Episode 29, "The Devlin's Advocate"
Aug. 4, 1966
Liz isn't coping with the reality of David's aggression with the utmost maturity. When faced with the prospect of her nephew having tried to murder his father, she's decided to blame the messenger: Victoria Winters. "I don't care what Miss Winters found," she tells Carolyn just minutes after alienating the governess. She punctuates this opinion by saying that, if something has happened to the missing child, she'd "never" forgive Victoria. This is pro-level compartmentalizing.

As the two talk, they discover they've got a great deal of chemistry and begin the slow process of domesticating each other. We learn that Burke, Roger and David's as-yet unnamed mother were friends when they were younger. Burke clearly likes the boy, which is going to make it more difficult to make him a homeless waif. David also likes Burke and looks for an opportunity to retrieve the auto part he hid in the sofa. Burke's no fool, though, and knows David was at the hotel for a reason. He quickly finds the bleeder valve as soon as the boy steps out of the room.
The darkest moment in the entire episode is when Carolyn confronts Liz over her bullshit guilt trips, and admits to having fantasized about murdering her own absent father in payback for abandoning her. Her bleak admission underlines Liz's own nihilism, which prompts her to apologize to Victoria in a "What the hell, we're all going to die, anyway" moment.
1 comment:
I'm not certain my own mother would stick up for me the way Liz sticks up for David!
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