Great episode. I remember that when I watched it the first time, I was truly shocked that Willie, with all his good intentions, got blamed for Maggie's kidnapping. I've gotten past that now, and today I just enjoyed the situation: so many people busily persuading themselves of something that is just plain incorrect. And such interesting details! What on earth did Sheriff Patterson think when he came to the Old House at 4:00 in the morning and found Barnabas fully dressed? And Miss Hoffman there as well. Hmm...
Patterson says to Barnabas, "You have a man, Willie Loomis." Very odd. Patterson has already discussed Willie with Barnabas, so it doesn't seem necessary for him to re-establish the situation. And Barnabas gave Willie an alibi previously for some specific time in which Maggie had gone missing - but that's not bothering anybody now.
Then there's Julia, the doctor who won't stand for murder, telling Barnabas that Willie is sure to die, so everything will be all right. I suppose she was manfully concealing her horror at Willie's fate - but it didn't look as though she had to work very hard at it.
Does anybody else hate the phrase "the Evans cottage"? Why not house? And why Evans? In a small town like that, you don't call a house by the name of the people who live in it now. You call it by the name of the people who lived in it before the current residents. That place should be "the Mapes house" or "the old Fillmore place". I know they can't do that on this sort of a show - but "the Evans cottage" makes me gnash my teeth every time I hear it.