Typing as I Watch: The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth
Jul 17, 2013 17:59:54 GMT -5
zimmerman, Sky, and 2 more like this
Post by niecie on Jul 17, 2013 17:59:54 GMT -5
There's the Sultana. I wonder what port that's supposed to be. It's in California, at least.
What a villain! A lover of music, devoted to his dear mother, and as we will learn, sympathetic to the plight of a fly in his cup of tea -- yet ready to kill thousands of people at a time to gain his objective. This is the first of Dr Loveless' ten appearances in The Wild Wild West.
You can tell that Voltaire didn't know the little bag he was carrying was so dangerous. And it seems to me that Loveless is getting a little enjoyment out of Voltaire's discomfiture.
The scene with Jim and Artie discussing the case has Artie talking to Jim's reflection -- a nice touch. It's kind of interesting that we get a double view of Artie through most of this scene, considering that he all but disappears from the rest of the episode.
Jim puts on glasses and voilà! Instant disguise!
The tongue twister is so cute!
But why is it such an emergency that the girl dropped her yarn? West abandons the man he was supposed to be guarding to go help her pick up the ball of yarn. What's up with that?
It's such a surprise when Voltaire pops out of the closet with flowers -- and then we discover that the helpful secretary is in Loveless' employee. But when she knocks on the door to talk to Jim, why does he answer shirtless? That's a bit anachronistic for the 1870's.
As Jim and Greta go out walking, they pass the carriage just as Artie strikes a match to light a cigar. Perfect timing to see his face.
And where does that monkey come from?
Why does Loveless draw back the string on the crossbow twice?
Loveless has lots of pets. And is that a gnu's head on the wall?
The wrestlers all seem to be heartily afraid of Loveless. I always wonder are they afraid he'll hurt them, or that they will hurt him and get fired? That's a mean thing he says though, about popping the one guy's eyes out.
The first appearance of Antoinette and their first duet, Bring a Little Water, Sylvie.
I think it's hilarious that Loveless is ashamed of West for offering to sell the explosive to a foreign government.
Loveless's kingdom for children -- where would he get the children anyway? In later episodes he doesn't show much concern for children. For that matter, his bombs that will kill 5000 people at a time, once a week till the lower half of California is handed over to him, surely will kill children along with everyone else in the area.
The governor is an idiot and can't even get his own paper and pen. But what's the deal with Miss Piecemeal being 80% water?
The guy with the sling who calls, "Mr West?" after West leaves the governor's office is the same guy that was wrestling with Loveless earlier.
I like the coach, full of Artie's little surprises. Pity Jim gets caught anyway!
The python is named Marcia.
Loveless' inventions include a radio, penicillin, an automobile, an airplane. Then he picks up the container of explosive and gets so worked up, he breaks the glass in his hand, saying he's lived so long with pain, he no longer feels it.
How did Loveless know that Jim would stand right there on top of the trap door? And how did he automatically fit Jim into the iron maiden so perfectly?
But what kind of logic Loveless engages in! He's the one setting the bomb, yet he shoves all the blame for the thousands who will be killed onto Jim, with that line about all their blood being on Jim's hands. Talk about projecting!
What are those plans on the wall behind Jim as the freeze frame occurs at the end of Act 3? Looks a bit like a design for a jet engine.
Greta... It's hard to get a handle on her. She keeps jumping back and forth between having a brain and, well, not. She's gone ditzy blonde again, and Jim pulls the "you'll never be loved" bit on her. (This is practically a meme in WWW; Jim & Artie pull in on Kitten in Murderous Spring, and Artie does it to Triste in The Night Loveless Died as well.)
Btw, what's with all the tassels the women wear on their outfits this time? Both Miss Piecemeal and Greta have all these tassels.
The guards are such jerks and bullies, tormenting a caged man. Yay for Jim giving them what they deserve.
Voltaire's favorite fighting technique seems to be grabbing Jim's head and trying to squish it into a different shape.
And here is the thing that puzzles me: why are Voltaire and Dr Loveless right there with the bomb anyway? How does Loveless expect to survive and take possession of half of the land of California when he's sitting -- literally -- on top of the bomb just minutes before it's rigged to go off? Yes, it makes for an exciting story with lots of acrobatics for both Jim and Loveless (and if either has a stunt double here, I can't tell it), but it makes zero sense for Loveless to be there. *grumble grumble*
"You can't make me!" Oh but he sounds like a little bratty kid there! heh heh
"Only a minute to go, Mr West!" Yeah, so why are you hanging around, Dr Loveless?
"Darn you! Darn you!" I love the 60's swearing restrictions here!
I understand Michael Dunn hurt himself doing that pendulum stunt.
And that laugh of triumph, in effect saying, "Aha, now the bomb can go off -- and blow me to smithereens along with everyone else in the neighborhood!"
But I do love the way he sticks out his feet and slides down to sit on the bob of the pendulum. Oh, and he's counting; you can hear Loveless say "Seven... eight...?" as Jim pulls the wires from the bottles.
The hammer hitting the bell seems to be out of sync with the audible bongs.
"You meddler! You interfering meddler! You vile, egregious Secret Service man!" Because Secret Service man was the worst curse he could think of.
So Artie walks in during the tag and finds Jim kissing Greta. Yet another first season example of the Bad Girl getting off, I suppose because she helped Jim out toward the end by releasing him from the iron maiden and telling him where the bomb was.
Methinks the "late supper" Jim referred to in the tag -- or at least Artie's interpretation of it -- was somewhat euphemistic.
And one more invention Loveless was working on: television.
Ah! Greta's dress with the diagonal row of buttons! That looks like the yellow dress both Lily and Princess (or Queen?) Silva wore later on. More recycling!
At the very end, as Jim starts kissing Greta again when she's leaning over the coffee table -- my word but the young lady is showing a lot of cleavage!
What a villain! A lover of music, devoted to his dear mother, and as we will learn, sympathetic to the plight of a fly in his cup of tea -- yet ready to kill thousands of people at a time to gain his objective. This is the first of Dr Loveless' ten appearances in The Wild Wild West.
You can tell that Voltaire didn't know the little bag he was carrying was so dangerous. And it seems to me that Loveless is getting a little enjoyment out of Voltaire's discomfiture.
The scene with Jim and Artie discussing the case has Artie talking to Jim's reflection -- a nice touch. It's kind of interesting that we get a double view of Artie through most of this scene, considering that he all but disappears from the rest of the episode.
Jim puts on glasses and voilà! Instant disguise!
The tongue twister is so cute!
But why is it such an emergency that the girl dropped her yarn? West abandons the man he was supposed to be guarding to go help her pick up the ball of yarn. What's up with that?
It's such a surprise when Voltaire pops out of the closet with flowers -- and then we discover that the helpful secretary is in Loveless' employee. But when she knocks on the door to talk to Jim, why does he answer shirtless? That's a bit anachronistic for the 1870's.
As Jim and Greta go out walking, they pass the carriage just as Artie strikes a match to light a cigar. Perfect timing to see his face.
And where does that monkey come from?
Why does Loveless draw back the string on the crossbow twice?
Loveless has lots of pets. And is that a gnu's head on the wall?
The wrestlers all seem to be heartily afraid of Loveless. I always wonder are they afraid he'll hurt them, or that they will hurt him and get fired? That's a mean thing he says though, about popping the one guy's eyes out.
The first appearance of Antoinette and their first duet, Bring a Little Water, Sylvie.
I think it's hilarious that Loveless is ashamed of West for offering to sell the explosive to a foreign government.
Loveless's kingdom for children -- where would he get the children anyway? In later episodes he doesn't show much concern for children. For that matter, his bombs that will kill 5000 people at a time, once a week till the lower half of California is handed over to him, surely will kill children along with everyone else in the area.
The governor is an idiot and can't even get his own paper and pen. But what's the deal with Miss Piecemeal being 80% water?
The guy with the sling who calls, "Mr West?" after West leaves the governor's office is the same guy that was wrestling with Loveless earlier.
I like the coach, full of Artie's little surprises. Pity Jim gets caught anyway!
The python is named Marcia.
Loveless' inventions include a radio, penicillin, an automobile, an airplane. Then he picks up the container of explosive and gets so worked up, he breaks the glass in his hand, saying he's lived so long with pain, he no longer feels it.
How did Loveless know that Jim would stand right there on top of the trap door? And how did he automatically fit Jim into the iron maiden so perfectly?
But what kind of logic Loveless engages in! He's the one setting the bomb, yet he shoves all the blame for the thousands who will be killed onto Jim, with that line about all their blood being on Jim's hands. Talk about projecting!
What are those plans on the wall behind Jim as the freeze frame occurs at the end of Act 3? Looks a bit like a design for a jet engine.
Greta... It's hard to get a handle on her. She keeps jumping back and forth between having a brain and, well, not. She's gone ditzy blonde again, and Jim pulls the "you'll never be loved" bit on her. (This is practically a meme in WWW; Jim & Artie pull in on Kitten in Murderous Spring, and Artie does it to Triste in The Night Loveless Died as well.)
Btw, what's with all the tassels the women wear on their outfits this time? Both Miss Piecemeal and Greta have all these tassels.
The guards are such jerks and bullies, tormenting a caged man. Yay for Jim giving them what they deserve.
Voltaire's favorite fighting technique seems to be grabbing Jim's head and trying to squish it into a different shape.
And here is the thing that puzzles me: why are Voltaire and Dr Loveless right there with the bomb anyway? How does Loveless expect to survive and take possession of half of the land of California when he's sitting -- literally -- on top of the bomb just minutes before it's rigged to go off? Yes, it makes for an exciting story with lots of acrobatics for both Jim and Loveless (and if either has a stunt double here, I can't tell it), but it makes zero sense for Loveless to be there. *grumble grumble*
"You can't make me!" Oh but he sounds like a little bratty kid there! heh heh
"Only a minute to go, Mr West!" Yeah, so why are you hanging around, Dr Loveless?
"Darn you! Darn you!" I love the 60's swearing restrictions here!
I understand Michael Dunn hurt himself doing that pendulum stunt.
And that laugh of triumph, in effect saying, "Aha, now the bomb can go off -- and blow me to smithereens along with everyone else in the neighborhood!"
But I do love the way he sticks out his feet and slides down to sit on the bob of the pendulum. Oh, and he's counting; you can hear Loveless say "Seven... eight...?" as Jim pulls the wires from the bottles.
The hammer hitting the bell seems to be out of sync with the audible bongs.
"You meddler! You interfering meddler! You vile, egregious Secret Service man!" Because Secret Service man was the worst curse he could think of.
So Artie walks in during the tag and finds Jim kissing Greta. Yet another first season example of the Bad Girl getting off, I suppose because she helped Jim out toward the end by releasing him from the iron maiden and telling him where the bomb was.
Methinks the "late supper" Jim referred to in the tag -- or at least Artie's interpretation of it -- was somewhat euphemistic.
And one more invention Loveless was working on: television.
Ah! Greta's dress with the diagonal row of buttons! That looks like the yellow dress both Lily and Princess (or Queen?) Silva wore later on. More recycling!
At the very end, as Jim starts kissing Greta again when she's leaning over the coffee table -- my word but the young lady is showing a lot of cleavage!