Burke Devlin Special

So, yeah…still on a bit of an after-high following the best suppository episode.

So it’s kind of a disappointment when we open this one and Vicky’s monologue is about the fear encroaching on Collinwood, and Liz is standing at the window staring off into space for the hundredth time…

But, indeed, that she soon will have no choice but to. I mean, there’s only so many times your 9-year-old nephew can all-but say “I tried to kill my Dad because he sucks” and not do anything with that information.

Someone comes to the door.

You will recall that Liz sent Carolyn to search the grounds for David on Tuesday’s episode. This search must’ve been exhaustive enough to take up all the time of last episode. One way or another, there really is no reason Carolyn should be smiling, right?

I mean, I think I know why Carolyn is so pleased at the thought of David leaving the house and not looking back, but I heap enough on her on a daily basis, so I’ll just wait for proof before casting any stones.

Carolyn mentions she asked Matthew, remember him, to search the road and “see what he can find”, which sounds oddly like the kind of phrasing you might use if you were describing a search for, oh, roadkill.

Liz points out that David wouldn’t run off into the dark (since it’s nighttime as of last episode), and Carolyn reacts with the appropriate amount of concern:

We then get the nugget of information that is important if we are to understand how Dark Shadows resolves its first major storyline.

The look on Carolyn’s face communicates it all, doesn’t it? Carolyn points out that, thanks to Victoria, they have enough evidence to conclude David was, in fact, responsible for the crash…

Everybody has a weakness. Burke’s is his prickly protection of his privacy. Carolyn’s is serious, adult thoughts about her future. And for Liz, it’s the thought of anybody in her family truly doing something horrible.

It’s kind of sad, but it’s also reprehensible. I mean, it’s probably also supposed to be reprehensible when Liz transparently lies to Victoria whenever she asks about her past, but be honest, you don’t care about that, and neither does the majority of the audience. But we have seen David. Sure, we can understand he’s troubled, that he might not be all evil (Maggie certainly got through to him, if only briefly), but the fact remains that he’s done a horrible thing, and now there’s finally enough proof to merit at least a serious inquiry.

And Liz refuses to reckon with it.

You know, for the lady who went to such pains to hire her, Elizabeth’s really bent on giving Vicky a hard time, isn’t she?

Back in Collinsport, Burke is returning to his room, following humiliating his crony, humiliating Roger, and having a nice cup of coffee (in that order), only to find…

David really is a determined little son of a bitch, isn’t he? He tried sneaking into Burke’s room earlier in the day, but was caught (it’s likely he didn’t know Burke was informed about this when he called the hotel to ask about his mail or whatever Art Wallace’s contrived excuse for that was), leading to his sundae with Maggie.

He ran off the moment his father arrived to retrieve him, somehow managed to successfully hide from Maggie when she tried to find him, and now he’s gone back to Burke’s room.

David Henesy is the rarest class of child actors, in that he is so talented that he inspires the best work in the adult performers he interacts with. It’s always a real joy watching Roger and David snipe at each other, even though we’re probably supposed to feel massively uncomfortable. Seeing him run rings around Vicky one second and go weeping to Liz demonstrates a wily range in both character and actor.

Away from Collinwood for the first time since our tale began, David has begun to show a human side he was never vulnerable enough (there it is again: weaknesses) to reveal at the family manse.

With Maggie, we saw something like an ordinary, ice cream loving, shy and easily abashed child emerge. And now, alongside the irascible Burke Devlin, a man he knows his father hates, even if he doesn’t know why, we will see the most dramatic transformation David has yet undergone:

He will make a friend.

You might accuse me of spoiling where this is going to go but this is one of those “it’s the journey, not the destination” things. Over the course of this episode, Art Wallace, Mitch Ryan and David Henesy (and to a lesser extent, Director John Sedwick, behind the camera again) collaborate to create the most natural relationship on the show to this point.

At first, things are rather tense on David’s part. Burke approaches the thing as he approaches everything else: with a great, exuberant ease. This time, though, it manages to not seem obnoxious and threatening for the simple reason that, deep inside, don’t we all want to talk down to this little shit? I mean, just a little?

David is shocked that Burke knows his name and I’m obligated to quote from this script again, sorry, but it’s that good.

David seems a little askance, but Burke prompts him to tell him where he hid and the kid just seems so taken aback that someone expressed genuine interest…

Probably helps that leaving Collinwood forced him to change his hiding strategy from “crouch in the corner”.

Burke tries a more serious approach: asking why David attempted to sneak into his room. David denies it and big, bad, mean old Burke Devlin…

…really? Whatever?

When you think about it, it’s really quite clever of Burke to approach David in a friendly manner. Burke knows Roger, he certainly knows that lovable dame has been sweeping up and down Collinwood the last two days yelling about Burke Devlin coming to destroy him. Burke might suspect that David has internalized some fear of him from his father…so he works to disarm it.

He even offers David an out, promising not to call Collinwood if he doesn’t want him to.

That…that isn’t really crossing one’s heart, but the point still stands.

Burke invites David to sit, takes his coat, and offers him…

…huh?

You’ve got to love Mitch Ryan’s tendency to place emphasis on the wrong syllable. The larger concern, I’m sure, is that Burke is now about to mix this child a drink. After all, it wasn’t that long ago he played bartender to Carolyn while she ‘discovered’ his plan to chase his fortune in Venezuela and…

Oh, yeah, I don’t want to ruin this, but consider that Carolyn is closer in age to David than Burke.

ANYWAY, David worries Burke will place a phone call on the sly, and Burke reassures him…

Good to know he has standards. But shall we unpack that? As a thought exercise.

So, Burke has betrayed…

1. Doctors: “Sure, I’ll quit! I can stop tomorrow!”
2. Lawyers: “I swear, she told me she was 20!”
3. Firemen: “I love our national parks!”
4. Indian chief: “Together, you and I will kill the Palefaces!”

Seriously, I want to know exactly what Burke did to the “Indian chief”. Haven’t they as a people suffered enough?

The moment Burke leaves, David springs into action…

And if you haven’t figured out why he was so eager to break into this room by now, here it is: he wanted to plant the incriminating evidence on his father’s worst enemy. This, admittedly, is quite clever, and an improvement over his initial attempt to frame Victoria just because he didn’t like her, or whatever.

David proceeds to at once hide the suppository in the crack between those two cushions.

Back at Collinwood, Vicky asks for an update, and Liz is not having it.

Vicky wonders if they should call the police and Liz, presumably having had enough of Consteriff Carter’s brand of bootlicking bullshit for one day completely dismisses the suggestion.

Well, not in so many words.

Liz blames Vicky for, and I am not shitting you, “driving David away”. Now, this isn’t the first time Vicky would be forgiven for saying “screw you” and leaving, but I guess at this point that would look fairly suspicious.

Vicky actively prompts Liz to say whether she’s accusing her of lying.

And so she does. Vicky goes up to room to be emo.

It actually is an interesting turn around to their earlier chat at this same window 20 episodes ago. Then, it was Victoria who counseled Carolyn against doing anything stupid with Burke. She, of course, didn’t listen, setting off the chain of events that made all of this possible. But now Carolyn is the counselor, assuring Vicky that things will work out because…

Well, because.

Another storm? There was one last night too, though it’s unclear whether it actually rained, since it seemed to have cleared up by the time Vicky and Roger went to confront Burke at the hotel. The unusual pacing of Dark Shadows, as well as its mostly consistent dedication to its gothic atmosphere mandates regular thunderstorms, also hoping that the soap opera format, drawing single days into many episodes, leaves gaps between those storms.

This does little to cloud the fact that Collinsport appears to suffer from nightly thunderstorms of varying dramatic impact.

I talk a lot of shit, but I love Carolyn Stoddard so much.

Carolyn continues shockingly taking the most sane attitude of anybody in the house. Then again, considering the only other person opposite Vicky at the moment is Liz, I guess that’s not much.

I mean, yeah, it’s more callous dismissal of her young relative, but at least she’s sticking up for her friend. Carolyn reminds her that, if Vicky hadn’t found the suppository, an innocent man may have been sent to prison, and this time it seems less like Carolyn is glad about this because she’s horny for Burke, and more because she’s delighted at the prevailing nature of human circumstance.

Said innocent man is currently about to down a self-named cocktail mix with a child.

Yes, David’s mother. Did you know she and Burke were “very good friends”? Well, now you do. This is clearly a significant piece of the puzzle. We got an almost reference to this when Burke came to Collinwood, but it was hastily shuttled aside and, beside this, was cloaked in the usual homoerotic subtext that pervades all Burke and Roger’s scenes.

But, yes, he, Roger and the as yet unnamed Mrs. Collins were all great friends and if you don’t think I’m going to make the lady the beard, then you haven’t been reading this blog.

Burke then points out that it’s “a couple of different fruit juices”, presumably to reassure us at home that he wasn’t giving this kid booze. What I like about this is that it suggests Burke is so attached to this drink he cooked up when he was a kid that he has “different fruit juices” at hand in his mini fridge or whatever.

Now that his dirty work is done, David attempts to peace out…

But Burke isn’t about to let him get away that easy. Since he came all this way, there must be something important David wants to tell him, yes? This has the added effect of David explaining how he even got to town in the first place: hitchhiking.

Really, isn’t he? He isn’t exactly the most social child, and yet he somehow was able to convince a passing motorist to pick him up. And the fun thing is that motorist is probably the most responsible adult he’s met all day.

David admits what’s really on his mind.

Not at all the boogeyman Roger’s made him out to be.

Point of fact, they did not cast Mitch Ryan to play Satan. That honor will go to somebody else.

I’m just gonna quote this entire thing, because it’s delightsome and charming and you don’t have anyplace better to be, or else you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place.

David starts playing along…

Well, he kinda already does that but, yanno, in the Bronx sense of the word.

That’s why he sticks to donuts.

Mitch’s staccato rhythms really pay off sometimes.

There. Now you know why he has that surname. Burke hasn’t just won David over…

This has got to be the most unexpected and enjoyable character interaction yet on this show. After all, these characters seem like natural allies, bound in their hatred of Roger Collins. What’s more, David is the son of Burke’s rival, lending extra pathos that he’s bonding with said rival better than he can ever hope to get along with his father.

Burke muses he once wanted as much money. He hasn’t gotten it yet, but he has found something more important…

That line shouldn’t work as well as does, but here we are.

Neither do I. Perhaps the only remarkable thing about the Collinwood half of this episode is that Carolyn is suddenly the Reasonable Person, and Liz is the one acting like an impudent child. Only, you know, with more dignity because Joan Bennett didn’t face down a gunman and languish in career limbo because of her shitty husband just to act the fool on this goddamned television machine.

Carolyn points out Vicky is probably wishing she’d never come here.

Maybe Liz’s anger at Vicky here is projection? Maybe she really does regret bringing Victoria here, not just for David’s sake, but for her own? Of course, to ponder on this further, we’d need more details as to what Liz knows about Victoria and where Vicky even comes from, but good luck with that, sport.

Carolyn rattles off the preponderance of evidence against David, and the very real motivation he had to act against Unca Roger before he finally got around to “sending him away”.

Hey, Liz. The Menendez Brothers just called. They’d like a word. Hell, it’s not even like patricide (and matricide, too, let’s give the ladies their due) was some new thing brought about by late 20^th century poison. Children killing people is so ingrained in the cultural fabric, that the Bible has deleted scenes of Jesus using his God powers to smite his bullies.

Damn, girl.

We haven’t gotten many mentions of the missing Paul Stoddard. You’ll recall he’s the reason Liz hasn’t left her house in Carolyn’s lifetime. Eventually, the constant quirking of Dark Shadows’s timeline will mandate that Carolyn did know her father when she was a girl, but for now let’s enjoy this shockingly Real Bitch moment Carolyn is having about her deadbeat son of a bitch dad.

Liz insists she has to be “sure”, by which she means, isn’t it just as likely Vicky was responsible? Maybe the magazine was hers, and she’s just trying to frame David. Which brings the question of where does David get these magazines? Who’s paying for the subscription? You’d think somewhere somebody would be keeping track of that.

Liz eventually admits this line of questioning is total bullshit, but she just can’t reckon with the fact that David might be responsible.

TELEPHONE CALL. Carolyn continues to one-up her mother by answering it before she can.

It’s Maggie, to inform Carolyn that David was at the restaurant “three quarters of an hour” (they just love using that approximation) ago. Liz seizes the phone and demands to know why Maggie waited for all those precious quarters of an hour instead of calling right away, at which point the no doubt very confused Miss Evans explains she simply assumed David’s father would exercise the natural human response of a parent when informed their missing child has been found and so called him first.

Liz proceeds to attempt calling Roger at that office where he does “work”.

Now she’s calling him that too.

Not getting a response and concluding the “office” is closed by now (you’d think she’d know, since she runs the place), Liz sends her only begotten daughter out into the storm to find David, knowing they have no other clues as to where he may be outside of that it’s been “three quarters of an hour” since he was last reliably spotted.

Oh, honey, he’s having the best time of all of you right now.

And will continue in that vein for a while yet.

The resolution of what I guess amounts to the B-plot (or B side, if you wanna be funny about it) of this episode comes with Liz visiting Vicky and apologizing for being an asshole, thereby marking the first time Carolyn has ever accomplished anything for somebody else.

Joan Bennett plays this scene beautifully, having Liz showcase her vulnerability (ahem), how unused she clearly is to ever apologizing for anything. This is the rare indomitable woman of authority who isn’t portrayed as a vindictive ball-buster, rare even now, but especially then. Liz is a woman in charge of a business, a house and a family, and she’s used to getting her way…

But she is also capable of realizing when she has miss-stepped, when she has gone too far and misjudged. Sure, it might’ve been nicer if this realization was connected in some way to her repeated lying to Victoria about her past, but… Well, we take what we can get.

Liz then expresses regret, not that David has come under suspicion, but that David is a product of his environment.

The ‘curse’ of Collinwood returns after a very long absence. The suppository saga finally drawing to its inevitable conclusion has allowed lots of the gothic elements that were waylaid during it to return to this show’s presentation and its script. Again, we have the suggestion that the haunting of Collinwood may or may not be literal, but it certainly has a figurative impact on the spirits of those who live within it.

So maybe Liz’s guilt and desire to protect David isn’t just willful ignorance…perhaps she realizes just what kind of profound negative effect this house has on the people who end up staying in it. It just so happens that attempted patricide is a shade more extreme than self-imposed imprisonment.

David has been giving Burke his life story.

He’s just about to tell him how he lost his identity.

Burke tells David maybe it isn’t that bad, all while making exaggerated handjob motions.

Burke, shockingly, tries to dissuade David that his father (a man he hates) isn’t an evil man. His father was strict too, after all, and look how Burke turned…

David wonders if dear old Daddy Devlin ever threatened to send Burke away, and we get another piece of Burke lore more interesting than any of his so-called devious (Devlinous?) plans.

Not saying that’s more nefarious than anything he’s planning now, but I’d certainly be interested.

We then get a genuinely heartfelt moment, courtesy of the rapidly defrosting David.

This comment seems to get to Burke. He gets up, moves around to stand behind the sofa, and David. Is he struck by the comment? Perplexed? Spooked? Does he want to suppress the fact that perhaps he, also, has felt uncommon affection for this boy, the son of a woman he apparently was once “good friends” with? Is he wondering what might have been?

I certainly am, if we’d gotten more of this the last 14 episodes.

And David seems close to admitting the truth, though he settles for “I wanted to see what you looked like” which isn’t very convincing, but can you blame him for being a little antsy in the presence of this man?

David tells him all the times he overheard his parents fighting about him, which clearly piques the Devlin’s interest.

Davey. You know, like Davey Jones. Or Davey Jones. Or…

Yeah, he’s just gonna call him Davey now, there’s no going back.

Burke says they both know what they want, and go for it, which is a nice aspiration if it didn’t apply to mindless revenge and murder.

Burke looks out the window (which you really aren’t supposed to do in a thunderstorm, but Burke doesn’t give a damn about your regulations) and beckons David to admire the weather.

They called them ‘electrical storms’ because certain towns only ever had electricity during them.

Burke uses this as a pretext for convincing David he really ought to head home and David actually agrees…as long as Burke goes with him.

And so David becomes the first person to accept one of Burke’s stupid sideways handshakes.

Burke insists David go wash up before they leave, slapping him on the ass as he goes.

Once David is out of the way, Burke springs into action, approaches those inviting cushions, reaches into the crack…

Wow. This really is going somewhere.

This Day in History- Thursday, August 5, 1966

Okay, so the “British Empire and Commonwealth Games” opened in Jamaica, making it the first time a non-white country had hosted them. And then…er…skiing. In Chile.

Lotta sports.