S02.E07: Art Of Darkness

[formerlyfreedom]

Tarkoff, an old friend of the family’s, pays a visit to Joanna and Freddie. Wendy, Freya, Ingrid and Dash attend an art gala where Wendy encounters someone from her past. Killian has doubts about his feelings for Eva.

 

 

[Bort]

Spike?...

http://youtu.be/QVVMF2MfIQA

[missbonnie]

I thought the same thing!!

[Bort]

Are they pulling actors from every single fantasy genre show EVER? Today we had Spike from Buffy, Pete from Warehouse 13 and Ellie from Chuck.

There was a lot going in this episode. Four separate plotlines at least, one might even be able separate them into even more.

Poor Ingrid, though. Girl can't catch a break with her sex life. First the dead guy, then the demon monster, now Dash. Bad enough he's her sister's sloppy seconds but his inability to not be homicidal when backed into a corner is not going to end well for her.

And I lastly, I found it absolutely hilarious that Killian picked up that razor like he was actually going to use it.

[missbonnie]

Oh! Cool twist to the Frederick storyline, I totally didn't see that coming. I wish that Wendy would have had her ex fix her necklace though.

[Bill C.]

Spike...er, Tarkoff (or Cyclonus, to keep the Galvatron analogy going) gave us some pretty heavy exposition to explain just about everything in Frederick's story to this point, though it raises the question of why Grandpa Unicron even wants to hang out in a "vessel" on Earth in the first place.  They couldn't just say that he wants to take it over, or burn it to cinders, or whatever?

 

Wendy's multi-ex-husband...honestly, I thought that was pitch-perfect.  Maybe a little overkill-y, but otherwise utterly fitting that she would have hooked up with somebody like him...and almost as fitting that she'd finally have a come-to-Jesus moment and realize she might deserve better.  On the other hand, I have to seriously wonder for Tommy the EMT's life expectancy now.

 

Eva the owl, meanwhile?  She's an ancient crone disguised as a hot young woman with acid for blood...and I'm not even making that up.  I guess this was Killian's turn at the Wheel of Weird Shit, though, between that and the video message he sent to himself from...the future?

 

And as for Dash and Ingrid...since his killing Kyle the blackmailer's dad and promptly lying like a Persian rug to her about it both proves Freya right about him and reinforces that he's the bad (impulsively) guy to Killian's good-if-befuddled guy, even the fact that Rachel Boston was eighteen flavors of hot in this episode didn't really counteract that bad taste it left in my mouth.  It just felt a bit much a little too soon.

[blugirlami21]

That was interesting.  I still don't get what Eva wants with Killian?  She's obviously a seriously old lady using magic to keep herself looking young but what will a baby with Killian do for her?  Maybe she plans on stealing the baby's magic?  But why she can't she take Killian's magic and be done with it?  Why the need to marry him and constantly keep him in thrall?

 

As much as I like Killian, he's kind of stupid.  I don't think the message was from the future so much as it was from a moment when he was coming out of the spell.  Why didn't he send the message to someone who could actually help him?  Like Freya or even Dash?  You don't confront someone who is powerful enough to make you fall in love with them.  He got what he deserved in that moment.  Hopefully he will be a little smarter next time.

 

As for Dash, I knew that it wasn't going to end well when he killed his own brother, the blackmailer was just the icing on the cake.  Dash obviously has some real deep seated issues and they only got worse when he got magic powers.  He's killed and or attempted to kill four people in a couple of months and as far as I can tell he feels no remorse at all.

 

Ingrid isn't much better and honestly I don't think him killing the blackmailer's father would phase her too much.  If their past lives are a prediction of anything, she hasn't changed that much either.

[ottoDbusdriver]

How is Frederick auditing classes at the local University ?   Did I miss an episode somewhere ?

 

Killian's wife is a old witch who has cast a spell on him. Bwa ha ha ha !!!

 

How could the town be cloaked for a 100 years if the portal is in East End ?  Are there other portals ?

 

Who's leaving messages on Killian's mirror ?  That's right Killian.

 

Aunt Wendy looked awesome at that gala.  Nice abs.

 

Wendy was married to the same guy 3 times ?  Really ?  Is she the Asgard version of Liz Taylor ? She kind of neglected to mention that, like ever, before.
And if all that art was his love letter to Wendy, what was with the bicycles in the background when Dash and Ingrid went to dance ?

 

Please stop with the Freya-Dash-Ingrid love triangle.  Please.

 

Kyle's father hunts Dash down at a gala to confront him.  Gimme a break.  How did he even know he would be there ?
Sucks to be him because now he's dead.

 

How is 'the King' communicating with Tarkoff ?  I'm pretty sure Asgard is a VERY long distance call. </snark>
But that is all moot since Frederick is carrying in 'the King' in the symbol on his chest -- so how is 'the King' communicating with Tarkoff ?

[RachelKM]

BWHAHAHAHA! Bianca Lawson is playing an old woman pretending to be young.  Someone has a sense of humor.... and a genre fetish. Speaking of, Hello James Marsters.  Nice to see you.  You too Eddie, McClintock.

 

Freddie's story just got even less comprehensible... so he's carrying his grandpa?  Ew and weird.  How does he plan to keep his mom safe if Gramps the Super God wants her injured? 

 

Dammit Dash! For some reason I want to like you and yet you keep doing this shit that makes it so hard. Murder and manipulation of Ingrid. Why are you squandering some of the best (non-incestuous) chemistry on the show with lies?  

 

And Poor Ingrid indeed,  She went from a dead guy to guys that make other guys dead.  Also, I'm not terribly comfortable with the fact that the show totally glossed over the fact that Ingrid was being raped  repeatedly for weeks. This show is not supposed to be deep, but that is a little icky.

[GaT]

They're throwing too many plots into the story, everything is getting confusing, & we really don't need everyone to be in jeopardy all the time. And for every plot, they're adding more characters. Dial it back show, a little goes a long way. 

[Primetimer]

We learn more about what's going on inside Frederick and Eva's skins, but do the characters learn anything? Of course not!

Read the story

[Grammaeryn]

I really liked this episode! I did want to throttle Freya when she was warning Ingrid away from Dash. You know the messed up part of that? Ingrid helped cover up one of those unspeakable things so she rejected Freya's warning out of guilt. Oh yeah, STFU Freya.

If the show wants to follow the Grimm fairytale of stories, Eva probably needs to eat her baby to stay alive/keep her powers. Or I was wondering if all magical people were from Asgard or descended from Asgard refugees? Eva could have an Asgard connection.

Have we heard about Dash and Killian's father? I sense impending dramatic story.

[Bill C.]

Come to think of it, no, they've never mentioned a Mr. Gardiner that I can recall.  For all we know Penelope just hooked up with some guy to have magical kids and then whacked him (and since they've both existed in previous incarnations, and not as brothers in all of them, that may honestly be the best possible answer we'll get).

 

And it belatedly occurred to me that this episode also gave us our second bit of show-don't-tell this season about how badass a witch Joanna is, courtesy of Mr. Tarkoff.  He reiterated that East End had been magically "shielded" by her for 100 years, which I think Penelope implied as well back in S1; she said it took her decades to find her way back or some such.  I'd like to think this is building up to some sort of epic showdown between her and Grandpa Unicron (or possibly Tarkoff, since he's all about magically smacking down her baby boy) where we finally get to see her unleash hell, but...this show...?

[Kat]

 

(yep, that was just so I could work both Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin references into this piece; I regret nothing)

I love you, Adam. 

 

 

I still don't get what Eva wants with Killian?  She's obviously a seriously old lady using magic to keep herself looking young but what will a baby with Killian do for her?  Maybe she plans on stealing the baby's magic?

I too am confused. But I sort of like where they’re taking this storyline. More shirtless Killian please.

I still have a need to yell “Stop being stupid, Ingrid!”, several times during every episode. She frustrates me so much.

[adam807]

Aw, shucks. Thanks! Be grateful I wasn't writing for PTV when Smash was around! 

 

Real question: Does anyone know if Daniel DiTomasso is doing something else that requires scheduling trickery? I can think of no other reason why they'd keep him completely separated from the rest of the cast like this. And no one is like, "Well, Killian's sudden wife seems creepy but they're just fucking 24/7 so I guess we'll leave them alone and never mention it!" So weird.

 

Oh well. More shower scenes please. And more Wendy outfits for equal opportunity oggling.

[txhorns79]

How is Frederick auditing classes at the local University ?   Did I miss an episode somewhere ?

 

No, the writers literally just pulled that and his new girlfriend straight out of their ass.  I realize that Frederick is good looking, and people do stupid things for the pretty, but I'd like to think that a university professor might not be so head over heels over an unemployed guy who lives with his mother.  I mean, I don't care how cool Joanna is, it's pretty humiliating to meet her while you are topless, sexing up her kid.     

[Bill C.]

At least they had Joanna try to defuse the situation later by mentioning Caroline's breasts at least three times.

 

Real question: Does anyone know if Daniel DiTomasso is doing something else that requires scheduling trickery? I can think of no other reason why they'd keep him completely separated from the rest of the cast like this. And no one is like, "Well, Killian's sudden wife seems creepy but they're just fucking 24/7 so I guess we'll leave them alone and never mention it!" So weird.

 

Going off IMDb he apparently did a film called Origami Fox earlier this year, but I'm not sure if that clashed with scheduling for WOEE.  I suspect Killian's off-to-the-side status is/was mainly to just let them drag out his and Eva's storyline (and by extension Freya's angst, yaaaaay ptui!) a bit without it colliding with the other stories, perhaps mainly that of Mr. Tentacle.

[iMonrey]

I saw James Marsters' name in the opening credits and honestly did not recognize him when he first showed up. God, seeing him again makes me feel so old. I mean, Buffy only just ended 11 years ago, he shouldn't look so different. 

 

How stupid is Ingrid? (Yes, that's a rhetorical question). She knows Dash killed that blackmailer guy, then suddenly the guy's father mysteriously drops dead right outside, after Dash ran off to make some mysterious phone call? Coincidence much? Good thing they established Ingrid's stupidity back in Season 1, at least it's not out of character. But still, compare some notes with your sister. Freya's gone on a flashback journey to her past lives and Dash was a villain in all of them. Get a clue.

 

My goodness, when Killian whipped open that shower curtain, how I wished this show aired on pay cable.

[Mabinogia]

Freya's gone on a flashback journey to her past lives and Dash was a villain in all of them. Get a clue.

 

And yet I'm still rooting for Ingrid and Dash and not Freya and Killian. LOL I just can't with Killian. He's more boring than watching paint dry. IDK how anyone with those abs can manage to be that dull.

[Happytobehere]

This show is beyond stupid at this point.

So in between seizing up from grandpa, enabling his father to get killed, and allowing a Mandragora to run amuck killing randoms and raping his sister, he found time to audit classes and sex up the clearly mentally ill instructor (how else do you explain a supposedly intelligent woman magically dating someone she has known for what, two week,and thinking it was a good idea to go to the home he lives in with his mommy to sex him up?)

Killian is both as dull and as dumb as dishwater. He and little miss I'm too sexy deserve each other. I just don't deserve the punishment of their vapid union. I'm rooting for Eva to kill him.

Wendy's ex might be crazy but she has way more chemistry with him than with EMT guy.

Of course they couldn't let Dash and Ingrid work as a couple, they clearly outshine the OTP twu luv of dishrag and hot pants.

[Bec]

I'm guessing Eva wants to keep having magical children so that she can steal their powers, to keep on adding as much power to herself as she can, which is why she needs to have Killian in a thrall instead of just taking his powers. I mean, if she pulls a Michelle Duggar and have 20 children, that's a lot more power than 1 Killian. And considering they are witches that can stay alive for centuries, she could potentially have 100 children or more.

[Faiyth]

As some who shipped Dash/Ingrid from the start of this season, I have to admit I was a little bit disgruntled and frustrated to see Dash dig himself a deeper hole by continuing his homicidal streak, and this time even outright lying to Ingrid about it! But it has really sunk in to me now and made me realize how Ingrid's current life is mirroring her previous life. Dash is obviously the one who has inherited his ancestor Archibald's persona, and the way he's been falling into the darkness and following Archibald's footsteps means that things are only going to get worse and darker for him. His fate, in the end, will most likely fall on what Ingrid decides to do. Does she get swept into the darkness along with Dash (hence, a repeat of her previous life)? Or will she be able to save him and pull him out of it? I am really rooting for the latter, mainly because I refuse to give up on the chemistry that exists in this pairing, and I think the writers see this chemistry too. Dash has always been the villain in the past lives, but from what we've been shown this is the first life that Dash/Ingrid has happened. My theory is that one needs the other to break this vicious cycle where every life ends badly for both of them.

[Bill C.]

I like that theory, Faiyth.  In at least one past life each Ingrid and Dash were both blazing hot messes, so why not have them break the cycle by finding each other?  The gag is that it probably butts up against the writers' need to drag things out...let alone Freya's Triangle of Doom...and that could be a tough climb.

[Rahul]

Are they pulling actors from every single fantasy genre show EVER? Today we had Spike from Buffy, Pete from Warehouse 13 and Ellie from Chuck.

 

Sarah Lancaster (Ellie from Chuck) has not yet made an appearance on WoEE, although she is scheduled to do so later on this season

as Raven Moreau

, whoever that is.

 

And it belatedly occurred to me that this episode also gave us our second bit of show-don't-tell this season about how badass a witch Joanna is, courtesy of Mr. Tarkoff. 

 

That's probably my single biggest gripe with this show. There is way to much telling, and now enough showing. It's really one of the most fundamental principles of good story telling. The writers wasted an opportunity to throw in couple of flash backs to Wendy's former life with her ex-husband. That would've been fun.

 

That being said, I was pleased for a bit of continuity and hearing Joanna's profession as an art teacher referenced. This show has a way of letting all the witchy melodrama take over and it was nice to have a harkening back to seeing Joanna as more than just a supernatural conduit.

 

It was nice to see some more development with Dash/Ingrid as they are one of the only pairings with actual chemistry and a bond that developed organically on screen. Freya/Killian leaves me cold.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Rahul

[Bort]

Sarah Lancaster (Ellie from Chuck) has not yet made an appearance on WoEE, although she is scheduled to do so later on this season

That wasn't Lancaster as Freddie's very stupid girlfriend? Sure looked like her.

[Rahul]

Nope, not her. Just a guess, but since 

Daniel Di Tomasso has said he would play a famous character from 1800s in a past life and we know that Edgar Allan Poe is going to appear

, I'd say Sarah Lancaster is connected to that whole story line 

with the whole Raven reference and all.

[Rahul]

Back to add Sarah Lancaster makes her first appearance in S02.E10: The Fall of the House of Beauchamp