Willie sighs that no one cared about Jason. You did, Barnabas points out--but I'm sure he doesn't mean to be kind. Knowing he's been given an order, Willie promises to forget Jason--or at least never to mention him again, which almost certainly isn't the same thing.

As they talk, we see a sumptuous, pastel-colored satin period gown lying across Josette's bed. Unfortunately, we will never know what color it is, because we're still in glorious black and white.

To cheer himself up, Barnabas first thinks of giving a dinner party for the rest of the family, then decides it would be too formal. And heaven only knows how much it would tax poor Willie’s culinary abilities, especially since he probably has to prepare whatever meager meals he can manage for himself on the original wood-burning range! Fortunately the gown inspires the idea of a costume party instead.

It's very touching to see Elizabeth really smile when Roger reminds her she can go to the office in town to do the accounts whenever she likes. The reason you never left the house no longer exists, he reminds her--never guessing how right he is! And it's sweet, too, to see him in younger-brother mode, offering to take his big sister on a tour of the plant to see his improvements. They discuss the fact that Jason has left everything at Collinwood, from his expensive new clothes to his toothbrush. Roger wants to have Jason's room fumigated and gloats at the idea that his clothes will be donated to charity. After that,  I don’t think anyone ever mentions Jason again. And so ends the tale of Jason McGuire and the mystery of why Elizabeth never left Collinwood for eighteen years.

Barnabas and Vicki have a highly interesting conversation about the night and why Barnabas finds it lovelier than the harsh light of day. But in his efforts to sound Vicki out, he nearly gives himself away.

Barnabas proposes the costume party, but Roger has to cajole Elizabeth into going. Again he is very protective of her. Vicki seems surprised--disturbed--at the idea of wearing Josette's gown.

Once again, for the sake of someone he cares about, Willie is able to exert his will power enough to tell Jason that Barnabas is one of the living dead.

Interesting idea or writer goof?

Another episode packed with goodies!

Wonderful scene with Barnabas and Willie conversing over Jason's dead body. Even though Jason tried to kill him, Willie is horrified that he's dead and recalls that they were very good friends. Barnabas talks at great length (for him) about someone he loved dearly who died young.

After Barnabas helps Willie carry off a corpse for the first and last time, Sarah retrieves Jason's cap from the floor--and places it atop Barnabas's coffin. She must be utterly bewildered by the things she's seen Barnabas do. Although she can't understand why he's doing them, surely she knows they're evil. Now that she has seen the worst that Barnabas can do, how will she respond?

Drs. Hoffman and Woodard have a territorial dispute as to whose patient Maggie is. Dave shows Maggie her father's drawing. Sarah! Maggie says delightedly--even though she never learned Sarah's name. But things go rapidly downhill from there as Maggie remembers the rhyme that Sarah taught her to help her escape, and then "London Bridge." Julia is furious, but Dave thinks that finding Sarah could blow the whole case wide open!

Another great scene in the mausoleum as Willie buries Jason in the secret room. Now he has even more reason to hate this place.

In the outer room, Willie reads off the names on the plaques and Barnabas describes them briefly. Willie recalls seeing the portrait of Naomi--it was when he was looking through the books in the study at Collinwood, hoping to find jewels.

Barnabas acknowledges for the first time that Sarah is his sister. Willie asks if she was the friend he was talking about in the basement, but Barnabas answers only, Perhaps. But when Willie muses, It's strange to think about you caring about someone, Barnabas slams the door by replying, We've lingered here long enough.

After her "big brother" (as Sarah first described him when she met Maggie) and Willie leave, poor Sarah emerges from the shadows with her doll. Sitting on her own tomb and cradling the doll in her arms, she rocks back and forth slowly, consoling herself. How sad.

Thanks so much, Lydia! What a wonderful description--it makes me like JB even more!

I guess he isn't thinking rationally after being chained in a coffin for umpteen years.

That would probably be true of just about anybody. 

Dopey me--of course I meant Jason! Just chalk it up to enthusiasm! But I personally would also like to get Burke while I was at it.

I agree that Elizabeth probably didn't want to take the chance of finding out that Jason was right and that Paul really was buried beneath the locked room. Besides, she wasn't physically capable of digging up the floor, so she would have had to recruit Matthew. And I'm sure she would have been reluctant to trust anyone with such a huge and terrible secret--it took her 18 years before she could tell Vicki.

Lydia, I also like your idea about the idea of being a murderess never really quite sank into Elizabeth's head. I hope you can lay hands on JB's autobiography and let us in on what she said about this story line.

He's had weeks and weeks to think about the possibility that Elizabeth might tell the truth to the world, and this is the best he can do?

I don't think the possibility of failure ever occurred to Jason. He was so sure of the hold that he had on Elizabeth, and so sure that she would never resist him or confess, that he never thought for a moment that he would need a backup plan.

I love the contrast between Jason's blustering and Elizabeth's utter calmness, now that she's confessed. Too bad Carolyn doesn't understand.

The locked room looks different from when Jason took Elizabeth there in 1949. Did Elizabeth rearrange things during one of her visits?

Just before Burke and the sheriff start digging, Burke comments, Once I wanted to see Liz destroyed, but not like this.

I've seen all the episodes twice from start to end, but I still remember the chill that went down my spine when Burke's shovel hits something hard, and they uncover the trunk....