Friday the 13th on Sunday the 13th - Episode 13 - The Baron's Bride

Back we go into the realms of cursed and curious goods. One can only escape from Friday's Curse, because the 13th always comes around again! ...Though one can sometimes hit snooze one or five times. eh.

We go into the 13th episode of the series, and for the auspicious episode, we get a bit of time travel and creative production work. Also a slightly odd title, "The Baron's Bride".

Spoilers. There is no baron, or mention of one. The owner of the cursed item may be suggested, but there's no sign the woman's deceased husband was a baron.

More likely, with the black and white scenes in the episode, and other nods in the filming, this title is mostly meant to suggest old vampire movies, and the fact that the person with the cursed item is stalking women, particularly Micki.

This time, instead of chasing a Michael Jackson's glove, we now work to complete the ensemble with a kitschy cloak and broach.

What does this stuff do? The cloak is said to give immortality. Cool. The broach is used to travel in time. How does that work? We'll see.


And the Devil has the power to bestow time travel powers to people? That's impressive. Evil could do a lot of damage quite easily with this. The only counter would be if you see the time travel in this story as a predestination event. But I may be putting too much thought into this.


They also say the cloak allows women to be wooed. Luckily they don't go the "Cupid's Arrow" line. It's pure vampire allure.

Still, when he learns about the power, Ryan goes for the joke about it being okay to have the power to control women...


As we return to our stalwart protagonist, they are sitting around oddly glum. Not sure if it was intentional, but they look like they've been called into work on a national holiday; And if it was Canada Day there will be hell to pay!

"Don't expect much of a reaction from me Jack. I've read my role in this
script."

Jack has managed to track down an item. A cursed cloak. Having determined the previous owner, now deceased, he's discovered his widow is renting a room. Then he apparently took his time to work up a ploy of having Ryan go and rent the room, so they can search.

Meanwhile, someone else has shown up to look at the room for rent. (You're being too clever, Jack.) I think he's meant to be benign as he enters, but I feel like in earlier viewing I thought he was villainous earlier on. But he seems mostly harmless. It may in part be the issue of casting for the intent of having someone be a murderous vampire later in the episode.

"You've got an amazing...wardrobe."

He's let in and allowed to peruse the room, which has a certain...flair to it, I guess. We are introduced to the widow, Marie Simmons. (Played by Diana Barrington.) She seems to be not too worrying, though a bit Norma Desmond.

"Oh, my god...I love the Count.
One. Two. Three. Ah, hah, hah, hah."

As always, it is interesting to look at how people and cursed items interact, to try and understand how the curses work. With Frank Edwards (Played by Tom McCamus.) he seems benign at first, but once he seems the cloak he can't take his eyes off it. And in moments he's putting it on.

And then we get to see the effects of the cloak. First, it causes you to instantly have a professional hair and make up job done. First time through, I knew something was different after the cloak went on. So going back you can see he clearly does have a different hair style afterwards. (Better, or worse. You decide.) The makeup change gives him and smoothed out complexion. You know, it's like he's going to a photo shoot.

"Am I...Bowie?"

And he's loving the feel of the cloak. He just poses and...I don't know what to call it.

Get ready for his smize.

As he enjoys the cloak, the widow watches him, and approves. She walks up to him and praises him. But he, interestingly, is apologetic about trying on the cloak, and tries to take it off. So he seemed willing to at least temporarily be parted from the item.

But she has him keeps it on. She then starts to explain how she was seeking someone to wear the cloak after her husband.

He is not interested in that, and seems uncomfortable with a seeming romantic turn.

It could be the purported power of the cloak to control the minds of women is coming into play, but she seems to have an agenda.

What we learn is that she seems to have the ability to enthrall men. As she talks to him, he goes quiet and listens. She fully understands the powers of the cloak, and she understands the broach. With a drop of blood from two people, the broach will send you through time.

We also learn that she is a vampire. Umm, immortality cape owned by a vampire? How does that all fit together?

We won't learn. This is a very streamlined story, like the previous episode. We get an adventure, and then we are out.

So the eager widow bites, and get her fill. Ether that, or she get it all over mouth. Vampires can be so messy.

As she is jumping her new boy toy, the team arrive and burst in. She quickly slashes Micki across the face, drawing blood. She smacks Jack aside. And, with apparent telekinesis, she throws Ryan right out of the room.

I guess TK is a vampire thing. Too bad we never see it again the entire episode.

With everything coming at them, Ryan runs away.

Really though, he's running for a good vampire bashing tool. As he does, Jack gets throttled more, and Micki is mostly out of it. (She should get used to that role for most of the episode.

Advertising really is getting aggressive.

Still, Ryan returns in time to take a rental sign, and drive it through the vampire.

But the teams travails aren't over yet. The cloak has yet to be grabbed. And the man in it looks none too pleased at the state of things.

He starts to do his best smoldering, as he grabs his bitten neck.

Jack tells the others to grab him, and while Ryan takes a breath, Micki gets up and runs at him.

So the person they let take on a possible vampire wearing a cloak that gives you power of women is Micki? Good one, Ryan.

And what do you know? Micki gets enthralled by the newbie vampire.

Doh!

Her cheek wound, and his neck wound drop on the broach.

If liquids cause your family jewels to fume...

Luckily Ryan grabs on, before anything else happens. And then Micki and Ryan learn about the power of the broach.

Theorizing one could headbutt a vampire, Assistant Shop Sweep Ryan Dallion
stumbled head first into the Friday the 13th Accelerator and vanished...

And that is also the last we see of Jack until the end of the episode.

Before long they find themselves standing in 19th century London. I guess the broach also allows spatial travel as well. Like this is the first time travel tale to fudge that aspect.


But maybe we should pause for a moment and wonder something. What do vampires need with a time machine? (And we all have a story idea now, right?) You could almost imagine a vampire existing in the distant future, and then moving back in time causing carnage.

But mostly this lot seems more likely to just jump around and feasting. Party Animals Vamps.

The cinematographer really sucked the life out of this scene.

And our vampires proves how tough he is by immediately running away. Come on!

Stuck now, Micki and Ryan have no idea what to do. Luckily they find a couple that is far too trusting and giving. The couple, Abraham and Caitlin, are a couple of newlyweds from Ireland. (Played by Kevin Bundy and Susannah Hoffmann.) Abraham tells them he's a writer. He's also Irish. You might not be able to tell due to the subtle acting.

Weird that they don't offer the two travelers their surname, but that might be the custom of the day. And it may make for reveal at the end of the episode. (Yes. He's descendant of Sam Beckett.)

"So you work for a Nigerian prince with money he needs to move?"

The couple offer to house and feed Micki and Ryan. And Ryan is amazingly unable to cover for the fact he's a time traveling antique shop worker from America.

Sorry, Ryan. In no era is that coat okay.

They treat Micki's cuts, and Ryan tries to joke around with Abraham. Micki isn't pleased. She's ticked off that they are trapped with no clue how to get home.

From here on out that will be then end of Micki having much input. Now she's in the thrall of the vampire mode.

"No matter where I run, it's all black and white!!!"

The vampire is running around the street flailing a bit. Sure, he's new at it. But how about a little vampiric class?


I do need to note that they are doing the whole black and white effect for the time travel scenes. And I assume, like with the title, they are homaging all the old vampire and horror movies. And the effect is overall nice. So scenes are a little dark for my viewing. But the makeup and monochromatic filming create a fun feel.

The look of our vampire is an enjoyable bit of nostalgia. And as part of that, we do see him preying on a sex worker, who's in all of her cockney glory.

Before long, Micki is trying to sneak out, to find the vampire. She says it's to kill him, but nah. She is looking to "go to him". While she and Ryan argue, Abraham comes over, and they notice commotion out in the streets.

They get Abraham to come because he apparently knows where all the "hideyholes" are. I guess good writers know these things.

Outside crowds are forming. Soon a good old fashion mob is out running down the streets looking for the vampire. Ah, mobs.

"Who are we hunting down?" "Does it matter?"

The vampire manages to break into a quiet storehouse and rest. He decides to cast off the cloak.

In moments he starts to decay.

When you tell your makeup person that they're overrate.

I guess without the cloak on, you start to die. Still not clear on if the cloak makes you immortal, or if it is just used usually by vampires. Would it outright kill a mortal? It's just up to us to speculate.

Realizing the position he's in, the vampire just roars. And it does look cool. Halloween watching list cool.

The trio stumble upon the vampire, after that scream, and he jumps them.

"Boo! ...I'm going to kill all of you now."

He quickly kicks Ryan and Abraham's asses/

Then he eyes Micki. And then Abraham unveils a string of garlic that drives off the vampire. Abraham, I trust from now on that will be out at all times, and you'll have one over your door at home. No? That isn't going to happen?

The next day Ryan and Abraham head out to try and find the vampire. They leave Micki with Caitlin to be sure she is safe.

I guess none of them recall Dracula...Guess it isn't written yet. This scenario never ends well. Never.

"Here take this cross, the only obvious vampire protection in the house."

And as night falls, the vampire comes, and Caitlin isn't a master of combat.

Death, It's a lot like a vampire throttling you to...Well,you know.

Abraham is distraught to discover his wife.

Meanwhile the vampire sweet talks Micki. He explain the cloak and broach...and really just repeats what the widow told him earlier. Like he knows what's happening.

"Hello. I am about to take you as my vampire bride becasue...You know,
its a quiet night."

Ryan arrives, and is immediately bested.

While he relishes offing Ryan, Abraham appears and runs the vampire through.

"Wow. I was the worst vampire ever."

Abraham is still distraught about his loss. When they tell him they are returning to their time, he asks to come. But Ryan says he has to stay and live. Why? ...Wibbly Wobbly Timey Whimey.

With a little blood, they head home. Luckily they actually do this. This isn't like a row boat from Avalon, it heads home fast.

"Did you bring me any presents?" "How do you feel about TB?"

Jack is curious to learn about the past, but the number sets in Canada they had available limits their imput. Still he does figure who Abraham was.

Bram Stoker. Da daaaa!

So Bram was always meant to suffer a tragic loss by vampire, to be inspired to write Dracula. Predestination. (Unless time changed and they don't know it, but don't get me on that subject.)

And inside the copy of Dracula, a forward in honor of Caitlin.

Well, I assume this must have pissed Florence off. Yeah.

Overall this does make for a fun and ambitious episode of this series. They decided to try at doing a period piece and to play with how it was filmed to mimic old movies.


And thinking too much about it, the color shift makes the episode a reverse Wizard of Oz. (Don't tell me if that's a sexual position.)


They have again needed to sideline one of the main characters, but that helps give the other characters room to shine. But at the same time, Micki isn't given a lot to do, except play at being controlled by a vampire. This is another episode that in another day would have been given a two-parter, to expand on the experience and struggle of Micki and Ryan. That's not the type of show this was in the day. So we get to race through an hour of fun.

As we go on, we'll see time travel come up again, and we'll see how those episodes compare. I guess we should also see if the predestination stuff holds, like with Stoker. But the nostalgic homage this is should stand on it's own.


If you do want to give the episode a viewing, you can try this...