#burke is already trespassing in enemy territory by being in the foyer – to go on or up the stairs peels back another layer of skin.

[tortoisesshells]

#love is contained in the convo across the banister where i tell you to leave my house <3 muah.

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#okay. a)#the parallels between vicki and burke as the dark-headed poor kid that finds themself subject to collinses & Collins-ness & everything that#it represents. vicki who follows in his footsteps as imprisoned – endangered – almost *ran over* for the sake of the family.#who; perhaps despite their better judgment; *do* enjoy the charm; the noblesse oblige; the aura of...#call it doom. around the collins siblings.#(and as we know. ''devlin has a tremendous range.'' in terms of torch-carrying)#but the romance isn't precisely my point even if i'm more than willing to believe in b/e and r/v#but an older collins – one who is perhaps not directly involved in their ruination but a participant in it.#b)#while i was looking at the scene of burke on the stairs i was struck by a feeling of ''hey you shouldn't be up there''#and immediately was like. no let's unpack that.#the stairs are one of the most-traveled parts of the scenography other than perhaps the drawing room window or the sofa BUT it's excluded#to the in-group – the family; their intimates. you don't (or shouldn't) be ascending the stairs as a stranger; an enemy.#because it traverses the boundary between the public and the private – where the drawing room is already host to secrets; intimacy; scandal#the upstairs is a different realm entirely. upstairs is bedrooms; bathrooms; the tower room. sleep – intimacy – privacy – death.#burke is already trespassing in enemy territory by being in the foyer – to go on or up the stairs peels back another layer of skin.#(and worth noting that liz successfully stops him from doing so)#there's so many good r/v scenes that involve the stairs precisely because it represents that boundary between the intimate and public;#between the idea of the house as a home and house as monument.#... which is a key contention between both b&e and r&v. burke who wants collinwood as conqueror wants the castle; a monument to victory.#elizabeth who sees collinwood as her home – as the place of her childhood – as the bricks and blood of her ancestors.#vicki who is desperate to find her home there past and present. roger who sees it as monument to collins misery –#to ancestors that look down on him with undisguised hatred – to his own inadequacy – to imprisonment – to the tomb. (tags via @widowshill)

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