David is still lurking downstairs and follows Roger into the drawing room. David says he's sorry, and Roger asks if he's sorry because he survived. He asks why his father wants to speak with Vicki, suggesting that she knows who did it. David then says maybe he's not sorry at all.
David comes to see Vicki. He says he tried to apologize, and Roger sent him to bed. He denies being involved, and Vicki tells him no one suspects him. David asks what Vicki is going to tell him about the accident, and she confirms she doesn't know anything about it. David then asks what will happen if they find the person responsible, and Vicki says they'll put him in jail.
In the drawing room, Roger says he knows who tampered with his car, but proving it is something else. He asks Vicki to describe exactly what she saw. She tells him that Devlin had a wrench in his hand.
Meanwhile, David plays with a car in his bedroom, and then stomps on it.
Roger flips out about the wrench. He asks if there's anything else Vicki hasn't mentioned. Roger asks if Burke's hands were dirty. He then calls the hotel, but Burke isn't there. Roger tells Vicki to get dressed, as they're going to the hotel to confront him.
In his room, David takes the part removed from the car and goes to Vicki's door. When she opens it he runs back into his room. He asks if his father is going to call the police. She said he might, and this clearly troubles David.
Roger and Vicki leave, and David tucks the car part back into his drawer.
Our thoughts
John: Can they not afford to get working closures on the windows in this house? It seems like they're constantly banging in every room.
Christine: The house is almost 150 years old. It was made to have shutters and windows that bang for the proper gothic effect.
John: I like how David all but admitted to his father that he was responsible, and Roger didn't catch on. And then to Vicki. And no one is hearing the kid!
Christine: David was right. Nobody listens to him. No wonder he talks to ghosts.
John: I half expected this episode to end with Roger and Vicki opening the door to find Carolyn and Devlin standing there. We'll see where and when the next confrontation happens.
Christine: We only have three characters present for today's episode. What is taking Carolyn so long to get home? In case you missed a few episodes and are unaware of the connection to the part David has been secreting away, today's episode will gladly catch you up.
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| Bill Malloy's drawing of the part removed from Roger's car that caused the brakes to fail. |
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| The bleeder valve David keeps trying to conceal in Vicki's room. |
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| Getting more mileage out of Bill Malloy's technical sketch. |
Not a lot of plot in this episode, but a whole lot of the only story that matters- Vicki and David trying to figure each other out. Their scenes together work very well, and Roger's haughty indifference to his son gives all the background you need to see why their relationship is so important.
ReplyDeleteOne other point I want to note. When Vicki tells Roger what she saw Devlin doing in the garage, Roger asks her to come with him to confront Devlin at the hotel. That's a typical soap opera character idea. What isn't so typical is Vicki's response, that it would be better to go to the police. She sticks with that rational idea until Roger tells her of his urgent need to see Devlin's face. That picks up on Roger's frantic behavior in Week One and sets him up for the whole saga of Where Burke Devlin's Pen Is, in which we see that Roger's attitude towards Burke is rooted in some deep and complicated emotions.
ReplyDelete