Episode Studies by Clayton Barr enik1138-at-popapostle-dot-com |
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Cliffhangers!
Episode 8
Didja Notice? This chapter does not begin with the usual entry in Dracula's journal recounting the events of the previous chapter. Presumably this is because this chapter opens with Dracula where we left him previously, trapped in an old silo, so he has not had the chance to update his writings between chapters.This version of the Dracula character does not seem to have the ability to turn into a bat. He tries and fails to jump up to the hole in the silo ceiling to escape, but if he could make the transformation he could just fly out. In this chapter, we see that both Antoinette and Christina are able to move about in the daylight. Does this mean that they have only been bitten twice by Dracula and not the third time required to make them complete vampires? After his narrow escape from a burning death in the sunlight, Dracula retires for the day to the coffin in the cellar of his home. When he awakes again in the evening, he still bears some scars from the sunlight that struck him. Dracula's dogs, Desdemona and Othello, seem to like wine. He gives them some (from the finest of Napoleon's vineyards) while musing on his fate to always be alone. The cliffhanger ending this week: Dracula is about to bite Mary for the third time to transform her into a true vampire! Don't miss Chapter XIV: THIRST FOR DEATH
Didja Notice? When Keller is led into Thorval's command center in Chimera at 22:28 in the episode, the large images projecting above the control panels remind me of the original Enterprise bridge set on Star Trek.  In this chapter we see that Princess Tera has undergone another transformation at the Silver Door and now is played by a third actress. Plot-wise it is explained as Tera's desire to find a look that will enchant Marshal Donner and make him her lover. It seems like a weak plot point though. I wonder if the producers kept losing or changing actresses for some other reason during the course of the shoot? The first actress to play Tera was undeniably attractive, but not much of an actress. The second and third actresses portraying her each hold their own. All three actresses have a similar look as well. When going up to the surface, the Chimerans must wear air filter masks. For some reason it seems the women always wear white masks and the men black. The cliffhanger ending this week: Maya is trapped on the surface with a torn filter mask, unable to breathe the air! Don't miss Chapter 11: RETURN TO CHIMERA
Didja Notice? As Dr. Johann Schmidt answers the laboratory phone at 41:31 in the episode, we see he is wearing one of the conspirators' rings, informing us early in the scene that he is not the friend he might appear. The cliffhanger ending this week: Susan's motorcycle sidecar is sent plummeting over a cliff! Don't miss Chapter Ten: TERROR FROM THE SKY
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