1008 - Quentin is shocked to see Hoffman standing behind him after he'd just seen her exact double speaking to Elizabeth in the parallel time rift. It happened once before, explains Quentin, with Amy and Daniel, and again, just now. What happened? she asks.  Look into Angelique's room, says Quentin, and tell me if you see what I just saw. Has something happened to Miss Alexis? asks Hoffman, immediately rushing into the room--which has transformed back into its normal state. Tell me what you see, he says. A room, she answers. Is it empty? he asks. Of course--Miss Alexis is downstairs, says Hoffman. That room, says Quentin, a moment ago, was empty of furniture--I saw you and Mrs Stoddard, both dressed differently, but definitely you. I called to you, but you couldn't hear me. Impossible, says Hoffman. Maybe, but it happened, says Quentin--look, you were discussing Barnabas. Screwing up her face in bewilderment, she says, I don't know any Barnabas.  He's one of our ancestors, Quentin reminds her. Oh, the one Will Loomis wrote about, she recalls. No, says Quentin hesitantly, I think it's another Barnabas--at least I think so, the one living now, but he disappeared in this room--no, it wasn't in this room, but another room, behind the same door!  He blathers, growing frustrated. Mr. Collins, says Hoffman placatingly. You said something about a curse on him, continues Quentin. Her forehead creases-- "Curse?" she asks.  Yes, says Quentin, then gives up--what's the use?--it couldn't have happened, I couldn't have seen what I thought I saw--excuse me, I shouldn't have mentioned it at all, I'd better go, it's getting late. Concerned, she asks, can I do anything, get you anything? No, he says, nothing whatsoever. He leaves the perplexed Hoffman to close the doors of Angelique's room behind him.

Collinwood - Daniel and Angelique return from shell hunting.  He's empties his haul onto the foyer table, thrilled he found something good--a giant starfish, plus other items--and I'm glad you suggested it, he tells his "aunt". Oh, I just wanted us to do something you used to do with your mother, she says. He takes out his beach finds one at a time, admiring what he calls the best conch shell he's seen in ages. She bets he can hear the whole ocean in that thing. Not the ocean, he says--it's probably silly, since I'm so grown up, but when I was little, my mother used to tell me that I would hear her whispering in the shells. Angelique smiles nostalgically. Not words, adds Daniel, just sounds, to let me know she was near, thinking of me, but that's when I was little. Listen again, she urges, don't be embarrassed, listen and see. He holds the huge shell up to his ear.  Do you hear your mother's voice? She asks--that is her voice, isn't it, talking to him, telling him she's thinking of you, that she's very near...very....near?  Quentin comes down, interrupting them, breaking the spell between mother and son. I need to talk to you, he tells "Alexis," in the drawing room. He notices that the portrait of Barnabas is now hanging on the wall in the same spot it does in RT--who hung it here? he demands. Trask did, answers Hoffman, I told him to--it was in your study and I had it hung here. WELL I WANT IT TAKEN DOWN IMMEDIATELY! yells Quentin. Hoffman agrees, acting like he's crazy--I'll go find Trask. Alexis, a moment, asks Quentin. She joins him in the drawing room after promising Daniel to come up and see his whole collection.

Drawing room - Quentin sips a drink and says, I'm sorry I sounded sharp, he says, but I haven't slept much. I'm sorry, she says. It really isn't that, admits Quentin--I'm not well, and I don't mean physically--there have been many strange, inexplicable things going on around here. You mean Dameon Edwards? she says. Party, admits Quentin, but there's something else--it will sound ridiculous, but I want to tell you I'm leaving Collinwood. Why? she asks, astounded. It's happened twice now, he begins.  Please tell me what it is, she asks. Twice, he says, I've opened your door and both times...

Hoffman finds Daniel in Angelique's room, leaving shells for his Aunt Alexis. Angry at first, she softens when he tells her the reason.  Have you seen Trask? she asks. No, he says. She notes that Daniel is leaving the shells just the way he used to leave them for HER (and looks up at the portrait). Aunt Alexis likes them just as much, says Daniel--you know, a couple of times on the beach today, she...forget it, everybody always gets angry at me when I say it. You thought she was...begins Hoffman. No, she's not my mother, says Daniel, upset, I've got to accept that--and I do, really, I do! He runs off. Alexis enters, calling to Daniel, then asks Hoffman, what was that all about?  He's confused, explains Hoffman--it's not just the resemblance to Angelique, it's that he seems to care about you the way he cared about his mother. I doubt that, says Ang, however, I will admit, my feelings for Daniel--that's of no interest right now--Mr. Collins told me he's leaving Collinwood--he told me what he saw in the room, and says you know about it, too--he seems to be very disturbed by it. Maybe it would be a good idea if he got away for a while, suggests Hoffman. Away from those who love him? asks Angelique imperiously--well, I mean we do all care a great deal about him and want to help him, she amends--how can we help him if he's not here?--you do understand, don't you? Smiling, Hoffman says yes, I think I do.

Collinwood - Daniel comes downstairs and is about to exit the house when he hears a heartbeat emanating from Barnabas' portrait. He goes over to look at it and says, "Yes, I hear you--I will follow, I will find. Follow...find."

Drawing room - You haven't even tried to understand, Hoffman tells Quentin. Perhaps I don't want to, he says. You saw this woman, Julia, talking about Barnabas Collins, she says, now Will Loomis is writing a new book about him--go talk to him--and the portrait has had some disturbing effects. You're right, says Quentin, I do know these things, it's just that I can't make sense of them--I have tried to contact Will, but he won't see or talk to anyone, and I can't physically force the man to see me. Why don't you go to the Loomis house and insist Will talk to you? asks Hoffman--tell him about the portrait, the room, the people in it. Quentin thinks it over--no, he says, I don't want to know anymore about it, I want to forget it all, that's final--I won't go to the Loomis house again. He storms away, leaving Hoffman shaking her head.

Daniel enters Loomis house, calling to Will and Carolyn. No response. Speaking to himself, he murmurs, nobody is here, why did I come? Spotting a bottle of booze and papers lying beside it, he begins to read: "For long enough, the world has lived in ignorance of this terrible truth." He realizes it's pages from Will's book. He sits down on a sofa and reads, "Perhaps, it was just as well--how many would have come in search of the locked door, not suspecting if it had opened to their touch, a fate awaited them so devastating that... He hears the heartbeat again. Now I remember, he says--"Follow..."

Angelique opens the doors to her room and finds it dark and empty, just as Quentin described. He didn't imagine it! she says. She sees Julia enter the room, calling to Barnabas, wandering around. Hoffman, can't you hear me? demands Angelique, but the lonely occupant of the room ignores her.He isn't losing his mind, realizes Angelique, it's true, he really saw it! Quentin! she screams, racing away.

I'm trying to follow, says Daniel, listening to the heartbeat, I'm trying to find. Locked door? Beyond locked door? In his mind, he sees the chained coffin. Follow, find, locked door, he tells himself, over and over.

Daniel tries to open the basement door, but finds it locked. Break the lock, he tells himself, find, break! He takes one of the fireplace andirons and is about to do just that when he hears Quentin behind him, shouting his name. The child passes out.  Quentin kneels to help him.

Collinwood - Angelique asks Hoffman, have you seen Quentin?  No, answers the housekeeper, not since he left the room. I must find him, says Ang, I saw it myself--the room, with Hoffman in it!--I opened the doors to my very own room (!) and it was completely changed--empty, the same room--oh, I wish I knew where Quentin was--he didn't imagine it, I saw it myself! Hoffman, disbelieving, asks, I was there? Yes, says Ang, and said one word--Barnabas. Barnabas, repeats Hoffman--the same thing that Mr. Collins heard me say. They hear a door slam and think it might be Quentin; Angelique rushes to the foyer. Daniel is with Quentin, telling him, the last thing I remember was looking at the portrait of Barnabas. Angelique, behaving far too motherly to be Daniel's aunt, asks him twice, shrilly, are you all right?--tell me what happened, she demands of Quentin. "I found him at the Loomis house," says Quentin. Hoffman watches closely as Angelique grabs Daniel into her arms and asks, "Darling, are you all right? What happened to you?"  Hoffman gets a strange look on her face, as if to say, Eureka!  Daniel is all right, Quentin assures Angelique, he's not hurt.Angelique, realizing she might have overreacted, says, I just wondered what happened to him, that's all. I don't know, says Daniel--the last thing I remember, I was looking at Barnabas' portrait. He gazes at the now-empty wall--where is it? he asks.  I had Trask take it down, reveals Hoffman. I can't remember anything else, says Daniel--why, what does it mean?  I expect to find out very shortly, Quentin assures him--Daniel, go upstairs; I'll be up later. Daniel starts to protest, but Quentin says, warningly, "Daniel..."  The boy says, I figure I should think about all this for a while. No, says Quentin, hands on his son's shoulders, I want you to forget about it--we'll talk later. I want a few words with your father, says Angelique--I'll come right up. Sure, says Daniel, and goes upstairs, Hoffman following.  Quentin, what could Daniel possibly have been doing there? asks Angelique--doesn't he remember anything? I don't know, says Quentin--it has something to do with Barnabas--but what?  Could it be the Barnabas Hoffman was talking about in that room? she asks--that strange, empty room? He looks at her. Yes, she says, I saw it, too, and Hoffman said one word--Barnabas--it wasn't just your imagination. No it wasn't, says Quentin, smiling, happy and relieved--but that still doesn't explain everything. Did you go talk to Will? she asks. I didn't see him, admits Quentin, but I have a feeling he doesn't know anything--there's only one person who knows all about it, one obvious person--Barnabas Collins. But isn't he... she starts to ask. Dead? asks Quentin--yes, for over a century, but I intend on talking to him tonight--a seance in the drawing room. Are you sure you want to do that? she asks. It's the only thing I can do, says Quentin--if I want to go on living here at Collinwood, I have to understand what's going on--you, Hoffman and myself are the only ones who know about your room; I'll see to it that Roger, Liz and Trask are out of the house, and once Daniel and Amy are asleep. A seance, she repeats, "You, Hoffman and I."  And we shall finally meet up with Barnabas Collins--tonight, says Quentin exultantly.

11:30 - The threesome sit at a table in the drawing room, candle in the middle, hands touching.  I call upon my ancestor, Barnabas Collins, says Quentin--if your spirit can hear me, please answer!--come to us, Barnabas Collins!  Speak to us, Barnabas Collins! There's the sound of outer space noises.  Hoffman, afraid, breaks the circle--"I can't!" she cries.  Don't break the circle, warns Quentin, but she runs off, leaving only Quentin and Angelique at the table. Come to us, Barnabas, Quentin calls.  Something was here, but it's gone, says Ang, the circle's broken! No, don't go, whoever you are, begs Quentin, don't leave us!A figure appears in the room, its silhouette looks like an Inverness coat with a collar turned up high. Quentin, look, says Angelique--there!  He turns to gaze at the caped figure--is it Barnabas?

NOTES: I remember wondering if that caped figure was finally Jonathan Frid returned from making the movie, but it didn't look anything like him, or anyone else I was familiar with from the cast. Still I hoped!

Barnabas is trying so hard to escape, and he keeps sending psychic messages to anyone he thinks might be able to help him--to no avail.

Didn't it look like Hoffman realized that the woman in the foyer going nuts over Daniel was Angelique, not Alexis? She certainly looked like something struck her.

Poor Quentin thinks he's seeing things, but at least his visions have been corroborated by Angelique. Good stuff. We're looking at life from both sides now, and Julia from RT calls to Barnabas much like the little boy called to Shane in the famous movie. It's sad.


1009 - The spirit who appears at Angelique and Quentin's seance is none other than Joshua Collins, who identifies himself as the master of Collinwood, father of Barnabas (from PT or RT?)--you know all there is to know about Barnabas, says the apparition in a very creepy voice. Then why did you appear? asks Quentin. You must be warned, intones Joshua. Of what? asks Quentin. An evil has come into this house, reveals Joshua, and it has disturbed the graves of all those who once lived here. I don't understand, says Quentin--what evil? You have not seen it yet, says Joshua, for it has not yet appeared, but it exists, and it WILL appear! How? asks Quentin, you must tell us. I cannot tell you, says Joshua, I do not know what form it will take. You've got to tell us more, insists Quentin. You are of the living, says Joshua, I am of the dead--but this evil of which I speak is both! This puzzles Quentin.  Living and dead? asks Angelique--how can that be possible? (Look in a mirror, honey.)Tell us more, begs Quentin. I can tell you no more, insists Joshua, I can only warn you--you are the master of Collinwood now, I implore you to remember the dead--allow them to rest in peace--find this evil and destroy it, restore pride and honor to this house before it is too late! Quentin rises as the spirit begins to fade, calling, "No, wait!" Joshua's parting words are, "I have warned you--now heed that warning!" The ghost is gone. There's got to be a connection between this ghost and what we have witnessed in your room, insists Quentin.  The original Barnabas has been dead nearly 200 years, says Angelique.  I don't know why, says Quentin, but I have a feeling that Will knows something, may even hold the key to all of this. Why, because of that book he wrote? she asks. Will wrote one book on Barnabas, Quentin reminds her--what reason to write another?  I don't know, she admits, but I find it strange that the name of Barnabas keeps reappearing. That portrait, says Qquentin--the effect it had on the kids... They agree they should keep the children away from Loomis house. Quentin wonders about what the spirit said--an evil in this house has disturbed all the graves of those who live in this house--I wish I knew what it meant. Talk to Will right away, advises Angelique. The problem is finding him, says Quentin. Roger enters the room and sarcastically wonders--if one dares ask--why all the lights are out? We've been holding a seance, says Quentin, moving to turn on the light. Just the two of you? asks Roger.  Hoffman was here, says Quentin (the light goes on before he has a chance to hit the switch). Angelique blows out the candle. Hoffman got scared and left, says Quentin. We contacted someone from beyond the grave, says Ang. The spirit of Joshua Collins, adds Quentin, once the master of this place. Yes, I know, says Roger sourly, Will wrote endlessly about him in his book. You've spoken to Will? asks Quentin. I haven't even seen him, says Roger, I understand he's attempting to write another book--I'll believe it when I see it. I'm very interested in that book, says Quentin--it's about Barnabas. Good Lord, says Roger, is he going to make a career out of that man's life?--I can't imagine why you're interested in Barnabas Collins; according to Will's first book, his life was singularly dull, in fact, I find the book an improvement over sleeping pills. (LOL, nice diss, Rog!) I think there's more to Barnabas Collins than any of us have ever known, opines Quentin, and I'll find out all I can about that man.

Cyrus' lab - He gazes at himself in the mirror. There's a knock at the cellar door--Gladstone with more of the compound.  I thought I told you to use the front door, says Cyrus, annoyed.  I don't know why, says Gladstone, this one is much more accessible to your lab. What's going on? asks Gladstone, usually when I arrive, everything is all cluttered. I haven't been doing as much work lately, says Cyrus. Oh, you ran out of the compound, didn't you? asks Gladstone, eyes gleaming greedily--well, I brought you a fresh supply, just as you asked--you'll be able to get back to work soon.--I trust you have the payment ready, ten thousand dollars, in cash! No, I don't, says Cyrus, I don't want your compound and won't let you blackmail me--get out of my lab, and don't come back!

I hope this isn't your idea of a joke, Gladstone tells Cyrus. No, it isn't, says the doctor, I've been thinking it over very carefully, and I'm not going to give you a penny! Come to your senses, before it's too late, urges Gladstone--before certain people find out who John Yaeger really is! Cyrus smiles, then says, you don't really have as strong a case as you think--in the first place, Yaeger's gone away for a while and isn't planning to come back, and there's no possible way you can prove that I am Yaeger, or Yaeger is me. Gladstone says ah, but I can, doctor--John Yaeger has not completely gone away--a very small but important part remains--with me! I don't know what you're talking about, says Cyrus. I'm talking about the signatures, says Gladstone gleefully, I told you that I compared the handwriting--he shows him two booklets that apparently contain signatures from both Yaeger and Cyrus--go on, take a look at them, he encourages. Cyrus takes both into his hand and looks. Any competent handwriting expert will be able to tell they were written by the same man! gloats Gladstone.  Cyrus disagrees. "Don't be a fool!" cries Gladstone--"your career is at stake!"  Cyrus turns on him--I won't let you blackmail me! he says, furious.Why do you insist on calling it blackmail? demands Gladstone--I provide an invaluable service for you, you enjoy being Yaeger, he's everything that you could never be--you can't live without him. I can--and I will! says Cyrus. Very well, doctor, says Gladstone, I think I'll extend my patience another 24 hours, give you a chance to reconsider--if I don't hear from you by nine tomorrow evening, your secret will no longer be a secret, and your career will be over!  He takes the compound, and with a smile, bids Cyrus good night.

Collinwood - Quentin signs a legal document and hands it to Larry Chase. How many more? he asks the lawyer. One more, says Chase--the agreement with Barnes construction. What about the Conway contract? asks Quentin--hasn't Chris sent it back?  He did, says Chase, but I forgot about it, it's somewhere in my briefcase--he begins to look, explaining, Chris threw everything at me when he left town so quickly, I just misplaced it somewhere. A paper falls from Chase's briefcase while Quentin waits; he glances at it, then asks Larry, what that all about? Oh, that's Cyrus' new will, says Chase, folding it back up--he asked me to draw it up for him. It's very odd, says Quentin, Cyrus is a very methodical man, his life very fixed, I find it strange that he'd go about changing his will. I can't answer that, says Larry. I know, says Quentin, it's just that Cyrus' behavior seems very strange, ever since he hired John Yaeger to help him with his experiments. Yes, I know, says Larry, I tried to persuade Cyrus to have nothing more to do with him, but he just won't listen to me. Quentin hands back one of the documents and says, you and I agree on our opinion of Yaeger. He's the lowest possible form of humanity, says Larry, I tried to convince Cyrus to get rid of him, but he's apparently of some use to him, I don't know why. One more thing, says Quentin, do you think Cyrus' changing his will has anything to do with John Yaeger?  Larry looks up from his briefcase. The phone rings. Quentin knocks papers off the desk as he goes to answer it. The caller asks for Larry, who takes the phone. Gladstone, calling from a phone booth, introduces himself to Larry, explaining, I have a document that I'm sure you will be very interested in reading. I'm conducting business right now, says Larry--why don't you call me when I get back to my office? Can you meet me in Collinsport? asks Gladstone. I don't even know who you are, Larry reminds him. The matter I wish to bring to your attention concerns a man you know as John Yaeger, says Gladstone. Yes, says Larry, now very interested, what time? Ten PM, says Gladstone, in front of the Eagle--can I expect you? Yes, promises Larry, I'll be there. Thank you, says Gladstone, grinning in close-up, I'll be looking forward to it.

Angelique sits before the fire on the drawing room. Roger enters. How long have you been standing and staring at me? she asks--I could actually feel you staring, do you believe that? Then you must have the same sixth sense Angelique had, he says, it was uncanny. She smiles-- why were you looking at me? she asks. That's the cross you must bear for looking so much like her, says Roger, smiling gently. At least people no longer think I AM Angelique, she says, I found that terribly disturbing. I never doubted you for a moment, he says. Oh? She asks.  I don't mean any offense, he assures her, but Angelique was one of a kind. I take it you were quite fond of her, says Ang, sitting on the sofa. That's an understatement, he says--I worshipped her; I remember the day she crossed that threshold for the first time, as Quentin's bride--I was standing here by the fireplace and I turned and looked into those exquisite eyes and my heart stopped--here, I thought, was an irreplaceable woman--oh, yes, she belonged to Quentin, but I knew and she knew that no other man would understand or appreciate her as I did from that moment on.Angelique listens raptly, grinning at him. I sometimes think I loved her more than it was possible to love, he says--well, I seem to be rambling on quite a bit, don't I? I'm sorry.  Actually, she says, I'm relieved to know how you felt about Angelique. Relieved? he asks. Yes, she says, one of the reasons I've stayed here is Angelique--I'm determined to find out who her murderer was. Do you really think she was murdered? questions Roger. Why--don't you? she asks. Well, I was in the seance with her, says Roger--I believe she had a stroke. I am convinced she was murdered, says Angelique sternly, and I desperately need someone to help me find that murderer--someone who loved and understood her--and I believe that someone is you! Roger looks pleased.

Larry reluctantly hands over Cyrus' last will and testament to him--drawn up just as you asked--in the event of his death or disappearance, everything will go to John Yaeger, although I don't know why. Cyrus examines the document, pleased--thank you very much, he says. For your own sake, won't you reconsider what you're doing? asks Larry. I may not have any choice, says Cyrus, half to himself. What did you say? Larry asks.  I'll think about that, agrees Cyrus. Fine, says Larry, smiling, thank God you're talking sense again, thank heavens--have you and Yaeger parted company--I hope?  No, says Cyrus, not exactly--he's gone away for a while. He invites Larry for dinner--I wish to discuss something.  His lawyer declines--I'm meeting someone at 10 tonight in front of the Eagle, says Larry. You're meeting a client in front of the Eagle? asks Cyrus. Yes, says Larry, although I don't know exactly what he looks like--said his name was Gladstone and he had something urgent to discuss with me, so...  Cyrus' face darkens at this name; he says it softly.  I'll  call you tomorrow, promises Larry--perhaps we can have lunch. Yes, agrees Cyrus, that's just fine, goodnight. Larry returns the good night and leaves. Cyrus, thinking hard, lifts a large beaker of his potion and a glass.

Outside the Eagle, Gladstone waits. John Yaeger approaches him--you were right, he says, "I do like being John Yaeger." I thought you ran out of the compound! cries Gladstone, nervous. I had just enough, says Yaeger, "And I've got your payment for you, Mr. Gladstone." No, protests Gladstone, we'll settle that another time--I'm on my way to meet someone. He starts to go, but Yaeger stops him--I know all about that, he says, advancing on Gladstone.  "You ran out of patience, didn't you?" asks Yaeger, furious--"well I've run out of patience, too!" He backs Gladstone against a wall. "What are you going to do?" asks Horace, trapped and terrified.

Larry Chase, waiting in front of the Eagle, hears a man frantically yelling, "No, don't come near me! Stay away from me!" He rushes to the man's assistance.
"Maybe Cyrus Longworth can tolerate the likes of you, Gladstone, says Yaeger, but not John Yaeger,." He raises his cane over Gladstone's head. "Help, help!" shouts the chemist, but he is quickly silenced as Yaeger brings the cane down on his vulnerable skull. Once Gladstone is down, Yaeger sends the blade catapulting from the tip of his cane. Keep away from me! orders Gladstone--what do you want? "How about peace of mind?" asks Yaeger--"Bye, Gladstone--good riddance!"  He stabs him viciously. Gladstone gurgles a few moments, then falls silent. Larry Chase comes on the scene--what's happening? he calls. Although Yaeger is hiding, Larry spots his shadow--come out so I can see your face! Demands Chase.

NOTES: Now Yaeger has committed murder to protect himself--how will Cyrus feel about this development? This surely isn't the "good in man" he hoped to unleash! Yaeger apparently has no scruples whatsoever.

Interesting that Joshua showed up--and not Joshua from parallel time, but regular time, because he knows about HIS son, Barnabas, the man who never went to England, married Josette, had a family, but who ended up in a coffin. How did Joshua get to PT, anyway--or can ghosts move about at will between parallel time bands?  Quentin has vowed to learn more about Barnabas, but he has no idea this Barnabas is an intruder from another time band and doesn't even belong there at all. I always felt sorry for Joshua, having to imprison his only son in a coffin that way, losing his wife and little girl, but even in death, the old guy is still concerned about the family's good--living and dead!

Did Angelique ever have an affair with Roger? His adoration for her seems so good, it almost has to be pristine, don't you think? I can't imagine them ever making love, but his feelings for her are clearly very potent.

I'll miss Gladstone, the oily, creepy, disgusting little mole who supplies Cyrus with his drugs. He's one of the best-drawn secondary characters in DS history, and the fact that I can't stand the little SOB speaks volumes for the acting ability of John Harkins.

Good episode, I enjoyed it.

Love, Robin

1004 - Hannah rises, her expression filled with fear.  Are you frightened of me? asks Angelique.. Who wouldn't be? asks Hannah. I don't mind your being frightened, says Ang, because my aunt is going to serve me. Angelique! protests Hannah.  Don't call me that, warns Angelique, even when we're alone--my name is Alexis.  Hannah looks away. Burn or bury the body, orders Angelique--if you don't, you, too, will feel the terrible cold of the grave--your choice. Suppose someone saw me bringing him here? asks Hannah, terrified. Then you'll tell them he has left, says Angelique coldly--he was a loner, a drifter, anyone who knew him will simply think he's gone on his way. Will they? Hannah asks.  If you answer their questions correctly, yes, says Ang impatiently--"I never knew you were such a coward!"  She turns to go. Don't leave me with him, begs Hannah. But I have to go! insists Angelique.Don't you ever come to me again, commands Hannah; I will do this thing because I must!--but you will need warmth again--I want no part of it. My dear Aunt Hannah, taunts Angelique, picking up a crystal ball, you were always so fascinated with communicating with the dead, through the Tarot, seances, crystal balls--and yet now you have me, and suddenly all your curiosity has turned to terror--have you learned that the dead are not to be trifled with?--I hope so. There is a spirit at Collinwood, says Hannah, that will not let you do what you planned. Dameon Edwards? asks Angelique. He knows you had something to do with his murder, warns Hannah, and will know you've come back--and what will you do if he makes it clear to Quentin who you really are--what will you do then? Nothing, says Angelique, will keep me from having Quentin forever--nothing!--you will see, Aunt, you will see. And she leaves Hannah to the grisly task of disposing of poor, dead Fred.

Cottage - Trask reveals to Bruno, Angelique's body WAS in the tomb--you were wrong, the woman in the house is Alexis. Why didn't her body deteriorate? asks Bruno. It doesn't matter now, says Trask, the body has been burned. Did Quentin take you into his confidence? asks Bruno.  No, says Trask, I overheard Quentin and Dr. Longworth talking, I saw them go out to do it--Bruno, we're in trouble-- Dameon's ghost is in the house, not because of Angelique, but because of US!  The ghost has been quiet for several days now, Bruno reminds him.Yes, but it's there, Bruno, I can feel his presence everywhere! Protests Trask. Then get out! shouts Bruno. Where can I go? asks Trask--Hannah said he'd follow me wherever I go. Hannah's a fool, will you quit simpering about the ghost? demands Bruno, until you've got a reason?--hm, he muses, she really is Alexis--I never thought I could be fooled so easily.

Collinwood - Angelique returns, slips off her coat and finds a telegram on the foyer table addressed to Quentin. At first, she slips it into the phone dial, then opens it instead. It's a telegram from Jennifer Evans--your wife does miss you very much; if you call Maggie this evening, I'm sure you could talk her into coming back to you and Collinwood--the time is right. Angelique thinks about that. At the top of the stairs, Quentin, watching her, calls, "Alexis!"

Angelique hides the telegram behind her back as Quentin joins her. I was just thinking about you, she says. Pleasant thoughts? he asks. Of course, she says. Good, I need them, he says. Why? she asks anxiously--has something happened, has Dameon...?  No the house is quiet, he assures her, I'm almost afraid to say that anymore--have a brandy with me, I won't let you say no. I had something to do, she says, still hiding the telegram behind her back. Do it later, he says, the perfect guest always agrees with the host. And I am a guest in this house?--I must remember that, she says, and agrees to the brandy. When he walks into the drawing room, she crumples the telegram; while he prepares the drinks, tosses it into the fireplace. I feel at home here now, she says. He's glad, he says. Are you?--that surprises me, she says--Angelique loved this house so much, too. He hands her the drink. Quentin walks away.  Is it still forbidden to mention her? she asks. He drinks. Would you prefer we discuss Maggie? asks Angelique. He doesn't respond. Sorry, she says, but I am curious about her, you know--how could she ever have left this house? Perhaps it was wise that she did, says Quentin, standing at the window. You don't mean that, says Angelique, you do love her, don't you? Why all this talk about Maggie? he asks. I'm just trying to understand it, she says--perhaps I'm really trying to understand you--were you happy together?  You saw us together, he reminds her. Yes, but before you came to Collinwood, she says, weren't you happy then? Maggie's a child, he says, a very innocent child. (Well!) Not at all like Angelique, says the latter. Quentin looks unhappy. Even when we were children, she says, Angelique was always so adult and sophisticated--when I heard that you'd married again, I was quite surprised. Quentin drains his drink and looks at her--were you now? Yes, she says, I knew you could never find anyone like her. No, no, says Quentin, and walks off. She picks up a piece of statuary and asks, what will you do now?  He takes another drink. Will you try to get Maggie to come back to you? she asks. No, says Quentin sharply--I will not call or write her again, until she makes a decision--then she can call or write me. You've placed the statue on the mantle, he notes--how dod you know to put it there?--Angelique bought it just for that place. Realizing she made a faux pas, Angelique answers, it just seemed right, that's all. Quentin looks puzzled.  Do you again think I'm Angelique just because I did that? she asks. She would never let it be put anywhere else, says Quentin.  Smiling, she says, you know who I am. Yes, he says, you're Alexis, and I know that--a week ago your moving that, I'd have had doubts, but no longer. None? she asks. None, he says. A voice in the room says, "Quentin, you know who I am." (We see Mike R. Phone.) Who is that? asks Angelique. Dameon, whispers Quentin. The lights go out; she runs into his arms. "You know who I am, Quentin," repeats Dameon, "do you know? Do you know?" And the ghost laughs.

Appear to me, commands Quentin, turning on a lamp--what do you want from me?  The laughter continues, louder and louder.  Quentin asks again, Dameon, what do you want from us. "SHE knows!" says Dameon. No, I don't, says Angelique, I swear I don't--why are you here, why do you say that?--he has me confused with Angelique, that's it, I know he does.  The way you're saying it, points out Quentin, you're implying he has a reason for hating Angelique. I know nothing about the two of them, she says.  Of course you don't, agrees Quentin--Dameon is gone, he's disappeared-- now what will we do?--there must be a power to get rid of him. Yes, agrees Angelique, there has to be. We've got to find someone, says Quentin--when I think how I ridiculed Angelique for believing in the occult. She would know what to do now, she says, but that doesn't help us, does it? If you want to go, he says, I'll understand it. And leave you here?--oh, no, Quentin, she assures him, touching his chest--I'm in this now, I must. The front door slams, it's Trask--what's wrong? he asks. Dameon is back, says Quentin.  Trask is terrified. Now perhaps you'll tell us what we want to know, says Quentin--why Dameon Edwards cannot rest. Trask gulps--I know nothing, as I told you before--nothing--it's as great a mystery to me as it is to you, insists Trask. Alexis, I'll take you to your room, offers Quentin--Trask, try to remember more--I'll be here if you want to share. Quentin follows Angelique upstairs  Trask looks around nervously, then checks the drawing room, softly calling Dameon--I can feel you here in this room--give me a sign you hear me. Nothing. Dameon, why won't you give me a sign, I didn't kill you Dameon, I swear I didn't--why are you here in this house? It's Bruno you should be after, not me, Bruno--do you hear me, Dameon, are you here? No response.

Someone is prowling Angelique's room, but we only see his feet. Outside the door, Quentin asks Angelique, are you sure you'll be safe in the room?  This room has always been a sanctuary to me, she says. (huh?--giveaway)  When's all this going to end? demands Quentin. Soon, she assures him. You sound so positive, he says, I wish I could be--good night Alexis. Good night, she replies. Angelique enters the room and turns on a light.  Bruno comes up behind her, slides a hand over her mouth--don't be frightened, he whispers. Holding his hand in a most un-Alexis-like way, she asks, what are you doing here? I like how you look, he says--I'm sorry--I always seem to be saying that, proof of how much I miss her. He gazes up at the portrait--she put passion into my music, he adds, but the critics don't realize it's gone--yet. Perhaps they never will, she suggests. Do you believe as she did, he asks, that critics are wretched creatures, deaf but not mute?  Is it so surprising that Angelique and I should share an opinion? she asks, grinning at him, eyes limpid. You share many things, that's why I'm here, he says--I came to apologize--I truly believed when you came into this house that Angelique had returned--I was wrong. I'm glad you finally see that, she grins. Then we can be friends? he asks. Friends? she asks, are you really ever anyone's friend, Bruno? He looks hurt.  I'm sorry, she says--that was unkind--you did take a risk in coming here, and I'm grateful for that.I'll leave the way I came, says Bruno, the same way I always left after seeing HER--he kisses her hand--she found me charming, you know. "Perhaps, in time, I will, too," she says, smiling. (Oh, she doesn't look anything like Alexis now!)

Down in the drawing room, Trask begs Quentin, don't keep after me, please--if I knew the answer to Dameon Edwards, I'd give it to you. Maybe there is no answer, says Quentin tiredly. I've got to find it, says Trask, and leaves the room. Quentin sits down on the sofa and loosens his tie.

Angelique admires her portrait, fiddles with her hair. She picks up the phone.

We see a creepy chicken's face, a stuffed bird perched on a stand in Hannah's cottage. Hannah answers the phone and assures Angelique, I took care of "it" without problems, but we must be very careful. Angelique interrupts her and says, I don't want to hear about it--you must come to me, I need your help--I was right about Dameon Edwards. Hannah, clearly frazzled, says, I can't do anything about Dameon, his spirit is too powerful. You can do nothing, but I can, Angelique assures her. Then do it, says Hannah. And expose myself? asks Angelique--oh, no--even Bruno accepts me now--I don't plan to take any chances--they will think you exorcised the ghost--I will do it through you. Her aunt shakes her head, near tears--don't make me do anything more tonight, begs Hannah. You must come tonight, demands Angelique, quickly, before Quentin finds out.

Quentin has fallen asleep on the sofa, long legs sprawled in front of him.  He hears Dameon calling his name--you must come to me, says the ghost, you must know!  Where? Quentin asks-- what do you want me to know, where do you want me to go? I am at the door, says Dameon, the last door you will enter. Where? asks Quentin--WHERE?  Do you feel my spirits? asks Dameon--follow it!  Quentin does.  Yes, Dameon says, follow me!  Led by Dameon's voice, Quentin goes upstairs. I am here, Quentin, here, waiting, says Dameon's, my spirit a light--you must see. See what? asks Quentin--why can't I see you?  Would that make you believe? asks Dameon. Yes, says Quentin. Come to the door, bids Dameon.  Quentin finally sees Dameon. "What do you want me to know?" he asks the ghost. I want...I want...says the ghost, for you to know how it will end.  Quentin follows him to a room, where a hanging body swings noisily. Yes, Quentin, says Dameon, it is YOU! Quentin stares at the swinging body and walks into the room. He finds a note that says, "I had to do this to be with the one I love."He gazes up at the swinging body.  Dameon laughs uproariously, looking somehow like a clown in his blue leisure suit with clashing yellow shirt.

NOTES: Sorry, Dameon bores me. This was a side trip I didn't want or need. Who killed him, who loved him, I just can't bring myself to care. I think Jerry Lacey is being wasted as this version of Trask, too, not fun like his bad ancestors.

Now Hannah knows her niece has, indeed, returned from the dead, and the fact of it terrifies her. I guess she was more interested in occult happenings that were purely theoretical, because she not only seems to fear Angelique, she also wants nothing to do with helping her, whether it's burying a body or helping to exorcise a pesky ghost. This Angelique reminds me of the vampire Angelique in RT after Joe Haskell tried to kill himself and she forced poor Barnabas, under her thrall, to take him to the woods and kill him--the same cold-blooded unconcern for human life. Brrrrr.

Now that someone has assured Bruno there were two women who looked exactly alike, he's willing to accept the blond as Alexis--but she REALLY is Angelique now, and he has no inkling. He almost throttled Alexis to death to prove she was Angelique, but now he hasn't a clue.  That strikes me as amusing.

What's with the hanging Quentin? Why would he do such a thing, and to be with the one he loves? Who, Angelique? Surely Dameon knows what Angelique has done and that she is alive now. Does he come to him in this dream because he thinks Quentin wants to be with Alexis? Maybe I'm being dense, but I don't get it.

I can't remember what happens to Dameon even though I've seen this storyline before, but I can't help but hope that Angelique DOES do away with his ghost--for good.

Drat those ending credits--they are calling Angelique Alexis and they spelled Dameon's name differently. I'll keep it the same I have since the beginning, when I first saw it spelled in the credits. Oh, continuity department, where ARE you, and why hast thou forsaken me?


1005 - Quentin, sleeping on the sofa in the drawing room, awakens from his nightmare, screaming, "No, Dameon, no!"  Realizing it was only a bad dream, he decides to have a drink to forget about it. The note, he remembers, it said something about doing this to be with the one I love. Dameon, he calls, was it only a dream?  Quentin's eyes dart back and forth, trying to find him. Up in the attic? he wonders, and heads upstairs. Dameon stands in the doorway between foyer and drawing room, watching Quentin.

Quentin goes to the attic and looks around. Dameon! he calls--what are you trying to tell me? Are you here? Dameon, what does it mean? He spots the rafter from which he was hanging in his dream.

Drawing room - Hannah tells Angelique, I tried the Tarot cards, they told me nothing, and their silence frightens me more than anything else. You won't need the tarot cards, her niece assures her--I will tell you what to do. Hannah notes that Angelique looks frightened, too. I'm not, nor am I disturbed, retorts Angelique--I'm annoyed with charming Dameon, who irritated me in both life and death--I can sense him in the house, sense his presence--don't you? Yes, he's near, very near, agrees her aunt, but there's nothing I can do about it. Yes there is, insists Angelique.  It's dangerous, warns Hannah.  You must only call me Alexis, Angelique says sharply.  I'm sorry, says Hannah, but this is too dangerous for me. Nonsense, scoffs Angelique--listen carefully. Before she can speak, Quentin joins them--when did you get here, Hannah? he asks--I was just going to phone you; I must talk to you alone--Alexis, please leave us alone. Angelique docilely agrees to leave--Hannah, I'll talk to you later. There isn't any danger, is there? Angelique asks Quentin, sounding quite like Alexis. None that I know of, he says, and leads Hannah away, who looks backward at Angelique before she goes. Yes, Dameon, says Angelique, when she is alone, you are near, I feel it, and I suspect that we shall meet very soon.

Cyrus sits at the desk in his lab. He's just taken another shipment of the compound from Gladstone--bring another tomorrow, requests Cyrus. Another? asks Gladstone--so soon? Can you do it? asks Cyrus. Of course, says Gladstone--your experiment must be moving along very nicely, especially considering the quantity of the compound you're using. Cyrus doesn't answer at first, then says only, the experiment is continuing. Successfully? asks Gladstone eagerly. The delivery can be accepted tomorrow by Sabrina, says Cyrus, I won't be here. You still won't discuss this project, will you? asks Gladstone, sounding just a bit nuts. Apparently, that's the case, isn't it? says Cyrus.  One thing, says Gladstone--the concern the purity of the compound--are you still experiencing amnesia? Cyrus, writing in a notebook, assures him, the compound is working quite successfully. Were you always so adverse to giving direct answers? questions Gladstone. I have always been adverse to unnecessary interruptions, retorts Cyrus--excuse me! If you wish, says Gladstone--I see the delightful painting is gone from the wall--I rather liked it--I hope it wasn't stolen.Do you always imagine a crime in the most simple acts? asks Cyrus --I moved the painting to another room.  Gladstone laughs. Can I rely on you tomorrow? asks Cyrus. You can always rely on me, Gladstone assures him. Cyrus leads him out the basement door and locks it behind him. Cyrus opens his new box of compound with alacrity, checking the test tubes and taking the one he wants. He adds it to a glass beaker, then pours in the red fluid that makes it bubble. Ah, time to drink.

In the attic, Quentin relates his nightmare to Hannah--though I know it was only a dream, it had a reality beyond dreams.  Dameon brought you here, to this room? she asks. Yes, says Quentin, and then I saw myself, hanging from that beam. What do you want me to do? she asks. Summon Dameon's ghost, he says. I can't, she protests.  Yes you can, he says, and you know it. I don't have that power, she insists. Yes you do, says Quentin. There are some things better left alone, she says. How can you can say that? he asks--I have to find out what Dameon is trying to tell me. If there was something he wanted you to hear, says Hannah, he'd find a way to tell you without me. He has predicted my death, hanging by suicide, and I've got to find out, insists Quentin. I can't help you, she says. You can summon Dameon's spirit! he cries. I can't, she says. Summon him! demands Quentin, grabbing her arm. I don't have the power to summon him, says Hannah, but I don't need it. There is a sound of something falling, then the light above their heads begins to shake. HE'S HERE! screams Hannah. There's a grinding sound; things begin to topple of their own volition. Quentin looks around...

Hannah and Quentin, terrified, watch the light shake, and flash off and on. Everything finally stops.  Let's go upstairs, suggests Hannah--it isn't safe here! They spot Dameon's ghost.  Is it a true prophecy? Asks Quentin--Dameon, what are you trying to tell me? Dameon raises his hand and shakes his head. What are you trying to say? begs Quentin, can't you speak?--is there any way I can understand you? Tell him to go away and leave us alone, implores Hannah.I want my questions answered first, insists Quentin--please, is the prophecy about my death true?--I have to know. Dameon disappears. No, don't go! begs Quentin.

Drawing room - I won't be gone for long, Cyrus tells Angelique, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. All right? she asks. Since we did what we decided to do with Angelique's body, he adds hesitantly. I don't think anything is wrong, she says--I'm sure we all did the right thing. He agrees, but... But what? she asks. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right, repeats Cyrus. Are you sure? she asks, and are you? Yes, I am, he says. Hannah and Quentin come downstairs; he orders her not to say a word about any of this to Alexis--she's frightened--swear to it. Hannah does. Cyrus and Angelique join them.  Cyrus is going away for a few days, reveals Angelique, and came to say goodbye. Can you stay just a few moments? asks Quentin--I want to talk to you. Hannah suggests the ladies continue their chat upstairs in Angelique's room. Quentin leads Cyrus into the drawing room and asks, is it possible for you to postpone your trip? Cyrus says no, I can't, it's much too urgent. Things haven't been going well, explains Quentin, Dameon's spirit is back in the house, trying to warn me of something, but I can't figure it out. I hate to go away when I'm needed, says Cyrus, but this trip does have to do with work. You're leaving tonight? asks Quentin. Yes, says Cyrus. All right, then, I won't hold you up, says Quentin--call me when you get back. Are you sure, there's no danger? asks Cyrus. No danger, just a lot of confusion, says Quentin--I'll have to just fight my way out of it.  He shakes Cyrus' hand.  There's something puzzling me, says Quentin--the other evening when you had to leave so abruptly? Yes, sorry about that, did you get my note? asks Cyrus. Yes, says Quentin, and I also found...it's not worth mentioning. Tell me, says Cyrus. Apparently, says Quentin, you started a first note which you threw away, and Amy found it--the handwriting...it's all ridiculous now. I want to know, insists Cyrus. The handwriting on both notes was different, says Quentin, but it was yours, similar, but distinctly different. I was in such a hurry that night, says Cyrus, I found myself scribbling illegibly. It wasn't so much illegible, says Quentin as...you're right, it's all very stupid of me--you scribbled it and so it was different--have a good trip.  He again shakes Cyrus' hand. Thank you, says Cyrus, and goes. Quentin, his hair a mess, is perplexed. He opens the desk drawer, takes out the two notes, and compares them.

Angelique's room - So that's what Dameon is trying to tell Quentin--the truth, says Angelique after Hannah has told her the whole story--well, he won't be able to. How will we stop him? asks Hannah. Go home and immediately bring back the Candles of the Seventh Secret, commands Angelique. NO! cries Hannah--if we use those candles and fail, I will be destroyed! Bring them here immediately, orders Angelique--or have you already forgotten our little bargain? PLEASE! begs Hannah. Do as you're told, orders Angelique.  I can feel Dameon's presence, says Hannah.  As can I, says Angelique--soon it will be more than just a feeling--we shall meet, you and I, face to face, at your grave!Hannah looks at her niece, terrified.

We see Cyrus' nose and glasses reflected in the magnifying mirror in his lab. I've tried to resist, he tells himself, holding the pink potion in his hand, but I can't anymore!--I've got to be John Yaeger, tonight!  What about his friends who need me? he frets--Quentin, Alexis, Sabrina, and the work I should be doing, my experiment to bring out all that is good in man--what became of that?--why don't I just drop this beaker and smash it? Why don't I? He seems ready to do just that, but tells himself, because I don't want to.  He drinks it down, eyes wide, and is instantly beset by the pain.

Angelique and Hannah come downstairs, the latter holding a candelabra with seven candles in it. Angelique says, we're getting nearer and nearer to where they buried the body, I can feel it. So can I, says Hannah, and follows Angelique.

John Yaeger, dressed in more conservative threads this time, is just about to leave when Gladstone returns--I was just about to knock, he says--will you tell Dr. Longworth Horace Gladstone is here? The doctor isn't here, and you shouldn't be, either, says Yaeger rudely. He was expecting a very important delivery, says Gladstone. Tomorrow, not tonight, says Yaeger. I want to know how you know that, insists Gladstone. The good doctor told me, says Yaeger, introducing himself to Gladstone--if that's any of your business. What is your relationship is with Dr. Longworth? asks Gladstone. I'm assisting in his new experiment, says Yaeger. He never mentioned an assistant, says Gladstone, as a matter of fact, he always stressed the fact that he worked alone. "Perhaps he was trying to tell you to mind your own business," suggests Yaeger, "now why don't you just give me this." He reaches for the package, but Gladstone pulls it out of his reach--it's only for Dr. Longworth or Miss Stuart, he says--can you call her? She's not here, says Yaeger, but I can assure you I'm authorized to accept it. I must have that assurance from Dr. Longworth, insists Gladstone. Maybe I should just take it from you, threatens Yeager.  I wouldn't do that if I were you, advises Gladstone--I don't think Dr. Longworth would approve. What if I don't give a...hoot about Dr. Longworth's approval? asks Yaeger, (and one senses hoot wasn't the word he wanted to use). If you're really Dr. Longworth's assistant, says Gladstone, you surely must be aware of how important my compound is to his experiment, and if I'm threatened in any way, my cooperation will cease immediately--do I make myself clear?Very, says Yaeger, barely controlling his anger. Then I'll bid you good night, says Gladstone, taking the compound with him. Yaeger, furious, frees the deadly blade from the tip of his cane.

Angelique stands before a shelf--I remember, Hannah, there's a panel... Please, you don't need me here, says Hannah, you can exorcise his spirit without me--no one will know you're the one who did it. I think you would welcome the chance to prove all that you've learned, says Angelique, who finds the release for the shelf, which swings open. Inside is a hanging skeleton, presumably the bones of Dameon Edwards. Bring the candles! orders Angelique. No! says Hannah. Then give them to me, her niece demands. She takes the candelabra, but some force blows out most of the candles. Hannah runs off, announcing, "I can't stay here, it's too dangerous for me!" Left alone, Angelique says, I will do it myself. She begins to re-light the candles and says, watch closely, Dameon, as I light the candles, and when the seventh one is lit, you will appear to me--we shall be here together, face to face, you and I--watch now--watch closely. When all the candles are alight, the skeleton becomes the ghostly Dameon Edwards.

NOTES: OK, so Angelique has made Dameon appear--she must have some pretty good powers of her own. Hannah's fear is almost comical, given her own participation in occult events.

Angelique has announced her intention to turn Quentin into the kind of creature she is, whatever that may be. Does he have to commit suicide to attain that state? I guess I'm confused about why he would commit suicide and what role Angelique will play in that act--and how it will turn him into what she is. Oh, well, all questions will be answered, but this is DS, so perhaps not. I just know that Dameon bores me.

John Yaeger meets Cyrus' "supplier", Horace Gladstone. I wonder if the latter had any idea he was talking to the alter ego of Dr. Longworth? It seems not. Now Cyrus is fighting with himself about drinking the potion; his experiment isn't exactly going as planned, is it?  Unleashing John Yaeger on the world does nothing to foster the good in man, and Cyrus knows it only too well, but craves becoming that other person, who is his opposite. When Yaeger told Gladstone he didn't give a hoot, I laughed--a real curse would have been more Yaeger, but he couldn't do that, could he, not in 1970!

I long for the return of the missing DS actors! Poor David Selby is looking the worse for wear, carrying the show almost every day the way he is. He rarely messed up his lines, but he's having some trouble now, and I bet he, too, wished his co-workers would return to share the burden. Lara Parker, too, has been doing almost daily duty. Bravo to both of them!

Love, Robin

1000 - Cyrus, Alexis and Quentin gaze down at the body of Angelique Collins, a corpse who REALLY looks as if she's asleep, rather than dead. Astonishing! says Cyrus.  Dead over six months, yet the body is perfectly preserved, says Quentin--it's impossible--how has it happened?--you're a scientist, Cyrus, explain this. There is no scientific explanation, says Cyrus, no chemical explanation for a body this perfectly preserved. You always shared Angelique's fascination for the occult--is it possible she found some way to survive after death? asks Quentin.  I don't know, says Cyrus. Close the coffin, Quentin, says Alexis.  Not yet, he says, we can't simply let this matter drop--Angelique is dead, but her body remains perfectly preserved--for the sake of her rest and our peace of mind, the body must be destroyed. Destroyed? asks Alexis--how?  I'll have it cremated, says Quentin hesitantly. You can't, insists Alexis, it would be wrong! Cyrus agrees--what's happened here is beyond the realm of human understanding, and the only thing to do is destroy the body. Angry, Alexis says, I won't allow it--and I can legally fight you, she tells Quentin--I have seen her will, and the law says you must respect her wishes--Angelique is dead, no matter what condition she's in now, no matter what anyone else thinks, she is dead.  And how many people will believe that? asks Quentin, after they find out we've seen here? They'll all believe it after we swear ourselves to secrecy, says Alexis, we can announce that we opened the casket, and Cyrus and I were your witnesses, that we saw Angelique's remains, and you are now satisfied she is dead. The men look unsure.  I don't agree with you, says Quentin, but will think it over. Close the casket now, says Alexis. The men do so as Alexis stands in a corner, back turned. Should we put it back inside? asks Cyrus. We'll leave it like this, says Quentin--no one else ever comes in here.  Quentin, do you have anything else to say to me? asks Alexis. What do you mean? Quentin asks.  You've forgotten why you came here tonight--all the doubts you had about me? she reminds him. He looks ashamed. I no longer have any doubts, nor will I have again, he says--you are Alexis, and I'm very sorry to have disturbed you--I hope you'll forgive me. (He didn't sound sincere.)  Alexis looks at him and says, of course I forgive you--we should all go back to Collinwood. They leave the tomb--after we get another shot of the coffin.

Trask is stirring up the fire at Collinwood when a window blows open. He seems afraid to close it, but finally does. He hears a door slam and goes to check it out. Amy stands there. Why aren't you at the Loomis house? he asks. I don't want to go there, she says, it's lonely, no one to talk to or play with. Mr. Quentin will be angry if he sees you here, warns Trask--I'd better take you back, he'll be blaming me. I don't want to go back there! whines Amy.  Don't be difficult, not at a time like this, he says. Like what? she asks--what's wrong, Trask? Nothing, he says.  You've changed, notes Amy, you act like you're scared or something. I'm not, just tired, he says, he's been working very hard.  He starts to lead her back to the Loomis house. Trask, she asks, did Quentin find out anymore about Dameon? What makes you ask about him? queries Trask. I was just wondering, that's all, she says. That's not all, shouts Trask--you've seen him again, haven't you--where did you see him?--tell me--where!  He shakes the poor little girl, frightening her.

Quentin, Cyrus and Alexis return to Collinwood to find Trask shaking Amy, hurting her arm, continuing to badger her about having seen Dameon.  Trask, what are you doing? demands Quentin. Amy runs into his arms--I didn't mean anything! she cries--I asked about Dameon and Trask got mad at me!  Quentin holds and comforts her, leads her into the drawing room and closes the doors--I'll be in to talk to you in a moment, he promises. He turns to Trask and asks, have you lost your senses?  I'm sorry, says Trask--I'm afraid I lost my head--the atmosphere in this house, there's an evil presence here, sir, I feel it everywhere, ever since Dameon got back. Alexis grows upset. Get hold of yourself, orders Quentin. Trask again asks forgiveness. How did Amy get here? asks Quentin--who brought her? She came of her own accord, says Trask, I told her she'd have to go back and was getting ready to take her when you came in. Oh, you were? asks Quentin sarcastically--I'd never have guessed that when I walked in--you will take her back just as soon as I have a talk with her. Quentin enters the drawing room and closes the doors. Alexis tells Trask, Quentin and I put aside any doubts about Angelique's death--we went to her grave and opened her casket--and viewed her remains--Dr. Longworth was there, too. She asks the latter, tell Trask what we found. There can no longer be any speculation about Angelique's death, says Cyrus--her body is in the tomb, at rest. I see, says Trask.  I think we've all become so preoccupied with ghosts, says Alexis, smiling slightly, we think the house is filled with them--and it isn't. I believe what you told me about Miss Angelique, says Trask, but you will never convince me there's no evil spirit in this house--I feel it! You can believe anything you want, says Alexis sternly, but there's no point in discussing it any further. Whatever you say, ma'am, he responds, and goes to the kitchen. The poor man is so frightened, there's no reasoning with him, says Alexis.  I don't want to shock you, says Cyrus, but I agree with Trask--I have something important I'd like to discuss with you--can I take you up to your room? Yes, agrees Alexis. Trask watches them head upstairs.

Angelique's room - Cyrus, what do you want to talk to me about? asks Alexis. Angelique, answers Cyrus--I know she was your sister, but how well did you really know her? I'm afraid we were never close, the way sisters are, says Alexis--I suppose that the truth is, I never knew her at all. Then it's possible that we at Collingsport (sic), who were closer to her, knew her better than you did, suggests Cyrus. That's possible, agrees Alexis, what's your point? She and I shared a common interest in the occult, says Cyrus, but her knowledge of it was far superior to mine--being a scientist, I was always reluctant to accept anything supernatural--she kept saying all the time, she could come back from the dead, which is why she didn't fear dying--she had an uncanny rapport with the unnatural, but I never once believed she could survive death--until tonight. You don't know what you're saying, says Alexis.  What we've seen here tonight, continues Cyrus, goes beyond the realm of anything logically possible--it's simply not physiologically possible for her to have survived death--and yet she has!--and that being true, I submit anything is possible, even her eventual return. Alexis, sickened, says, I can't believe that would ever happen. Whether you believe it or not, he says, you had better consider Quentin's suggestion--for everybody's concern, I think the body must be destroyed (Alexis shakes her head, no), or we will never know what the consequences might be.

Drawing room - I'll do anything you tell me, promises Amy, but I don't want to go back to the "Willis" house. Quentin takes her hands in his--you keep on saying you don't want to go back, but haven't given me a good reason--I know what you told me, but I thinks there's more to it than that--what is it, young lady?  You won't believe me, anyway, says Amy--you'll say I'm imagining things. I promise not to do that, he says--trust me, go on and tell me. Not having a playmate doesn't bother me that much--what does is the spooky feeling in that house. In Will's house? asks Quentin. Something is happening there, says Amy, but not something you can see--something is going on that makes me more frightened than I've ever been!

Gently, Quentin says, Amy, you can't just say something like that without trying to explain. But I don't know how to explain, says Amy. Try, urges Quentin--all people have a reason for their fears--usually it's not too hard to find, you just have to think about it. I have, she says.  Has there been any particular time of the day or night when you've been most afraid? he asks.  She thinks it over--I feel it all the time, she says, whenever I'm inside that house. I don't understand, says Quentin. Neither do I! says Amy--it all seems normal enough--Carolyn hardly spends any time there, and Will's so busy writing his new book...  New book? interrupts Quentin, that's odd--Will hasn't done any writing for over five years. He's so busy writing now, he hasn't time for anything else, says Amy--I've stood in the doorway of his study, watching him, and he hasn't even noticed me--yesterday I went in there when he wasn't there, and I found two pages in the wastebasket. You still have them? asks Quentin.Yes, she says, taking them from her pocket--do you want to read them? Yes, says Quentin.  He takes them, sits down in front of the fire and reads: "In October, 1965, I wrote what I believed was the definitive biography of Barnabas Collins, but certain facts of history have recently been brought to my attention, facts which have proved to me that the life of Barnabas Collins as I constructed and recorded, are pure fiction and nothing more. Providence has now afforded me a second chance--I shall endeavor in these pages to set the record straight and tell the true and shocking story of the life of Barnabas Collins. Seeing a puzzled look come over his face, Amy asks Quentin what's the matter. I don't know, he replies, I read Will's original book on Barnabas Collins, and it's hard to see how he could have found out anymore about the man--I'll have to talk to him and ask him.

Angelique's room - Alexis stares up at her sister' portrait. Trask enters--you want to see me? he asks. Yes, she says--has Mr. Collins retired for the night?  I believe he's working in his study, says Trask. I have something for you to do that I don't want Mr. Collins to know anything about, she says--I want you to drive me back to the cemetery to visit my sister's tomb again. It's rather late, points out Trask. I know, says Alexis, but I don't want to wait until tomorrow--I have my reasons. Whatever you say, he says--I'll have the car waiting in front in 10 minutes. Alexis looks up at her sister's portrait again.

Back at the tomb, we see Angelique's headstone. Trask, return to the car and wait for me there, orders Alexis.  You shouldn't be there alone, he protests.  I'll be all right, she assures him. The storm isn't far off, he says, I'll go get you an umbrella in the car.  No, she says, just wait for me in the car; I won't be long. All right, ma'am, he says, and leaves. Alexis enters the tomb (they play some really scary music here) and opens her sister's coffin. She looks down at the seemingly slumbering visage of Angelique and wonders, what was your secret?  She touches her arm--why do you still look as you did in life?--I only know that it is wrong--it goes against the natural order of things--I don't want to do what I have to do now--Quentin and Cyrus are right--your body must be destroyed.The woman in the coffin opens her eyes and, with a slight smile, says, "My dear Alexis, you are always so right--someone must be destroyed--but it won't be me--it will be YOU."

NOTES:  One of DS' coldest, scariest, most utterly terrifying moments!  Alexis opens her sister's coffin, touches her, and voila--she comes to life! What is to come is even creepier, but that sure was a great start! Lara Parker is given credit for both roles today, as Angelique and Alexis. There is no doubt now that there are two different women, and Angelique's first act is to threaten her sister without even a hello.

Now Quentin knows Will is writing another book, about Barnabas Collins, and he's perplexed--why write about the same subject twice? And as I said before, Amy feels something is off-kilter at Loomis house, no surprise, with Will releasing Barnabas every night to conduct his interview with the vampire. Paging Anne Rice!  Poor Amy, no wonder she's finding Loomis house so scary.

Now things are going to get considerably more interesting, I assure you! If they would only get rid of Sabrina this storyline might have some potential!


1001 - In one of the very best special effects ever utilized on DS, Angelique confronts her terrified sister, Alexis. There is almost perfect symmetry as we watch this battle to the death. We've seen cheesy special effects on DS, but it's obvious that this most important scene was done with care--and it shows. These scenes still have the power to raise goosebumps rise on my flesh.

Angelique sits up, smiling. Alexis, her face twisted with disbelief, gazes at her twin with terror, insisting, "No, this can't be happening, it isn't possible!"  "But it is happening, dear sister, thanks to you," says Angelique. "You were dead!" Alexis moans. There were always so many things that didn't interest you, says Angelique, laughing, taunting--"you were always the innocent one, so content with life as it was, but I have always known that life is much much more than it seemed to be--I was able to master secrets you never dreamed existed!"  We see the sisters face to face now, Angelique stripping off the long, white gloves she wears in her portrait as Alexis holds her coat closed in abject fear. The dead cannot live again, insists Alexis. "They can, to help the living," insists Angelique--how my body remained preserved, that will remain my secret, but I always knew that my spirit would never die, that someday someone would have to come and open my casket, and all that would be needed was the touch of a human hand--you gave me that! The warmth of your touch brought the life back into my body!" Angelique is stunning, exultant, but Alexis still doesn't believe it. That's what's happening now, and of course you don't believe it, mocks Angelique, but it is happening--you can feel that, can't you? It's so cold, whispers Alexis. And you will become colder, and colder, until all the warmth is gone from your body and you die! promises Angelique--I must have your warmth to sustain myself! No! protests Alexis. "Keep looking into my eyes, Alexis," commands Angelique. No, please! begs her sister. "You cannot resist me--you will keep looking into my eyes!" cries Angelique. "NO, I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" screams Alexis. Your time has come, says Angelique cruelly, and you must face it, you must accept it, you have only a few moments left, and in that time, you're going to tell me all I need to know before we change places. Change places? asks the shivering Alexis. You will take my place in the coffin, says Angelique, advancing on her sister, and I will take yours at Collinwood. NOOOOO! howls Alexis futilely.
Thunder rolls and lightning flashes overhead as Trask returns to stand outside the tomb, musing, she's been in there a long time. (He doesn't hear the screams?) What is she doing, anyway, how long does she expect me to wai?t--maybe something has happened to her, I'd better make sure she's all right--no, she made it clear she didn't want me in there--I wonder why?

Alexis, now wearing Angelique's blue gown, lies dead in the coffin (she even managed to change her hairdo). Angelique kneels beside her and says, how peaceful you look--and I'm so grateful to you for making my plan work so perfectly--you always were the considerate one--now you are me, and I'm you--and all that remains to be seen whether anyone discovers the switch we've made. Outside, Trask calls Alexis.  Angelique says to her now-dead sibling, "Why, it's Trask--good, faithful Trask, he's become worried about you because you've been gone so long." Angelique responds to Trask.  I know you told me to wait, he says, but...  I'm coming now, she assures him. She closes the coffin.  Trask enters the tomb--are you all right? he asks.  Don't I seem to be? she asks. I don't know, he says, that's why I approached the gate, I heard you talking, I thought. You did, she says, I was saying a final prayer for my sister. Of course, says Trask, may she rest in peace. Angelique repeats, "May she rest in peace." Are you ready to return to Collinwood? he asks. Yes, I'm looking forward to it very much, she says. We get another look at the coffin, which now contains the body of Alexis, murdered by her own sister.

Collinwood drawing room - The window blows open and the chandelier sways. Quentin gazes around, calling to Dameon--is it you?--try to communicate with me--what do you want here, why have you come back?  Dameon! Who's responsible for your coming back--Angelique? You know the secret, don't you, that the body isn't decayed--is that the reason for your presence here? The lights flash off and on, the chandelier stops swaying. Trask returns with Angelique, who looks proprietarily around the house. She thanks him--that will be all, she says. She enters the drawing room, where Quentin greets her--I thought you were spending the rest of the night in your room. No, says Angelique, I decided to go for a short drive. He invites her in--there's something we must discuss.  She gazes lovingly around the room.  Is something wrong? he asks. No, I just can't believe how very lovely this room is, she says. I know how painful it is for you, he says--but we must discuss the matter of Angelique. There's no longer anything to discuss, she says---I'ves just been to my sister's tomb, that's where I asked Trask to drive me.  Why did you go back there again? demands Quentin. I was so confused, she explains, and disturbed after my first visit there, I felt I should go there again, think things over very carefully--and now that I have done that, I have decided you and Cyrus are right--Angelique's body must be destroyed--and the sooner, the better--she gives an evil RT Angelique smile into the camera.

Quentin enters the drawing room and asks Trask, were you able to reach Cyrus? Trask, placing glasses in the bar, says, Sabrina said Cyrus would return about three. Quentin checks his watch-- it's after that now, he notes, I'll try reaching Cyrus. What will you be wearing to dinner at the Conway's this evening? asks Trask.  I won't be able to make that dinner engagement, I have other plans this evening, says Quentin--cancel on Mr. Conway, tell him I'm going out of town. Yes sir, says Trask. Quentin picks up the phone and calls Cyrus. Engrossed in his work, Cyrus is annoyed at the interruption. Quentin apologizes for bothering him--I know how busy you are. Is anything wrong? asks Cyrus.  Meet me at the Collins tomb at sundown, says Quentin--I can't discuss it over the phone, but will tell you when we meet--can you make it? Yes, I'll be there, Cyrus promises. Quentin thanks him; both hang up. Cyrus is again interrupted by a knock at the door upstairs--Chris. Cyrus unlocks the door and let him in--I hope it's something important, says the doctor, I'm very busy. You're becoming the absent minded professor, jokes Chris--you sent me a note this morning containing several instructions and said if anything wasn't clear, I should come and ask you--I canceled an appointment to come here. I'm sorry, says Cyrus--that note did slip my mind, was there something you didn't understand?  I'm baffled by you request that I take five thousand dollars out of your account and put it into a new account under the name of John Yaeger. That's correct, says Cyrus. Can you tell me more--is it some pseudonym you're planning to use? asks Chris.  No, says Cyrus, John Yaeger is an acquaintance I met recently who is going to help me with my experiment. Five thousand dollars, says Chris--you're not the kind of man who can pay that kind of money to someone you hardly know.I may not have known Yaeger very long, says Cyrus, but I know him very well. Are you in some kind of trouble with him? asks Chris. Trouble? repeats Cyrus evasively. You've been very secretive about your experiment, points out Chris--is there something that would be awkward if it came out into the open? In other words, says Cyrus, annoyed, is John Yaeger trying to blackmail me?--the answer is no. I wish you'd tell me more, says Chris, I'd feel better. Nothing more to tell, says Cyrus, I want the money deposited in the bank in Yaeger's name. I'll do it, agrees Chris, but I want Yaeger to come to my office--I'll need signatures if I'm to open a bank account, besides, I want to meet and judge him for myself.  I'll send Yaeger around to see you, says Cyrus.  I'm looking forward to meeting him, says Chris, and tiredly leaves the room. The clock strikes.  Cyrus removes his lab coat and puts on his somber jacket.

Cyrus meets Quentin.  I'm very grateful to you for coming, says Quentin. They enter the tomb. What's this all about? asks Cyrus.  We must destroy Angelique's body--tonight, says Quentin--Alexis has given her complete approval--we'll take the coffin outside and put a torch to it. WE? asks Cyrus, I don't understand. We don't have any choice, says Quentin--we can hardly go to the proper authorities and say my wife had been dead over six months, yet her body hasn't yet decomposed. I see the problem, agrees Cyrus.We can't afford to let anyone else learn what we have found out, says Quentin--we must go ahead with it.  We must destroy the body, says Cyrus, but I'm afraid we might be seen. We've got to take the chance, insists Quentin. All right, let's do it, says Cyrus. I want to take one more look at Angelique, says Quentin. He opens the coffin and looks down upon what he doesn't know is the body of his sister-in-law.  She's still as beautiful as she was, he marvels--well, my dear, says Quentin, goodbye forever this time. Cyrus watches closely as Quentin closes the coffin and says, "Let's take it out."  Together, they lift it up.

Cyrus stands at the head of the coffin and Quentin takes a torch and sets it aflame. They watch it burn.

In her room, Angelique is trimming flowers when Trask enters--you wanted me to let you know when Quentin returned, he says--his car just came in through the front gate. Thank you, she says, handing him the cuttings wrapped in paper--please dispose of them. He doesn't go.  Do you have something on you mind? she asks.  Forgive me, ma'am, he says, it's just--it's good that you've gotten to be so much at home since you've been here--sometimes, it's as if Miss Angelique never died. She smiles. He leaves.

As they enter Collinwood, Quentin remarks, Cyrus, you were very quiet on the way back--are you still concerned someone might have seen us?  I shouldn't have come with you, says the doctor, I have a lot of work to do at the lab. You work too hard, Quentin protests--I insist you stay and have a drink with me and Alexis--before you get back to work. Just one, agrees Cyrus.  Quentin goes upstairs to get Alexis.  Cyrus sits down in the drawing room and nervous taps his hand on his knee.

Angelique is gazing up at her own portrait when Quentin enters and reports, it's all over--the coffin has been burned. I hope we did the right thing, she says. I know we did, he says--there will be a big change in the atmosphere around here. You've been through a terrible ordeal, she says. "No less than you have, but the change will be good for all of us, and I hope that it will bring Maggie back, where she belongs," he says.  Maggie? asks Angelique, as if forgetting who he's talking about.  She remembers and says, "Oh, yes, I'm so anxious to meet her." (And kill her, add her flashing eyes.) "Under more favorable circumstances, I mean." I see no reason you can't become good friends, says Quentin. No reason at all, she agrees. I'm glad you came along to the mausoleum and opened the tomb, says Quentin. Are you?--why? asks Angelique, not sounding at all like Alexis now. It takes a big load off all our shoulders, he says, especially yours, and that pleases me very much--because as long as you're at Collinwood, I want you to be very happy. "Yes," she says, grinning, "you were right about opening the tomb--I feel like a different woman now that the burden has been lifted--I've become very fond of you, Quentin."  I almost forgot, he says, Cyrus is waiting downstairs, I promised him a drink--do you want to join us? No, not tonight, she replies--I just want to be by myself tonight. He goes.  She stares up at her face in the portrait.

The clock strikes the quarter hour.  Cyrus comes out to the foyer to check the time. He wanders the drawing room and gazes into the fire, then is suddenly beset by terrible pain. He flails around, gripping the mantle in agony, and is horrified to see that his hands have become the hairy-backed ones of John Yaeger. He runs to a mirror to see he has turned into Yaeger, from head to toe! Hearing Quentin heading downstairs, assuring Alexis, "I'm sure Cyrus will understand," Yaeger hastily closes the double doors and locks them. Finding the doors locked, Quentin calls to Cyrus-- "Open the door!--are you all right?"  Yaeger, trapped, standing with his back against the doors, freezes, his eyes darting back and forth.

NOTES:  Will Cyrus be able to turn back into himself? He should run over and sign Chris' papers so he can have that five grand, huh? Chris is trying to look out for Cyrus, but the good doctor is not playing it safe.  Re: John Yaeger--his nose is Cyrus' own, his hair looks much better and the mustache isn't quite the same (as bad) as the last time we saw it. He has changed without the potion, however, like an acid flashback that keeps on giving. It reminds me of when Chris started to turn into a werewolf without benefit of full moon. When you think about it, Yaeger has stolen Cyrus' body from him, in a different but equally creepy way as Angelique stole her sister's body/life force from hers.

Angelique cold-bloodedly killed her own sister and took over her life at Collinwood. You sense she still wants Quentin and already has evil plans for Maggie. That scene in which Angelique forces her sister to trade places with her is one of my own personal scariest moments on DS, beautifully done, by the standard of the day, using special "twin" effects. I can already see the huge difference between Angelique and Alexis, and wondered why Quentin didn't catch on, just a little bit--the gleam in Angelique's eyes sure was a giveaway to me! Excellent performances by Parker in both roles. Now Alexis is dead, without the benefit of a funeral, her body just burned to ashes. Very sad ending for a good, kind woman who didn't deserve it, and whose only folly was to be the sister of an evil, disturbed, murderous bitch.  When Alexis cries, "I don't want to die!", I just shiver.

I believe this is the last episode in which we see Don Briscoe; Chris will never be seen again. Over the years, I've heard it said that Briscoe was suffering from depression and eventually left acting altogether. There are many of his devoted fans out there, and I know he is missed.

Now things will definitely heat up a bit, folks! Angelique is back in the house!

Love, Robin

996 - Barnabas is still captive of the avaricious writer, Will Loomis, says Lara Parker's voice-over.

Cyrus, now a completely different person, looks at the ugly hair on the backs of his hands, feels his face. I remember who I am, he says gleefully--I'm John Yaeger, that's who I am! He's thrilled, his voice coarse.  He searches the lab for a mirror in which to admire himself, trashing Cyrus' lab in the process. He finds a silver tray and looks at his reflection, pleased, then gazes at Cyrus' network of fluids, tubes and beakers, referring scathingly to Cyrus as "the noble, dedicated scientist, the passionate believer--where are you now, Cyrus? "To bring forth all that is good in man"--we see him reflected in a magnifying device that makes him look upside down--"to deter the impediment of evil, to bring out what is best in his divided nature...the best is standing right here, and his name is John Yaeger!" John literally hops around a few steps, then goes to a closet, exulting in the fact that while Cyrus may have forgotten where the key is, John Yaeger remembers. He opens a small drawer in the desk and unlocks the closet, saying happily, the mirror will tell me what I don't remember--what Yaeger really looks like. He opens the closet to find a large mirror, and stares at his reflection, touching his face. I remember, he says, there's no clear, honest eyes here, no pale face, the milk of human kindness doesn't flow through these veins. (But the new nose has got to go, and seems to be trying to of its own volition.)Oh, he says, admiring his wardrobe of Yaeger clothes--I've got style, flair!--too bad they never caught the man who broke into that clothing store, eh? He chooses a suit. When was the last time I became myself? he wonders--I don't know. He looks at himself in the mirror--welcome back, he says--this night belongs to you.  He grins ecstatically--and evilly.

Trask locks the front door of Collinwood. Alexis walks halfway downstairs and asks him, who are you--what are you doing?  Though stunned to see her, he covers it well--I'm Trask, the butler,he explains--I've been away. Oh, yes, she says. Surely Mr. Collins has mentioned me? asks Trask, sounding wounded. Yes, of course, says Alexis, coming the rest of the way downstairs, sorry for my abruptness. Were you told about me? she asks nervously.  He identifies her as Miss Alexis, Mrs. Collins' twin sister--is there anything I can do for you?  I was looking for Quentin, she says, have you seen him? Yes, he took Amy to visit the Loomis' at the Old House, says Trask. So, he decided to take Hannah Stokes' advice after all, she says--did he say why he was taking Amy there? She enjoys visiting her cousin Carolyn from time to time, says Trask. Does she always go there this time of night? asks Alexis.I really couldn't say, says Trask, uncomfortable--if you'll excuse me... If Mr. Collins is out of the house, asks Alexis, why have you bolted the door? Trask stiffens--I'll open it when he comes back, he says. Is it always your habit to answer questions indirectly? She asks--why did you bolt the door? Because...I really can't talk about it, ma'am, he says. Please tell me if something happened to induce Quentin to take Amy from the house, says Alexis, i must know. I don't know what you could be referring to, he replies. Trask, she says warningly.  He admits something has happened--you must help us, help all of us--we must leave this house, all of us! Someone knocks at the door.  Trask, terrified, he doesn't want to open the door. What if it's Mr. Collins? she asks--you must open the door! Trask very reluctantly unbolts the door. It is Quentin, who, annoyed, asks, why was the door bolted? Something has happened since I heard the music in the room, says Alexis, with no one at the piano--do you know what it is--you must tell me. Close up the house, Trask begs Quentin, we have to leave, all of us!  We aren't doing that, insists Quentin, so you should just relax. Alexis, agitated, watches as Quentin picks up the phone. You aren't calling the police, are you, sir? asks Trask nervously. I'm calling Cyrus, says Quentin, perhaps he knows what we can do next.

Yaeger has changed into his super-cool threads and admires himself in the mirror. The phone rings.  Someone is calling the good Dr. Longworth, he chuckles, which is a pity, because he isn't here. Yaeger sits next to the ringing phone on the desk, looking at it. Maybe it's a friend in need, he ponders, his friends had better get along without him. The ringing stops. That's better, remarks Yaeger, "If it's Dr. Longworth you're looking for, YOU'D BETTER GIVE UP!" He laughs. He holds up a bottle of red liquid with a label that says DO NOT TOUCH, remarking, it's here if I should ever need it. He stows it away in a safe and covers it with a painting. There's something else, he says, of course--he takes out a walking cane with a hidden blade that flashes, exposed, from the tip. "I wouldn't want to do without you, would I?" he asks.  He returns the blade to the bottom of the cane, closes the closet, knocks something over, and saunters jauntily out of the lab.

Eagle - A pretty waitress (played by the wonderful Elizabeth Eis, who also briefly played a Leviathan in that storyline) cleans up ashtrays on the tables.  She advises a man in a red and black checked coat standing nearby, drink in hand--there's no reason to hang around--I won't go out with you. That's what they all say, he replies. This place is empty, she says--why not go someplace livelier? I like it here, he says, it's nice, peaceful--he slips his arms around her from behind, but she pulls away.  No place is peaceful with you around, she complains. He follows her, putting his hands on her shoulders, trying to kiss her neck. Doesn't having me around make you feel all peaceful inside? he asks. Although she seems to be enjoying it, she says, I've got to do some work. It can wait, he says, still revving her up, kissing her ears. It can't wait, she protests flirtatiously--let me go.  Make me let you go, he suggests. I don't think that will be necessary, says John Yaeger, who has interrupted them. I think you'll do what the lady asks without being forced. It's you again, says the waitress--look, it's all right, I don't want any trouble like the last time. Yaeger chuckles, then advances on the other guy and asks, "You were just leaving, weren't you?" No, says the man, as a matter of fact, I wasn't. Strange, says Yaeger, I had that distinct impression.  He grabs him by his coat collar and sends him flying to the ground, overturning a table in the process. The waitress, upset by the violence, threatens, I'll call the police on both of you! This doesn't stop the men, who continue to grapple and pummel each other. The guy in the red and black checked coat grabs a bottle on the bar, intending to smash it over Yaeger's head, but it shatters in his hand right on the bar, a classic blooper, so the guy attacks Yaeger with a chair, smashing it on the bar when Yaeger moves to avoid it. The waitress, who has moved out of the line of fire, screams, "That's enough!" The two men continue to fight.  Yaeger pins the other man's arms behind his back and literally throw him out--I don't think you're going to come back, says Yaeger--"at least not when I'm here!"  I'll get you for this! threatens the other man, and don't think I won't!  Good, I'm looking forward to it eagerly, says Yaeger, closing the door. Yaeger apologizes to the waitress for the disturbance. Look what you did--you're no different than him! the angry waitress says. I think you'll find that I'm quite different, promises Yaeger. (His fake nose has pretty much disintegrated.) Look at everything you smashed, she says--it's worse than the last time. Oh, no, I think it's much better than the last time--last time my opponent was five times as big, he brags. Who's going to pay for all this? she asks. I am, he assures her. Sure, she says, and I'M going to get fired because there was a fight here! You don't believe I'm going to pay for the damage I've done? he asks. Frankly, no, she retorts, hand on hip. What makes you so sure? he asks. Because you guts are all alike, she says--you wreck a place, then say you're going to pay for it, and that's the last I ever hear about it. But I told you I was different, he says, and I'll prove it--I'll be back in a very little while with a very generous check. She clearly doesn't believe him. Will you still be here? he asks. Probably forever, she says angrily, cleaning up the mess YOU made. I won't be nearly that long, he assures her. He picks up his cane from the debris on the table and leaves. She continues to clean up, her lips pressed tightly together.

The drawer opened by itself, Quentin tells Trask, inside was some music of Bruno's, and his picture, blood-stained. No, says Trask. Later on, continues Quentin, the drawer was empty--no one could have emptied it, no ordinary person--now why don't you tell me that it mean to you? Like I said before, sir, I think we should close up the house and leave, advises Trask. We aren't going to do that, insists Quentin, so why don't you tell me everything you know. Trask evasively says, I don't know everything--I've been away. Quentin crosses his arms and says, you weren't away the day Dameon disappeared last year. Sir, I swear I don't know anything, says Trask. Tell me what Bruno knows of Dameon Edwards' murder, demands Quentin. MURDER? repeats Trask--what are you saying?  Dameon is dead, says Quentin, and I have every reason to believe he was murdered--now, I believe it was Bruno, am I right? How would I know? asks Trask. Because you were involved in some way, am I right? asks Quentin. Sir, that's a terrible accusation; do you realize what you're saying? Trask asks. I wonder why you acted the way you did when Amy said she saw Dameon, says Quentin--and why did you run to Bruno's cottage almost immediately afterward?  Trask turns, surprised, but before he can answers, Quentin says, you said you were just checking the grounds, and we both know you went to Bruno's--tell me what you know about the murder of Dameon Edwards. Nothing, says Trask defiantly. Was Angelique involved in any way? Quentin asks. I don't know, says Trask. I wonder why the ghost led Amy to the room in the cellar? Asks Quentin. Please sir, I don't know anything, insists Trask. Quentin grabs him and pulls him around to face him--"You do know, and you're going to tell me everything!" he says roughly. "SIR!" cries Trask indignantly. They stare at each other a moment. Trask straightens his jacket and suggests, I was wrong to come back here tonight--perhaps I never should have come back at all!I advise you not to leave, says Quentin--I'll find you wherever you are when I want to ask you questions. But I have no answers, sir, says Trask. I hope you're right, for your sake, says Quentin, and leaves the drawing room. He puts on his coat and says, I'm going to Cyrus' house--perhaps he'll know how I can get to the bottom of this--you are to stay here, is that clear? Yes, says Trask.  When Quentin leaves, however, he looks like what he really wants is to flee.

Eagle - Yaeger tells the waitress, the first thing you should know about me is that I'm a man of my word--he hands her a check. She's shocked.  Is the sum insufficient? he asks. What is this, some kind of joke? she demands--look at the signature--Cyrus Longworth! Yes, a very respected, reliable name, he points out. You think I don't know who this is, but I do, she says, I used to work for the Collins family, and used to see him at Collinwood, and he isn't you, not at all. Yaeger chuckles--I never said I was, he points out. How are you going to pull off this check with his signature? she asks. Longworth signed it, he assures her. Oh, yeah, yeah, she scoffs. Growing angry, he warns, don't imply that I'm a liar, or a forger, or anything else derogatory, hmmm? All right, all right, she says, placating him. And I also think, he says, holding his cane aloft, tickling her throat with the tip, you had better not mention who gave the check--that's part of my promise to Dr. Longworth, because, generous as he is, I don't think he wants his name mixed up in the events of tonight--do you understand? He stops caressing her throat and shoulder. Yes, I understand, she says, looking pretty angry herself. Good, I like people who understand, says Yaeger, and as for those who don't understand, well, the less said about them, the better, because their fate is best forgotten. Leaving her shaking, he leaves the bar.

In an alley, Yaeger runs into the guy he'd fought in the Eagle. The man is just about to light up a cigarette. I was hoping to run into you, says Yaeger--you promised to "get me", if I remember correctly. If you're smart, you won't mess with me, says the man--now I'm warning you...  I'm afraid I don't heed warnings, they sound too much like a threat, says Yaeger, who turns and begins beating mercilessly on the man with his cane. Taken by surprise, the man is down, crying out with each savage blow from Yaeger's cane. Only the timely intervention of Quentin, who demands to know what's going on, stops Yaeger's pummeling; he runs off. Quentin kneels down to help the fallen man--"Get him, stop him!" the man cries.  He's gone, says Quentin--"Are you all right?"  I'll get him, vows the man furiously, I swear I will. Quentin helps him to his feet--I'll take you back to the Eagle, he offers. I'll be all right when I get even with him! the man says.

The waitress is cleaning up the mess made by the fight when Quentin and the man enter the bar. Do you know who he was? asks Quentin. She does, the man says, pointing at the waitress. Quentin addresses her as Miss Harrington--get him in a good, stuff drink, he orders--he's been in a fight. I don't want a drink, says the man, making a fist--I swear I'm gong to find him, and when I do... You've had enough fighting for one night, points out Quentin. You mean you started all over again? asks Miss Harrington. HE started, says the man, but I'm gonna finish it, right now!  He stomps out of the bar. You're in bad shape, begins Quentin.  He won't listen to you, says Miss Harrington--you should just let him go. Do you know the man who attacked him? asks Quentin. He's only been in here a couple of times, she responds, I don't know him at all. Whoever he is, says Quentin, he must be pretty dangerous--I've got other things to worry about--good night. She stops him before he leaves, reminding him, when I was at Collinwood, you were very nice to me, and I never lied to you--I don't know his name, but there is someone who does know. Perhaps if there's anymore trouble, you can give the name to the police, suggests Quentin--good night. That someone is a friend of yours, she says. A friend of mine? he asks. They fought here tonight and broke a lot of stuff, explains Miss Harrington, and this guy says he's going to pay for it, and he goes out and comes back with this check, which is probably forged, but look at the signature--Cyrus Longworth. He gave you this? asks Quentin, stunned. Yes, but like I said, it's probably a forgery, says Miss Harrington. Yes, says Quentin, staring at the check, distracted, probably is. He hands her back the check, they bid each other good night and Quentin departs. Yaeger appears, seemingly from no where, reminding her of "our understanding"--you weren't to mention who gave you the check. She looks frightened. Apparently, you didn't understand, he says menacingly, moving towards her--that's a pity, because now I'm going to have to teach you--to understand.He grabs her around the throat and begins strangling her.

NOTES: The introduction of Buffie Harrington was, to me, one of the few bright lights of this storyline, which I always think of as the tale in which all the best DS actors were gone and they brought in the second string. Considering how many deserted the show during the Leviathan storyline, I felt this ill-advised. Who would want to watch with the main cast missing and Selby acting in a role that seemed, like a cheap suit, so ill-fitting?  Elizabeth Eis' character already seems more fleshed out than the rest of the 1970PT cast. One wonders why she stopped working at Collinwood--did Quentin fire her? Who else would have had the authority--and why?  Or was it a jealous Angelique?

John Yaeger, he of the askew nose, is definitely a violent, cruel man. You sense evil emanating from his every pore, the antithesis of the calm, gentle Cyrus. Why would such a good man want to release such an awful man to torment and torture others in the world? By the way, that caning sounded like it should have killed Steve.

We know Trask was involved in Dameon Edwards' death, but how--an accomplice to Bruno? Did he get rid of the body? Trask is a basket case over this, isn't he?

At least we didn't have to go through another stunned soul viewing what they are sure was Angelique's ghost when Trask saw Alexis--someone actually warned him about the close resemblance. He sure looked as if he'd seen a ghost, though, didn't he?

Yaeger's behavior toward Miss Harrington (who the credits call Buffie), is disturbing. He is charming and kind in one moment, cruel, dominating and violent in the next--yet you sense she's attracted to him. The scene in which he was caressing her neck with the tip of his cane was somewhat erotic--and oddly violent, too, knowing what that cane conceals.


997 - Lisa Richards doesn't do the intro well, putting little or wrong inflection on the words, but that doesn't surprise me.

Caught in Yaeger's strangling grip, Buffie battles for her life, begging, let me go!  Why should I let go? demands Yaeger, you're like all the others--you have to be trained.  She frees herself, pushing his arms away.  Like a dog, you have to be hit to learn, he insists. He pulls her arms behind her back.  Let me go! she cries.  You haven't learned your lesson yet, he says. You're hurting me! she protests. Just a little, says Yaeger, just so you'll learn to do what I say--you will, won't you?  He wrenches her arms painfully behind her back. Yes, she says, falling into a chair, crying. He lifts up her head, gazes into her face and observes, how pretty your tears are. You're insane! she cries.  I'm not, he says, I know how to live, how to get things from people, how to make anyone do as I say--an invaluable thing to know, something you must learn unless you want to live the rest of your life like this--you don't, do you? What do you mean? she asks, facing him. I want to give you the finest things, he says--money, furs, and riches--I'll give you anything, I want to make sure that you have everything. She pushes him away and stands. You don't want me to know how much you want them, do you? he asks breathlessly, laughing--I know you better than you know yourself, and you'll know that soon. You don't know me at all! cries Buffie angrily. That's a pointless thing to say, says Yaeger.  He caresses her cheek with his finger and says, I'm not angry you're fighting me, nor bored, either. Get out of here! she orders, moving away from his touch.  Gladly, he says, because you need time to think. Leave me alone! Demands Buffie.  I'll be back, he promises, and soon you won't be able to wait until I walk in that door--which will be soon, very soon. He leaves.  Buffie looks helpless and miserable.

Lab - We see the pretty black and white bunny. When did Cyrus leave? Quentin asks Sabrina.  The night before last, she replies. He went to New York?, asks Quentin. Yes she says. Did he drive? queries Quentin. Yes, she answers. His car is gone? Quentin asks. What's wrong? demands Sabrina, immediately becoming edgy. I don't know, says Quentin, and explains about the girl at the Eagle and the check Cyrus wrote yesterday. Cyrus was at the Eagle yesterday? Sabrina asks. No, says Quentin, he gave the check to some roughneck who tore up the place and gave a check in payment. I'll be able to tell, she says, I balanced Cyrus' records yesterday; he's one of the few scientists who can't subtract. . .there are two checks gone, she says--I know they were there when I finished--do you know this man's name? No, he responds, he said he was a friend of Cyrus', but the girl didn't seem to think he was Cyrus' sort, and found the connection odd. Sabrina thinks it over, and says, last week, I found an IOU made out to Cyrus from a man Cyrus claimed was an old friend--John Yaeger. You never saw Yaeger? asks Quentin.No, she answers, but it couldn't have been Yaeger--no friend of Cyrus' would come and take his checks--unless...something has happened to Cyrus--suddenly afraid, she says, I know something is wrong--he said he would call last night, but didn't--that Yaeger must have him someplace!  Quentin tries to reassure Sabrina, and says, if he does have Cyrus, I'll find him, he promises.

Buffie sits in her room, putting on earrings. She opens a closet and is taking out her coat when she notices the doorknob turning. She stares at it, demanding, who's there? It's her landlady, Mrs. Duval (one of Angelique's surnames, ironically).  When Buffie unlocks and opens the door, the elderly lady (from the Leviathan storyline, the one who told the sad tale of Michael and owned many birds) comments that Buffie is getting awfully private, locking her door--no need to in this house--do you have something for me? Buffie makes a face at the woman's prying--I do have the rent, says Buffie--I meant to leave it this evening. Buffie reaches for her pocketbook.  I can sure use it, dearie. "believe me," chirps the landlady, complaining about the price of owning property--I'm helping you out a lot. Mrs. Duval greedily accepts Buffie's check and puts it down her blouse. I really have to get to work, says Buffie.  You have plenty of time, dearie, the landlady assures her--you haven't thanked me yet. For the rest? asks Buffie, surprised. No, you know what I mean, the landlady says. No I don't, says Buffie. My four best rooms, that's what I mean, the woman says---I'm getting more money for them than I've ever gotten before--and unfurnished, too--it's going to be just grand--and you're responsible, too--here I thought you were just wasting your time with that Steve. Buffie is puzzled, then annoyed. When you get to my age, explains Mrs. Duval, you regret missing any chances, and you can't go back and start over again, believe me, I know--glad to see you're using your brain. How am I using it? asks Buffie, confused. You know, hints the lady. No, I don't, says Buffie. Come on, you're the one who recommended my place to this gentleman, the lady reminds her. What gentleman, who? asks Buffie. From the doorway, Yaeger says, "The gentleman, my dear, is me." He grins at the terrified expression on Buffie's face.

YOU! exclaims Buffie. Mrs. Duval, isn't she outrageous? Yaeger asks the landlady. He hangs his cane on a chair and says, Buffie was so enthusiastic about the place, I just had to come along. Yes, you did, says Buffie, annoyed, walking away from the other two. I learned to trust Buffie's taste, says Yaeger, and she'd learned to trust certain instincts of mine. I can understand that, says Mrs. Duval.  Yes, I'm sure you can, he says--you're an admirable landlady, you really are, I hope you won't mind if I send a few workmen up to my rooms, to work them over. (We see a TV set on DARK SHADOWS, right there in Buffie's room!)  I don't mind, she assures him. A few weeks of refurbishing it, he says--I want things exactly right. That will be a real education for all of us, says Mrs. Duval.  Especially for Miss Harrington, he says--I think she has to learn to live with beauty, it's amazing how much it does to the soul, beauty--well, this print for example, he says, taking it off the wall, no wonder you're depressed. I always wanted to get rid of that, says Mrs. Duval. Yaeger hands it to her--take it and burn it, he says. That's mine! Insists Buffie. I'm going to give you something far grander, he promises.I don't want anything from you, she says. Spirit, he says excitedly, that's what attracted me in the first place. I want my rent check back, Mrs. Duval, insists Buffie. I don't give rent checks back, says the landlady. That's unheard of, agrees Yaeger.  You're paid up for one month, as far as I'm concerned, Miss Duval tells Buffie. Yaeger laughs, and asks Buffie, do you need money?--I can advance you a little. No, says Buffie defiantly. What do you want? asks Yaeger.  Nothing, she says. Good, he says, I think the little storm has passed, Mrs. Duval--would you mind going up to my rooms and cleaning them up? Of course, she says, fawning over him--and this starts a new beginning for my house, she says eagerly. She leaves. Buffie starts to walk past Yaeger, who grabs her arm and asks, are you leaving without your things?  Yes, she says. I suggest you don't, he says, easing her down onto the sofa, I suggest you have a little patience with me, I think you want to live just as much as I do--I think you want excitement, don't you, because I think right now you're afraid of excitement--but you won't be for very long. I don't understand, says Buffie helplessly. Why you don't want to leave? Yaeger asks. That I do...and I don't, she says. The phone rings; she rushes to answer it. It's Quentin.  I can't talk now, she says. Hearing how upset and nervous she sounds, he asks if something's wrong.  No, she says, I was just going to wash my hair. Yaeger listens in on her conversation. It won't take long, Quentin assures her--I just want to know if you've seen the man from last night. Yaeger grabs her hand, whispering a warning no in her ear. No, she answers. Are you sure? Quentin asks, it's very important. I hope I never see him again, says Buffie, please believe that. Yaeger grins. I'm very worried about Cyrus, says Quentin.  I know nothing about him, says Buffie. Just tell me where I might find that man, begs Quentin. I can't tell you anything, says Buffie, and hastily hangs up the phone. She looks at Yaeger and says, "I like him, and you made me lie. I like him, why did I lie?" Cyrus Longworth is safe, Yaeger assures her. Quentin Collins has been really nice to me, says Buffie sadly, real nice, and YOU... I'm going to be nice to you, too, Yaeger assures her. I hate you! says Buffie--I hate you! For the moment, yes, says Yaeger, but not for long. He advances on her.

At the lab, we see Sabrina and Quentin reflected upside down in the magnifying mirror.  The hotel in New York is Cyrus' favorite place, explains, Sabrina--he always stays there when he visits. Perhaps this time, he didn't. Quentin suggests.  He'd have mentioned it if he were going to stay someplace new, says Sabrina worriedly, I know Cyrus--they said he hadn't made a reservation for yesterday--you know how methodical he is, Quentin!  Perhaps Cyrus is staying with friends, suggests Quentin. But he never does, she says stubbornly--there's something wrong, and you know it as well as I do--don't protect me, you said you would find Cyrus--what happened to him? I think one of two people knows where Cyrus is, says Quentin--I'll find one of them, at least.

Buffie angrily tosses her clothing into a suitcase. Why are you going away? asks Steve. I want to, replies Buffie. Why, honey? Steve asks. Sometimes, you're very nice, she says. Only don't ask, says Steve, finishing her thought. Right, she says--I wonder why I'm kidding myself--I'm not going anywhere, I only have $13.40 to my name, I would land in Worcester, get a job as a waitress, and it would be just the same as this all over again. What's wrong? asks Steve--it's that guy, isn't it?--he's been bothering you again. Steve, says Buffie wearily, go have a drink somewhere, go away, don't ask questions. I don't "dig" you, he says.It's about time you thought of that, she teases. Come on, he urges. Go, she says--just stay away from me, and don't get beat up for me anymore. I'll get him yet, vows Steve. No you won't, she says. You sound like he's some kind of superman, complains Steve. Maybe he is, she says, but don't bother trying to find out about him, just get out of here and leave me. He's holding her hand, looking at her as if he's in love with her.  "I mean it, Steve!" she says angrily.  His face twists in anger; he leaves. Buffie looks very sad. Steve leaves the rooming house, walking determinedly. Yaeger follows him, the deadly cane in his hand, smiling triumphantly.

Steve meets Yaeger on the docks, the same place where they fought before. We see Yaeger's shadow before the man himself. You're the reason she sent me away, Steve accuses. I can claim credit for that, admits Yaeger.  When Steve starts to attack him, Yaeger displays the business end of his cane, blade flashing out dangerously. Steve immediately disarms him and says, we're even now. Yaeger disputes this.  They get into another fight. Yaeger tightens his grip on Steve's throat, leaving him just enough air to call for help. Yaeger, hearing a policeman's whistle, looks around nervously, still throttling Steve.

 "You've seen Yaeger again--yes, that's his name," says Quentin, speaking to Buffie at her rooming house--"don't deny he's been here."  I do deny it, insists Buffie.  Quentin reminds her--I always trusted you, believed what you told me before (who fired this girl, Angelique? Quentin seems to have liked her a great deal--ah, perhaps that's why).  He has been here, Buffie confesses.  Yes, says Quentin, and I'm convinced he kidnapped Cyrus Longworth. Buffie defends Yaeger--he hasn't, she says. You've lied to me before, Quentin reminds her. I'm telling you the truth now, swears Buffie--he makes me lie, but I'm telling the truth now--he hasn't kidnapped anybody, otherwise he wouldn't be bothering me like he is. She seems ready to cry. Quentin mulls this over.

At the lab, Sabrina removes her lab coat and heads upstairs. The back door opens.  Yaeger, whistling very close by, leaps inside--the antidote, I must have it. . .the police will track me here--I must be Cyrus Longworth again! He reaches into the safe and is about to drink the potion when Quentin enters the lab. Yaeger? he calls. Ah, Mr. Collins, Yaeger replies in a friendly voice. So you're Yaeger, says Quentin. At your service, sir, says Yaeger grandly. Quentin comes closer. Aren't you surprised I know who you are? asks Yaeger. Where is Cyrus? Demands Quentin.  I was going to ask you the same question, says Yaeger. Don't lie to me, says Quentin. I wouldn't lie to a gentleman, Yaeger assures him.  Why won't you tell me what you've done with Cyrus? asks Quentin. What can one do with a Cyrus, an interesting theoretical question, isn't it? poses Yaeger Where is he?--you know! insists Quentin, walking over to the desk to close the safe. Now I'm going to be accused of being a burglar, says Yaeger--Cyrus can explain all that. Can he? asks Quentin. He gave me the safe combination, says Yaeger--I'm storing a lot of valuables in there. I don't believe a word you say--where is he? demands Quentin. Keep asking that, Yaeger suggests.  I will, Quentin assures him, until I get an answer, or Cyrus Longworth walks down those stairs.Yaeger gives Quentin a weak grin, obviously wondering to himself--how am I going to get out of this one?

NOTES: So Yaeger thinks people have to be "trained," like dogs, huh?  What a sweetheart of a guy! His violence toward Buffie is and was shocking, but what was even stranger was the feeling that while she was protesting and objecting to what he did to her, she craved it as much as he enjoyed dishing it out--two people in a very dysfunctional relationship.

This is one of the uglier storylines, as I recall. There was something about Yaeger and his relationships, especially with Buffie, that really felt "off." It's hard to explain, but I'd never seen anything approaching it on any other soap of the time. That Yaeger was cruel, bad, violent, yet Buffie was undeniably attracted to him, wanted to protect him, made me wonder which of them was really worse off. In any event, it was troubling, but certainly interesting. Somehow, you just knew bad things would happen to Buffie, and mostly through her own choices.

Compared with Elizabeth Eis, Lisa Richards is a non-entity, and I'm not just talking looks. Eis is a fine actress, very believable, while Richards continues to irritate me with her voice and lack of acting skills. Both are young women, new actresses, yet are poles apart, talent-wise--IMHO.

Now, how will Yaeger get out of this predicament--chased by the police outside, Quentin demanding he release the presumably kidnapped Cyrus. Perhaps Yaeger should just turn into Cyrus before Quentin's eyes! That will certainly add to the fun Quentin's having these days!

Love, Robin

992 -
Are you going to answer his question? Quentin asks Alexis.  Quentin, your son had a nightmare, says Alexis.  Resigned, Daniel says, "You aren't going to answer my question."  You know I'm not your mother, she says, and if you weren't half asleep, you wouldn't ask me that question. I'm not half asleep, protests Daniel--I'm awake. Then I'm your Aunt Alexis, and I love you very much, she says, and I want to help you as much as I can--and I think the best way to do that is to straighten these covers and get you back to sleep ASAP.  Quentin agrees.  Alexis begins to hum "Mockingbird," which makes both Quentin and Daniel look stricken. Do I fluff your pillow the way you like it? she asks.  It's exactly like...you know, he says. She crosses her arms and looks down at him--finishing, exactly the way your mother used to do it--the way to fluff a pillow is fairly universal knowledge. That little singing, he said. She hums it again and explains, my sister and I learned that from your grandmother, who inadvertently sang it when making a bed--we both imitated her song and all, without realizing it. I understand, says Daniel. Quentin seems to be having trouble breathing as Alexis explains to her nephew, you must accept life the way it is. I know, says Daniel. Get some sleep, she encourages--you'll feel better in the morning. Both Quentin and Alexis wish him good night.  Quentin seems to have much on his mind as he closes his son's door.

Stokes' cottage - Hannah Stokes does Bruno's horoscope, which reveals, the stars are in opposition, the heavens are in turmoil--beware! she advises. Of what? he asks. Some alien forces at work against you, she says. Could this alien force be of the spirit world? he asks. I can only conjecture, she says, but my answer is yes. Can you anticipate my next question? asks Bruno. You want to know if it's the spirit of my niece, Angelique, she guesses. Well? he asks. You know as well as I do that the charts convey nothing of such a thing, says Hannah. This woman at Collinwood, posing as Alexis is Angelique, says Bruno, and I must have proof to end this uncertainty that's driving me out of my mind--that's why I brought you here tonight. She stands, rolling up the paper, and says, I can't help you now, but tomorrow, I'll be back with another tale to tell--Angelique and Alexis are my nieces, don't you think I can tell them apart? No, says Bruno, I don't think anyone can tell if that woman at Collinwood is Angelique!  Remember, I have ways not confined to the eye, says Hannah--tomorrow, I will come again, and by then, you'll know which of my nieces is at Collinwood, Angelique or Alexis.

Collinwood drawing room - Alexis trims flowers and speaks to  Quentin--it breaks my heart the way David--Daniel is so insistent I'm his mother. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so impatient with him, says Quentin. (ya think?)  It will take time for him to get to know me as I really am, she says, until then, he's bound to be confused--do you agree?  Quentin has been closely watching her trim the flowers.  What's wrong? asks Alexis.  Quentin doesn't reply. Ah, I know exactly what you're thinking, she says--I'm sitting here pruning this plant, exactly as you saw Angelique do a thousand times, am I right? Yes, says Quentin, it was just one of her habits. Our mother's influence again, remarks Alexis--it was she who taught us to care for plants and shrubbery, and flowers--consequently, every time we got near a plant, we began to prune and trim it--habits of childhood always stay with us. He excuses himself.  Before he leaves, she asks, what would Angelique have done with the dead leaves?--I don't want to leave them for Hoffman to clean up. I don't recall, answers Quentin, but I don't think it matters. Then I'll throw them into the fireplace, she says. Oh, yes, that's exactly what she did, says Quentin unhappily. Alexis watches him go, her expression bordering on smug.

Are you going to tell me what you'll do? Bruno asks Hannah. I already told you--I'll discover whether Alexis is Alexis. HOW? demands Bruno. Let that question keep you company through the long, long night, she suggests, and leaves, laughing. He shakes his head and begins to play Angelique's theme on the piano. The sheet music of that song sitting on top of the piano.

Daniel lies in his bed. Quentin enters his room and finds him still awake. I can't sleep, says Daniel, I keep going over and over it in my mind, and I feel if she hadn't seen you come into the room, it would all be different now--when I asked her if she was my mother, she was about to answer--and I know the answer would have been yes. Quentin looked perturbed to hear his son's assessment.

Daytime - Collinwood's foyer - Why don't you ever come to see your great-aunt anymore? Hannah asks Daniel.  I don't know, he says.  I do, says Hannah--it's because your father doesn't want you to--never mind, it's all right--it's good to see you again. You really came to see HER again, didn't you? he asks. My niece, Alexis? she asks--is there any reason why I shouldn't have? No, I guess not, he says. When she pulls her Tarot cards from her pocket (she always brings them), he asks, can you read them for me the way you used to?  She doesn't answer. Alexis, heading downstairs, sternly, angrily, tells Daniel, put them back where they belong. Hannah greets her--it's too long, she says, you look lovely, why haven't you come to see me--you know how fond I am of you?  How are you? asks Alexis.  Splendid, responds Hannah, now that I see you again--aren't you going to ask me in? Yes, of course, says Alexis--Daniel, hang up Hannah's coat.  Daniel does so, but first removes the cards from the pocket again, fanning them out in his hands. He stealthily goes upstairs.

Drawing room - It pleases me to see you looking so well, Alexis, says Hannah, especially after what you've been through. Her death came as quite a shock, admits Alexis. Death--is that all you call it? asks Hannah. I don't understand, says Alexis. My friend Bruno mentioned something about a seance, says Hannah, in which you participated, where the word murder was spoken. Alexis, who has been tearing the hell out of a handkerchief, says, I don't wish to discuss it--I'm sure you've been given the information from your dear friend, Bruno. Hannah sneaks the handkerchief off the table and into her sleeve. Only the vaguest outlines, says Hannah, I was sure I'd get the details from you. I'm afraid not, says Alexis coldly. But my dear child...protests Hannah.  I don't want to seem rude, says Alexis, but I have never been your dear child, anymore than I was my father's--I'm sorry, but I do have other things to do today. I've upset you--forgive me--I can come another time, says Hannah soothingly. She runs into Quentin as she's leaving, and chirpily says, don't ask me to stay; I've upset Alexis terribly and must leave at once--no no no, don't try to see me out, I know the way. To Alexis, she says, I'll see you again--I promise we will discuss nothing troublesome--now take good care, my dear Alexis, goodbye--she closes the double doors. Sourly, Quentin asks Alexis, what was that all about? Bruno sent her, says Alexis, annoyed. Why? asks Quentin. I wish I knew, says Alexis--just harassment, I suppose--she knows I don't particularly like her, and never has, and the moment she walked in here, she immediately began to talk about Angelique, and the possibility she had been murdered--it sometimes gets to be too much. I promise to do what I can to clear things up, as soon as possible, says Quentin.

Daniel sets up the Tarot cards on his desk in his room.  You don't know what they mean, says Amy--admit it. I do, he says, but it takes time and concentration to figure it out. Hannah enters--I knew I'd find my cards here, she says. Amy accusingly says, he claims to know how to read them, but he doesn't. Perhaps sometime I may teach...she begins, then stops as she gazes in consternation down at the cards on the desk. She quickly gathers them up.  Did one of the cards told you something scared you? asks Daniel. No, she says, I barely looked at them, and next time you want to borrow them, young man, you might ask me first. She leaves. See? says Amy, even she said you didn't have any of the cards. I know how to read them well enough, says Daniel. And what does that mean? she asks. He points to a spot where a card had been, inverted, that scared Hannah--the Tower of Destruction.

Bruno's cottage - The pianist asks Hannah, who's sprinkling some herbs onto the handkerchief she pilfered, "She's Angelique, isn't she?" You shall know very shortly, she promises--the handkerchief belongs to the woman who calls herself Alexis, a few dried herbs...a sprinkling of bone dust...and we shall see! She lights a candle. If this cloth belongs to the one you claim is one of the living dead, and Angelique must be that, the cloth will turn blood red at the sound of my incantation--will that be enough answer for you?  I should think so, he says. Hannah raises her hands over her spell and says, "Come spirit of death and all things dead, touch here with your blood-red hand all that belongs to you--if this small cloth burns to death, mark it with your sign, the sign of blood! The cloth has begun to burn, fiery flames licking at it. Bruno and Hannah watch, stunned.

Bruno gazes at the pile of ashes in front of Hannah--what does it mean? he asks. Some spirit is opposed to us, says Hannah, and the truths we want to know. Who, Angelique? he wonders. Soon I might be able to tell you, she says--the cards have often come to my aid in times past-- perhaps now, but I must have complete silence. She arranges the cards on the piano--I ask to be rejoined with the spirits here so I might see with eyes more powerful than my own, and read the truth revealed before me--looks, eyes--and see what no man sees.  Quentin quietly enters the cottage. Hannah gasps, "Angelique! Angelique is here--she's here at Collinwood!"Quentin hastily retreats before they see him, but he has overheard this last. I was right, exults Bruno-- she's here at Collinwood, all along I was right!  All I have seen is that Angelique is here, what form she has taken, I don't know. In one form, posing as Alexis, insists Bruno.  No, says Hannah, the cards don't specifically say that, remember, the dead can return in many ways, some visible, some not, all they know is that Angelique is here, more than that, I cannot say.

Quentin stands before the front door of Collinwood, thinking to himself, Alexis is Angelique...no, it's not possible, he argues, I don't believe Hannah and her madness--what I saw Alexis do, she explained it all--she can't be Angelique--she's dead! And yet, what I just saw--and heard--I wonder. Upon entering Collinwood, he overhears Amy on the phone, plaintively telling someone, I don't want to stay here--"I want to go and stay with you--I'm scared here!"  What's wrong? asks Quentin.  I'm talking to my brother, she says. Quentin takes the phone from her.  Amy is very upset, says Chris. I know that, says Quentin, but I have a feeling everything will be cleared up shortly--let me talk to her first, no sense her going away without a reason.There IS a reason! protests Amy. After hanging up, Quentin kneels--first of all, he says, I want you to tell me what's bothering you so much. Alexis, says Amy. What troubles you about her? he asks.  I don't know, says Amy, it's just that since she came here, she caused trouble--Maggie left because of her... Do me a favor, Amy, asks Quentin--wait for a while, I have something important to do, and if you   allow me to do this one thing, we can decide if you should live with your brother or not--all right? She agrees. Good girl, he says, grinning, and kisses her forehead. He heads upstairs.

Outside the door of Angelique's room, Quentin listens to what he assumes is Alexis playing the piano. Hearing a scream, he bursts into the room. Alexis stands there, hands over her mouth, screaming. "Angelique! she's here!" she cries--"Her spirit is here--look!" Unseen hands are playing the piano. Quentin gazes at this sight, sickened and scared.

NOTES: Hannah is a wacky character with her deep voice, lots of jewelry and beehive hairdo. I enjoyed the way she chastised Daniel for taking her cards, but so gently and sweetly. Paula Laurence does a nice job, part maiden aunt, part supernatural "seer" and just a nice addition all around.

Has Angelique returned to play her song on the piano? What caused the handkerchief to burn? Why couldn't Hannah just tell this was her niece Alexis by talking to her? She claims she could always tell them apart, what happened?

Nice scene with Amy and Quentin. He sometimes reminds me of the old Quentin, and is a lot more fun.


993 -
The piano plays on.  Alexis, terrified, insists, it must be Angelique, I know it is!  I don't believe it, says Quentin--it can't happen. Alexis agrees--but it's true!  Are you sure it's Angelique? asks Quentin.  There was a fragrance in the room when I came in, reveals Alexis--Angelique's favorite perfume--I though it my imagination, but when I started writing to some friends in Florence, slowly, as I was writing, I began to feel something, I can't describe it, a presence--so I kept trying to write, but the feeling grew and grew, until...she stops upon finding a bracelet.  Was it hers? she asks.  He takes it from Alexis--I gave it to her, he says--Angelique used to take it off before playing. It must be her, says Alexis, staring at the bracelet in his hand-- now I know why her spirit isn't at rest--Sabrina kept saying during the seance, murder!--how can a murdered spirit be at rest until the murderer has been found?--I know you're reluctant to believe in spirits, but some things can't be ignored, like the seance and the music!  I didn't do more about Angelique's death because I didn't know what more could be done, says Quentin, should I call in the authorities? No, cries Alexis, they'd laugh at us, think we were being hysterical.--no, we must find out for ourselves!  How and what? Quentin asks. Suppose Angelique or somebody else... It can't be someone else, protests Alexis--I'm sure it's  Angelique--the only confusing thing is that she lacks the power to tell us more. I suppose you're right, says Quentin, but there's so very much we don't know.

Cyrus' lab - Hello, pretty bunny! Sabrina putters around in the lab, mixing and measuring things. Mr. Gladstone stops by, surprising Sabrina, with a package for the absent Cyrus--one he was most anxious to have delivered tonight. He walks past her; she closes and locks the basement door. He didn't mention you'd be coming, says Sabrina.  I guess Cyrus doesn't mention either me or the experiment very often, says Gladstone. The doctor doesn't waste time in discussions, she says--just give me the package. He immediately notices her missing engagement ring.  Sabrina angrily demands the package--I'll sign for it. I trust there is no difficulty between you two, says Gladstone.  Impatiently, she says, I'm very busy, give me the package. As uncommunicative as the doctor, eh? asks Gladstone, well, it's none of my business, I suppose... May I have a receipt to sign? She asks.  Surely, he says, you know my policy by now--only the doctor can sign for it. And you have been repeatedly told that I have the authority to sign, she reminds him. Gladstone counters--I have told you and the doctor repeatedly that only HE can sign! IF you are doing this just to question Dr. Longworth, I suggest you save yourself the time and trouble, she advises--he will discuss it with no one!  I'll wait, says Gladstone, you don't have to worry about me--I'll just wait. He sits on a stool. She gives him a dirty look and goes back to her work, staring at him with distrust.

Quentin, says Alexis, it would probably be silly, but you do understand, don't you? We have many rooms at Collinwood, he says, and there's no reason for you to stay in this one if it disturbs you. Just for tonight, says Alexis--I'd prefer to sleep elsewhere. I'll show you one of the rooms, he says.  I'm sorry for the trouble, she says.  You didn't cause any of it, he assures her, I'm so sorry you had to bear so much. As long as you're here to share it with me, I really don't mind, she says. (hmmmm)   I'll show you another room, he volunteers--I hope you'll be comfortable there. I hope so, too, she agrees. He leads her out of the room.  She hugs herself--it's nothing, she says.  It clearly is, says Quentin. Alexis gasps.  What's wrong? demands Quentin.  Don't you feel it? she asks, someone is following us!  She covers her mouth with her hand. Everything will be all right, says Quentin, and opens a door to another room--perhaps you would prefer to stay downstairs for a while? No, she says, I'm determined not to let this upset me. You'll be all right, he says.  She enters the room. He stands there, looking around nervously, then quickly turns as though expecting to catch someone--but no one is there.

Lab - Did I keep you waiting long? Cyrus asks Gladstone.  No, says Gladstone, Miss Stuart was most diverting. I appreciate your full cooperation, says Cyrus.  I doubt that, says Gladstone, but I'm not doing it for your appreciation. Yes, of course, says Cyrus, eagerly accepting the box from him. Now, about the difficulty, begins Gladstone.  Cyrus abruptly asks Sabrina, get us some coffee; I'm working late. She's surprised--you didn't say you'd be working late.  She leaves to get the coffee. You aren't to discuss this in front of anybody, warns Cyrus. Not even Miss Stuart? questions Gladstone. Including anyone and everyone, says Cyrus--what abut the difficulty? Gladstone says, I checked the compound and found a minor impurity, but I can't believe it could cause anything as extreme as amnesia--I know so little of your work, perhaps you could tell me MORE (and he sounds suddenly fanatic). You DID find an impurity! Says Cyrus--even something infinitesimal could be enough!--the chemical balance is extremely delicate. If only I could know how you're using this synthesis, says Gladstone, looking loony again.I don't discuss my work with anybody, insists Cyrus. On whom--or what--were you performing the experiment? asks Gladstone--how did you measure its effects?  I can't discuss this with anybody, repeats Cyrus--please leave immediately. He opens the door and adds, take safeguards against impurity in the synthesis--you must--I indicated how important and delicate this chemical is! Yes, says Gladstone, beaten, you indicated that much--good night, I'll see you very soon; meanwhile, you have the best of my good wishes. Cyrus locks the door after him. Cyrus eagerly takes the box from the cabinet in which he put it, but returns it hastily when Sabrina comes down with the coffee. Thank you, darling, he says.  Are you really going to work late? she asks. Yes, he says, there's so much to do. How can you work when you're walking in your sleep half the time? she asks, concerned--you never gets any sleep. I neither need nor want sleep, he says. I heard Mr. Gladstone say there was a difficulty in the experiment, she notes. Nothing to worry about, he says, guarded. I don't know what the problem might be, she says, but it could be a general lack of rest--Cyrus, I have seen your hands shake more than once lately--when I speak of sleep and rest, I'm really talking about your work.  She takes his hands in hers. He chuckles and asks, will you wake me in half an hour if I go upstairs to rest?  No, she says impishly--you must stay there one hour, that will give me time to clean up and re-heat your coffee. I forgot about my coffee, he says.  Coffee break is now in exactly one hour, she says sternly. He agrees, kisses her, and heads upstairs. She feeds the rabbit something. No sooner has Cyrus exited than Alexis comes to the door, apologizing for the lateness of the hour--but I must see Cyrus.  What do you want? asks Sabrina.  I have questions about the seance, says Alexis--there are things I must find out--when you were crying out MURDER, what else did you see?--what did you mean? It's difficult to think about, says Sabrina--what do you know about the first seance?  I know a man spoke through you, says Alexis--he said things about Angelique that enraged Quentin. That's right, says Sabrina. Something about Bruno, continues Alexis, and then Quentin began strangling Angelique, and the lights went out; when they came back on, Angelique was dead--is that right? Yes, says Sabrina. But there was more, continues Alexis, something else happened while it was dark?--and that's what you saw in the second seance? I began to see it all over again, says Sabrina--Quentin and Angelique in the dark, the noise and shouting, and there was someone else near Angelique. Who? demands Alexis. I don't know, says Sabrina--it was all so dark and confusing. You've GOT to remember, insists Alexis, who did you see near Angelique? I don't know! insists Sabrina.  Alexis apologizes--I didn't mean to sound so harsh. That's all right, says Sabrina, I wish I had seen the person, but I didn't. Whoever you saw near Angelique must have murdered her, says Alexis--why haven't you said anything about this before?It was all so confusing, says Sabrina evasively, and...please, no more questions. Alexis apologizes--I only want to know for Angelique's sake.

Collinwood drawing room - "A disturbed spirit, here? And you believe that--YOU?" asks a skeptical Hannah of Quentin--"I could hardly believe my ears when I got your call."  I really don't believe in the occult, says Quentin, but there does seem to be a restless spirit here in this house. Angelique? she suggests. Do you believe that? asks Quentin.  Don't you? she asks slyly. Not looking at her, he says, I concede the possibility. What, exactly, do you want me to do? she asks To rid this house of whoever or whatever is in it, says Quentin.  That isn't always easy, warns Hannah. Will you try? he demands. The lights go out.  The room is filled with wind; the windows blow open. Hannah begins to shriek--someone is strangling me! she cries.

Quentin races to Hannah's side. What happened? he asks. "My throat!" she cries. "Light the lights, quick!" He does as she asks.  Whatever is throttling Hannah lets go. She gasps out to Quentin, a hand was choking me!. Sounding as if he doesn't believe her, he insists, tell me what happened. She flatly informs him, I can't do anything to help you, because the spirit that roams these rooms won't be driven out--it wants to stay--and it's powerful--believe me, most powerful! There must be something that can be done, protests Quentin.  Look! says Hannah, pointing to the desk drawer, which is opening by itself. What does it mean? asks Quentin. Look inside and see! blares Hannah. Quentin opens the drawer and takes out Bruno's sheet music, which has blood on it.There's a note, says Quentin--"It must be tonight."  In whose hand? she asks. I can't make that out, he says--it's printed; it's all got to mean something--Bruno, the music, the message. All I know is, says the terrified Hannah, I must leave this house! You mean you can't explain anymore of this? asks Quentin angrily. I'm too frightened to try, she admits. Promise me, he says, don't mention any of this to Bruno. Do you think he's implicated in some way? she asks. PROMISE ME! he shouts. She agrees--if I can, but please, I must go. He grabs her arm and orders, tell me if you find out anything more about this. She nods, pulling away, but cautions, expect nothing at all from me.  Sounding as if she's going to cry, she runs off. The clock shows 10:10.

11:15 - Speaking to Alexis, Quentin reports, I've never seen Hannah Stokes so frightened.  He describes how they found Bruno's music in the drawer. When will we find out the answers to all these questions? asks Alexis. The phone rings. Quentin answers. It's Hannah, who says, I've she's read the cards, and there is danger at Collinwood--the cards do not lie--danger for all of you! Quentin hangs up and says, the cards predict danger, but exactly what, Hannah couldn't say--what if the spirit isn't Angelique, but another spirit who could cause great harm?  Don't say that! says Alexis. Maybe all of us should leave, suggests Quentin. No, insists Alexis, I can't leave--I must find out what's happening--go and take the others with you, but I will stay here. She goes upstairs. Left alone, Quentin ponders--if it isn't Angelique, who could it be? And the music--the picture of Bruno, the blood--what does it all mean? He finds the desk drawer closed, but doesn't recall closing it. He opens the drawer and finds the sheet music gone. He backs away and the windows fly open by themselves.  He hears Angelique's music. Someone's coming, he says--Angelique, is it you? Appear to me, will you, appear to me! He runs into the foyer, up a few stairs, then returns to the drawing room, where what he sees makes his eyes fly open. "No!" he says in a hushed whisper.

NOTES: So, what made Quentin get that twisted-face expression on his face at the end there? Is the spirit Angelique or someone else?

Why is Gladstone so obsessed with Cyrus' experiment? What does he hope to gain by finding out? And what is it about his experiment that is making Cyrus keep it a secret from the one he supposedly loves, Sabrina? Doesn't trust come with love?  Or does he feel she wouldn't approve?

Hannah is so over the top, her diction perfect, she's a hoot to watch.  Normally, such a character would irritate me, but since no one else seems to have a sense of humor in this storyline and everything is so deadly serious, I'm enjoying her. Her BEWARE! is just too much, you know?

Love, Robin

988 - Notice that Angelique was only 30 when she died, perhaps 29. Does that mean she and Quentin had Daniel when she was only 16? Did the poor girl seduce the rich boy and get pregnant?

Bruno, hammering away at Angelique's tomb, is interrupted by an angry Quentin and a horrified Alexis. Quentin smiles--I didn't even think you capable of something like this, Bruno.The latter defensively says, I couldn't think of any other way to find out the truth. This is monstrous! pronounces Alexis. Get away from the vault, orders Quentin. I'm going through with this, insists Bruno--I'm convinced this grave is empty! You're insane! cries Alexis. Quentin grabs away Bruno's hammer--get out!--before I report you to the police. Bruno laughs--I doubt you'll do that--it might just open up a lot of the past--"If you know what I mean," he says pointedly. Quentin, uncomfortable, gulps. What are you talking about? asks Alexis. He's trying to threaten me, something he's quite good about, says Quentin sourly. I don't understand, says Alexis. Get off the estate and out of Collinsport, commands Quentin--I know you won't leave voluntarily, so I want to make a deal--I'll give you 25 thousand dollars, in cash, for the deed to the cottage. I don't want your money, sneers Bruno, but since you're in a mood to make a deal--let me open the vault--if I'm wrong and her body is there, I'll give you the deed to the cottage, go away and never come back. NO! shouts Alexis, I won't have my sister's grave defiled. She walks over and stands dejectedly in a corner of the mausoleum. Want to get rid of me? offers Bruno--I'm giving you your chance. I'll find a way to get rid of you, promises Quentin--the answer is no--get out of here! Quentin adds a parting shot as Bruno exits--I'm going to have the entrance to this tomb sealed, and if I find it's been tampered with in any way, I will go to the police. In a huff, Bruno leaves. Quentin apologizes to Alexis. It wasn't your fault, she assures him. That man's a parasite, gripes Quentin. Alexis looks at her sister's grave and says, I don't want to stay here now after what's happened--I want to come back another time. I understand, says Quentin--I'll take you back to Collinwood. He puts an arm around her and leads her out.

Cyrus' lab - I'd have had that grave opened in just a few more minutes, bitches Bruno to Cyrus--I'm certain Angelique's body wouldn't be there! That's why I'm a scientist and you aren't, says Cyrus--I only believe in things I'm certain I can see, but sometimes I wish I had your daring--you're an endless source of wonder to me. I would stake everything I own on the fact that the woman at Collinwood is Angelique, says Bruno emphatically. Cyrus, writing in a ledger, reminds him, you own little, so the risk would be minimal. Do you think me crazy? asks Bruno. The notion of bringing the dead back to life is fascinating, agrees Cyrus, the majority of people don't believe it because the notion has no precedents--I think you believe this woman to be Angelique because, psychologically, you want her to be--of course, I wasn't involved with her in quite the same way... Bruno, annoyed, interrupts him--put your notes away and help me--there must be some way to prove... I told you when you came in that I have a lot of work to do, Cyrus reminds him. How long are you going to stay cooped up in his tiny little world? asks Bruno, irritated. Cyrus mildly retorts, your world is the narrow one, because there is no one in it but you--my world is open to expansion, and expand it shall, very soon now. I realize you aren't going to help me, says Bruno angrily--I'll go mad if I don't find out about Angelique tonight! He stalks out.

Collinwood - Quentin and Alexis return. As they take off their coats, she apologizes for what Bruno did. I don't want you blaming herself, insists Quentin. Has there been any news from Maggie? she asks. None, he replies. If there is anything--anything--I can do. . .she offers. You're very kind, he says, but I must work it out for myself. Of course, she says, and bids him good night--you'll be here if I need you. She heads upstairs.

We see the black and white bunny in his cage. Sabrina is playing with another animal. Mr. Gladstone comes downstairs. Sabrina is upset when he says the door was open--I was sure I locked it--Cyrus will be upset with me. She heads upstairs, excusing herself. Gladstone quietly unlocks the lab's outer door. Sabrina returns. Can I reach Cyrus? asks Gladstone. No, says Sabrina, he said he had business to do, and wouldn't be home until late--he asked me to close the lab for him. She pushes all the books and ledgers inside the desk and locks the roll-top. Why would Cyrus be upset to learn you left the upstairs door open? He asks. His work is very important to him, says Sabrina--he considers this his private sanctuary--he is very dedicated to this experiment, she says.Yes, I gathered as much from my conversation with him, says Gladstone. I'm finished, says Sabrina--I must close up now. Ask him to call me tomorrow, requests Gladstone, I'll be at my hotel. Of course--and good NIGHT, Mr. Gladstone, says Sabrina. After you, says Gladstone. Sighing, she turns off the lights and precedes him upstairs.

Alexis is brushing her hair in her sister's room, sitting in front of the mirror. Angelique's portrait is reflected above her head. Bruno bursts into the room. How do you dare come here again? demands Alexis. Maddened, he says, I don't intend to leave--not until you tell me why you're torturing me this way. Alexis looks very upset--what is she going to do with this loon?

I don't believe I've ever met anyone quite like you, comments Alexis. Those are the first words you spoke to me two years ago, he informs her. Listen to me, she begins, but he stops her--YOU LISTEN TO ME! he says--if you have any regard at all for a man's sanity! I'm beginning to have my doubts about yours, she says. Why are you doing this to me? he demands--pretending you aren't who you are?--is it because you no longer care for me, are you trying to spare my feelings--that's impossible--if you're never to be a part of my life again, then life itself will become pointless to me--if that's it, tell me why, that's all I want from you. She turns and says, I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for you. Bruno, incensed, says, I don't want you or anyone else feeling sorry for me. You give me no choice, she insists--anger, frustration, becoming outraged, means nothing to you, and anyone who would mold his life around the belief that a loved one can return from the grave only deserves to be pitied. I believed that, he says, because you MADE me believe it! We are never made to do anything, she insists. You were something unique in my experience, you gave me reason for being, he says passionately--if you're going to tell me you're going to reject me and why, I'll believe you again, it's got to be that way, because I love you, more than I've ever loved you. I will tell you only one thing, says Alexis, and for the last time--I am NOT Angelique. I'LL NEVER ACCEPT THAT! shouts Bruno. Then you must leave here and never try to see me again, she insists. No, he protests. I will use force, if necessary, to get you out of here! she warns. Then use it, he challenges. All right, I will, says Alexis, and runs out of the room, about to cry. Bruno stands there, helpless.

Gladstone enters Cyrus' lab through the door he left open and jimmies open the roll-top desk. He opens a drawer and finds Cyrus' ledger, which he begins reading with a flashlight. His eyes widen.

Alexis enters the drawing room--I'm sorry for disturbing you, Quentin, she says, I realize you've been through enough tonight--but that man, Bruno, he's back, here now, in my room. Bruno, standing in the doorway, chortles, it's nice, at least, to hear you refer to it as "your room." I told you you're forbidden to enter this house, Quentin reminds him. I think it's possible Angelique fooled us all at the seance, and didn't die at all. You're stark, raving mad! accuses Quentin. Oh, no, says Bruno, I'm anything but mad, and you know it. If you go on about people returning from the grave, people will begin wondering about you, warns Quentin. Let them wonder, says Bruno--I know what I know, and I'm surprised you don't realize who she really is--but then again, I didn't know her as well as you did, did I? Quentin darts forward, enraged, and grabs Bruno by the shirt front--get out before I have you carried out! shouts Quentin. The master of Collinwood has spoken, says Bruno sarcastically--all right, I'll retire to my cozy little cottage, and live to fight another day. You're living on borrowed time already, says Quentin. That sounds suspiciously like a threat, says Bruno. Interpret it any way you want, invites Quentin, just get out and stay out! Well, we'll meet again, we always do, says Bruno. He bows and says goodnight to Alexis, calling her "my dear." Quentin just about has smoke coming from his nostrils. Alexis gazes at him in consternation.

Gladstone reads from Cyrus' ledger, which says, "With each passing day, I draw steadily closer, morally and intellectually, to the inescapable truth that man is not truly one, but truly two, the one being good, the other, evil. Now I am prepared to prove that each of these elements can he housed in separate identities." Gladstone repeats the last three words. He hears someone coming down the stairs.

Cyrus enters his lab and turns on the light. Gladstone is no where to be seen. Cyrus realizes his desk has been tampered with, and finds both flashlight and crowbar. Come out where I can you, orders Cyrus. Gladstone reveals himself, admitting, I find this a trifle embarrassing. I'm not surprised to see you, says Cyrus, my instincts told m you couldn't be trusted. Were my instincts as good, laments Gladstone--your young lady told me you wouldn't be back until late, and I believed her. How long have you been here? demands Cyrus. Long enough to realize I have contributed to a most intriguing experiment, says Gladstone. You have contributed nothing, says Cyrus, you were paid for that ingredient you contributed. Forgive me, says Gladstone, but I just couldn't contain my curiosity. Has your curiosity been satisfied now? asks Cyrus. No, I regret to say it hasn't--your handwriting leaves something to be desired, complains Gladstone, but I understand more of your theory now--I, too, share in your interest in the elevation of our fellow man, I could be of enormous help to you. I don't think we have anything in common, says Cyrus angrily--please go, I have a great deal of work to do today. Think it over, says Gladstone, I'll be around for a few days--I think you have embarked on a very lonely and perhaps dangerous course--you may find yourself in need of a friend along the way. I'll keep that in mind, says Cyrus defiantly--good night! Gladstone leaves.

Quentin paces the drawing room, then sits down--Alexis enters with a tea tray--I hope we're rid of that Bruno, she remarks, pouring tea. You can be sure we aren't, he says. Isn't there some way you can force him off your property? she asks. Not according to my lawyer, says Quentin. Bruno said something about a seance? She asks. Guarded, Quentin says yes. Did that have anything to do with my sister's death? asks Alexis. He rises from the sofa, perturbed. Did I bring up a painful memory for you? she asks. No, you have a perfect right to inquire about anything concerning your sister, he says. Would you rather not discuss it? she asks. If you don't mind, he says. Of course I don't, she says, grinning and batting her eyelashes at him.

Cyrus' lab - He's brewed some dark concoction and adds a powder, which makes it start to bubble. He pours some of the mixture into a glass, carries it over to the desk and sets it down. He writes in his ledger, my theory is ready to be put to the test--I am aware of the potential power of the drug I have created, and of the danger I face, perhaps I am even risking death, but I am not afraid. He takes the glass and is about to drink, but hears Sabrina coming downstairs. They each wonder what the other is doing here at this hour. I came to check the lab when I saw the light was on, she says. I came back to do some work, he explains. She touches his face--you're tired, she says--will you ever think of taking a rest? Perhaps I will, he says, taking her hand in his--the experiment is almost at an end. It would be nice to see more of you, she says lovingly. I did warn you about me, he says. I know, she says, you're very dedicated to your work, and I'm glad it's almost over. She kisses his hand--maybe you'll tell me about it. If it's successful, I will, he agrees--run along, I have much to do tonight. I don't mind paying second fiddle to your work, she says--you're such a gentle man, that's what I love most about you. She kisses his mouth and bids him goodnight. He starts to follow her. You don't have to come up with me, says Sabrina--I'll lock the door. She leaves. Cyrus picks up the glass and, after a moment's hesitation, drinks it down.Instantly, pain courses through him, and he drops the glass to the floor. He falls to the floor, writhing in agony.

NOTES: So, folks, is Alexis really Angelique or not? I remember wondering back when I first watched this storyline. She seemed so nice, gentle, and very unlike the witch Angelique we were familiar with in RT. Lara Parker does a marvelous job with this one, keeping us guessing.

Bruno is a nut job, for sure. You would think if Quentin really wanted to get rid of him, he'd have him arrested for grave-robbing, but he seems reluctant to take real action against him, he just keeps making threats. Wonder why?

What's with the seance and Angelique? Why doesn't Quentin want to discuss it? There are mysteries building here, interesting ones.

Cyrus has downed the mysterious concoction he created. What will happen to him? Gladstone was fascinated with his concept to the point of obsession. The guy was paid for the ingredient, so he had no right to break into Cyrus' lab and read his notes. I wonder why Cyrus didn't take more action against him, too, but then again, the good doctor is probably doing something that flirts with the illegal himself.

Poor Sabrina, so trusting, unknowing and accepting. Cyrus is doing something that could potentially kill him, and she doesn't have a clue. How could a man embarking on such a potentially dangerous experiment give a woman an engagement ring?


989 - We see Barnabas' portrait, then the blasted chained coffin. Carolyn Loomis tells us, "He cannot see the strange things going on in parallel time."

Cyrus plods down into his lab, looks out the open back door, the closes it, locking it securely. His phone rings. Looking like a man with a bad hangover, he answers, but no one is there. He hangs up, then notices his desk has been trashed. He looks through the mess, picking up and dropping a piece of paper. In his jacket pocket, he finds a mostly empty bottle of booze; his glasses lie on the floor, broken. He opens the desk drawer and takes out another pair of specs, puts them on, and reads the piece of paper he'd dropped earlier, which says, "IOU one hundred dollars." It's signed John Yaeger. Who is that? wonders Cyrus. He could be someone I met last night, after I took the compound, but I remember nothing about last night--why?--what could have gone wrong? he agonizes. He checks his jacket pockets and finds a matchbook from the Eagle Bar. A man named Paxton inquires, may I come down?--I'm from the police. Cyrus invites him down. I want to ask you some questions, says Paxton, about...last night! Cyrus gulps, unnerved. What happened?

What about last night? asks Cyrus nervously. I have something unpleasant to tell you, says the cop--how is your fiancee, Sabrina Stuart? Has anything happened to her? demands Cyrus fearfully. Don't be alarmed, says Paxton, she apparently had a bad scare, but wasn't hurt--it seems that Carolyn found Miss Stuart wandering in a dazed condition on the Collins estate; they questioned her, and she mumbled about a strange man who attacked her in her room. Good Lord! whispers Cyrus. Fortunately, explains the cop, a neighbor heard the commotion and scared the intruder away. Did Sabrina describe this man? asks Cyrus. She never really got a look at him, answers Paxton--but the neighbor saw him--Doctor, I'd like to know if you left your house last night? You think I was responsible? asks Cyrus, horrified. No the cop assures him, you don't even fit the description--after we left Sabrina's apartment, we got a report of an attack on Clover Street. I don't understand all these questions, says Cyrus. The description we were given, says Paxton, seemed to be the same in both instances; then, at 3 o'clock, one of his men saw a man who fit that description in this neighborhood, and he followed him--into your house at 3:10--did you have a visitor at that hour? No, Cyrus assures him, and I was in the house, I'd gone to bed at midnight--did the witness describe what the man looked like? Yes, and how he got into the house, says Paxton--he let himself in, by himself, with his own key. Impossible, says Cyrus, my housekeeper and I are the only ones with keys. Nothing is impossible for an accomplished burglar, says Paxton, assuming that's what the man was--he could have made his own skeleton key--did you find anything disturbed? Nothing at all was, lies Cyrus.That's very strange, says Paxton, because I left my man at Cyrus' front door until dawn, and another man at the back door--the stranger never came back out, so either he's still in the house, or there's an exit we don't know about. Cyrus shows him the cellar exit--it leads to a courtyard outside--I always lock it from the inside, but this morning, it was wide open. So he could have made his escape without being spotted, says Paxton--I suggest you change your locks ASAP. I will, Cyrus promises, immediately--what does the man looks like, so I can watch out for him. The descriptions were vague, says the cop, but everyone agreed that he was a big man, broad-shouldered, and curiously enough, very well dressed--and he had a mustache. This puzzles Cyrus, but Paxton says, that's one thing all three witnesses remembered about him. Was Sabrina was taken back to her room? asks Cyrus. Yes, and Mrs. Loomis is with her now, says Paxton--thank you for your cooperation--I'll keep you appraised of the progress in the case. Cyrus, puzzled, ponders the description the cop gave him, looking at the note from the mysterious John Yaeger again, and the matchbook.

Sabrina's apartment - Sabrina tells Carolyn, I want Cyrus. I haven't been able to reach him all night, reports Carolyn. Neither woman understands this. Carolyn starts to dial him again. There's a knock at the door--it's Cyrus. I've been trying to reach you all night, says Carolyn. He apologizes--I had turned off the phone. He kneels at his fiancee's side. I've been waiting for you, she says, almost accusingly. I'm sorry, says Cyrus, but I'm here now--can you tell me what happened? He was evil...evil, she says--he took my ring, it makes no sense!She holds out her empty hand. Cyrus looks sickened. I don't understand, says Sabrina. (A simple robbery, what's to understand?) Carolyn tells Cyrus, Sabrina has been this way since I found her last night. I want to call a druggist and order her a sedative, says Cyrus--she needs a good night's sleep. He searches his address book and is about to dial when he finds something else in his pocket--Sabrina's large, lovely, pear-shaped engagement ring!

Sabrina lies on the sofa, eyes closing as she drifts off to sleep. Carolyn covers her. I'm glad she's asleep, says Cyrus--you don't have to stay if you don't want to, Carolyn. I don't mind, says Carolyn. There's nothing more you can do for her, says Cyrus, she'll sleep well into the night, the sedative lasts that long. I'll go home and take a nap, then, says Carolyn, and check Sabrina later this evening. I'm grateful to you, says Cyrus. I hope Sabrina will be all right, she says. I do, too, says Cyrus. Carolyn leaves. Cyrus watches Sabrina sleep and gazes down at the ring still clutched in his hand, telling himself, the man who attacked her, "Had to be me!"--he couldn't have been anyone else! There's no other way I could have gotten the ring--why can't I remember anything--and what else did I do last night?

Will adjusts his tie in front a mirror in the drawing room. Carolyn, exhausted, comes in--Sabrina is sleeping, she says, Cyrus is with her, but they didn't catch the guy who attacked her. What's the occasion for your well-dressed man number; you haven't paid this much attention to yourself in years. He checks his nails, combs his hair, and asks, don't you think I look like I did before we got married? I have trouble remembering, she says. Maybe I'm trying to recall the image, he suggests sarcastically. She laughs with equal sarcasm and bitterness, noting, you've just decided, out of the blue, to look respectable again? No, he says, irritated, it so happens I ran into Quentin, who invited me up to meet Angelique's sister. Oh, is that all? she asks--if I'm not mistaken, Alexis is Angelique's twin sister, isn't she? You know perfectly well she is, says Will--and just stop it. Upset, she asks, how can I?--we can't go through this tacky little drama without HER, she's part of it! He pours a drink. It isn't Angelique, it's her sister, says Will through gritted teeth. Her TWIN sister! rants Carolyn--it will be like Babylon revisited, won't it, Will?--you know, you really aren't going about this properly--you should be in the middle of a book, you know what I mean, something she can lure you away from. Well, he says viciously, let's give credit where credit is due, sweetheart, I will be in the middle of a book very soon, thanks to your strange friend down in the coffin, Barnabas Collins! She looks away. At least the companions I pick are human, he gloats. I didn't choose Barnabas, she reminds him, you know that--I was helpless to prevent what happened.Is that right? he sneers--then why are you so anxious to get him out of the coffin, huh?--what would the local society editor think if he knew that the former Carolyn Stoddard has become intimate friends with a vampire? Carolyn, at first leaning on the mantle with a sad look on her face, whirls around and says, I don't care what he is!--it's wrong and cruel to keep anyone chained up the way Barnabas is! He's going to stay chained up, baby, Will assures her, because he's my way back to the top--do you understand that?--and if you do one thing to free Barnabas, you'll be sorry, he swears, you'd better remember that. Will, she says, please don't go to Collinwood. I was invited and I'm going, he says defiantly. It can't do you any good, she protests, you know that. She puts her hands on him, caressing his hair, his shoulder, murmuring, I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. He jerks away from her--we both know you did--baby--but I'm going because I want to prove something to myself--I've got to prove I've lived her down. He leaves. She closes her eyes with misery and says, "I hope you do, Will."

Sabrina tosses her head from side to side as she dreams in her drugged state: She enters her room, closing the door behind her. A man attacks her, grabbing her engagement ring from her finger. Sabrina awakens, a silent scream on her lips.

Collinwood - Will and Alexis have a drink together. I've enjoyed your visit very much, she bubbles. Call me Will, he reminds her. I want to tell you that you haven't made me feel ill at ease the way the others have. You shouldn't be upset, advises Will--take it as a compliment--your sister was very special around here. Hmmm, she says noncommittally, I gather you were quite fond of her. Yes, says Will, we became good friends, had a lot in common--I suppose you and Angelique didn't correspond much. No, she says, we weren't close, and I regret that now. Maybe I can help you to know her better--posthumously--suggests Will, tell you what her interests were--maybe we could have dinner and talk about her? I think I'd like that, says Alexis. Will pounces and suggests tonight--if you're free. Carolyn eavesdrops in the doorway.Alexis begs off--I'm having dinner in town with Quentin. Some other time, suggests Will. Alexis agrees--I'd be delighted. You know where to reach me, says Will. Yes, the house that bears your name, says Alexis, grinning, how could I forget that? Moving in even closer to Alexis, Will asks, have you ever been out to the estate? No, she says, I haven't had the opportunity. I'll show it to you sometime, offers Will, their lips dangerously close. I would hate to be a burden, she says, you're a writer, correct? Yes, he says. It must take up a lot of your time, she says. You know how we writers are--we accept any and all distractions, says Will intimately. Hearing this, Carolyn winces and looks as if she's about to cry. Think about it, suggests Will. Carolyn turns to exit the house, covering her heart with one hand. Will and Alexis are holding hands. I'll think about it, she agrees--it's been a pleasure meeting you. Same here, he says, caressing her fingers.

Carolyn returns to Sabrina's room and finds her gone.

Lab - Cyrus reads from his journal aloud--I'm sure that this can control and shake to the very foundation the mind of man--I am not afraid! Nothing after that, fumes Cyrus, slamming his hand down on the ledger, nothing but that terrible scrawl, which I couldn't have made--or could I? What sort of condition was I in? He hears someone coming down and goes to meet the person. It's Carolyn, reporting, Sabrina left her room. Impossible, says Cyrus, that sedative should have lasted well into the night! I don't understand how you left her; had I known that, I'd have stayed with her myself. Don't be upset, says Cyrus, I'm sure she's all right. How can you say such a thing? Demands--Carolyn, what if the man who attacked her came back? That's impossible, asserts Cyrus. How do you know? asks Carolyn. He hesitates, then admits, I don't. We must go find Sabrina, insists Carolyn. The two of them take off.

Sabrina stands in the woods, musing, this is where it all began, long ago. She enters Collinwood and wanders through the foyer and into the darkened drawing room, which now contains a table and chairs and looks ready for a seance. A black candle stands in the center of the table. Sabrina sits in one of the chairs and puts her hands down--"Our fingers must touch," she says--"the circle must not be broken--let the seance begin!"

NOTES: The concept that John Yaeger is Cyrus' "bad side" always interested me. Why would Yaeger take Sabrina's ring? Is he trying to sabotage Cyrus' relationship with his fiancee?

Sorry, I can never and will never like Lisa Richards or any of her characterizations. She simply doesn't appeal to me in any way at all.

Will and Carolyn have such a sad, cruel relationship. He knows she couldn't help what happened with Barnabas; why does he taunt her about it? They are embittered, yet still so young, one must wonder what Angelique did to sabotage what was probably a loving marriage at one time. Why aren't there children? That's puzzling, too. Will drinks too much, and his attraction to Angelique, if that's what it was, has made Carolyn perpetually jealous. Did Will have an affair with her, physically, or was it all an affair of the mind?

Another excellent performance from Pennock, wondering what his alter ego did. You would think that he'd want to keep such a creature bottled up and away from his fiancee, but noooooo!

Love, Robin

984 - Lots of lovely flowers in this storyline, and the sets are bright, colorful and exciting to the eye.

Daniel gazes up at his dead mother's portrait.  What's the matter? asks Amy. It was her, she heard me and answered me, he insists--SHE did the singing. That isn't possible, says Amy, scared. It WAS, asserts Daniel, Maggie and I both heard it--don't you realize what this means--she's coming back!  You know that isn't true, says Amy--people can't come back from the dead (except at Collinwood). Maybe she never even died, suggests Daniel. But she DID, she DID, says Amy. If only I could make her sing again, then you'd have to believe me, says Daniel, frustrated-- Mother, can you hear me?--make Amy believe you sang to me--do it again, Mother!  I don't want to hear it, declares Amy fearfully, and runs from the room. It's all right, Mother, says Daniel--*I* heard you singing, and that's all that matters.

Hoffman is sorting through the mail, and Maggie runs in, close to hysteria.  Go get Quentin from his study, orders Maggie--I want to speak to him. Hoffman offers her help, but Maggie is insistent--I want Quentin. He doesn't like to be disturbed, Hoffman warns.  Am you going to tell him or am I? Tell me what? demands Q from the doorway--Hoffman, you can leave. She does. He closes the double doors--what's wrong? he asks.  Is it true that you go up to Angelique's room every night to meditate and remember? asks Maggie. Where did you get an idea like that, asks Quentin, puzzled and pissed.  Daniel told me, says Maggie--I went up there because he convinced me I'd find you there. "You went up to Angelique's room?" demands Quentin. I couldn't help it, she says--ever since I came into this house, it's Angelique I've had to contend with, her standards I've had to live up to--all I've heard is how beautiful, efficient, irreplaceable she is...  Quentin takes hold of her arms and firmly tells says, no matter what anyone says, you HAVE replaced Angelique, no one can change that, do you understand?  I'm trying to, admits Maggie. I can't understand why Daniel would deliberately tell you something that wasn't true, says Quentin--I hasn't been in that room since the day Angelique died, he assures her. She falls into his arms, immensely relieved--it obviously was a childish prank, she says, I'm just sorry it worked.  She describes what happened in Angelique's room--Daniel told me he went up there to have her comfort him. To WHAT? demands Quentin. Then, continues Maggie, we looked up at the portrait; he implored his mother to sing to him, then I heard a woman's voice, it sounded like it was coming from the portrait itself. Quentin, furious, wants to run right off and talk to the boy, make sure it won't happen again. Don't, begs Maggie--I feel it will only make things worse, now that I can understand, I can cope. You shouldn't have to cope with such nonsense, Quentin insists--I'll go talk to him. He leaves.  Maggie, agitated, paces the drawing room. Hoffman exits the kitchen and enters the drawing room. She notices Maggie's posture and asks, is everything all right?  I don't think anything will ever be all right, she says, so far, I've been a total failure with Daniel. Hoffman smiles with pleasure and says, the first Mrs. Collins could do no wrong as far as Daniel was concerned--she delighted him by always doing all kinds of little things that might have seemed insignificant to other people. Like what? asks Maggie, interested.  There's a record Daniel has that he loves, reveals Hoffman--I noticed it was broken; the first Mrs. Collins would have replaced it immediately. Maggie grins--do you know where I can buy this recording?  I do, says Hoffman, and while I don't think it will solve everything, it will be a beginning. Thank you, says Maggie--I appreciate your advice very much.

Daniel's room - I should punish you, Quentin tells his son.  Go ahead and do it, challenges Daniel as if he doesn't care. No, says Quentin, just don't play anymore so-called jokes like tonight. I wasn't playing a joke, I heard my mother! cries Daniel. Stop it, commands Quentin.  The boy jumps to his feet--I'm telling the truth--I think she's somewhere in the house, trying to communicate with me. No more talk about your mother, shouts Quentin, she's dead and can't come back--you are forbidden to go back to that room, from this moment on!  Fuming, he leaves his son's room.

Quentin, having (thank God) discarded the orange horror-jacket, helps Maggie bring in her packages--it looks like you bought out every store in town, he teases. I went to all the places I'd been as a child, she says, and even ran into two people who remembered me after all these years. Your innocence is one of the most charming things about you, he says--everyone in Collinsport recognized you, whether they said so or not--everyone knows you're the new Mrs. Collins. He hugs her.  Maggie is really happy. What did you buy? he asks.  Lots of things, she says, but one special item for Daniel. What is it? asks Quentin.  You'll find out when Daniel does, insists Maggie, smiling gleefully. He grins, chuckling--I like surprises, too--I'm glad you're taking initiative with him.  We cut abruptly to:

Daniel looks out the window in his room.  You haven't been yourself the past few days, remarks Hoffman--I'd like to help. Nothing you or anyone can help, says Daniel. These are difficult times for all of us, she says, we can only hope things will change. Nothing will while SHE'S around here, says Daniel. Your father told me about your little prank last night, says Hoffman. Did she tell you I'm not allowed in my mother's room anymore? He asks.  I know, she says--was it a prank, or did you really hear your mother's voice? Daniel looks reluctant to answer--I don't want to talk about it, he mutters. You know how devoted I was to your mother, says Hoffman, I want to know what happened in that room--if there's any chance we could contact her. She sang to me through the portrait, admits Daniel.  There's hope then, says Hoffman--she has not abandoned us, and I know she never will. Quentin enters--Daniel, your stepmother is waiting for you downstairs--with a very nice surprise. He leaves. I'm not going! says Daniel.  I suggest you do, says Hoffman.  Whose side are you on, anyway? he asks resentfully. If you like surprises, says Hoffman.  Not from her, insists Daniel.  I have a feeling, says Hoffman--take my advice, and go see what this is--my instinct tells me you will like this surprise. She smiles calculatingly. Daniel leaves. Maggie opens the cover of the stereo and puts on the record, but doesn't play it.  Can I come in? asks Amy.  Maggie is pleased to see her.  I was looking for you earlier, says Amy, but Miss Hoffman said you went out shopping. I just got back, says Maggie--why were you looking for me?  Amy hands her a bouquet of lavender flowers--I got special permission to pick them from the greenhouse. Maggie, delighted, hugs her--that's so sweet! She says.  I want to apologize for what happened in the room, says Amy. Completely forgotten, Maggie assures her. You have to be a little patient with Daniel, says Amy--he's really not as mean as he seems, but after his mother died...  I understand, says Maggie--I promise to be very patient with him--thank you.  She looks around to see which vase she can add the flowers to.  I knew you'd be like this even before you came, says Amy.  Maggie hugs her again--we'll be very good friends--I'll have to find a vase later for the flowers.  She sets them down on the table. Daniel enters, looking coldly at Maggie--my father told me you were looking for me, he says. Yes, says Maggie, an arm around Amy's shoulder--close the doors.  He does--what about my surprise? I hope you like it, she says--sit down, I want you to listen to something. She puts on the record. Amy's mouth drops open in dismay.  What's wrong? asks Maggie.  The little girl doesn't reply.Daniel smiles.  Quentin bursts in, angry. Maggie, scared, asks, what's wrong?  Quentin turns off the record--who played this music? He demands.  I did, admits Maggie.  "What a stupid thing to do!" he barks. Maggie runs from the room. Daniel rises from the sofa and says, "She'll never be my mother--never." There is deep satisfaction on his face and in his voice. Maggie sits on the staircase, crying. Hoffman stands at the top and asks, is something wrong?  Shrilly, Maggie says, you know something is wrong--you know about everyone in this house, and you knew how my husband would react when he heard that recording, and deliberately kept it from me!  That isn't true, insists Hoffman.   Why didn't you tell me? cries Maggie. Quentin exits the drawing room--I'd like to know the answer to that, too, Hoffman, he says. I'm sorry, Maggie, he says.  Ever since I came to this house, I've tried to do something, anything, right, but it's just not possible!  Sobbing, she runs upstairs. Quentin stands at the bottom of the stairs, talking to Hoffman, who still stands at the top. Now she believes you're to blame, says Quentin--obviously, she must have a reason. Hoffman walks slowly downstairs, admitting, I was the one who suggested Maggie buy the recording for Daniel. What a ridiculous blunder! says Quentin--you know how I feel about that record! You're quite right, says Hoffman, it was stupid of me, but I really felt it might help Mrs. Collins' relationship with Daniel, I didn't think about what you might feel about it. My feelings no longer matter, says Quentin--my wife has been unnecessarily hurt by this incident. I'm sorry, says Hoffman--I should apologize to Mrs. Collins, too.  She turns to do so right now.  Quentin stops her and says, "Hoffman, you see that this never happens again."  I understand, she says, and heads upstairs.  Quentin is pissed off.

It's storming. We see Angelique's portrait. Maggie stares up at it, speaking to her:  I wish you were flesh and blood, then I might be able to fight you, but how can I fight a presence? Hoffman, startled to find Maggie in Angelique's room, asks, were you talking to someone? Only to myself, says Maggie icily. I came to apologize, says Hoffman--I'm sorry for what happened. Maggie accepts. I want to explain why I did what I did, says Hoffman--I've been very concerned about Daniel's state of mind, and felt it imperative that you and he become friends--I guess I just forgot that Mr. Collins loved her so much...everyone loved her...who cam blame them, look at her. Maggie looks at the portrait.  She was the heart, soul and lifeblood of Collinwood, blathers Hoffman--she was that rarest among human beings, a legend in her own life.You're a rare person yourself, says Maggie coolly--you're the only person I've ever met who could turn an apology into a testimonial.  (go, Maggie, go!!)  If you'll excuse me, adds Maggie, I have an apology of my own to make--to my husband--I was foolish to get so upset, I should have had the presence of mind to tell Quentin who was responsible for my buying that recording--well, I've make my mistakes, and will make more, but I'm learning--you bear that in mind, Hoffman--I'm learning. She leaves. Hoffman gazes up at Angelique's portrait and says, "Oh, this house needs you more than it's ever needed anyone--if there is some way for you to come back to us, please try to do it--you must find it--we're waiting!"

Maggie goes downstairs, thinking, Quentin told me it would be a challenge, and now I must find a way to rise to the challenge, no matter how many of them are against me--I must show them I am the mistress of Collinwood--nobody can change that, nobody!  She hears a woman's voice in the drawing room, saying, I'm sorry I didn't notify you in advance--I should have realized how shocked you'd be.  I was quite shocked at first, admits Quentin. It was on the spur of the moment, the woman continues--the opportunity came up and I decided to take advantage of it. Quite all right, says Quentin. I'm forgiven then? the woman asks. Of course, says Quentin. Maggie stands in the half open doorway as Quentin offers the woman, who Maggie realizes is none other than Angelique, a glass of sherry.Maggie, terrified, turns away--my God, she's back!--she's come back!  Maggie rushes upstairs.

In the drawing room, Quentin hands a glass of sherry to...Angelique!!

NOTES: How stupid--the credits refer to the woman Maggie assumed was Angelique as "Alexis," so we are already clued in that the visitor is not Angelique--but who is she, and why does she so resemble Angelique?  Why did they do that? They should have called her something else, more    mysterious, like "the woman."

Someone on one of the mailing lists to which I belong says this storyline seems much like LAURA, especially with all the views of Angelique's portrait. It seems that portrait is a character unto itself.

I love that Maggie seems to get some backbone in this ep, talking back to Hoffman, maintaining her cool. It won't last long. KLS has a large part in HODS, and will shortly be leaving us.

Henesy always plays the bad boy so well. I'm waiting for him to do something to the bleeder valve on Maggie's car.

I always wondered why Quentin wasn't more honest with his new bride about his former wife. He is hiding a secret, and if he'd only told Maggie the truth, it would have made their lives so much easier--but we wouldn't have had 1970PT. It does get interesting with the addition of today's character.


985 - Maggie, standing in her bedroom, is a quivering mess.  Quentin knocks; when she doesn't answer, enters the room. Why did you run away? He asks--there was no reason to be frightened. She draws away from his touch--"I saw her with you!" she accuses.  Let me explain, he says. Explain what? she asks--I know what I saw and heard--I'm terrified!  There is no reason to be, he says again. Don't let her near me! cries Maggie, near hysteria.  She sees a woman she is sure is her husband's dead wife standing in the doorway, looking startled. Make her stay away! Begs Maggie.Calm down, says Quentin.  How can I? demands Maggie.  Quentin goes to the blond and says, it might be better for you to wait downstairs. She agrees--I'm sorry for causing all this trouble--I thought it would be better to get it over with quickly. Quentin closes the door and gently says, Maggie, that woman's name is Alexis. Huh? asks Maggie. She's Angelique's twin sister, just arrived from Florence, he says--she just found out what happened to Angelique.  Maggie finds this a bit hard to accept--Angelique's twin? Yes, and she's very upset, says Quentin--it would be very thoughtful if you'd go down and greet her properly. No, says Maggie, I don't want to see her, even meet her. That's ridiculous, says Quentin.  I must explain...begins Maggie.  There's no time for that, says Quentin, we have a guest waiting downstairs, and one of us should be with her. Annoyed, he leaves.

Dr. Cyrus Longworth's lab - The doctor tells Chris Collins, I saw Angelique--I saw her down by the drugstore about an hour ago, I ran downstairs and called to her, but she just kept on going--it was an incredible feeling, seeing her again. You're a scientist, Chris reminds him, who deals in established principle and fact--we must accept death is the end. I often wonder, says Cyrus--people used to believe the world was flat, that the sun revolved around the earth--these were facts to them, and I saw Angelique walking down the street. I wish to submit there's an explanation for it, insists Chris, pointing to everything in the cave-like lab--"all of this--you've been working yourself too hard, you've been locked in this lab for over a year--whatever you're doing, it can't be worth your health or peace of mind; it might even damage your mind. You know nothing of what I'm doing here, says Cyrus. I agree, says Chris--I wish I did--you're very secretive about it. I'm afraid people might misunderstand, says Cyrus. We've been friends a long time, says Chris--I'm not likely to misunderstand.  Cyrus agrees to explain--man is chemical in his composition; now, if the proper compound was distilled and administered to a human being, this chemical composition could be radically changed, altered, and I've been working on such a composition. Why alter a human being? queries Chris. Man is not one person, but two, says Cyrus--one is good, the other, evil--these two people are within each of us, always fighting against each other, but if these elements could be separated, imagine the possibilities--evil could go its own way, completely free of any aspirations or remorse that are foreign to him, and good could have its own life, free of struggle against evil impulses or hostile thoughts--my God, says Cyrus, looking at himself in a mirror, just imagine what a person... Realizing Chris isn't thrilled, Cyrus says, I was right, you misunderstood everything I said, and I'm sorry I said anything.  I do understand, says Chris, and am all the more worried about you--don't you understand what you've done?--you've become obsessed by a purely private, impractical idea. It's not impractical, asserts Cyrus--it's ready to be used, and could be, if you had only given me that address book of Angelique's and told me the name of that Boston chemist. Now that I know, I'm glad I didn't, says Christ--for you sake. It's not private, says Cyrus--Angelique believed this could be done, and was the one who started me on all these experiments. Separating good and evil, scoffs Chris--seriously, there's no doubt in my mind which of the two appealed to her.

Quentin, I must leave, insists Alexis, I can't stay here.  That's unthinkable, he says. But I'm having such a devastating effect on Maggie, protests Alexis. She'll be all right, Quentin assures her, and besides, I have, and always will, make the decisions at Collinwood. Of course, she agrees.  It's settled, says Quentin--we have much catching up to do. And we will, she assures him, smiling, don't fear that. Hoffman enters, stares at Angelique and gasps, "It's you!"

Don't be upset, Hoffman, says Quentin--I'd have told you in advance if I could have. She apologizes for her momentary loss of composure and says, I know very well who this is--welcome to Collinwood, Miss Stokes. Quentin tells Alexis, Hoffman sees to the house; anything you need, just ask her. Alexis thanks him.  Angelique spoke of her twin sister quite often, says Hoffman--she was always very sorry there was so much distance separating them. It was more than distance, says Alexis, she and I were never as affectionate as sisters should be--and now it's too late, isn't it?--the news of her death came as a great shock to me. You never got my letter? asks Hoffman. What letter? asks Alexis. Just after it happened, I wrote to you in Tangiers, the last address Mrs. Collins had, says Hoffman--I assumed it's what brought you here.  I never got the letter, says Alexis, I was living in Florence. Why did you come, then? asks Quentin.  I just had a feeling this is where I was needed, says Alexis--I would like to go to the room you offered, I'm very tired. Hoffman, take care of Miss Stokes, orders Quentin--make her very comfortable. Hoffman suggests the first Mrs. Collins' room--if Mr. Collins doesn't object. I don't, he says, rather curtly. I'd like that very much, says Alexis--thank you, Quentin. The ladies leave. Quentin pours a drink, telling himself, uneasily--naturally she looks just like her, she's her twin, I just wish she didn't look so uncannily like her, I just wish...oh, I'm as bad as Maggie, behaving like a frightened child--she's her sister, come from far away, but how far away? How far away? I wonder. He takes a big gulp of his drink.

Maggie spies Hoffman leading Alexis down the hall.

Cyrus, if you hadn't invited me down here, I'd have broken in, says Chris--I was that worried about you. You never worried before, why now? asks Cyrus. (My screen went blue here.) I also  spoke to Dr. Reese, says Chris, who said you read a paper on black magic at the Scientific Society--he was shocked. Cyrus plays with a rabbit (there are live animals in his lab--bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, they're so cute!) Cyrus laughs--why? he asks. Because you're a scientist, says Chris, and know black magic isn't a fit subject for scientific conjecture--I'd have thought you'd know that yourself. If it were up to the Reeses of the world...begins Cyrus. "We'd still believe the earth is flat," finishes Chris--"is that what you were going to say?" No, says Cyrus, gesturing with a carrot, I prefer to quote from Shakespeare, if you will forgive a scientist doing that--"There are more things in heaven and earth that can be dreamt of by your philosophy, and yours--and Reese's, too."  I admire your devotion, says Chris, but not your direction--it can only lead to trouble. Glory, corrects Cyrus, and it will, very fast, if you give me the name of that chemist.Chris refuses--I'm sorry to withhold it, but it's the only way to stop you, and I feel I have to, desperately, before it's too late. The cute black and white bunny munches on a carrot.

We see the portrait of Angelique fade into the face of Alexis, who is admiring her dead sister's room. "It's exactly as you left it," says Hoffman hoarsely, "nothing has changed." Alexis gazes at her and asks, what are you talking about?--I've never been in this room before.Hoffman confidentially assures her, I understand about telling everyone you're a twin sister. But I am Angelique's sister, insists Alexis. Hoffman shakes her head--you don't have to lie to me--I always thought Angelique would come back...  Alexis interrupts her--you thought Angelique would come back--that's impossible, she's dead! She is not like others, says Hoffman coldly. She certainly wasn't like anyone else, says Alexis--nevertheless, she is dead, do you hear me, she's dead, and I'm her sister--now if you would get me a nightgown, please, I'm very tired. Hoffman gives her a look, says "Certainly," then asks, which one would you like?  I really can't answer that question, can I? she asks, I've never seen any of them--pick one out for me. Hoffman says of course, I'm sorry, Miss Stokes, if I said anything... It's all right, says Alexis, I understand how much you must miss her, but I wouldn't intimate such a thing to anyone else if I were you--they might be very distressed by it--and so might you. Hoffman gives her a weird look, then opens the closet and takes out a pink nightgown with furry shoulders. This was her favorite, she says.  Thank you, says Alexis, it's lovely.  Hoffman drapes it over a chair, gives Alexis one final look, and leaves. Alexis gazes up at Angelique's portrait.

In the hallway, Hoffman passes by Maggie's room, and when the latter comes out, says, "Mrs. Collins, you might be interested in knowing that the young lady is staying." I see, says Maggie, by whose orders?  Mr. Collins, reveals Hoffman with satisfaction, and walks off.  Maggie, distressed, goes downstairs and finds the booze bottle empty and turned over. What's happening to you--to ALL of us? she asks herself, holding the bottle.

Angelique's room - Quentin hears someone playing the piano--Angelique's Theme--and enters the room. Alexis, wearing her sister's nightgown, is playing the tune.  Obviously drunk, he takes another slurp of his drink.  She stops playing and apologizes--I couldn't sleep, she says, and found this piece of sheet music--I hope I didn't disturb you. He gazes at her darkly, but says, I don't mind. Is the gown is bothering you? she asks--Hoffman gave it to me because I left my luggage in town--I hope you don't mind. No, it's all right, he says, you look so very much like HER--so very much.  I know, says Alexis. Especially in this room, he adds--it's as if two people have blended together and then became one. Or as if the past and present have blended together and become one? she suggests. He drinks. You miss her very much, don't you? she asks--so do I--perhaps we can...comfort one another.  She places her hand on his shoulder. He looks at her stonily. Maggie enters, catches this moment, and runs out. Quentin follows her. Alexis sits back down at the piano.

In the drawing room, Maggie sits in a chair, sobbing. Quentin kneels beside her, assuring her, no matter what you saw...  Can you possibly claim that wasn't Angelique in that room? she asks tearfully. Drunk, Quentin says, you can't possibly think Alexis...now listen, even if you think that for a moment, it's insane! Is it? demands Maggie--then you explain this to me--she hands him the note she found tucked under the door that said, "You're not wanted here, now or ever--Angelique."  Where did you get this? he asks.  It was slipped under the drawing room door, explains Maggie. It's a practical joke, obviously, he says. No it's not, insists Maggie hysterically, rising from the chair--she wants me out of this house. She is DEAD, Maggie, he says. Look at that note, she cries--is that Angelique's handwriting or not?  Maggie, I'm not going to discuss this any further, he says angrily--I want to know why you didn't tell me about it after you found it. Look at the note again, begs Maggie--Will Loomis swears that it's Angelique's handwriting! Quentin stares at her--Will Loomis?--what does he know about this?  I showed it to him the next day, she says. You received a crank not from somebody telling you to get out of your own house...begins Quentin, furious.  IT WASN'T A CRANK NOTE! shouts Maggie. Listen to me! he commands, and be quiet--you found time to show this note to some drunken neighbor and not even to your own husband?  I have trouble finding my husband, retorts Maggie--he isn't here. Untrue, he says--you've had plenty of opportunities. Even when we are alone together in a room, you're still so far away, she says forlornly--I'm beginning to understand, you know she's not gone, you can feel her presence in every room in this house!--she still runs this house, tells everyone what to do, nobody makes a move without her approval first, no one, not even you! He turns on her, exploding, "All right, that's it!"  She is not dead, wails Maggie, she's more alive than any of us! For your own good, he snarls, I forbid you to mention Angelique's name again! You forbid me? she yells, you forbid me like a child and I am not a child and refuse to be treated like a child--not by you or anyone, I know what I heard and what I saw! You're not being fair! Quentin says, you're not giving anybody a chance! No one's given ME a chance! she rants--this is Angelique's house, not mine, you're Angelique's husband, not mine! " All right, if that's the way you feel about it, get out!" demands Quentin--"Leave Angelique's house and leave Angelique's husband!" "That's exactly what I'll do," she responds--"that is EXACTLY what I will do!"Crying, she runs out the front door. Maggie! calls Quentin, following her. Alexis trails downstairs--what happened? she asks. Maggie, he says--she actually went out that door. Shouldn't you go after her? asks Alexis. No, says Quentin--why should I, she behaved like a child. But still...says Alexis. You're right, agrees Quentin, and goes back out the door, but it's too late--we hear a car pulling away. He stumbles back in--"It's too late now, isn't it?" he asks numbly, and heads into the drawing room. Alexis looks stricken.

NOTES: KLS has made her exit to be in HODS, so Maggie and Quentin will be estranged quite a while now. That was a great scene between them, escalating into a perfect reason for her exit.

Love the set of Cyrus Longworth's lab; complete with live animals. I can just imagine Dan Curtis complaining about the poor animals' feed bill. I also enjoy Chris Pennock's performance here, which expands as time goes on. I thought him annoying as Jeb Hawkes, but the mild-mannered Cyrus Longworth is a gem, and he does him proud.

Is Alexis Angelique or not? Is Hoffman right? She played along with her story about "twins," but does Hoffman know there really isn't a twin sister? Stay tuned!

Love, Robin

980 - Barnabas does the intro, a rare treat.

Carolyn and Sky struggle on Widows' Hill, but just as he's about to toss her over the cliff, Jeb appears, on the attack. He and Sky grapple viciously for a few moments.  Sky sends Jeb tumbling over to his presumed death."Oh, no, what have you done?" screams Carolyn, covering her face with quivering hands. Realizing she could be next, she races away. Sky looks down for the moment at the roiling sea, then takes off after Carolyn.

Collinwood - Barnabas paces the drawing room. Julia returns, medical bag in hand. I came from the cottage where I examined a very weak Sabrina, reveals Julia. Barnabas apologizes. "Why did you do it?" demands Julia--you gave Quentin your word that you wouldn't go to her again. I stayed at the Old House and fought the urge to leave, says Barnabas--Sabrina came to me. And you couldn't help yourself, accuses Julia. Ashamed, defensive, Barnabas asks, do you think I do this by choice? No, she assures him, I am aware of that--I know what you're going through, and that the injections are responsible. Don't blame yourself, he urges.  Until the effects wear off, you're in danger of exposure, warns Julia--people in the town are worried about the attacks now. And you're afraid I'll kill Sabrina before the effects wear off, says Barnabas, I'm quite aware of that. There must be something we can do, says Julia desperately--some way to control your urge for blood.  for the past hour, says Barn, I've been thinking about that east wing room--if I could only transcend that time warp, if I could get to that other world!  Do you think getting back to that other level of time would change things? she asks.  I don't know, admits Barnabas, it might be a way of saving Sabrina--it's just possible I might not be a vampire there, but able to live in the daylight. Trying to transcend that other time level could be very dangerous, warns an obviously in-love Julia, you could get trapped there forever. Who is to say that might not be a blessing? he asks. Once, we were able to find a way of allowing you to live during the day, she reminds him, we can again--"You belong in this time band with us!" she says passionately. Perhaps I do, says Barnabas, but I'm fascinated by that room and everything I've seen there.

Carolyn enters the house, hysterically calling for her mother. "There was nothing I could do, it happened so quickly," murmurs Carolyn disjointedly. What happened? asks Julia.  Carolyn turns to her mother, who has just come down the stairs, and barrels into her arms, sobbing wildly. Jeb is dead! she wails, causing Julia and Barnabas to exchange stunned glances. I saw it, says Carolyn.  Nearly fainting, she calls out, "Jeb, Jeb!"  Barnabas helps Liz lead the sobbing Carolyn into the drawing room. Julia reaches into her medical bag. Tell us what happened, Liz urges Carolyn.  The young widow explains, i feared the dream would come true, and tried to stop it, I went to Widows' Hill, but there was nothing I could do--"Oh, God, why was he taken from me?" cries Carolyn. Julia suggests a sedative. Carolyn rises from the sofa and screams, I don't want a sedative, I only want Jeb!  Liz comforts her--how did it happen? she asks.  Tell us something more, says Barnabas.  You always hated Jeb, Carolyn accuses him--you're glad he's dead! Barnabas knew, as I did, that you were happy with Jeb, says Liz soothingly. I went to Widows'' Hill after the dream, says Carolyn, but he wasn't there, so I thought it didn't mean anything. Then I saw Sky Rumson. "Sky Rumson?" repeats Julia.I had no idea what he was doing there, says Carolyn, and then he told me--he had come there to kill me.  Liz is horrified. He tried to, says Carolyn, but Jeb got there, and saved me, and Sky pushed him and Jeb went over Widows' Hill. This begins a new round of weeping for the freshly-minted widow. Julia searches her bag. A strange, determined look steals over Barnabas' face; he quietly leaves the house.

Carolyn, calmer now, mutters, "He's gone, Jeb is gone." Liz and Julia tend to her.  She'll sleep now, says Julia (who presumably gave her a sedative). I think we should have taken her up to her room, says Liz.  No, says Julia--she'll sleep through the night. I don't understand any of it, says Liz--why would Sky want to kill Jeb? If it's true, says Julia, Carolyn is in danger until Sky is caught. Liz goes to the phone to call the police. Julia closes the double doors. Liz asks for the sheriff. Did you see Barnabas leave? asks Julia. No, says Liz. I wonder where he went? says Julia.

Bruno's house - Sky locks the front door, looks out a window. He begins to pack. Barnabas suddenly appears in the room and asks, are you going on a trip?  How did you get in the house, here? asks Sky nervously. I can do many things ordinary people can't, says Barnabas--you should know that. Look, says Sky, I've got to get out of here, I'm leaving. Barnabas blocks him-- why are you in such a hurry? He asks. I have important business in Boston, says Sky. I have only one question, says Barnabas--did you kill Jeb Hawkes tonight?--answer me!  Why do you care about Jeb Hawkes? hedges Sky. I care about Carolyn, says Barnabas, and I've seen what this has done to her. He would have died anyway, insists Sky, and should have after destroying the box and the cairn. He should have, but he didn't, says Barn--he married Carolyn and she was very happy with him. Look, begins Sky.  I assure you that you won't leave this room tonight, says Barnabas.  Nicholas made me do it--I had no choice, stutters Sky. What did he promise you in return? asks Barn. Sky doesn't answer at first, then replies, Nicholas just said it was my duty. "Perhaps the thing I'm going to do now is MY duty," says Barnabas, smiling cruelly, "you're not going to leave this room alive. "NO! shouts Sky--"you can't do that, stay away from me."  Don't let me frighten you, says Barn, advancing on him, you wouldn't haven gotten out of here tonight even if I hadn't come. What do you mean? asks Sky. There's somebody else with a score to settle with you, says Barn--Angelique--I'm almost sorry I haven't given her the pleasure of killing you herself. Nicholas! shouts Sky, looking around, terrified--you promised you'd help me! Even if Nicholas were here, he'd have no power over ME! gloats Barnabas.  Sky runs over to a drawer and pulls out a gun--I'm leaving, he says, and you won't stop me. Barnabas advances.  Stay away, warns Sky, and shoots him twice, only to realize the bullets had no effect. Sky gazes at the gun, incredulous.  Barnabas, grinning, asks, why has no one ever told you more about me?--but then again, Nicholas and the others never did tell you much, did they? Sky backs away.  Barnabas comes closer--I'm glad you have a pistol, he says--it will save me the trouble of killing you myself. "Please, Barnabas, let me live!" begs Sky.Barnabas grabs the hand in which Sky is holding the pistol and encourages him to turn it toward himself... "There will be momentary pain, then it will all be over," Barnabas assures him. The gun goes off; Sky falls to the floor, the gun still clutched in his lifeless hand.

Collinwood - On the phone, the sheriff tells Liz that the police haven't been able to find Jeb's body--they searched the entire area below Widows' Hill and found nothing (leaving open the possibility that Jeb isn't completely dead). Perhaps it washed out to sea, Julia suggests.  That's what they figure, too, says Liz. What about Sky Rumson? asks Julia. He was found dead at Bruno's house, says Liz, a revolver in his hand--they listed it as a possible suicide. Possible suicide? questions Barnabas, who has returned to Collinwood. Only one thing puzzled the sheriff, says Liz--he died of one gunshot wound, but three were fired from the revolver--I don't understand it.  We shouldn't try, advises Barnabas--the man was obviously deranged. An odd look comes over Julia's face, as if she's already figured out the truth. My only concern right now is Carolyn, says Liz, and how she's going to survive all this. She leaves them. Barnabas, you never did say where you were going when you left earlier this evening, says Julia.  Didn't I? he asks evasively. "You went to find Sky Rumson, didn't you--and you found him?" she asks, quite pleased over Barnabas' disposal of Sky. You heard what Liz said, says Barnabas--I'm sure Sky's death will eventually be listed as a definite suicide. He wasn't the kind of man to take his own life, she says. But apparently he did so, says Barnabas snippily. I'm not condemning you, says Julia, just. . .what's wrong?  Go to Carolyn and Liz, commands Barnabas, agitated.  It's happening again, she says, realizing his blood lust has fired up. Yes, he says, there's no way I can control it, the urge is becoming overwhelming, I can't stay here any longer. Where can you go until dawn? she asks. The room in the east wing, he says--maybe there's an answer there, perhaps an escape. He rushes upstairs, Julia calling after him to wait.  He pays no attention to her.

Drawing room - Liz checks on the sleeping Carolyn and covers her with an afghan (not THE afghan). Carolyn dreams: Jeb is calling her--where are you? he asks--I must see you one more time!--Carolyn, I must see you!--can you hear me?  Carolyn stands on Widows' Hill, smiling, asking to see him. He appears, delighting her.  I'm so glad you came back to me! she cries.  I came to tell you something, he says--don't come any closer. Why not? she asks. I don't really exist, says. You do, she laughs, I can see you, you're alive, and everything will be all right now.I want you to know how much I love you, he says.  I knows that, says Carolyn--I love you, too. I couldn't die without telling you that someday, we will meet again, he says--you'll know when it happens, and so will I, and it will be different then. Carolyn shakes her head--I don't want to lose you. I must go, he says, but remember what I said. I don't want memories, she sobs, I want you. We will meet again, he promises, then topples backward over the cliff.  Carolyn calls his name, over and over, and his name is on her lips when she awakens, crying. Liz pulls the afghan over her daughter's shoulders.  Carolyn, crying, continues to call to Jeb.  Liz looks very angry.

Barnabas goes to the east wing room but finds it empty. He enters and slips THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BARNABAS COLLINS out of his cape.  Holding it in his hand, he wonders why do I feel drawn to this room, belong in that other time? Is it because of this, the book, because my life was so different in that other time? He hears Julia calling to him--Barnabas, I must talk to you! He covers his eyes with one hand--Julia shouldn't have followed me, he thinks to himself.  He turns around, stunned, to find the room has changed around him--it's happened, he says, calling to Julia. She sees him in the changed room and shouts his name.  Julia, can you hear me? he cries. Yes! she replies, but when he yells her name again, she realizes he can't hear her--we can't hear each other.  Julia struggles futilely to pass the barrier herself. He's in that room, sobs Julia, and he can't hear me--he may be trapped in there--forever!  Barnabas looks around, wondering how it happened--why did the room suddenly appear?--what will I do now?He suddenly realizes he isn't alone. "Who are you?" demands the parallel time Carolyn, "And what are you doing in this room?"

NOTES: Goodbye, Jeb! Farewell, Sky! Hope you got some acting lessons after your DS stint, ...cause you really needed them. Geoffrey Scott was once voted the actor more wooden than the double doors at Collinwood. The body count is quite high as a result of this storyline, isn't it?

Barnabas struck me as the Collins family Mafia today, for some reason.  He heard that someone did something bad to his beloved cousin and he went to fix things, making it appear that Sky killed himself. Julia knows what really happened, and approves. So do I. Sky was a creep, and how Angelique could have fancied herself in love with him is beyond me.

I felt sad for Carolyn when she had her dream and Jeb told her he'd return to her--but had to leave now. Nancy Barrett turned in a stellar performance today, mourning her lost Jeb. Does the fact that his body couldn't be found mean he might have come back someday? And if they continued the present day storyline, might Carolyn have been pregnant, with a half human, half Leviathan offspring?

Now Barnabas has transcended time, leaving poor Julia behind, but how is he going to handle things there? He's already been caught in Angelique's room by the PT Carolyn. Will be pass himself off as yet another cousin from England?


981 - Carolyn, says Barnabas.  How do you know me? she asks.  I am Barnabas Collins, he says.  Sarcastically she retorts, "Are you?"  You've been dead 200 years, she says, how well I know that. He smiles at her.  I am Barnabas' descendant, he assures her--there's a portrait of him in the great hall. She gazes at him disdainfully and says, there's no such portrait in the great hall, or anywhere. Before you leave the room, look, he advises, and holds up the missing book--I found it in the hall beyond that door. Will looked there, she says--why are you in this room, why haven't I ever heard of you? Barnabas flips through the book to show her a sketch of his ancestor, attempting to point out the strong resemblance. You aren't answering my question, notes Carolyn--does Julia Hoffman know you're here? No one does, he says casually. Someone will shortly, that's for sure, she says, as he continues flipping through the book. Please, let me explain, he begs.  Don't come near me, orders Carolyn--I don't trust you, stay away. Not yet, Carolyn, not yet, he says roughly, and grabs her into his arms for a silencing bite. She screams as he drives his fangs into her throat.

In the drawing room, Liz goes through the mail.  I must be honest, Julia, she says--there is no check there addressed to me and it's most embarrassing--when Quentin was here, Roger and I got our monthly checks on time. I'm sure Chris just overlooked it, says Julia. Chris knows our position, says Liz--it's almost as if he's trying to insult us. I'll talk to Chris myself, promises Julia.  That would be most kind, says Liz--such a nuisance, money--I felt that way even when I had plenty of it--I suppose that's why I let Roger manage it for me--there's no doubt my side of the family has little financial sense. The phone rings; Julia picks it up. She greets Quentin, welcoming him back to America.  We will be arriving at Collinwood tonight, says Quentin. All will be ready, Julia assures him all will be ready--will you be here for dinner? No, says Quentin, for supper, we won't be eating on the plane. As you wish, she says. Just for two, he says. It will be good to have you back, says Julia.  He hesitantly thanks her--see you at 11, he says. She wishes him a safe flight and hangs up. Are they coming tonight? asks Liz--I suppose everything will be changed, I knew her father, a painter who lived in the village, moved away years ago--there were two little girls, it will be odd having one of them return as Quentin's wife. Julia agrees, unsmiling. I've been worried about Quentin since Angelique died, says Liz. You needn't have worried, says Julia. I hope he will be very happy, says Liz.  He WAS happy, says Julia, happier than he will ever be again--he had EVERTHING! (she sounded very creepy saying that.)  Did he tell you what room he wanted? asks Liz, tauntingly. No, says Julia, I'll take care of it. She leaves the room (she wears a black, severe housekeeper's dress).

Barnabas apologizes to Carolyn--it was necessary, he adds. She looks thoughtful. I will need your help, he says.  I will help you, she promises.  We must find a hiding place for the coffin, says Barn--do you live in this house? Fingering her throat, she says no, in the Old House, called Loomis House now. There's a room in the basement, he says, one in particular--is your husband an inquisitive man? She grins and says, "Is he inquisitive, yes, will he find you if I hide you at Loomis House, no."  I can tell him I've rented a bedroom, we've talked about that, we're not rich, as others are. They hear a door slam. Julia approaches the room.  Hide, says Carolyn.  Julia enters--you again, Mrs. Loomis--and this time you've brought someone with you. Carolyn shakes her head--no. I heard voices, insists Julia, who is here? Barnabas, hiding behind draperies, looks nervous.

You are mistaken, says Carolyn. What are you doing here? asks Julia.  I came to look for the book, says Carolyn--but this time I found it.  She shows it to Julia.  Where did you find it? asks the housekeeper.  In the hall under a chair, explains Carolyn--I must have missed it. Carolyn looks faint.  What's wrong? asks Julia.  Nothing, says Carolyn, I feel a bit lightheaded, it's finding the book, very important to Will, if the publisher should decide to reprint it... She sits down before she falls and asks Julia, might I sit here a few minutes?--even when she was alive, says Carolyn angrily, I was allowed to sit in this room! Julia coldly asks to be excused--I have to open the suite down the hall--Quentin is arriving tonight.  Carolyn asks, snidely, "With his bride?" Yes, says Julia--I'll look in on you when I'm finished. Not necessary, says Carolyn, who quickly closes the doors behind Julia. Barnabas comes in and apologizes to her, taking the book from her hand. It's all right, she assures him, but we must go--Julia will be coming back soon. Barnabas tears out the front page of the book--no one will realize it's the same copy with the inscription taken out, he says--fewer question, don't try to understand...who is Quentin married to? A girl none of us knows, says Carolyn--she lived in the village as a child--her name is Maggie Evans. Barnabas is shocked.

Quentin sips a drink, so lost in thought he doesn't even hear his gorgeous bride calling him. She kneels behind him, hand on his shoulder, and says, you used to sit this way in London when I first met you--far away, making me afraid to talk to you, as if you were thinking about things I couldn't possibly understand--you haven't even spoken since you called Collinwood.  Perhaps we should have stayed away longer, he suggest.  You were the one who wanted to go back, she reminds him. A mistake, says Quentin.  Why do you hate going back so much? she asks.  I didn't say that, says Quentin, draining his glass. You obviously do, says Maggie--it's Angelique, isn't it? He stands, moving away from her. Oh, Quentin, she says, I' m sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her. He's moved to the terrace.  It's me, isn't it? she asks--I'm why you're worrying about going back--She clings to his arm--I'm much more efficient than you think, I'll manage the house well. Miss Hoffman's very good at that, he says, so don't worry about it. Oh, Quentin, she begs, noting his dark mood, please love me!  She goes into his arms. I DO love you, he assures her, I do. I know you do, she says. Never forget that, ever, he begs.  They kiss, a nice, long, hot one. If you don't want to go home tonight, says Maggie, we can stay there in Boston, go to the concert and then... No! he says firmly, we leave tonight.  He hugs her, obviously upset.

Barnabas leads Carolyn into the basement room his coffin used to occupy in regular time. She's astonished--how did you even knew this room was here?  Didn't you? he asks. No, she says. Chances are, you husband won't, either, he says. I know he doesn't, she says. This will be the room, he says--we must find a coffin. How do you know so much? she asks.  Contemplate a different band of time running parallel to your own, he suggests--we live in both, but are different because of the choices we made--I came to this time hoping desperately to escape what I am--and I failed. What choice did I ever have? she asks bitterly. In that time, says Barnabas, you are an heiress to Collinwood. I'd like that time, she says. No, you wouldn't, he says, because today, you see, your husband was killed. Will? she asks--maybe I would mind that less than you think. Not Will, says Barnabas, the man's name is Jeb Hawkes. I don't know anyone by that name, she says, I don't understand it. In the time I come from, he says, Julia Hoffman is a doctor. Maybe she's happier there, suggests Carolyn. Maybe, agrees Barn, but how did she happen to come to Collinwood?  She came with Angelique, reveals Carolyn. They were friends? asks Barnabas. "It was hard to tell who was in charge of the other." says Carolyn.  What do people actually know about Angelique? he asks.  She always wanted to marry Quentin, since she was a child, explains Carolyn. She lived here as a child? asks Barn. Yes, says Carolyn, her father raised her, Tim Stokes--she outgrew him when she became a Collins. All so similar, yet so different, remarks Barn. You meant what you said about the band of time4, didn't you? she asks. Yes, he says. I don't want to think about that, she says, rubbing her hair. We have much to do before dawn, he says.  You can tell me more on the way to the cemetery, says Barnabas--he turns and asks, did you like Angelique?  "You don't have a right to know everything!" she growls.  You just answered my question, Barnabas says--come. They leave.

We see Angelique's portrait. Julia stands talking to it--Quentin is coming back, she says, bringing HER with him--even he must know that there can only be one mistress of Collinwood!

Standing next to Quentin, looking at Collinwood, Maggie says, you have no idea how often, when I was a child, I used to dream about coming to this house--I thought you had to be grownup to be inside here. It's all yours, he says. Mine? she asks, then hugs him, laughing happily.

Hoffman has prepared a dinner for the newlyweds in the drawing room. I'm not sure he'll want supper here, cautions Liz. He always did before, says Julia. ANGELIQUE always did, says Liz, checking one of the dishes--did you make ALL he favorites? she adds caustically. He asked me to make the decisions, says Hoffman. The front door opens; Quentin enters first. Maggie waits outside, cleaning her throat--you're forgetting something, she says--you always forgets the traditional things--you're supposed to sweep me off my feet and carry me across the threshold! He laughs, and remarks, you're very young. Too young? she asks anxiously. Never, he says, hoisting her into his arms and kissing her as he carries her. (white panty shot)  Liz throws open the double doors, and says, "Welcome, welcome! How romantic!" Quentin sets her down and introduces Maggie, his wife, to Cousin Liz.  We're happy to have a new member of the family, says Liz. Hoffman, looking far less welcoming, pastes on a smile and welcomes Quentin back. Quentin introduces Maggie to Hoffman, who will, he assures his wife, take care of you 100 times each day. Maggie greets her. I have supper waiting, says Hoffman, but if you would rather go up to your rooms first... No, no, says Quentin, putting his arm around Maggie and heading to the kitchen. I took the liberty of setting the table by the fire, says Hoffman. Furious, Quentin demands, why the devil you do that?  I thought Mrs. Collins would prefer it, says Hoffman, clearly wanting to make trouble for the new bride. Maggie intervenes--what's wrong? she asks. Nothing, says Quentin curtly, it's all right--this time. I have to go catch up on correspondence, says Liz, but I want to have a long chat with you tomorrow.  Maggie agrees.  Quentin gives Hoffman a look that spits poison.  Liz goes upstairs.  Quentin is still giving Hoffman the evil eye as he and Maggie enter the drawing room. Maggie exults over the room's beauty--Quentin, she gushes, you can't imagine how happy I am!  Maggie looks into a chafing dish--crab meat, I adore it, and champagne!  Did you do this deliberately, Hoffman? demands Quentin.  I love it, Maggie tries to tell her husband.Quentin orders her, stay out of it, gets in Hoffman's face, and demands, how do you dare this--woman?... Hoffman insists she doesn't understand his ire.  Yes you do! he says--and stomps from the house in a fury.  Maggie, baffled, turns to Julia.  I'm afraid coming back to Collinwood has upset Mr. Collins very much, says Hoffman, and ascends the stairs, leaving Maggie alone. Maggie calls to Quentin outside, but receives no response.  Dejected, she returns to the house.

11 PM - The table is still set for two, but Maggie is just standing beside it, unsure of what to do. She sits on the sofa, wondering where Quentin is and why he left. A note is pushed under the drawing room door.  Maggie kneels down to get it. She quickly opens the doors, but doesn't catch whoever left the note. She reads, YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE, NOW OR EVER--ANGELIQUE. "That can't be," says Maggie--"she's dead!"

NOTES: Poor little bride, coming home to a house of such turmoil. I love the cynical Carolyn, the middle class Liz, the nasty, manipulating Hoffman. We will meet other denizens of PT, and each is wonderful in his or her own way. When everyone starts disappearing when HODS is being filmed, I'm not so happy anymore, but will try to enjoy it this time around. It definitely has its good moments.

Barnabas bites the characters portrayed by Nancy Barrett more than any other. They always seem to have excellent chemistry for those scenes, especially Charity in 1897. What do you think of Carolyn so far?

So, what's the story with Quentin and Angelique? Will his old marriage haunt his new one? Who sent the note? Hoffman, trying to instigate more trouble? Angelique or her ghost? She was a witch in regular time, what is she in PT?

Love, Robin