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.