The Beginning, Collection Two - Disc 4

Episodes 63 - 70

Airdates: Sept. 21 - 30, 1966


THE PLOT

Matthew Morgan, the Collins' manservant, decides he's going to settle the trouble with Burke himself - violently. His assault on Burke has the opposite effect of the one intended, though, leading Burke to an angry confrontation with Roger at Collinwood. When the direct approach fails to win him any results, Burke conspires to use other methods to prove a connection between the Collins family and the death of Bill Malloy, enlisting the aid of Bill's grieving housekeeper (Clarice Blackburn).

Burke isn't the only one investigating. Though Sherriff Patterson (Dana Elcar)'s words indicate that he's leaning toward a verdict of "accidental drowning," he seems progressively more inclined to at least consider foul play. And when Vicki reluctantly supports Roger's loose alibi, the sherriff's suspicions fall on the only other likely suspect: Sam Evans - who took a suspiciously long time to make the short journey from his house to the cannery...


THOUGHTS

This disc gets off to a bad start with Episode 63, which is an important episode in that it really kick-starts Matthew's threats against Burke... but is unfortunately a deadly dull 20 minutes. Episodes 64 and 65 are better, but feel "off" somehow, with almost all of the actors seeming to struggle to get through their lines. Matthew's assault on Burke, and the exchange leading up to it, suffer from weak staging and unusually stilted acting from two of the series' more reliable thesps.

Things pick up again after that point. Episode 66 sees the performers back on form, and the momentum begins to build again. That momentum continues through most of the rest of the disc, and by Episode 67, I found myself once again gripped by the proceedings. Even so, certain repetitive interactions, notably involving Caroline simpering about how "Burke couldn't have done/said this," or "Uncle Roger wouldn't do such a thing," are progressively wearing thin enough to make me want to reach into the screen and throttle the stupid girl - who continues to be played by an actress whose work is far better than the often idiotic character she's been given to portray.


Cast & Characters

Speaking of actresses who are better than their material, I haven't yet said much in these reviews about Kathryn Leigh Scott. Episode 67 sees some excellent scenes for Maggie, who in rapid sequence has varied interactions with Carolyn, Burke, Sam, and Sherriff Patterson. Scott handles the shifting dynamics of these scenes superbly. Maggie is frosty to Burke, but commiserates with Carolyn about being unable to hate Burke no matter how much she feels she should. She is defiant to the sherriff, but playful and empathetic with her father. After her sympathetic but slightly sad, "You don't mind if I don't believe you?" to her father, I actually paused the disc to observe aloud to myself how much better Kathryn Leigh Scott is than the near-nothing she's been given to work with up to this point. I only hope the writers and producers noticed, and that she will get more and better material in the future.

Joan Bennett gets a plum bit in Episode 65, though. As Burke comes to Collinwood, spoiling for a fight as he insists on waiting for Roger, Liz abandons her efforts to force him to leave. She changes tactics, instead being excessively pleasant, offering him tea, ushering Vicki the room to "entertain" him. As she leaves to prepare the tea, Vicki demands to know what Burke thinks he's doing here. "I'm not so sure myself," a chagrined Burke replies. "I think I'm having tea."

Liz's attempt to disarm Burke with courtesy is a much better effort at dealing with Burke than either Roger's (largely impotent) bluster or Matthew's threats. Burke Devlin has been established as a character who does not respond well to intimidation. Matthew's threat to kill him, and his physical assault, actually spur Burke to going to Collinwood on this disc - something which probably would not have happened otherwise. As with his pushing Bill's body back into the water, Matthew's actions here may be intended to help the Collins family, but they are actually having the opposite effect.

Finally, the episodes on this disc are notable for introducing a new character, who seems set to become a major one at least in the short term: Clarice Blackburn's Mrs. Johnson, whose grief over Bill's death provides Burke with an unexpected opportunity. Blackburn's big scene opposite Mitchell Ryan in Episode 69 is well-played by both actors, though the character is still too new to really judge as yet.


Gaffe of the Week

There are a number of amusing little gaffes in Episode 65. A painfully visible boom shadow takes up about a quarter of the frame for several seconds. Later, Joan Bennett stumbles over her lines, referring to Burke as "Roger." Instead of just proceeding with the line reading, she makes matters infinitely worse, calling attention to the gaffe by backing up - several words later - to correct her mistake. This is fair recompense for Mitchell Ryan's stumble early in the episode, in which he forgets his line in the midst of giving a forceful speech, and flails around blindly for several seconds before recapturing the gist of his monologue.

Episode 66 has fewer botched lines, but one very noticeable technical gaffe. Near the end of the episode, a camera is apparently jostled, prompting a premature cut to another camera, which has to make a fast (very awkward-looking) move to get into position.


Final Note

The Gothic atmosphere that was so striking in the early episodes sees a welcome return in the final episode of this disc. Episode 70 - the closing episode of this disc, and of The Beginning: Collection Two - introduces us to "the old house," the original Collinwood estate. The film sequences that show Vicki and David walking to the estate, then out again, are surprisingly effective. Even the graininess of the film stock is an asset, creating a murky and otherworldly feel as the ghost of Josette Collins makes her first (but presumably not last) appearance.


Previous: Episodes 54 - 62
Next: Episodes 71 - 79 (not yet reviewed)


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The Beginning, Collection Two - Disc 3

Episodes 54 - 62

Airdates: Sept.8 - 20, 1966


THE PLOT

Bill Malloy is dead. It was his body that Vicki and Carolyn saw the night before, washed up on the shore of Collinwood. Matthew (Thayer David), trying to protect the family, pushed the body back out to sea, for the Coast Guard to find elsewhere.

Elizabeth calls Sherriff George Patterson (Dana Elcar) when she learns what Matthew has done. The sherriff is methodical in his investigation, initiating an autopsy and checking everybody's stories and whereabouts at the time of death. The cause of death is drowning, and with Roger Collins and Sam Evans remaining tight-lipped about the purpose of the meeting Bill called, the sherriff is unlikely to prove any other cause. But Burke isn't satisfied with that. He is certain that Malloy was killed. And the two people with the most cause to benefit are Roger and Sam!


THOUGHTS

Though it's not exactly CSI, I'm pleasantly surprised at the amount of genuine scientific work alluded to in the Malloy investigation. The police, David, and Joe all take turns puzzling over tide charts, discussing the variables involved in tracing Bill's body back from where it washed up on the cliffs at Collinwood to an origin point. For the television era, it's a surprisingly realistic look at some of what goes into police work (and, yes, more budget-friendly for a daytime drama than, say, a car chase would be). It also provides Joe Haskell, a character whose every appearance I've largely detested thus far, with his first good material of the entire series.

That said, Sherriff Patterson's investigative techniques are uninentionally quite comical. He goes around telling the people he most suspects all the information a real detective would most likely hold back to potentially trap someone: the exact time of death, exactly what the police do and do not know, exactly what the other witnesses have told him. If Roger is the killer (unlikely, given that he's been walking around with a neon "Villain" sign around his neck since Episode 1), then Sherriff Patterson effectively tells him everything he needs to know to get away with the crime.

We do finally get some concrete background on Burke Devlin's manslaughter conviction. Episodes 60 and 61 provide Vicki (and us) with both sides of the story - Burke's side, which Burke insists on as the truth, and Roger's side, which Sam presents and defends. It's good to finally know what all the fuss between Burke and Roger has been about. I question whether the series should have waited this long, what would have been a full 12 weeks from its premiere, to finally provide a fuller picture of such a critical piece of backstory. To the series' credit, I don't think this was made up on the spot. It's all quite consistent with the fragments we've gotten to date. I just think it's something the writers for whatever reason chose to hold back a little longer than was probably necessary.


Cast & Characters

Kathryn Leigh Scott is downright adorable, and David Ford has grown nicely into the role of Sam Evans at this point. That said, how many times can they repeat variations on the same scene between Sam and Maggie? Maggie pleads with her father to let her know why he's behaving so strangely; he evades and snaps at her; she responds by whining at him. I wish they would either do something with Maggie's curiosity or let it drop, one or the other, because I am quite tired of watching that interaction repeat itself every time these two are at the center of a scene.

Speaking of good actors who aren't necessarily always best-served by the material, Nancy Barrett really impressed me in Episode 56. When Carolyn learns of Bill's death, her reactions are perfectly played, from the small tremor in her voice to her attempts to suppress any emotion and focus on tasks like making a bed. Carolyn may be written to be an idiot most of the time, but the actress playing her is clearly capable of more. I hope she gets more chances to show that, as the series moves on.


Recast of the Week

A blurred line, this time, since Dana Elcar's Sheriff George Patterson is not actually the same character as Michael Currie's Constable Carter. He's filling the same role in the plot, but with a different character - which is my preferred method of recasting.

In any case, while I liked Currie well enough, this is one cast change I'd say is unquestionably for the better. Elcar was always terrific in roles such as this, and it's a delight to see him popping up here. He's extremely dominant in the episodes on this disc, with Sherriff Patterson really driving the plot, and he effortlessly commands scenes opposite the series' regulars. A scene in which he questions Burke Devlin is particularly good, as two television actors with very strong screen presence square off. It's a disappointment every time that scene cuts away to other characters.


Final Note

A remarkable thing about this disc: It's the first disc where I've enjoyed every episode. There is no episode on this disc that felt like pure filler, and no episode that had me just half-watching and waiting for it to end. Even the episode prominently featuring Joe Haskell, whose presence is usually a guarantee of at least a few scenes of boredom, manages to give Joe his first decent character material of the series. The mystery plot perhaps seems a bit thin, with only two real suspects (neither of whom is likely to be guilty), but it at least continues to see the series building momentum, and Dana Elcar's sherriff is a very welcome addition.


Previous: Episodes 45 - 53
Next: Episodes 63 - 70


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