Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Private Practice recap: episode 8

While you were relaxing, or possibly shopping, on Friday, I was hard at work on this week's recap!
At St. Ambrose, there's no change in Sister Virginia's condition, and Father Mark asks for privacy so he can administer the sacrament of the sick. They watch through the window as he puts on his stole and begins the rite. "The way he looks at her..." Naomi begins, and Sam says, "I know." The captions add, "Something's not right," although nobody actually says that. Perhaps the person who entered the captions was a liturgist, and this is his way of protesting the fact that Father Mark is "anointing" Sister Virginia without any oil. Otherwise I don't see anything odd about his ministry of this sacrament, but I guess I'm having trouble viewing extreme unction as sexual in any way.
The answer to the eternal question -- "What are the writers underresearching this week?" -- was, at least in part, the practices and lifestyles of vowed religious people in the Church. But there were a few big things they got right. Read the whole thing to find out what. (And note to Susan: more TV nuns!)

4 comments:

Susan Rose Francois, CSJP said...

Thanks for the tv nun tip! Something to look forward to in reruns when I return to the states.

One question about the "impressively authentic post-Vatican II convent furnishings" - in particular the "ugly chartreuse armchair." Was it a recliner??? Every American Post-Vatican II Convent I've been in has been replete with lazy boy knock offs for the tired nuns to rest their aching feet. Sadly, this is not the case in England where we have to make do with little "poofs" - poofs apparently being English-English for footstool . Not to be confused with its American-English meaning ;)

Mollie said...

I don't remember if it was a recliner -- I will have to look again! It did have a wooden frame and a wide, fanned-out back, though. And it was exactly the kind of out-of-style furniture that seems to end up in convent sitting rooms. So I gave them credit for getting that right. :-) Sorry no recliners in England, but at least you're not "sequestered"!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the name of the actress who plays Sister Virginia on this episode? I think I've seen her a long time ago and can't remember what show it was.

Mollie said...

Hi Anonymous -- She did look familiar, but I'm afraid I don't know who it was. Have you tried asking over at TWoP? There's always someone who knows exactly who it is, what else they've been in, etc. I'm not so great at that game when it comes to TV. (Theatre is another story.)