Monday, May 18, 2015

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles - Episodes 1.5, 1.6 & 1.7 - Review

There's such a gap between the post today and the post before because I can only stand to watch "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" in On Demand mode so I can fast forward through the commercials.


Last we saw Lizzie, she had begun to buy up land around her house. She killed some more people and got away with it. Pretty much this goes on a lot in episode five in addition to finding a way to get Charlie framed for murders. The courtroom scenes are hilarious with the moment Lizzie takes the stand as a witness in how she been defending herself when Nance O'Keefe met her fateful end. This is for Charlie's trial in the death of Isabel Danforth (another of Lizzie's new victims).

We left Emma being courted by Officer Trotwood when Lizzie reminded Emma of her dark past. Emma tries to cool off Trotwood in the fifth episode, but Trotwood is too eager. He proposes and she accepts. Lizzie gets jealous, doesn't want to lose her one and only familial advocate. She even tries to discuss the concept of love, but is too keen with the killing to have a deep conversation. There's the tiresome story of Spencer having gone missing and she deduces that the town photographer/pornographer, Chester Phipps (Rhys Coiro aka Billy Walsh of "Entourage") photographed the dead Spencer. She forces Phipps to take her to the body, but he doesn't last much longer.

Lizzie doesn't like the competition for Emma's affection and maneuvers Trotwood into finding out about the baby skeleton that was hidden back at the old Maplecroft house. He's too keen on Lizzie's manipulative methods and confronts her. The wedding is still on. Or is it?

Lizzie is getting deeper into debt as Skipjack has blackmailed her into 50% of everything she owns to cover up the death of Spencer Cavanaugh. The Skipjack story lasts into the sixth episode until Lizzie no longer can use him, plus he bungled a death that causes grief for Emma. I'm sure you can guess, but I won't spoil it. Emma, in fact, leaves but has second thoughts and returns to Lizzie.

Episode seven brings to the cast the talented Chris Bauer ("True Blood"). He's looking into Charlie's sudden demise. Also, Lizzie takes a job, relocating to Maine, teaching school children under a pseudonym, Annabelle Grimke, and with blonde hair. Emma is in a sorry state, under the name Lenore Grimke. She's sorry she ever thought Lizzie was innocent, but soon she realizes that she, too, is done with her own innocence. There's no irony like the irony of using references to Edgar Allan Poe. Lizzie's old habits die hard... bloody hard.

One episode left! Anyone want to guess how this series ends?

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