fingerprint evidence on the wrench, but the episode ended before he made his way to the decanter.
What stood out to you during this viewing of the episode?
