Breaking the fourth wall

I recently viewed it and it was distracting, but I suppose it suits the show's eccentricities. I just didn't like the way it was handled and I didn't like Nikolai slapping Maurice with a pair of gloves, either.

It wasn't in Maurice's character to take that. The Russian should have gotten a right cross to the floor -- a much better ending.



🏈

reply share

add reply

formatting help

but this was about as cheap and trite a bit of writing as I've ever seen.

Was it glib and textually unwarranted?

I think what may have happened is that Henry Bromell and Robin Green, the credited writers, painted themselves into a corner with the duel scene, and they tried to back out with some cheekiness. What may salvage some of it is how a couple of the actors contrast themselves from their characters--it's Cynthia Geary, whose Shelly is supposed to be a dumbo, who delivers the "glib and textually unwarranted" line--and that Elaine Miles just says, let's just move onto the next scene, with everybody shrugging and moving on. But, yes, I agree that it's a fizzle.

At the end, when Elya Baskin is singing "Falling in Love Again," and the camera pans slowly along the bar at the characters watching Nikolai, Maurice reacts to the camera catching him engrossed in the performance, which is another wink to the audience that I'm not crazy about.

Not one of my favorite episodes, about average (three stars out of five). Not exactly a fuel-injected ride to hell.

------------------
"Here is the ice you ordered, Mr. Ismay." – Titanic Captain E.J. Smith

reply share

add reply

formatting help