The Sheriff wants to speak to Bill Malloy, who just happens to show up in his outer office. Bill suggests that Burke was responsible for Roger's accident, and the Sheriff asks Bill about David.
Liz asks Roger if he told Matthew about David. He says he'll find out soon enough. Then he describes his son as a monster. Roger points out that he thinks David could be Burke's son.
Back in the Sheriff's office, Bill says that David did say he hoped his father would die. The Sheriff asks if he really meant it, and Bill confirms that David doesn't like his father. The Sheriff then describes how there are two sets of fingerprints on the wrench; David and Burke's. The Sheriff believes Burke was telling the truth, so he looked at the prints again. He says it looks like David handled the wrench before Burke; not just after he grabbed it after the Sheriff brought it into the drawing room.
Liz comes downstairs and tells Roger that David didn't say anything to her, despite her pleading with him to say it wasn't true. Liz tells him there's no reason for the Sheriff or anyone else to know about what David did. Liz blames Roger for hating the boy since birth. Liz says she won't accept that David is not Roger's son, and she commits to helping him.
There's a knock at the door and the Sheriff arrives to see Roger. He brings up the wrench, and Liz stops him to say that she and Roger were wrong about Burke. She says their caretaker confirmed that the valve fell off by itself, and should have been replaced. It's not clear that he buys the story, but he accepts the easy out. He tells Roger to give David his regards.
As he heads upstairs, Roger tells Liz that one day she'll regret covering for David.
Our thoughts
John: Did Liz miss her cue? Roger had to wander around the foyer for quite a while at the beginning of the episode.
Christine: It sounded like she was having trouble getting through the door. The door clicked and squeaked open, prompting Roger to look, and then you can hear a faint male voice speaking before the door clicks open again and she appears.
John: A nice flub by Louis Edmonds: "That's what I said Liz David Liz."
Christine: Edmonds was in fine form today. I wonder if that's real brandy in the oft-used bottle. That's where the rat poison needs to go if David is truly serious about murdering his father.
John: So Roger throws out my previously mentioned theory about who David's father really is. Sadly, it doesn't seem like that's going to develop into a plot line, as Liz all but shuts Roger down when it comes to David. At least as long as she's around to take care of him.
Christine: That won't prevent Burke from bringing it up. Liz says she's sure David is Roger's son and he asks if it's because David is deceitful, vicious, and unpredictable. Those characteristics would qualify him to be either Roger or Burke's son. Roger says he married Burke's girl Laura right after Burke's trial and David was born almost 8 months after. Liz maintains she won't accept that David is not Roger's son, that he belongs to the same family as Jeremiah, Isaac, and Benjamin and is the youngest and last of the Collins line. Could she be refusing to question paternity simply to ensure the continuance of the Collins family name?
John: So the Sheriff was actually a pretty sharp guy for figuring out David was likely the culprit in Roger's accident, but then he immediately backs off the case when Liz tells her fabricated story. Particularly interesting when compared to how firmly he stood up to Roger. I guess Liz' influence extends beyond the walls of Collinwood...
Christine: He didn't want to accuse the kid of murder and liked the easy solution. He also had to get home to take his wife out to a movie and didn't want to be held up with the paperwork and complications of arresting a nine year old from a powerful family. Still, you've got to hand it to Liz for finding a way out of the mess. We'll see if she regrets protecting monster David as Roger claims she will.
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| It's not called Dark Shadows for nothing. |
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| Liz claims David was forced to live his lifetime with Roger's guilt. What could Roger be guilty of doing? |
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| Isaac Collins remains hanging next to Jeremiah where we found him relocated in Episode 27. |
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| Bandage Watch Day 11. It really must be a nasty gash. |
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| Farewell to Michael Currie who makes his last appearance today as Sheriff Jonas Carter. |
...Bandage watch... Recall the time warp that is Dark Shadows... I may be wrong here but I don't think Victoria Winters has even been at Collinwood more than about 4-5 days at this point.
ReplyDeleteThe sheriff and Bill demonstrate how normal people might react to the idea of a nine year old boy attempting to murder his father, then we go to Collinwood and see how Roger and Liz react. An instructive contrast!
ReplyDeleteAnd the look of contempt Roger gives Liz at the end of the episode is as devastating a moment as I've ever seen on a screen. All in all, a brilliant outing.