Episode #237
At Collinwood, Vicki is on the phone with Sam trying to comfort him. Jason comes downstairs and just stands there listening. He has no sense that this may be a private call. Of course, after she hangs up, he starts in with his interminable questions. If Vicki would tell him to mind his own business it might help. But she always tells him everything. She told him what happened at the hospital, how Maggie went missing, and may have been kidnapped. He thinks she could have walked out and Vicki tries to convince him otherwise. Why bother? Who cares what he thinks?
There's a knock on the door and it's the Sheriff and Burke. There is no news, no sign of Maggie. The Sheriff meets Jason for the first time and it's clear that he is suspicious of him from the first, though you can see not much gets by this Sheriff! He's tough as nails!
In the drawing room, they discuss everything, the Sheriff wants to ask Vicki a few questions. He asks about the call she got at Maggie's and she has to say she is not sure who it was, the voice was muffled. He thinks if that person were trying to disguise his voice, it might be someone she knows. Does she think it may have been Willie? She isn't sure. He asks what happened prior and after the call and she tells him how Willie came to the door. The call came about 10 minutes later.
The Sheriff decides to go pay a call on Willie. A "heart to heart" as he put it rather sarcastically. In the foyer, the Sheriff and Jason chat a little. Jason asks him why he's accusing Willie, and the Sheriff says he's not accusing him, he wants to question him. Willie has a police record and he's been in jail, and Jason is afraid of how this reflects on him. Always more concerned for his own butt than anyone else! The Sheriff asks if he brought Willie to town, had they travelled together and Jason talks like he barely knows Willie. The Sheriff says he has checked Jason's record which appears to be clean, he always checks out newcomers to town. This was a bit confusing because later on [spoiler]when Burke checks Jason's record, he finds a lot, he was wanted in many countries for many crimes. Now the Sheriff found nothing, hmmm.[/spoiler] He tells Jason he'd better not withhold information, if he knows anything he'd better tell!
Burke and Vicki decide to go have a chat with Dr. Woodard. Surely that nurse was mistaken when she thought Maggie was dead!
At the Old House, the front door is wide open. What's with these doors? Never locked and now wide open?? The Sheriff walks in and calls out but gets no answer. Willie comes downstairs and jumps nearly a foot when the Sheriff calls out "Loomis!" (Can't anyone use first names?) As they talk, Willie goes around replacing the candles and tries to act nonchalant. He tells the Sheriff he was in Bangor last night, stayed overnight and got back that morning, Barnabas can verify this. The Sheriff asks about the phone call and Willie denies making it. He was not near the cemetary on the night in question. Supposedly he went to the Evans cottage to give Sam Barn's message and came straight home, and he says Mr. Evans can verify this. He meant Mr. Collins, so here is a rare blooper on JK's part.
Here I felt the Sheriff got out of line a bit. He told Willie he'd better watch himself, he has Willie's police record on his desk, a lot of strange things have happened since Willie came to town (what about since Barnabas came to town or is he above suspicion being a Collins?) He will be watching Willie like a hawk, he'd better not take one misstep or he will book him on suspicion. If Maggie turns up dead, Willie will be back in prison doing hard time. Now this was unfair, he had no evidence to support such a claim, and had only two things to go on, Willie's prison record (what was he in prison for? Probably theft, not kidnapping!) and the fact that Willie had been a jerk when he'd first come to town. Willie was quite humble and even called him sir, and I was a bit irritated with the Sheriff though I do like him, especially Dana Elcar's version.
Speaking of Dana Elcar, he was only 5 1/2 years older than John Karlen! Didn't it seem as though he were old enough to be Willie's father?
Vicki and Burke visit with Dr. Woodard and he says the nurse is a competant professional (who had trouble locating Maggie's heart) however he has only her word as far as Maggie having no heartbeat or pulse, so seeming to be dead. He thinks Maggie had lost so much blood that she must've went into shock and then catatonic seizure. She also had a history of sleepwalking (just since these incidents though) He admits he's never had a case like this. He has calls out to his colleagues to get feedback as to if any of them have ever seen such a thing. Vicki mentions that Willie had the same symptoms and the doctor thinks he may need to see Willie. Burke says he will see to it that Willie comes (implying that Willie will refuse and Burke will drag him. I really hate when people act like they own the town and everyone in it, and Burke is so good at this. He and the Sheriff have had their run ins before when Burke wanted to take over the Sheriff's job!) Dr. Woodard says the thing that troubles him most is the puncture wounds on Maggie's neck and what may have caused them.
Had these people ever seen or read Dracula they'd have quite a few answers!
Jason pays another uninvited and unpleasant visit to Willie at the Old House. Jason wants to know why the Sheriff may be trying to pin Maggie's disappearance on Willie, if he's suspicious of Willie, he'll be suspicious of Jason as well. He orders Willie to quit his job (it is to LAUGH!) and move on. Willie says he can't and tells Jason to leave, he wants nothing further to do with him. They are finished, leave now! When he raises his hammer, Jason laughs, knocks it out of Willie's hand and proceeds to smack him silly. My heart broke to see this. Why can't Willie defend himself even a little? why must EVERYONE be able to beat him up even Jason? Bad enough to be so under the vampire's fangs that he has to submit to him but everyone else!? I wish Willie had pounded the stew out of Jason. After beating him up Jason orders him to clear out, otherwise Jason will go "all the way" meaning I guess he'll kill him. I doubt that. Barnabas won't allow that. There is a long camera shot of the look of utter despair on Willie's face, he looked as if he were going to cry.
After Jason leaves the dogs howl very loudly and Jason looks rather nervous, and even starts trembling,. I was glad to see this at least, but better if the vampire had engaged him...
Willie should tell Barnabas that he's done his best to get rid of Jason and failed, he no longer gives two horsebleeps what happens to him, and Barnabas should just do whatever it takes to get rid of him.
Alondra
