Shadows on the Wall: Episode 61

   

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/09/episode-61-91966.html

Then & Now

John: How is demanding a sandwich any less impolite than Burke inviting himself to join Sam, Maggie and Vicki for dinner in the first place? It's like he's reverting to the punk that he must have been 10 years ago, before his incarceration.

Christine: Why would Mr. Wells take the letter out of the safe before calling Maggie? Just so he could wave it around under Sam's nose and tease him? 

Why would Sam allow Mr. Wells to go on and on to Burke about the letter and the possibility that it might contain incriminating information while Sam waits silently in the Collinsport Inn restaurant, only to emerge after Burke has arrived and Wells has already spilled all those details?

John: Right? Given Burke's character, that oversight can only be attributed to bad writing. And I'm normally fine cutting them a lot of slack because, hey — it's a soap opera. Of course, given his cavalier attitude with people's personal information, and his assumption about the contents of Maggie's letter, I'm surprised Wells hasn't already read it.

How is it that everyone remains mystified by what Sam might know about the car accident 10 years ago? Enough information has been disclosed to indicate that Bill believed Sam would be able to clear Burke, which can only mean he would know who was driving the car.  

Shadows on the Wall

Christine: While Burke doesn't take advantage of it, the Evans house does have a coat rack next to the door. Perhaps Vicki used the last available hook for her coat when she hung it up in the preceding episode.

John: The Evans have a coat rack, but they still can't afford one at Collinwood!

More scenes for your perusal…

Shadows on the Wall: Episode 60

   

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/09/episode-60-91616.html

Then & Now

John: As we discussed 10 years ago, it took them 12 weeks to finally spill the beans on the story of Burke and Roger's 'accident.' Still plenty of details to come, but the greatest surprise is that Sam was willing to tell the story without any alcoholic lubrication!

Christine: Where were you during this episode? Sam made sure to pour two fingers (maybe three) to get mellow before starting in on the story of the three drunk friends. 

John: I get the sense that Sam and Maggie don't have guests over for dinner very often, and while Sam seems to accept Vicki's presence, I can't imagine he's going to be happy about Burke's 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' appearance...

Christine: I was impressed with the table Maggie set, which is finer than anything we've seen in the Collins family dining room so far, though to be fair, we've only seen the breakfast table set. 

It was nice to see Maggie and Vicki developing a friendship, smiling, laughing, and actually having fun together. We don't get to see much of that in Collinsport, where everyone usually seems to be dealing with one gloomy crisis after another. 

Shadows on the Wall

John: What were they thinking when they introduced the Betty Hanscomb portrait, only to then basically ignore it? What's particularly funny is that given how the show would evolve into flashbacks where everyone looks like their relatives, we never saw Alexandra Moltke playing Betty Hanscomb.

Christine: Now hear me out on this, but the Betty Hanscomb portrait may be evidence that Vicki had already traveled back in time. Probably as a way to finally find out about her parentage. What do you think of that?

I would like to bring your attention to another portrait in the Evans house that bears a certain resemblance to Reverend Trask. I'm not sure what to make of that. 

While Burke is demanding answers from Sheriff Patterson, I couldn't help but be fascinated watching Patterson sip his coffee, make a face indicating that it's too hot, go to the cooler for some water, sip again and wince at the heat, add more water, and then… what were he and Burke talking about?

What little details in the sets caught your eye during this episode?