I'm surprised at people's disappointment. I first saw this whole storyline over the holidays (2011), and was very glad watching all this unfold. There was an actual very good storyline I'd missed till now, and I thought it actually didn't have many of the problems a lot of later storylines had.
Lydia, I think the concept of the Phoenix as a human being was a blank slate, to be filled in by the writers as they saw fit, within reason. It's such a vague idea that it's almost impossible to deny that this or that is possible, or that this or that power is far-fetched. Still, I think they're managing to be far more conservative and "realistic" about what traits/powers they assign to the Phoenix than they were in later DS.
You won't be surprised to hear that I think Laura's ability to materialize and dematerialize at will was established the moment she popped into someone's bedroom for the first time. I think the viewers are supposed to have known this about this power for a long time, now. The clever thing was that she did it in such a way that her victims never seriously suspected that she hadn't just crept in, in the usual way. So when it came time for Laura to pull her bus trick, no one was expecting it, not even Vicki, whose room had been popped into.
I think the Phoenix's powers are narrowly defined enough. For instance, I'd thought she could create fire at will. Now I'm not sure she can. It seems more as if she can just disorient people with the image of fire. That still makes Sam Evans' fire confusing. Teleportation, however, is just part of the deal. Phoenixes can fly... maybe this is the human-Phoenix equivalent.
Vicki to bus guy: "But... I don't understand!" First time?
LOL-- David wants his mother to come because it's so cold... please come... Yes, he's right, she'll solve that problem! Laura pops into the shack with the lit lantern already in her hands... Is the Shack on the estate, or close to town, or both?
What's the decorative thing screwed into the top of a lamp called? They have us looking at one for awhile. She smells what coming from the sea? Ten minutes to midnight....
Sproat-written.