Interesting idea about what Barn is feeling when Yaeger stabs him! It must be much different from the time when Joshua tried to shoot him so long ago.
Since we know that Barn is immortal and (more or less) invulnerable at night anyway, the writers do a very good job of making this a fair fight.
Yaeger is totally evil, but surprisingly, he is no coward: I’m aware of what little time I have left, he says, but I’m going to go out my own way. Yaeger runs into the room for his sword cane (which wasn’t there earlier); Barnabas follows. Yaeger brings the cane down between them and extends the blade. He prepares to run Barnabas through, but with his terrible smile Barnabas calmly assures him, Your weapon won’t do you any good, so you might as well put it away. (He doesn’t say, “Go ahead, make my night,” but he almost certainly thought it anyhow.) Yaeger sneers, Why don’t you just try and take it away from me! Barnabas simply stares at him without moving, and Yaeger stares back. After a moment, Yaeger plunges the blade into Barnabas’s stomach. Barnabas gasps and doubles over a bit as Yaeger stabs him repeatedly--then calmly straightens up, smiling and not even bothering to remove the blade, which is in up to the foot of the cane. Yaeger watches in stunned silence as Barnabas pulls the sword out; there’s no blood on it. (Was this a budgetary consideration? or an astute writer’s subtle detail?) What kind of creature are you? Yaeger finally asks in horror. You will never know, Yaeger! Barnabas replies grimly, then the two close for the struggle. If Barnabas were merely human, the taller, more powerful Yaeger would make quick work of him; but things turn out quite differently. Enraged, Barnabas grabs the cane and flings it aside; it hits the wall next to the cot. Yaeger makes a run for the door, but Barnabas catches him easily, pinning his arms behind his back. Yaeger breaks away, grabs a candlestick and prepares to smash it over Barnabas’s head. Barnabas grabs Yaeger’s wrist and slowly forces him to drop the candlestick. Then he wraps his hands around Yaeger’s neck. Yaeger fights with all his mad strength, but the vampire’s strength is far greater. Slowly he forces Yaeger to the floor and strangles him, thus ending their first--and last--meeting.
Barn and Maggie watch in astonishment as Yaeger's depraved face changes to Cyrus's benign one. With the struggle between the two sides of his nature finally over, Cyrus has a look of peace and innocence that Yaeger could never know; he seems strangely vulnerable without his glasses. (Cyrus may have found peace because his last act as Cyrus was the good deed of enabling Barnabas to rescue Maggie--and perhaps himself too, in the only way possible.)
Carolyn arrives at Collinwood and tells Hoffman that Quentin phoned to say he has chartered a plane (the rich are different from you and me) and should arrive within the hour. Barn and Maggie arrive a moment later; poor Maggie is barely able to stand. Maggie’s been through a terrible ordeal, he tells the other two as he helps her walk into the drawing room. (The opening voiceover tells us that her captivity lasted nearly a week.) He tells them that Yaeger had kidnapped Maggie, but he is dead. Hoffman is inclined to hang around and learn all she can, but Barnabas sharply orders her to get her mistress a blanket and phone a doctor.
Soon Quentin returns home, looking as handsome as ever. To his credit, he immediately rushes to Maggie’s side and takes her hand in both of his, but she’s still in a state of shock and for the moment incapable of conversation. What did that man do to her? Quentin asks, horrified and furious. Barnabas reassures him that Yaeger didn’t harm her. (We know what he means.) Why has no one called a doctor? Quentin demands. Hoffman! he orders. Call Cyrus Longworth! She won’t be able to reach him, Barnabas says. Dr. Forbes, then, Quentin suggests, and Hoffman goes off to phone him. (Presumably the parallel-time Lieutenant Nathan Forbes never betrayed his good friend Barnabas Collins in 1795 and lived to father reputable descendants, so he might even have married PT Millicent.)
Barn allows Quentin only a moment before telling him that both Cyrus and Yaeger are dead and that the only way he can explain is to take Quentin to where Cyrus's body is.
At 2:30 in the morning, Dr. Forbes is examining Maggie in the drawing room. (Wisely, he remains off camera and therefore survives.) In the foyer, Hoffman tells Carolyn, I don’t understand why Mr. Collins came back from Bangor alone. While she takes out a compact from her bag and checks her makeup, Carolyn replies, I assume Quentin wanted to leave as quickly as possible. I suppose Alexis will return tomorrow. Putting her compact away, Carolyn says, What I don’t understand is why Quentin and Barnabas left the house. She tells the surprised Hoffman that they left about half an hour ago. There’s more to this than meets the eye, Carolyn guesses. What do you mean? asks Hoffman cattily, always on the lookout for information to retail to Angelique. Carolyn opines, Barnabas knows far more about recent events than he’s telling anyone. Hoffman announces that if the doctor doesn’t need her, she will go upstairs. Carolyn thinks this is strange but takes herself and her handbag back to the drawing room.
Upstairs, Hoffman phones Angelique and tells her what's been happening. She urges Angelique to return ASAP.
At the farmhouse, Quentin kneels in grief and shock beside the body of his dearest friend, with Barnabas kneeling opposite. (Pennock does a great job here, lying perfectly still and not even seeming to breathe. Too bad there’s no Emmy for best portrayal of a corpse!) Incredible! Quentin exclaims. It is so incredible that no one could have imagined this. Barnabas agrees: We didn't. It was Yaeger that I fought to the ground and strangled. And then Maggie and I saw his transformation into Cyrus. As you can see, he is still wearing Yaeger's clothes. Quentin sits on the cot and covers his face with his hands, murmuring in horror, Cyrus Longworth, my good friend, kidnapped my wife and tried to kill her. Barnabas tries to comfort him: Quentin, it was John Yaeger who did all this. Cyrus must have been terrified by his own duality. After all, Cyrus told me where to find Maggie. He told me that I must hurry because he didn't know how much longer he could keep John Yaeger under control. Of course, I never knew what he meant at the time. Barnabas adds, This was the result of Cyrus’s experiments--he tried so desperately to separate the good and evil within himself, and the evil was the dominant personality. Now it’s all over. Quentin berates himself: I just don't understand how he could have fooled us so completely. I mean, somebody should have realized that Cyrus and Yaeger were never seen together. Then, when he changed his will, “In the case of my death or disappearance....” My God! Why didn't I do something then? Barnabas says, You can resolve these questions later, but now you have an important decision to make. Quentin turns to face him in surprise, and Barnabas explains: The fact is that Cyrus Longworth, a distinguished citizen and doctor, is dead--and I killed him. You had no choice, Quentin replies, because Yaeger would have killed Maggie. Putting his fate in Quentin’s hands, Barnabas says, We understand that, but what about the authorities when they are notified? They will see the body of Cyrus, but now are you willing to tell them the truth about Cyrus and Yaeger? Cyrus was your friend, and I am willing to abide by whatever decision you come to. Again Quentin kneels by Cyrus’s body, then says thoughtfully, I suppose I could try to keep his secret. But then I would be saying that Cyrus himself desired Maggie and kidnapped her. Then that would put you in danger [presumably because killing a distinguished citizen and doctor for no apparent reason would be far worse than killing a homicidal psychopath to defend his friend’s wife]. No, Barnabas, I think it is best to reveal the whole story, as fantastic as it is--even though it may harm his final memory. Now Quentin addresses the dead Cyrus, who looks much more peaceful than in life: I know that if you had to make this decision, you would make the same decision. Of that I am certain, Cyrus. I'm sorry--very sorry that it all went out of control. Quentin takes a last, sorrowful look at Cyrus’s body as they leave.
Hoffman goes back upstairs and opens the doors to Angelique’s room. To her astonishment, it has changed again. She sees our Quentin (in his Edwardian-style suit, in which he looks just as retro-dishy as in the navy blue jacket) and our Julia expressing their concern over Barnabas’s safety in parallel time. Julia says, I tried to dissuade him, but he had to go back because Maggie was in danger. Doesn’t Barnabas realize he’s in danger himself? Quentin asks. As Hoffman listens intently, preparing to retail everything she hears to Angelique, our Julia replies, It was a risk Barnabas felt he had to take. Well, he is pushing his luck, Quentin observes. As they pass out of Hoffman’s sight, Quentin conveniently observes, If those people know anything about vampires, and they suspect that he is one, he is as good as dead. If only there was something we could do to help! Julia laments as she too passes out of view.
So that is his great secret! Hoffman gloats. Quickly she walks back to the main wing of the house. At 4:00 a.m., Hoffman is in the drawing room, apparently having spent the night studying up on vampires and the best way of disposing of same. “While at rest in its coffin between dawn and dusk, the vampire is at its most vulnerable and can be destroyed by driving a wooden stake through his heart,” she reads with grim pleasure. Carolyn’s handbag is still on the cabinet, and as Hoffman takes out the compact, she hears Barnabas and Carolyn in the foyer, talking about Cyrus. Barnabas says, Since you were one of the few people who met Yaeger, the police will want to question you. I don’t see how I could help, Carolyn replies. Hoffman surreptitiously holds the compact at the proper angle; sure enough, she sees only Carolyn’s reflection. Barnabas tells Carolyn to stay at Collinwood overnight and the next day, in case Quentin should need her. Carolyn says Will is in Portsmouth and won’t be back till the following afternoon, thus leaving Barnabas unprotected for a large part of the day. (Evidently her earlier hatred has been erased by Barnabas’s rescue of Maggie.) Barnabas reassures her that he’ll be fine for those few short hours, then heads back to Loomis House. Hoffman thinks to herself, He had no reflection in the mirror. If I needed any confirmation, that was it. Hoffman replaces Carolyn’s compact and pretends to be cleaning when Carolyn retrieves her handbag and heads upstairs. Hoffman knows all she needs to know and is about to prove that she has just as much initiative as our Julia.
At 5:30 a.m., Barnabas tucks himself in for a well-earned rest. Having procured (from somewhere) a mallet and stake, Hoffman quietly enters the house. She opens the bookcase, enters the secret room, and uncovers our unsuspecting, undead hero. Carefully positioning the stake above Barnabas’s unbeating heart, she raises the mallet and prepares to strike....
