Julia's Days of Desperation

EPISODES 356-365

Worried for her life due to Barnabas and Carolyn's constant tauntings, Julia hands her notebook over to a lawyer named Anthony Peterson to keep it safe. Carolyn attempts to steal it but fails each time. On top of that, Barnabas casts a spell on Julia to drive her mad that causes her to see things.

During Julia's hours of desperation, Sarah appears to her. She also finally appears to Barnabas telling him she will go away forever unless he becomes good again. To seek Sarah's help and to prove David is right, Julia suggests to do another séance, during which Vicki is somehow sent back to the past and a governess of that time appears in her place.

Before everything else, I'd like to take a moment to honor the late Burke Devlin, who is now officially declared dead. Actually the bodies in the plane were all burned beyond recognition but forget him folks he ain't coming back. Though I bet if the show went on for another couple of years, he'd eventually be brought back. Afterall isn't that the thing with the soaps? Also, what kind of a plane has only 16 passengers I wonder. Apparently it wasn't the best season for Brazil. 

Long story short, so long Mr. Devlin~

Vicki's still in denial but you know what they say, there's nothing like a time travel to ease the pain of grief.

But there's someone else in Collinwood that is also having a bad time. Dr. Julia Hoffman hasn't always been the well balanced of the bunch. However, what she is going through right now is starting to take it's toll even more. She has to deal with,

a) Barnabas' open death threats

b) Carolyn's tauntings, stalkings and snoopings

c) Barnabas' ancient Indian spell that makes her see stuff like the ghost of Dave Woodard, blood running down walls etc.

"What's your favorite
scary movie, Julia?"

I really felt sorry for the woman during her locked-in hours in the Collins' Tomb and in Collinwood during the storm. Yes Grayson Hall did over act those scenes and yes her scream does sound like a goat but she also displayed the feeling of isolation and helplessness quite good. But I gotta add I really liked the telephone call scene -right out of Scream movies- with "Who's this?"es and the caller on the other end, the voice of Dr. Woodard in this case, blustering to an alone and scared woman in the house. And as they do it in those films, the helpless victim should immediately hang up the phone and dial 911, not rub the reciever all over their cheeks and wait for the caller to stop his threats..Right Julia?

That's where I find myself asking "Girl, is it worth it?". Why doesn't she just go ahead and expose Barnabas, with the medical evidence and all. She has nothing to lose but her life; surely losing her medical licence won't be as unbearable as this psychological torture. At least she's come to her senses and offered the séance. It's a bit wussy to hide behind a little ghost girl but if that's what it takes, I say go for it and they did~ But back on that later..

What the worst thing Barnabas did to Julia is however, at one point pretending to have feelings for her. Now I can take all the blood and the ghosts and stuff but you. can't. mess. with another person's feelings!!!! That's where I started to feel sad for her rather than sorry. She bought it for like five minutes and didn't really think much about it afterwards but I just know deep down, despite all the murder attempts she still has feelings for Barnabas and this hurt more than the rest. Wow look at me, am I over dramatic or what?

Time travel to 40's

And let's talk about Anthony "Tony" Peterson. He is as Carolyn so beautifully put it "rude and violent..and yes (he's) attractive". He practically appeared out of nowhere, a random lawyer that has a minor work related case against the Collins family but Julia, being a sly woman despite all the shit that's been happening to her, stuck to him like a tick and had him involved in the whole deal. Tony is such a film-noir character. He has the attitude required from the anti-heroic protaganist of noirs; he surely dresses more like a PI than a lawyer. He gets involved in the case unwillingly and Carolyn works like a charm as the deceitful femme-fatale. But Tony must have seen tons of those films for he always managed to evade Carolyn's foxy tricks. 

He also had some pretty fun lines. My fave was:

(to Julia) You aren't too..err..stable, are you?

For some reason, this guy reminds me of Billy Zane circa early to mid 90's. I think he'll make a good filler for the hole left by Burke's departure. And he's already given the set that used to be Burke's hotel room so~

The long awaited reunion finally happened and Sarah appeared to Barnabas. But it wasn't the most intimate of the family get-togethers as the angry ghost of little Sarah practically made Barnabas her bitch. He almost got down on his knees and begged for forgiveness but Sarah the unlikely dominatrix wasn't so forgiving and left with an ultimatum. Will Barnabas be a good boy for his sister's sake?

Barnabas 0wn3d!!

There was also a sophisticated showdown between Liz and Barnabas concerning the séance and David's welfare. Barnabas may have the fangs but Liz has the balls. You go girl!!

Carolyn fakes her trances

And I gotta say, Barnabas had the worst plan during the séance: Have Carolyn fake the possession. I mean seriously dude? How embarrasing it was to watch Carolyn mimic Vicki's previous channeling of the spirits but with such poorness. Then Vicki, the Sponge Bob for the spirits, got sucked into a real trance by Sarah and named Carolyn a big faker. HAH! Suck it blondie! After that Carolyn could do nothing but deny it like a 5 year old child. Real mature~

Governess swap!

However, different from the other séances which Roger is already deeply accustomed to (even though his ritual isn't so fluent) something else happened and two women of two different time periods got swapped. It's like a governess exchange program really. Obviously it was a trick by Sarah to have Vicki see how it all began. And in the process this out of time governess, Phyliss Wick, can learn a thing or two about vacuum cleaning and washing machines. 

Ohh and how hilarilously impulsive was Roger establishing his "authority" on the poor little girl who just did a 200 year jump into the future when he said "we ask the questions here". Somebody please give this impotent guy a bone to play with!

*

Ahh finally the long waited time travel episodes!!! Actually I wanted to have up to Episode 371 covered in this post as to conclude the Collection 4 but I realized the time travel elements would totally overshadow poor Julia's adventures as the vampire-bait.

Now, Vicki's outside the now-not-so-old Old House wondering how she got there. Let's watch and see how she'll climb herself up this one.

Barnabas as The 5th Golden Girl

EPISODES 341-355

Barnabas kills Dr. Woodard with the hypodermic needle causing him to have a heart attack and die instantly. Due to the nature of the death, people's suspicions of murder are dismissed but Julia, crushed by the guilty, has ghostly visitations.

David becomes absent and prophetic after learning about Woodard's death. He strangely and maturely says his good-bye's to Burke as he leaves for Brazil on a business trip. Later, the news of Burke's plane crash arrive in Collinwood. Vicki, after initial shock, hopefully clings to the idea that Burke is alive since his body hasn't been found yet.

Barnabas, thinking it's the right time to make a move on Vicki, forces Julia to speed up the treatment process that'll make him human again. After a massive dose of injection however, Barnabas turns into a withering old man.

After Sarah appears to Carolyn, she begins to suspect David might be telling the truth about Barnabas. She sneaks into the Old House and discovers Barnabas' coffin but Barnabas catches and feeds on her. This reverts him back to his original form.

Now under Barnabas' spell, Carolyn stalks Julia who has been hypnotizing Vicki, making her see his true self and subconsciously be repelled by him. When Barnabas learns about this, he plans to kill Julia or worse, but her scientific diary stands in the way for it may reveal Barnabas' true identity.

Woodard's dead as I said he'd be and I ain't sad as I said I wouldn't be. I wish that scene happened with the previous actor. And Julia passed the test only barely as she didn't kill him herself but the injection she'd prepared did. Once again she manages to stay in the grey zone and we can't hate her. Nonetheless, she's doomed by Woodard's ghost telling her "she has no friends" and me thinks that's punishment enough..for now!

It was strange to see David assume the role of Cassandra. I think he's never been this mature when he said it was nice having known Burke and he'd always remember him. I'd have shouted at David to tell Burke not to go for god's sake but the scene was played out so well, I just had to shut up and keep watching.

Wuthering Heights

It was also eerie how the widows wind wailed when Burke and Vicki said their farewells. At that moment I thought they were calling Vicki to her death at the Widow's Hill but they could have been warning her too. Well, she did ask Burke to stay but as he's the practical man of the bunch he had to go and that's how it should go down on his tomb stone if/when they find his body in the Amazon jungle. (In reality, he crashed on the Lost island and is having a threeway with Locke & Hurley)

My eyes actually got teary when Vicki insisted that Burke was alive. It was a strange experience, I mean the scene wasn't all that dramatic and I found Vicki's performance a bit dull; maybe I sympathized with the scene as an actor but anyway some itsy drops of tears were there alright and I'm positive now that this show is  turning me into a grandma. Not that anything's wrong with it but I'm neither the right age nor the sex for it.

The Sisterhood

I also found it quite interesting to note that Vicki learnt the news of the plane crash from the living widows of the show. Technically none of them are widows but Liz had believed she was for 18 full years and I think we can count Mrs. Johnson for she experienced a similar grief when her long time employer, Bill Malloy, died. (Also note that Vicki herself isn't a widow since she was only engaged to Burke) However, this is as close as we get to it and Vicki experienced her first real sense of loss in the company of that band of women.

Barnabas made a great grandpa, even though it was for only few episodes. Kudos to the make-up artist!

He also seems to like that bat-teleport trick cause he did it again. But I have one question..why was his face a glorious shade of yellow when Julia took a hypnotized Vicki to his coffin?

Your typical TV lab

Which brings me to....Julia's laboratory at the Old House cellar. I can't really understand the logic of it; it consists of some tubes and colorful liquids, electrical circuits, a freakin' cauldron(?) and a random chair that does not seem to be connected with the rest. We all know this isn't a science show and I am not asking for a detailed documentation of Julia's experiment but even adding a simple needle in Barnabas' arm would be acceptable. But to be honest, I dig this camp look.

This photo actually breaks my heart

Julia finally more than hints her feelings for Barnabas. I mean she just hints only more strongly but we get the idea. She even offers herself for Barnabas' drinking pleasure. Now Julia you she-wolf, are we supposed to think you're just looking out for Vicki? Deep down inside, you're just burning with jealousy. You know you can't be the ideal Josette for Barnabas but he's just old fashioned, what does he know. I know someday you'll meet a nice fella who'll appreciate your scientific experiments and wide spectrum of facial expressions.

"Find the center"

So it seems Julia doesn't limit herself to the old medallion when it comes to hypnotizing people. Maybe she uses different stuff for different types of mind games (after all this one is a more complex, more Inceptiony operation than the previous "forget an event" hypnosis-es). Her selection of chandelier crystal is pretty slick, knowing how fond of everything oldie but goldie Vicki is. Actually I used to play with a similar piece of crystal when I was a child; good thing I didn't accidentally hypnotized myself. Or did I? 

Isn't it funny that we are specifically shown the light-show within the crystal so that the actors can rush to the other set. 

Also the mystery of the howling dogs is officially explained: It apparently happens when Barnabas is upset with something and planning an action.

The willing slave

For a second there, I thought Carolyn would be the one to solve the mystery and kick some vampire ass. Even David had enough faith in her to give the toy soldier to her for luck. Of course she left it behind when she went to the Old House and got attacked by Barnabas and became his new Willie..only more beautiful and more willing, which is understandable as Carolyn always had a thing for father figures. Since than, she's been working overtime to change David's mind about Barnabas; convince Vicki to spend more time with him; follow Julia like a maniac and expose her meddling. But just like Willie, she's not all for the idea of murder (although for a sec there, I swear I saw her get excited at the sound of killing Julia). Thankfully, Julia kept her notebook hidden to ensure her safety. But I smell a cat fight coming between Julia and Carolyn. Remember the tense scene when she caught Carolyn in her room? There's  potential~

So, Burke is probaby dead somewhere in South Africa...

Vicki is being mind controlled by Julia against Barnabas' influence...

Carolyn however is under his influence and is wearing a scarf to cover her neck bites...

Joe and Maggie suspect something's up with Carolyn, and so does Liz...

Julia's experiments have came to an end and now Barnabas is onto her...

There's a mosquito in my room that I can't find...

What will happen next, we'll see~

Dead End

EPISODES 331-340

Safe from the bat attack, David tries to prove his suspicions about Barnabas and even discovers his coffin in the cellar but each time his attempts to expose him are somehow evaded and eventually nobody believes his stories.

Liz is legally unable to sell the house by the ocean to Burke which puts a halt on his plans to marry Vicki. Instead, Liz offers to open up the closed off wing and have them live there which Vicki agrees to but Burke has doubts about. Roger strongly opposes to the idea.

With a lead from Sarah herself, Dr. Woodard does some intensive research, eavesdropping and stealing of Julia's notes of the experiment and learns the whole truth about Barnabas, who in turn forces Julia to kill him in a way that'd look natural. Before he can leave to see the Sheriff, Woodard gets cornered in his office by Barnabas and an unwilling Julia.

It ain't easy to be a kid in a supernatural show.
First, nobody buys your stories about the encounters you have with the paranormal. Whether it's the case of having ghosts as friends or a phoenix for a mother or a vampire for a cousin, your chances of  people believing you is very low, until -if you're lucky- they encounter those things themselves. Even then, your credibility is always questioned. 

It also doesn't help that your father is a neglectful asshole who wants to send you away whenever you are in disharmony with his narrow perception of the world. Let alone helping you out, each time he puts obstacles on your way that actually push you closer to the danger. So nobody really blames you when you temper with his car to kill him.

Face to face with danger and
nobody believes him

This is the tragic story of our poor David Collins.

He got attacked by a bat but nobody believed him. He saw Barnabas' coffin in the cellar but when Burke and Dr. Woodard went to look for it, it was removed so nobody believed him. Then he took them to the Collins Tomb to show the secret room he'd been locked in but Barnabas somehow tempered with the mechanism so David couldn't open the panel and once again nobody effin' believed him.

Piss off smarty pants!

On top of that, worried that he's suffering from hallucinations, a know-it-all shrink was called in to interpret his dreams so conveniently that it all made sense. You know actually, some other time I'd have agreed with it.

It was nice to see Laura and her "death" acknowledged after so much time but connecting it to David's supposed "coping with loss" through cousin Barnabas' uncanny resemblance to the "ancestor" Barnabas is just unfair when we all know everything David claims to be true. 

If I'm not mistaken, this is the second time on the show that the psychiatry is consulted but fails to offer some conclusive help. The first time being our dear manipulative opportunist Julia Hoffman of course. On the other hand, scientists aren't always portrayed as inadequate. Both Dr. Peter Guthrie and Dr. Dave Woodard played key roles uncovering the supernatural mysteries before anybody else. But they ultimately paid the price of "opening their minds to the unexplainable" with their lives. Dave Woodard isn't dead yet but I don't think he'll make it through the night and out of that office.

By the way, I find it quite fun to watch David getting caught sneaking into the Old House, promising never to do it again but repeating it the first chance he gets. He must have apologised and promised for like 20 times already.

And isn't it very annoying when even though almost everyone in Collinwood have had come into contact with the supernatural one way or another, they always play Scully when a next strange thing comes along. Especially Vicki, who too once had trouble convincing people about ghosts and such, keeps her eyes and ears closed! Shame on you Vicki!!

Roger the pooch

But Roger is the worst. He not only believes and unbelieves in the supernatural whenever he feels like it, he also causes as much trouble as the danger itself. Don't you just wanna bitchslap him when he can't keep his mouth shout and rushes everything David thinks about Barnabas to..well, Barnabas! I actually liken him to one of those small dogs that have no authority and all they can do is bark til they annoy you out of your wits.

Ok now, here are some quick notes from the episodes:

• How hilarious was Barnabas telling Julia "to stop thinking like a woman and start thinking like a doctor!" Tsk tsk how very sexist of you Barnaby! None the less quite funny~ 

• It is also hinted that Julia indeed has feelings for Barnabas which he finds absurd even as a cover story and isn't afraid to say so, unknowingly (or is it knowingly) breaking poor Julia's heart.

Ghosts bearing toys

• Sarah likes playing the Santa obviously as she gives David an old toy soldier which I guess once belonged to Barnabas. Which makes me wonder something that I didn't think about before: Were Sarah and Barnabas around the same age when she died and Barnabas eventually got older and turned into a vampire? Anyway, Sarah claims the soldier will keep David safe as she said the same to Maggie. Hmm~

• Wasn't Liz's generosity completely adorable when she found out she couldn't legally sell the house for the next 5 years but said she will give it to Burke & Vicki as a wedding gift when the time comes. Her offer to open up the west wing for them was also heart warming. I am heartwarmed~

• And what's the deal with the old kook Caleb Collins who had so much fear of strangers that he wrote in his will the house not to be sold for a hundred years. I wonder if we're ever gonna see him during the time travel storylines.

• Mrs Johnson finally made her color debut! I want more scenes of her with David.

Doctor's in!

• The actor playing Dr. Woodard got a replacement. Honestly, I hated it more than any other actor changes, even including Burke, because the character of Dr. Woodard was a central figure when it happened.
  Especially it doesn't feel right when the previous actor searched his butt off for the answers and the new one's got to collect them. So I can't say I'm sad to see the character die, even though it'll delay the revealing of Barnabas' secret a bit more. Speaking of which, will it ever be a public knowledge I wonder..

A matter of factly Caretaker

• Speaking of changes, the Caretaker also got one. I wrongly announced that the character was written out in the previous post but it turns out it was the actor that got the boot. However, this new one is also a poor replacement. Gone is the slow and ominious talking old-school-horror Caretaker and came the relatively normal one. This character is very interesting with his broad knowledge of the departed. Actually wouldn't it be fun if he appeared in the time travel episodes looking the way he does now, like an ever existing mythical character.

Shapeshifter and teleporter

• Dr. Woodard is stuck on a dead end with Julia and the deadly needle in her purse and Barnabas first showing up as a bat outside the window and then teleporting(?) inside. Gotta say it's a neat trick. Also Julia is about to either pass or fail the test of goodness. She doesn't want to kill Woodard but will she stick the needle in him just to save her friend from the painful death that Barnabas promised, we'll see.. Either way she'd be condoning murder to save her own skinny ass.

Six Degrees Of Dark Shadows

I've recently finished watching Collection 3 and to celebrate it, here's something I made: The relationship tree of the Collinsport residents!! 

All this in 330 episodes. Neat huh?

They've Got The Wrong Man

EPISODES 316-330

David is forcefully questioned by Barnabas about how much he knows. Burke's timely arrival interrupts him and David is taken back home but he becomes intensely afraid of Barnabas which leads him to have revealing nightmares about Sarah, Barnabas and Julia's actual identities but nobody believes him.

In an attempt to capture the maniac that kidnapped Maggie, the Evans' and the police set a trap where Willie, out to warn Maggie, gets shot and is put in coma. Barnabas orders Julia to kill him but Willie wakes up his mind all jumbled up and is sent to a place for criminally insane as he is thought to be the actual culprit thanks to Barnabas planting false evidence.

David is convinced that Sarah is a ghost and Vicki believes him. He is also warned by Sarah not to go to the Old House which arouses his curiosity. Meanwhile when Barnabas' intentions of killing David are refused by Julia, he decides to do something else. That night in his room, David gets attacked by a bat.

Poor David! He's on a never ending quest to be scared of people. First his mother and now his cousin. And nobody believes him as usual; maybe except for Burke who still doesn't really trust Barnabas. Well that's the least he can do after having played the three monkeys during the ordeal with Laura. This is also the first time in a while when David actually confided in Burke. I was beginning to think he somehow forgot all about his boy crush.

6th sense comes back;
crystal ball comes out

So David's terrified of Barnabas, can't even look at his portrait at the foyer. He's also having pretty neat special-effect'd dreams where he learns Sarah is a ghost, Barnabas is half-dead (still no mention of the word "vampire") and a scare-crow like figure that is Julia waves her medallion in his face. Up until now it was only hinted that David had some precognitive abilities but this specific dream proves it. But as he's but a child and used to be known for his more than occasional lying, nobody buys his stories. Only Vicki is convinced that Sarah is a ghost but I honestly don't know why she's ignoring the vital Barnabas part. Oh wait..she had a thing for antiques, didn't she~

Out on a date in David's dreamscape

Sarah's deal also begins to come clearer. We already know from the dream that she died when she was 9-10ish but neither we nor she knows why she is here now. She is probably dragged to this plane because Barnabas the wimp needed a conscience and actually so far she's been successful when she stopped her brother from killing David each time, even if it took to literally shake the whole house. And you know what, I'd prefer that to her whiny flute playing any day!! 

We also learn that much like Josette, Sarah only appears to one person at a time. So far only David, Maggie, Sam and Willie were able to see her. I wonder who'd she pick as the ultimate bff: Maggie or David?

There also seems to be something mystical about her doll. Even the highly skeptical Dr. Woodard is made to believe in the supernatural after determining the doll is over 150 years old and still intact. Sarah also insisted that Maggie had it with her all the time, probably against Barnabas. I wonder if they're ever gonna elaborate on that. With all the examples of evil dolls around, a doll that wards of evil can be good for a change.

The Young Lady Vanishes

And finally we see Sarah disappear with someone looking when she came to warn David about the Old House. But seriously girl, why can't you just spill the whole truth at once?!!

By the way, have you noticed how Mrs Johnson, whose first name also happens to be Sarah, hasn't been around for a long while? I don't think we even saw her raven hair in multi-color. So what, Collinwood is too small for two Sarahs?

Julia's trick backfires

Now I want to talk a bit about Julia as I always do. There's something very uncanny about that woman that makes me want to deeply hate her but just can't. Maybe it's because the actress Grayson Hall usually delivers her lines very unsure, sometimes in a random cute way even. The character is dipped in the realest shade of grey so it's very hard to place her somewhere. But I have to admit I get very happy when she's very close to exposition. She's taken off from Maggie's case by Dr. Woodard which was the first kick to her butt. Then David almost totally revealed her hypnosis thing when she tried that trick on him who recognized the medallion from his dream and shouted for help. Liz's cold stare at Julia was so piercing that I got a little chilly myself.

Even her dream
double had a better wig

Then there's her hideous hideous hair!! Seriously, I can't stand it..is it a helmet, is it a hat? She'd better hypnotize herself into having it cut off. Even Sinead O'Connor look would do.

I was recently thinking that it'd be a better cover for Julia if she declared there was something romantic going on between her and Barnabas and bam! there it was. How hilarious it was when Julia had to pretend to be shy yet flirty when Dr. Woodard suspected a crush. Even Burke and Vicki found the idea of Juliabas laughable. Their bickering does indeed echo of a married couple that's been together for over 30 years. Or Julia is Barnabas' long time twice widowed faghag. Either way, we get to laugh.

Willie's intensive tent

That Willie never had much luck in life, did he? He was an asshole when he arrived, clinging to the late Jason. Then he freed Barnabas and got himself a leash instead of the grand prize. He unwillingly witnessed and covered up Barnabas' many dirty deeds. And when he finally decided to do the right thing and warn Maggie about Barnabas, he got shot five times and on top of that has been called a leech and an ox, by Barnabas and Dr. Woodard respectively. If that's not enough, he came out of the coma as a deranged man and is sent to an asylum to Barnabas & Julia's convenience. I wonder what will become of him now. I really liked him even though he was a big stinkin' idiot for trying to get into Maggie's room through her window in the middle of the night and getting his ass shot.

I wonder why the 1-episode-only Sheriff change? I was surprised to see our good old Sheriff back the next episode. What can I say, I am a fan of the original one, he has a fatherly yet firm quality about him. So I'm happy that he didn't leave for good.

Adiós Amigo!

Speaking of leaving for good, it was the last we saw of our crazy Caretaker. Take care creepy old man! I liked you more than other minor characters that have been written off. Yes I'm looking at your Richard Garner!

So with Maggie's memory still under Julia's control and Willie's completely lost, our only hopes of the truth about Barnabas coming out depend on Sarah who is more interested in singing and playing, and David who is busy wrestling a puppet bat right now. Do you think he'll make it? We'll see..

O Sister, Where Art Thou?

EPISODES 301-315

Burke's investigation of Barnabas controverts everything Barnabas has been claiming about his origin. However, Burke's forced to drop the case when Vicki scowls him about it.

It seems everybody in town is looking for the mysterious Sarah: Sam Evans and his party think she'll help uncover the secret of Maggie's disappearance meanwhile Barnabas and Julia speculate why she is here.

Julia still poses as the family historian to everyone but the people closely involved with Maggie's case. They too begin to doubt her intentions.

Sarah takes David to the secret room in the Collins Tomb where he gets locked up. The search party can't find him and Barnabas will kill him if David finds out about his "condition". After a couple of days of lock in and with Sarah's help, David finally gets out but right into Barnabas' arms.

The Burke vs Barnabas Round I: The Pissing Contest was fun to watch with both men stating their mutual dislike which Burken likens to a game of cards and Barnabas to a duel. Burke'd finally started to put the pieces together (the music box, Barnabas' fake past in England etc.) and he was close to uncover the secret when Barnabas found out about it and did the coyest thing possible: Complain to Vicki. Actually it was a one stone two birds move that'd remove Burke as a threat and disrupt his relationship with Vicki, so it was actually more smart than coy. But what the heck, I was supporting Team Burke. 

A forced truce

And what Vicki did afterwards was more painful to watch. She, not unpredictably, got offended by Burke's prying into a gentleman like Barnabas' life and got as sour as Nicole Kidman's post-op face. She then shamelessly used the marriage card to make Burke frakkin' apologize to Barnabas which he did at the end (but not without biting his tongue). There appears to be a truce between them but Burke's lost this round! Raise your hand if you too have found Vicki's naivety a little too much to swallow. And I'd never thought I'd say this about her but what a bitch for threatening to call off the marriage when she barely accepted his proposal. You'll feel sorry if Barnabas snaps Burke's neck like a twig my dear Vicki.

My, isn't Sarah highly popular for a ghost (Josette must be turning over in her grave with envy).. The whole town is practically after her. Personally I find her overrated and annoying with her random showing-ups and her ball games and musical performances and the objects she leaves behind. Cross over already!

What's so special about her really?

But then I'm satisfied with Julia's theory that she's here because Barnabas has willed so and she represents everything innocent and sunshiney, you know the things Barnabas had lost! It also seems Barnabas himself is very sentimental about his sister, confirming my theories about her being the antidote for his evilism. Their reunion is yet to occur. I've a feeling it's gonna happen at a crucial point.

Meanwhile Julia and Barnabas' relationship is getting interesting. She's conducting her experiments while trying to suppress his murderous instincts, mostly to save her own neck quite literally as Barnabas tends to choke her with his bare hands when he's not happy. But they get along one way or another, it's quite symbiotic really. Barnabas openly voices his dislike of Julia's domineering characteristics because he's an old fart. He obviously feels threatened since he ain't the only scary thing around cause he knows Julia looks equally scary in candle light, if not more. But I wonder if the injections she regularly gives him are the real deal or she's just stalling him. Afterall, can vampirism be cured?

Julia gets her daily dose of choking

However, Barnabas isn't the only thing Julia is worried about as she's facing exposition. She's the true meaning of a double agent: Only Maggie, Joe, Sam and Doc Woodard knows that she is a doctor but what they don't know is, she knows about Barnabas' true face and works her ass off to cover his tracks. It's proper to say her true loyalty lies with Barnabas but that doesn't mean she agrees with his method of handling things, namely her throat for instance.
One way or another, Maggie and the others begin to get suspicious as to why she isn't treating her and instead living the luxury life in Collinwood under the disguise of a historian. Dr. Woodard rightfully thinks Julia has come across to something supernatural and isn't sharing. Also on that note, almost everyone in town is convinced there's a supernatural force at work in Collinsport due to the number of unexplainable happenings. I'm getting a Twin Peaksy vibe and lovin' it!

If these walls could talk..

Everybody's looking for Sarah but she chooses David as the lucky contestant to take to her secret playground that is the secret room in the Collins' Tomb. Obviously it wouldn't be a soap if there wasn't a captivity or immobility involved in every 10 episodes or so and thankfully, David fills that hole when he accidentally locks himself in there. You know what I hate more than those captivity plots? It's those scenes when some characters, Roger and Joe in this case, show up at that exact location but fail to find the missing person. It happened before with Vicki when Matthew had her and many other times with Maggie recently. This time, David falls asleep with fatigue just moments before they arrive and misses them with mere seconds when they leave. It. is. just. cruel.

Roger in multicolor learns
 the news about David

Speaking of Roger, he'd been missing for like 20 episodes and he finally made his in-color debut. Can't really  say he looks better or less cunning. His absence is explained away as a trip to Boston where Liz also is right now. Understandably after 18 years of self-imprisonment that woman deserves a shopping spree. It's also a good thing she is finally out and about just in time for the upcoming hippie movement.

Anyways, when the kids entered that room and saw the coffin, I thought they were gonna find Jason McGuire's body as we last saw it being hidden there. However the coffin was empty and there is no trace of Jason's body. I wonder if they're ever gonna explain what happened to it.

Always an opportunist

The scene where Barnabas comforted a worried and crying Vicki in his arms was interesting when Barnabas suddenly got all worked up and excited and bared his fangs unexpectedly to bite the poor girl. His performance of course got interrupted when Carolyn walked in but the whole thing was so random that I kind of chuckled. This also falls in the same league as the classical vampire mythology where "biting" ritual symbolizes the sexual intercourse compared to today's modern and openly sexualized vampire stereotype. It's also interesting to note Barnabas only bared his fangs to Maggie and Vicki; the objects of his desire. His usual method of violence is by strangulation (Jason, Willie, Julia to name a few) and the biting is reserved only for special events.

That's why children shouldn't
play at cemeteries.

After some time of imprisonment (was it one full day or two days, I dunno I lost the track of it) and with many worried people around, the question of why Sarah waited all this time to reappear and show David the secret mechanism that opens the door from inside is beyond me. But with Barnabas onto him with the intention of murder (despite Julia and Willie's tries at discourement), David is hardly free and faces a greater danger than just starvation. I mean we know that David doesn't know anything about Barnabas being a vampire but he does know that he and Willie are aware of the secret room in the tomb. Will David be able to figure it all out as he's caught in Barnabas grip? Ok Sarah, now would be a great time to make your grand enterance.


I haven't really had time to update the blog lately as so much is going on right now, one of which is my sister recently gave birth to a son and made me an uncle for the 2nd time. Believe me it never gets old :)

Also, has everyone seen the first glimpses of Johnny Depp as Barnabas from the set of the movie? It's too early to judge but from the looks of it, Tim Burton is indeed going for a cartoony adaptation. Seriously, how many more times do we have to see Johnny Depp in a pale make-up!! And the young woman next to him is Bella Heathcote as Vicki Winters and they're strolling during the day???