... I absolutely adore this theory. When I read it, my head practically exploded with joy.
Just one problem: it can't be true. [spoiler]Sarah said: "I'm going to tell you what happened." Therefore...[/spoiler] Vicky's presence changed nothing. [spoiler]I do wonder, however, exactly what evidence was presented at Phyllis Wick's trial, given that Phyllis didn't have the Collins Family History to incriminate her.[/spoiler]
First, Sarah saying "I'm going to tell you what happened" is a missing piece I've wanted and needed for some time now, to help explain what was happening with that seance and why. Where does she say this exactly? (Episode numbers don't help me since I'm watching on tape. Pivotal events do.)
Despite everything Sarah can do, she remains a naive little girl. This shows in everything she says and does in 1967. She doesn't even seem to know completely what she is sometimes. So, she wants very much to show Victoria (I'll always remember her as that, and didn't remember everyone called her 'Vicki" when I got the VHS... I prefer Victoria) how it all happened, if she said what you say she said, to explain Barnabas so that they all can deal with him presumably, perhaps stopping him without destroying him....
But Sarah doesn't realize that by popping VW back to 1795 in the only way she could think of, in the place of her governess that V probably reminded Sarah of (probably just that impulsive a decision), the history she wanted to show Vicki and everyone else in 1967 through Vicki I suppose, would be changed. If a 1967 audience was unsophisticated as regards time-travel explanations, imagine how naive an eight-year-old from the 18th century must be. "Change" history? What do you mean?
Or.... Sarah was
trying to change things in 1795 because they went so badly. Maybe Barnabas wouldn't turn out this way, and he wouldn't be trying to kill people. It seems irresponsible to send V back in the place of a governess who was going to die for being a witch, but as an eight-year-old (and on TV they always wrote child characters younger than their actual ages), perhaps she thought that Victoria was a wise grown up and would fix everyhting. Kids are supposed to trust grown-ups and teachers and sometimes actually do. Sybil Goolie or whatever the original governess's name was may not have been as good a govewrness as Vicki. Sarah may have thought she was saving her very nice (presumably they got along and were close) original governess by simply popping her into a safe comfortable Drawing Room and better century.....and sending the smarter teacher/mommy (that's what a governess is, right?) back to fix everything.
I wonder who's going to clean up the mess if your head explodes again.