You're right, dom. John Karlen does the OVO.

Always a fashion leader in Collinsport, David is wearing a safari jacket!

Adam’s room in the West Wing is furnished with miscellaneous but spectacular Victorian-style furniture, including a dresser, a writing desk, and a bed with a large, ornate wooden headboard and footboard. In any other house, such furniture would be proudly displayed, but this is the Great House at Collinwood. He shows his innate gentlemanliness when he stands well aside from the door to show that he won't keep Carolyn from leaving, and he learns a new word: trust.

Carolyn and David are getting along very well these days. The time when she referred to him as the "little monster" is in the distant past. She agrees to help him with the tape recorder, which seems to be fine, so she leaves. David lets the tape play on--and listens in amazement to Eric Lang's last instructions to Julia. He is only the second living person (but not the last) to hear them.

Fun drawing-room scene with Nicholas and Cassangelique at the end of this episode. Nicholas starts out charmingly enough by enjoying the well-made fire in all its red and yellow glory. It really makes Collinwood seem almost like home, he observes. Ever the hypocrite, he accuses her of being love [sneeringly] with Barnabas. The episode ends with the famous Cassangelique skeleton hand.

Thanks, joey! I didn't remember that!

MT, you're not raining on my parade, don't worry. The whole scenario is so bat-crap nuts that anything is possible, apparently--even the idea that Willie would be happy as a gardener at Windcliff. At least he has the foresight to pack some of Barn's clothes so it will like as if he's gone away. Anyway, less than half a minute after Willie tells Maggie that he's leaving and that he'll miss Collinsport (he means her), he blabs.

Willie leaves the gravesite without the shovel. Will Julia remember to take it with her? It is gone by the time the closing credits begin. Did Julia come back for it?

Nice little catfight between Julia and Cassangelique: Julia tells Cassandra bluntly, Barnabas is dead. Although this is not quite the result Cassandra expected, she rallies quickly. Julia continues angrily, If not for you, there would be a man at the Old House who could finally savor the life you denied him all these years--who could finally perhaps find the love you were determined he would never see. Cassandra opines, I think you were in love with Barnabas-- Not nearly as much as you, Julia retorts swiftly. How dare you! Cassandra gasps. I’ll tell Roger that you’re mad! Go ahead! Julia replies defiantly. Tell Roger, tell anyone, tell all of Collinsport! Nothing will stop me from knowing what you are, and nothing will keep me from doing whatever I can about it!

Stokes (I still like his red vest) and Julia watch Adam, who out of nowhere starts breathing. Julia realizes that she's buried Barnabas alive!

Yes, Josette. The ceiling of Angelique's room is slanted, which means that it must have been under the very eaves of the roof. Before the 1795 story, we see Willie's room, which I think is also in the same spot.

Julia is alive only because Barnabas does not love her. By this time, he respects her medical skill, at least some of the time. He knows that she cares for him, but the feeling is not mutual, so she is in no danger.

I like your comments and especially your spoiler, MT. Thoughtful, as always.

The opening voice-over says that Vicki doesn’t want to tell Barnabas the dream because she is afraid it will reinstate a two-hundred-year-old curse. But Vicki doesn’t know about the curse!

We get a glimpse of the old Vicki as she bravely defies the dream curse, even though she is constantly tormented by it, in order to spare Barnabas.

I agree, MT--Nicholas's bogus letter sounds almost too good. We can see the dawning horror on Barnabas's face as he reads it to the end. For once he does the sensible thing and rushes to Collinwood, where Vicki assures him that she never wrote the letter. Julia arrives and fears the worst, but Vicki assures her she hasn't told Barn anything. Barn explains about the note, which implied that Vicki would kill herself before telling him the dream. Julia urges him to leave, but he won’t go till she promises to take “good care” of Vicki. After he leaves, she turns her eyes heavenward, miserable and overwhelmed with emotions she can never express.

Meanwhile, Carolyn visits Adam at the root cellar and finds out that he knows a lot of new words, including "police" and "hair" (with a catch in his voice as he gently touches her shining poll). But Adam reverts to third person in his distress at disappointing Stokes. Carolyn tells him that he has to learn to say "I" and promises to come back. Eventually he decides he trusts her and even politely opens the door.

Barn and Julia end up arguing about the dream curse. Barn is overflowing with admiration at Vicki's courage. Unlike whoever wrote the opening voiceover, Julia correctly points out that Vicki doesn't know what Barnabas will become if he has the dream. Barn eventually tells Julia about his offer to Cassangelique. As Julia listens, horrified, he continues, I asked her to release Vicki from the dream’s effects. In return for _what_? Julia demands, even though she already knows the answer. Sure enough, Barnabas replies, I was willing to admit defeat and restore our relationship of long ago. I can’t believe you were series! Julia bursts out. Barnabas replies, I told Cassandra I would wait for her answer, but no answer came. If Cassandra is not willing to respond to that, she will respond to nothing. There’s no way of stopping her. I can no longer bear to think of what Vicki is going through for me. I must put a stop to it. Julia tries one last time. Please, she begs him, think of what you’ll become! Barnabas answers firmly, I have thought about it--and I am prepared to accept it. He leaves for Collinwood, with Julia gazing after him in despair.

Dom, I do like your new attitude, and I'm glad you can take the show as it is.. I never watched DS as a teenager, so it was all new to me when I first saw it (well into adulthood) in the 1980s. Sure, plenty of things made me roll my eyes or even want to laugh. But most of the performances most of the time were very good, and there were plenty of moments that were actually quite powerful. There's nothing I love better than a good, character-driven story, well told, and DS delivered that enough of the time that I was (and still am) willing to overlook all the shortcomings.