317 - (Grayson Hall) - The fate of a little boy trapped in the secret chamber of an old tomb has been a matter of grave concern at Collinwood. Now that the boy has been found, there is the feeling that the crisis has passed--but in fact it has not. As the sun goes down, the little boy's life is still in jeopardy, for at the Old House on the Collinwood estate, there is one who fears that the boy has already learned his dark and evil secret.

3 AM - The church bells toll the hour. Barnabas enters the Old House drawing room and peers out the window. He readies to leave, taking coat and cane. Julia arrives, and he calls her timing "regrettable"--he has business to attend to. I have a way of learning if David must die, he says, and will tolerate no interference from you. I saw David earlier, says Julia, and my guess it, he knows nothing. I want facts, not guess-work, insists Barnabas--get out of my way. After Barnabas departs, Julia follows him.

At the Evans cottage, Sam takes a gun from a table drawer, then returns it. Dave shows up, and Sam tells him he believes there's a connection between David's disappearance in the cemetery and Maggie's--the mausoleum is Sarah and David's secret hiding place!Woodard isn't sure about this, but Sam wants to go there, and now, even though it's dark. Sam takes out the gun and they leave.

Barnabas senses someone is following him, and Julia backs away to hide in the bushes. Who is it?--who's there? demands Barnabas, but continues along.

Sam and Dave look around as a storm begins.

Barnabas walks up the steps of the tomb and goes in, closing the door behind him. Julia walks in behind him. Spotting her, the vampire tells her to go, but she refuses--he's shared all his other secrets with her, and now must share this, too.

Sam and Dave run into the caretaker of the cemetery,who goes into his usual "the Collins tomb is cursed" spiel.

Barnabas tells Julia the story of his being locked in the coffin, then reveals the secret room. He shows her his coffin inside, closing the door behind them. Barnabas finds David's pocket knife on the floor and is positive David knows his secret.Julia protests, insisting this isn't definitive proof at all. Barnabas, however, is stricken with fear and feels he must prevent David from telling anyone.

Dave and Sam enter the tomb. Julia and Barnabas hear them talking and shut up to listen. Thunder roars outside. Dave shines a flashlight on the wall plaques and notes that of Sarah. Hmm, David's friend, SARAH--that old fashioned dress, her manners, that doll!This is more than a coincidence, asserts Dave--"Maybe little Sarah really is a ghost."

NOTES: Pshaw, we've known about Sarah being a ghost for a long time now! What took them so long to figure it out?

Sounds like David is getting into deep trouble with Barnabas. The vampire is so nervous about his Big Secret, he wants to get rid of anyone who knows about him--or put them in his power. Why not put the bite on Cousin David instead of killing him?

That caretaker does begin to get on one's nerves after a while, doesn't he? Same old, same old. Gets dull.


318 - (Grayson Hall) - Only three people know the secret behind the evil that walks in the shadows of Collinwood, but there are others who may be on the threshold of discovery.

Sam doesn't want to believe Sarah is a ghost, but Dave reminds him Julia said something supernatural was involved here.Hearing that, Barnabas angrily grabs Julia's throat; she cries out. Both men on the other side hear the noise, but figure since that's a solid wall back there, the noise couldn't have come from there. Sam and Dave are abruptly assailed by terrible fear for Maggie's safety, and Dave tells Sam to pick up Joe and put him on guard at the cottage. Dave wants to go speak to David at Collinwood; he sure he knows more than he's said--and he also plans a showdown with Julia! They leave. In the secret room, Barnabas accuses Julia of arousing Woodard's curiosity. He opens the panel. David must be silenced, insists Barnabas, but Julia protests. Barnabas opens the coffin and shoves her into it violently. "Think about an existence of total darkness and loneliness," he says--"does that appeal to you?" Of course not, she answers. I intend to remain free and take my chances, he tells her. He closes the coffin and they leave.

Outside, closing the panel, Barnabas says that he finds it hard to believe Sarah would betray him by telling David about the secret room. Barnabas feels his sister has rejected him. She will appear to you if she knows you feel threatened, predicts Julia--the best way to silence David is not to kill him, but to find Sarah! Barnabas walks over to his little sister's plaque and touches it.

Dave waits in Collinwood's drawing room. David comes in and reluctantly tells Woodard only that Sarah knows many secrets--and he doesn't know her full name or where she lives--she just appears out of nowhere.Woodard also finds out that Julia has been questioning David about Sarah, too. Woodard asks the boy why, but Julia interrupts and tries to disrupt the conversation. If your secret place is the mausoleum, Woodard warns David, someone very dangerous also knows about it.

Julia brings David upstairs. Dave asks to speak to her. When Julia comes back down, Dave orders her to tell what she's discovered or he'll take Maggie out of her care. Terrified by the howling outside, Julia asks to discuss this tomorrow morning.We can just forget about tomorrow then! Dave rages--as of now, Maggie Evans is no longer your patient! He stalks out. Julia looks fearfully out the window. Julia takes her coat and leaves the house.

Barnabas stares out the window, assuring David, "You're going to sleep, Cousin David--you're going to sleep for a long, long time." Barnabas grabs coat and cane and prepares to leave just as Julia rushes in. I've changed my mind about not harming the boy, says Barnabas, a weak moment was responsible for my decision in that regard. Julia begs him not to kill David, but he declares, "Doctor, when I make up my mind to kill somebody, you know you can't stop me--you know nothing on this earth can stop me!" The doors fly open, the candles blow out, and an icy wind rushes through the house.She's here! cries Barnabas, begging his sister to come to him--"Please let me see you!" "Nothing on this earth can stop you," agrees Julia--"except one little girl."

NOTES: Did you think/hope Sarah would appear to big brother Barnabas and personally ream him out for his plans for her friend, David? Who or what else could have stopped him? Nothing, as Julia said. Barnabas loved Sarah above all others, and will obey her, no matter what.

Julia's now lost Maggie as her patient. What if the young woman remembers, as she did once before, what Barnabas did to her?

Are Sam and Dave closing in on Barnabas and his secret? How much more do they have to learn before they know the full truth?

Love, Robin

313 - (Alexandra Moltke) - It is dawn at Collinwood, and faint rays of light have begun to creep across the silent walls of the great house. For one girl, it has been a night of terror, for a small boy has disappeared and he is in greater danger than anyone knows, for he has begun to stumble onto secrets that could cost him his life.

Roger returns home from Boston to find Vicki asleep on the couch, fully dressed. She awakens and gives him the bad news about howJoe, Carolyn and she bungled taking care of David. A disheveled David continues banging on the secret door, calling for help.

As Carolyn admits to Vicki that the witness who supposedly saw David is old and unreliable, the two young women do their best to reassure each other that David is all right. They're both scared, and Carolyn says she has a feeling something bad has happened to David.

Roger and Joe search, with Rog popping out some great lines of comic relief. He makes disparaging remarks about the cops in their town, and when Joe suggests they check Eagle Hill Cemetery, which is where Maggie was found twice, Roger pooh-poohs the idea, but agrees reluctantly to go.

David, who has dozed off, wakes up and murmurs, "Somebody's got to come!" The cemetery caretaker, a real hoot of a guy, finds the mausoleum gate open and goes to investigate. When he hears David's voice calling, "Help!" from behind what is supposedly only the back wall to the tomb, his eyes widen as he responds,"No, there is no help for you, you must rest!" to what he assumes are ghosts. He runs off, leaving poor, lonely David losing hope. He falls asleep again against the stone steps.

Roger and Joe spot the caretaker, whom Rog dubs "senile," but when Joe questions the codger, he learns the old man heard voices. Yes, he knows of a David, David Brewster, says the caretaker, drowned at sea.Joe presses the ancient mariner, who reveals he heard voices at the Collins tomb. Roger sarcastically his ancestors are kicking up a fuss, but Joe, despite the caretaker's warnings of danger, persists, and they go to check out the mausoleum. Unfortunately for David, when his father and Joe are inside the mausoleum, he takes another nap, and doesn't hear DS' most famous spoken blooper, when Roger mentions his INCESTORS and quickly covers his gaffe. As Roger waxes on about Naomi and Joshua,David slumbers, and only awakens after everyone has gone. He decides the voices he heard were part of a dream he had. David awakens fully and, his hands on the stone step that opens the door, starts calling fruitlessly to the empty tomb.

NOTES: How frustrating it is for poor David, falling asleep when rescue is near, always just missing being found. It's equally frustrating for the viewer!

Hilarious blooper on Edmonds' part, but how quickly and cleverly he fixed it! He's so good at that!


314 - (Grayson Hall) - The sea beyond the great house shimmers in the clear morning air, but inside the walls of Collinwood, terror mounts, for a missing boy has not yet been found. Far from the great house there are those who also know fear, a fear so terrifying that it stuns the mind and numbs the heart.

An exhausted Joe collapses in a chair at the cottage and tells Maggie they haven't found David. Between Sarah and David's mysterious disappearance, Joe thinks the supernatural is involved (and I've always believed Collinsport to be the first Hellmouth). He blames himself for David's running off, but Maggie won't hear any talk like that. Dave Woodard stops by and they tell him how Julia stops by only to take Maggie's pulse, but appears to be doing nothing about bringing her memory back. Also, why is she hanging around the Old House posing as a historian--when she's there all alone? Dave, agreeing it all makes no sense, promises to look into these allegations.They also discuss the mysterious Sarah, and Maggie loans Dave the doll the little girl left for her. There was no way for Sarah to get into the locked house and leave it--yet she did, somehow. Dave feels the doll will lead them closer to the truth.

Willie, searching for David, hears Sarah's flute--and she appears to him! He tells her he's her friend and that he wants to take her to see Barnabas, who she claims she's been looking for, too (?)She can't go back to the Old House with him right now, though, she says petulantly, because she has to look for David--and besides, she doesn't like being asked so many questions. She does tell him she's revealed "her biggest secret" to David. When he makes the mistake of turning away, Sarah disappears, leaving him calling after her, frustrated.

Willie races to Collinwood and tells Julia he saw Sarah! She doesn't want him to tell Barnabas of his encounter with Sarah, because it will mean putting David in danger.This could ruin the experiment, too, she frets. Willie says he'll try to keep quiet, but Julia insists he do more than try.

Woodard comes in and says he must talk to Julia, first commenting on Julia's interest in all the Old House residents. He tells her he agrees with her assessment of the supernatural goings-on, which clearly unnerves her--until he says it's in regard to Sarah. Her dress and appearance, her ability to appear and disappear all point in that direction. Then he shows Julia the doll.He gave it to the local librarian to examine, and that doll, though it looks brand-new, is actually 150 years old!

NOTES: Will Julia lose Maggie as a patient? If so, can she stick around Collinsport, working with Barnabas, without Maggie's case as an excuse?

Sarah is a little ghost girl, which we already know. Now she's appeared to Willie, but not Barnabas. What is she waiting for? Why didn't she save her supposed-friend, David? Now that Willie knows Sarah has revealed her biggest secret to David, will the boy's life be in jeopardy? Will Willie and Julia be able to keep all this from Barnabas? Given how nervous he is, won't he want to kill David when he hears about this secret Sarah told David?

Love, Robin

309 - (Alexandra Moltke) - This is a time of suspicion, a time when trust has slipped away into the darkness, an doubts run high. There are those who find the finger of suspicion pointed at them, and they react with a sudden fear of exposure.

Barnabas notes Julia's shakier-than-usual hand when she gives him his injection and grabs her around the throat when she seems reluctant to tell him why she's so nervous. She finally admits that Sam and Joe were prowling around, asking questions about Sarah.Barnabas grows nervous--of all the people who know his secret, Julia has control over Maggie, he controls Willie, but Sarah knows, too, and she seems to be siding with his enemies. He loved her dearly and she felt the same way about him at one time, but she has come back for a reason, and he can't allow her to destroy him!

Burke comes to Collinwood to see Vicki, who behaves coolly toward him--until he tells her he apologizes for what he did to Barnabas. He figured she'd WANT to know more about Barnabas, but she denies that and insists she and Barnabas are just friends. Burke says all he's concerned about is his future with Vicki. They kiss and make up (she still acts like his breath stinks), but she has one really difficult request to make of him--apologize to Barnabas, too.(Although Burke insists he's no longer suspicious of Barnabas, one has to wonder how easily he was diverted, considering he not only considered Barnabas a danger to Maggie, but to Vicki, too. One must assume he's more concerned about losing his fiancee than fearful about Barnabas.)

Barnabas shows up with a book on historical Collinsport for Vicki, who sits in the foyer and reads it while Burke and Barnabas are chatting. Burke apologizes to Barnabas for behaving like a snoopy neighbor, but explains that he has a small-town mentality who finds "unknown quantities" like Barnabas a mystery he likes to solve. Barnabas pushes it, asking if Burke would like to know what he does during the day, or clarify any other questions he might have, but Burke demurs;he realizes Barnabas is just an interesting man who enjoys his privacy. They shake hands on it.

At the Old House, Julia feels a presence, but sees no one. "Sarah?" she asks hopefully.

Burke and Barnabas emerge from the drawing room and assure Vicki all is well with them. She sees Burke to the door and tells him she's proud of him. The camera angle is such that we don't see more than the back of her head when they kiss, which is a relief.

Julia searches the woods, calling to Sarah.

In the drawing room, Barnabas thanks Vicki for her role in acting as intermediary for him and Burke. He offers to answer any questions she might have (or that Burke might have put in her head), but she says she only wants to discuss the book he brought.

When Barnabas returns to the Old House, Julia exultantly tells him Sarah was there, she felt her presence--and there's definitive proof--the book she was looking at is on the table, open to Sarah's picture!Looking left out and lonely, Barnabas says sadly, "Sooner or later, she'll come to me."

NOTES: A little ghost girl who will appear to everyone except her vampire brother, who longs to see her! You really had to feel sympathy for Barnabas here, as he battles the demons inside him. Sarah is his little sister, and she won't appear to him--how sad is that?

Barnabas does love to grab Julia's throat, doesn't he? Eventually, that will stop, but she'll long for him to do something else to her throat!

Barnabas is fortunate that he was able to get Burke off his trail. Luckily, Burke is more fearful of losing Vicki than pursuing Barnabas' past. It's a huge mistake on his part, but he's a man in love, and his actions completely understandable.


310 - (Nancy Barrett) - Twilight, and the walls of Collinwood are bathed in a curious half light. Soon day will subside into night, but now they coexist. There are moments in time when the past and the present seem to coexist--moments when the land of the living and the land of the dead seem to merge. For one man, this is such a moment.

Old House drawing room - Barnabas hears that, while cleaning the chandelier, Willie spotted Sarah looking in at him through the window and becomes very upset, not, as Willie suggests, because he fears she'll betray him, but because Sarah seems to be appearing to everyone except her own brother!Willie advises Barnabas to find her before she reveals the truth about him, but all Barnabas can think of is why Sarah seems to fear him. Alone in the room, Barnabas tells himself, "She couldn't be frightened of me--my own sister--she couldn't be."

Collinwood drawing room - Carolyn orders David to get washed up and ready for dinner, but David has spotted Sarah at "the secret place" in his crystal ball, and he's far more interested in that, and wants to find her right away. When Joe comes to the door begging David to help him find Sarah, for Maggie's sake,David grows even more determined, and refuses to reveal where Sarah's secret place is. Carolyn insists David must eat dinner, and Joe agrees with her, to David's disappointment, but you know our David--as soon as no one is watching, he puts on his jacket and out he goes--alone!

Sarah was sitting in the mausoleum, rocking her doll (how did she get it back from Maggie)?

Barnabas insists to Willie that Sarah wouldn't betray him, and wants to go to Sarah's grave to see if she can sense his need for him, and thus appear to him. (Poor guy really feels terrible about his little sister, and I don't think he fears that she'll tell on him; he just wants to see her again.)

David goes to the cemetery calling to Sarah, who appears and cheerfully greets him. She was lonely, and she's glad to have someone to play with. When he tells her that he'll play ball with her for a while,but then she must come back to Collinwood and talk to Maggie's friend, Joe (Sarah only remembers a friend named Maggie, but doesn't acknowledge anything about the kidnapping), she tosses the ball so he misses it, and when he turns around after finding it, Sarah is gone.

Carolyn, after frantically searching the house for David, tells him he's gone, and she thinks he went searching for Sarah. She's fearful he's in danger.

David, calling for Sarah, goes into the mausoleum, then into the secret room, and closes the door behind him. He hears Barnabas and Willie enter, Barnabas wondering where "she" (he never says the name Sarah) is.They're just about to leave, but to keep suspense going, Barn orders Willie to open the panel. David hastily opens the coffin. Willie opens the door to the secret room, Barnabas steps in, and places his hand on the casket, the only hiding place David was able to find!

NOTES: My God! Could they make it any more tense for the viewer? Will Barnabas open the coffin and find David?

Will Sarah ever play it straight with anyone? She's always disappearing! Will she ever appear to her anxious, loving brother? Why is she staying away from him?

Love, Robin

305 - Sarah, wearing her cap, appears to David, who's playing in "their" spot in the woods. He asks where she lives and she says she can't tell him, it's too hard to explain. (I guess grave would sound kinda creepy.) He likes her because of all her secrets, David claims.Well, she has a doozie to share with him, then. He says he has to go home, but the lonely little ghost girl begs him to stick around. She's going to take him to a special place to play--Eagle Hill Cemetery!

Barnabas hobbles up from the basement and sinks wearily into his favorite chair. He's feeling strange, he tells Willie, and ponders if he should remain Dr. Hoffman's guinea pig if he's going to feel so terrible.He's also worried about Sarah and what her presence means. When Julia arrives, he apologizes for not rising, but he isn't feeling so swift. She says she'll perform some tests to check for progress, and he warns her that there had better BE progress. She heads downstairs to prepare. Barnabas tells Willie he doesn't trust her and wonders if the injections she's giving him are doing him harm (he should have thought of that before allowing it, shouldn't he)? If she is doing something bad to him, destroy her, Barnabas orders Willie, who says, "I understand."

Sarah pops out when David is calling her, teasingly telling him she was behind him the whole time. He's surprised to hear she plays in a cemetery alone, and even more shocked when she takes him to the Collins family tomb.

Julia tells Barnabas she's pleased with the test results, but he says he doesn't believe her--she'd lie to protect herself and continue her experiments whether they were helping him or not.The good news is real, she assures him, borne out by facts--she has changed the cell structure of his blood. It's working! Everything she believes is at stake, she tells him. "So is your life, doctor," he warns her. "So is your life." Julia tells him to stop threatening her all the time (go, Julia!) How can she gain his trust? He vows that if he feels any further weakening, he'll end the experiment--he's got to deal with Burke, and he needs all his strength to do so. Julia realizes he's thinking of killing Burke again, and begs Barnabas to allow her to handle Devlin without violence. Do it, he says, for both her own sake and Burke's. I guess that warning not to threaten her hasn't sunk in yet.

Mausoleum - Sarah has David stand on her mother's coffin in order to pull the ring in the lion's mouth that opens the secret room. Once they're inside there,David is fascinated, but when he sees the coffin, even he's taken aback. She tells him to open the coffin, which horrifies David. When he sees her struggling to open it herself, he helps her. They open the coffin and stare inside. We don't know what they see. . .


306 - David and Sarah open the empty coffin, and she tells him that whoever was in it went away. Dead people don't walk away, asserts David, and Sarah replies that sometimes they do! David is creeped out and says he has to go home, but Sarah is upset--he promised to play with her in this neat secret place! He assures her he won't tell anyone.

At the Old House, Julia questions where Barnabas is going. He curtly reminds her that she doesn't own him,and he finds her domineering and meddlesome (ouch!) HE'S going to handle this Burke Devlin crisis, he says, and far better than she handled the Maggie business. All it takes is a little finesse, something this new world has little of. Julia is concerned, and probably kind of hurt, too.

David returns home, late, and Vicki chastises him for not coming home before dark, like he promised. He was with Sarah, he tells Vicki, and remembering that the little girl knew Maggie was alive before everyone else, Vicki tells David she'd like to meet the child who dresses like they did for Barnabas' costume party.Then Vicki recalls the imaginary little girl she saw at the top of the stairs, and another light goes on.

Barnabas comes to Collinwood and expresses his apologies to Vicki for his reaction to her engagement. He just isn't quite sure Burke will give her all the joy she deserves, is all. He then tattles, in a very gentlemanly way, about how Burke is having him investigated--questioning everyone, having him followed, etc.Vicki is aghast to hear this. Burke is wrong to have done it, and she will make sure he knows about it. Oh, but he doesn't want to wreck their relationship, says Barn suavely, and thanks her for her efforts. (He is SOOOO smooth, this vampire man, you've got to admire him. Finesse, indeed!)

Julia comes in and Vicki tells her and Barnabas that David got home late, but was all right--he was hanging with his friend, Sarah. Vicki says that Sarah is "mysterious." Barnabas is surprised to hear about the little girl.

On the landing, Julia questions David about Sarah. He's curious as to why everyone wants to know about her, and why Julia in particular is asking so many questions. Sarah's answers to most questions don't make sense.

Barnabas goes to the cemetery and hears the sound of Sarah playing her flute. We see Sarah in the tomb sitting on one of the coffins, pretending to play the flute, but when Barnabas enters the mausoleum, Sarah is gone. Barnabas begs, "It's your brother, Barnabas, come to take you home. I love you. . .I need you."But Sarah has disappeared, leaving her brother to sadly run his fingers over her plaque.

NOTES: How sad is that? This poor man/vampire loves his little sister and wants to take her home, where she belongs--but she doesn't want to be with him. Why? Why won't she appear to her own big brother?

I have to admire the way Barnabas handles the Burke problem. He might even get a fight between Vicki and Burke out of it--a nice dividend! Barnabas was just too cool!

Love, Robin

301 - (Alexandra Moltke) - We plan for the future, looking forward hopefully and innocently. But there are those who would interrupt our plans--those who would plot against us and destroy tomorrow.

Willie strongly cautions Barnabas against killing Burke--the sheriff would institute an exhaustive search, given that Burke is one of their leading citizens.Also, if Barnabas kills Burke, his disappearance will likely be linked to Maggie. Barnabas decides to put off Burke's demise for another, more convenient, time.

At the front door of Collinwood, Vicki and Burke embrace, rhapsodizing about their wonderful evening together. Burke wishes she'd accepted his marriage proposal, and Vicki wishes she had, too (or could have given him an instant decision, at least), and thanks him for giving her the time to think it over. They kiss and go into the house.

Liz asks Burke into the drawing room, and Vicki retires for the night. Liz tells Burke she will sell Seaview to him, and he's delighted.They toast Burke's happiness.

Vicki, unable to sleep, goes into the drawing room to talk to Liz--she's got a lot to think about. Liz informs Vicki that she's selling Seaview to Burke, and Vicki is as elated as Devlin was. You've changed Burke, says Liz approvingly, he's got a newfound stability.Vicki agrees and tells Liz she's "fond" of Burke. It's obvious how much Burke cares for you, says Liz. Vicki admits that Burke asked her to marry him tonight--she's been carefully considering his proposal, but it's the first time she's ever thought about marriage. Liz won't help her make this important decision, but assures her she doesn't oppose the relationship.

Barnabas comes into the Blue Whale, where Burke is happily celebrating what he must think will be Vicki's acceptance of his marriage proposal. In one of the most fascinating and fun exchanges I've ever seen on DS, they sit down at the same table, Burke buys Barnabas a brandy, and they launch into a discussion that clearly delineates their adversarial relationship. Barn says he, too, might have something to celebrate--and that it would be nothing without Burke. Do we really like each other? Burke asks Barn, comparing their relationship to card players playing for very high stakes. Barnabas, however, likens it to a duel--I thrust, you parry, you thrust, I parry. Burke doesn't like that simile, there's too much desperation in it--a battle to the death. Is a duel necessary? Burke asks. Barnabas wants to know if Burke sees him as an evil person, and points out that even in a card game, the stakes could be life or death. Cards or sabers? they wonder, and they drink to that. Barnabas eyes him with evil intent.Burke says he wants to get to know more about him, and asks again about Niall Bradford, his cousin. The bartender is closing up. Burke says, "Thanks for playing the game." Barnabas bids Burke good night with a measured glance of hatred, but after he leaves, Burke picks up the phone and dials the overseas operator--for London.

NOTES: Thrust and parry, indeed--and who will win this duel/card game?


302 - (Alexandra Moltke) - The stillness of another night has fallen over Collinwood, but the stillness is deceiving. For in the Old House on the Collinwood estate, a strange alliance has been formed--and alliance between the living and the dead.

Old House, drawing room - Barnabas is looking through the family album when Julia joins him. Your injection will be ready shortly, she informs him. One mistake could mean your life, he warns her. Julia sits across from him and notes how often he's been looking through that album. I like looking through the family album, says Barnabas--there's a strong resemblance between Jeremiah and Burke Devlin. He indicates that he'd like to see Devlin dead. Don't hurt him, says Julia. Realizing he's looking at Sarah's picture, she asks him if he thinks she has returned. Don't be absurd, he snaps, she's been dead almost 200 years (and you're a vampire, Barn, what's your point?)You've come back, Julia reminds him defiantly, why can't she?--perhaps she's returned as a ghost. She's concerned that her experiments might fail because of his emotional imbalance--Sarah must be found before everything is ruined. Barnabas confesses that he heard Sarah in Maggie's room, and describes what happened. Why would a little girl prevent you from killing Maggie? Asks Julia. Barnabas doesn't exactly answer her question, but does describe Sarah as "the sum of everything that made living on this earth worthwhile--I've loved her in a way I've loved no other human being. He speculates on why she'd come back. Perhaps you called her back yourself, suggests Julia--subconsciously, because she symbolizes that side of Barnabas that he's lost. They head down to the basement for his injection.

Vicki wanders the drawing room at Collinwood, thinking over the proposal. Liz comes in and asks if she's come to a decision, but Vicki hasn't. Julia arrives, and Liz begins to question her about her work. Vicki leaves to meet Burke on the terrace.

Liz expresses interest in Julia's project. Julia wants to know about Sarah Collins. Liz knows only that she died as a little girl, and persists in questioning Julia about her work in more detail.Julia attempts to turn the conversation back to Liz, but the latter realizes exactly what Julia is doing and praises how effectively evasive she's been.

Burke and Vicki embrace on the terrace. He explains his lateness--"information from London." I want to know more about you and your past, says Vicki, but Burke becomes evasive on this issue--I can offer you the future, but not the past, he insists.Vicki hesitates a moment, then tells him she's decided she will marry him. You'll never be sorry, says Burke, embracing her.

Barnabas enters Collinwood's drawing room and makes sure to praise Julia's historical research in front of Liz. Vicki and Burke enter, both grinning with pleasure, and announces that she and Burke are going to get married. Liz and Julia congratulate them, but Barnabas turns away, exclaiming, half to himself, "Jeremiah!"Only Burke hears what Barnabas has said, and stares at him, perplexed. Vicki walks over to Barnabas and asks about his silence; he replies that he only wants to see her happy. He and Julia leave.

On the terrace, Barnabas rails on about how much he despises this union. How long will my treatment take? He demands impatiently, and what are the chance of success? It depends on your cooperation, Julia tells him. Barnabas vows to cooperation, swearing that when the treatment is finished, he's going to do everything he can to stop this marriage!

Love, Robin

297 - (KLS) - To live, to exist, is to expose oneself to the momentary dangers that surround us. We can never be sure when these perils will arise, for jeopardy does not respect time, and we must be prepared for the encounter.

Sam and Joe keep vigil over Maggie, who awakens chipper and in a good mood. She isn't thrilled to learn they don't want to her reclaim her job at the coffee shop, and upset to think she has to be watched over this way.They may be afraid, but she'll be damned if SHE is going to live her life in fear! If they want, they can hover over her like the royal queen, but she's not buying into it!

Maggie is reading a book in her room when Sarah appears at the French doors (why are they so open, anyway?) Maggie is a trifle puzzled at the child's familiarity with her, as when Sarah calls her "my very best friend." It's clear that Maggie has forgotten Sarah, too, but Maggie agrees to play catch, and they have a rousing chorus of "London Bridge" as they toss it back and forth. It's soon obvious to Sarah, however, that Maggie doesn't remember her,and, hurt, Sarah says only her doll remembers her. She takes it and leaves.

Maggie and Sam look over the drawing the latter did of Sarah, and Maggie begs her father to find her--she is sure the child knows about the missing weeks of her life.

Barnabas drops by the cottage to see how Maggie's doing, and Sam leaves the vampire to babysit his daughter while he goes to deliver a painting. Barnabas gently quizzes Maggie about her loss of memory, and suggests it might be a safety factor in her favor that she doesn't recall what happened. She's very friendly toward him, giving no hint that she knows him as anything other than a kindly Collins cousin paying a social visit. He asks if she saw the man who kidnapped her, does she think she'd recognize him, and she says she doesn't know for sure. She tells Barnabas about the little girl, Sarah, 8 or 9, in an old-fashioned dress, who claims to have sang London Bridge and played with her(and did all this information give him a start!) Maggie thinks this child could help lead her to a return of her memory, and Barnabas realizes this could also mean her kidnapper would then be caught. "Something will have to be done," says Barnabas to Maggie in a classic understatement of double entendre.

A do-it-yourself kind of guy, Barnabas shows up in Maggie's room later, while she sleeps. He takes a pillow and is about to smother herwhen he hears Sarah's voice singing "London Bridge." He drops the pillow, backing away from Maggie's bed, hoarsely whispering, "Sarah, what do you want from me?" Slowly, fear, sorrow and puzzlement on his face, he retreats out into the night and flees.


298 - (Alexandra Moltke) - A brilliant morning sun warms the walls of Collinwood, and on the surface all is peaceful and serene. But within the great house, there is one who senses danger in the peacefulness of the morning sunshine--one who senses approaching terrors that are as yet unseen and unknown.

I still remember the first time I saw today's first shot of Carolyn, in vivid color, standing on the landing in Collinwood, lost in thought. My mother and I both gasped at how gorgeous she looked.

Although Carolyn expresses to Liz happiness that Maggie is alive and Joe's got her back, she's inexplicably nervous.Something terrible is going to happen, and soon, the predicts, to Liz' consternation.

Burke stops by--he wants Liz to take him to check out Seaview; he's seriously thinking of buying it. Liz retrieves the key and deed, which, oddly, says, "not for sale." Carolyn comes along with them to Seaview and finds the house charming, but Liz feels a terrible clamminess and says she doesn't like the place. Burke is anxious to know what price she's asking for it, and it's soon obvious to Liz that he wants to buy the house because Vicki loves it. He admits she's right and asks how she feels about that.She approves, she says, with the air of a happy mother-in-law to be.

Vicki is at the cottage with Maggie, jogging her memory. The names "Josette" and "Barnabas" get a rise out of Maggie, but just when it looks like there's going to be a breakthrough(Maggie's even remembered a coffin!), Julia knocks at the door. She pretends she's there to see Sam, but when she overhears Maggie closing in on a memory of Barnabas, she intervenes immediately and shows the girls her pretty medallion. Julia requests a cup of tea and Vicki volunteers to fix it, leaving Maggie alone with Julia, who proceeds to hypnotize Maggie,once again erasing her burgeoning memories. By the time Vicki returns with the tea, Maggie's mind is once again blank about what she was starting to remember. The girls are upset, but Julia smiles triumphantly over her teacup.

NOTES: I believe Julia's growing feelings of love for Barnabas had their origin in this episode; certainly her jealousy reared its ugly head! Lucky for Barnabas Julia showed up when she did, because Maggie was going to tell all to Vicki--and wouldn't that have spelled disaster for the nervous vampire? Maggie didn't retain her forgetfulness long, either, did she? Julia seemed to sure it would stay buried for a lot longer than that!

Carolyn's feelings of approaching doom are fairly new to the blonde teenager. She's growing up, and into the psychic sensations that might have been handed down from Pansy or Leticia Faye!

Poor Maggie, you start to wonder if all these "forget" sessions are going to somehow fry out her brain. It's got to have unfortunate repercussions somewhere!

Burke loves Vicki and wants to settle down, and Liz is fine with it! What a difference from the embittered man who came to Collinsport, seeking revenge against the Collins family! Love (and the fact that an entirely different actor is playing him) has changed him into a nice guy that Liz likes! (Although I suspect she always had a warm spot for him, even in their darkest disagreements.)

Love, Robin

293 - (Alexandra Moltke) - There is the feeling at Collinwood that time has been suspended, that the past and the present exist as one, for there is one who lived long ago who has returned to live again. He is destined to live and sow the seeds of terror in the dark hours of the night.

When Willie, at coffinside, tells Barnabas at that Julia will be stopping by that evening, Barnabas says to tell her he'll be at Collinwood all evening. A nervous Willie wants to know why. "I am not beholden to you, you are beholden to me," Barnabas reminds his servant.

Drawing room - Willie insists that Barnabas is only going to Collinwood to see Vicki. Barnabas counters that Vicki is an extraordinary young woman. And besides, he has no sinister plans for Vicki, he simply enjoys her company--while Willie has become boring, with all his fears. Barnabas plans to work on Vicki the way an ordinary man would, and when Willie reminds him he isn't a normal man, Barnabas says that's right--he's better! He's going to allow Julia to proceed with her foolish, scientific plans, for now, anyway--but he wants Willie to keep an eye on the doctor.Barnabas finds Willie's concern for Vicki and lack of concern for Julia very amusing. (Then again, Willie knows Vicki a lot better than he does Julia.) Barnabas disses poor Willie badly by saying that the gap between Willie and Vicki is as wide as the sky, then goes on to say he doesn't understand why people welcome aging and growing ugly. He, Barnabas, is untouched by time--untouched by ANYTHING. "Except loneliness!" Willie tosses at his retreating back, and Barnabas pauses, looking sad.

Vicki and Burke discuss the house, which she entered despite a no trespassing sign and found to be in perfect condition. She teases him by telling him she saw a schooner from one of the windows at the house, bearing a bride from Barbados.Burke sees this house Vicki loves so much as a rival and he wants to go there right away and size it up. He's really pissed off when Barnabas picks that moment to show up. While Vicki is describing the house to Barnabas, it gives Burke a chance to caustically mention how CERTAIN people don't enjoy such creature comforts as electricity and heat.Burke isn't thrilled at the prospect of all three of them going to see the house by moonlight. Vicki suggests they all go on a picnic there the following day, and bringing David along. Of course, this isn't a viable possibility for Barnabas, so he reminds them that the cops won't see them trespassing illegally at night, but in the daytime. . .Burke reminds Vicki HE wanted to see it right away first. When Vicki mentions to Barnabas that it seems a long time since they were David's age, Barnabas looks solemn again, commenting that it was a long, long time ago.

Burke and Barnabas wait for Vicki to change into a warmer dress. Burke is impatient at the amount of time it's taking her to get ready, but Barnabas says a beautiful woman is worth waiting for--for eternity, if necessary (romantic vs, practical--Barnabas vs. Burke). They go back and forth, with Burke remarking that he wasn't planning on a guided tour (obliquely saying, "Go away, Collins!"), doesn't like old houses, and he's impatient with the length of time it's taking Vicki to get ready. Barnabas says men of the past knew how to respect women, and Burke throws in a nasty remark about candlelight.Things between them grew heated as they each accused the other of being a mystery man. Where in England are you from? demands Burke--who were your friends? Barnabas volunteers only that he had a cousin, Nile Bradford. They accuse each other of having pasts that are total blanks.

When Vicki appears, Barnabas tells her she was well worth waiting for as Burke stood there, seething.

NOTES: And, they're off! Barnabas is slightly ahead of Burke on the turn, but Burke is moving up fast--he's known Vicki longer and already established a relationship. Burke is probably already considering setting down roots in this house Vicki found, with her at his side as the little wifey. Barnabas respects women more, but he and Burke both have shadowed pasts, and which is the bigger bad guy?

It was a really funny pissing match to watch here, but Barnabas had the last word and came out on top, at least that's the way it appeared to me. In any event, it's funny that all this went on while Vicki was changing, and she comes down and doesn't realize what has transpired. Very enjoyable sparring between Barnabas and Burke, isn't it?


294 - (Alexandra Moltke) - There is a terrible secret at Collinwood. It is a secret of one who must forever walk the night--of one who has already struck terror into the heart and mind of an innocent girl. But there are barriers that have kept the secret from being known--barriers that have kept the girl from revealing the evil that threatens many others.

Sarah shows up in Maggie's room at Windcliff and, in a touching scene, promises to help her get home (tap your heels together three times and say. . .no, that was a different story). Sarah even assures her friend that she'll protect her from whatever is frightening her. They collect Samantha, Sarah's doll, then trick the nurse into unlocking the door. Nurse Jackson enters the room to find that Sarah, sitting on the bed singing that inevitable song, appears to be the only one in the room.When the nurse comes in, Maggie sneaks from behind her hiding place behind the door, and off they go. The nurse is baffled; she lost both the little girl and Maggie! Surely this will mean she'll lose her job!

It's more Barnabas vs. Burke as the two of them take Vicki to her house by the sea. Barnabas has intelligently thought ahead to bring candles, and Burke is pissed off about that, about Barnabas' superior eyesight, etc., etc. Barnabas points out how nice the house looks by candle and moonlight, and Burke, who does like the house but isn't waxing rhapsodic about it the way Vicki and Barnabas are, checks out the beams. Burke refuses to check out the attic, despite Vicki's coaxing, so Barn plays hero/scout and goes up alone--he is more used to candlelight, after all. He promises to bring Vicki back something from the past. Burke remarks that the house has a rosy future, gazing pointedly at Vicki. Maggie and Sarah continue their trek to Collinsport. We know it's 100 miles, and assume they must have gotten one ride from a kindly soul along the way (there was a truck taking them in the original script, but it was taken from the production). Sarah refuses to tell Maggie how she got in or out of the locked room, but Maggie doesn't press it;she laughs, delighting the little ghost, then they continue on, singing London Bridge together. (YUK!)

Burke, impatient to leave Vicki's dream house, suggests abandoning Barnabas there and making him hitch home if he doesn't come down soon. Burke complains of how cold the house is, and says he'd put in central heating, but Vicki objects to changing the house. Barnabas comes down and gives Vicki a little present he found, an embroidered lady's handkerchief that says "F McA C." Vicki thanks him warmly, and asks if he thinks it's OK for her to take it.Barnabas gallantly assures her he's sure she'd want Vicki to have it.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Maggie are heading towards Collinsport. Maggie asks her friend how she got into her room at Windcliff, but Sarah merely teases her, not answering the question.

At the Blue Whale, Barnabas goes to the bar to order drinks while Burke tells Vicki he's sure she'll stop all this living-in-the-past nonsense once her present and future look more enticing (hinting at a future alliance between them, I'm sure). She fingers the handkerchief, wondering who it belonged to. Barnabas praises Vicki's good taste when she says she could see herself living in that house forever, and when they toast to the house, Barnabas only lifts the glass toward his lips, but doesn't drink. The music abruptly stops, the door opens, and IN WALKS MAGGIE EVANS! Vicki and Burke, stunned, rise to their feet, but Barnabas stays seated and turns his face away from Maggie, who is walking slowly towards their table.He keeps turning his face away from her gaze. "No," she says, then faints, leaving Barnabas clearly shaken.

NOTES: What a Friday cliffhanger this was! I believe this is the last episode telecast in black and white; from now on, save for kinescopes, the rest will be in color. It was a very exciting day when we got our new color TV set and DS went into color almost on the same day! It took away the film noir feeling and made it seem even more real, more grounded.

Clever Sarah comes up with a plan to free her pal Maggie, and they immediately head to Collinsport. Did they meet a tin man, straw man and cowardly lion along the way? We know that they didn't walk the entire way; a script of this episode shows that Maggie and Sarah jumped off the back of a truck in one scene, but it wasn't included in the final cut.

We were wondering exactly what Barnabas must have been--did Maggie recognize him? Will she reveal his secret to the Blue Whale patrons? How shocked must everyone be to see the presumed-dead Maggie Evans? Will this mess up Julia's plans for a cure? So many questions for a weekend, as I recall, and once again, I couldn't wait for Monday!

Love, Robin

289 - (Alexandra Moltke) - There are those who watch in the night. They move about, unseen, covered by the mantle of darkness. Some who are watched never become aware of it, but others who are more sensitive can feel the burning eyes upon them.

A storm raged over Collinwood in the second ep, and Carolyn comes into Vicki's room because she's feeling scared. Vicki, who is sure she has seen someone outside in those lightning flashes (and she has, Barnabas, lurking in the bushes, although she doesn't see him), finally convinces Carolyn, who asks to be called "Miss Jitters, 1967," to return to her room. Vicki listens to the music box a few moments, then closes it. While she is asleep, Barnabas comes into her room, fangs bared, intending to bite her throat. She stirs, and he is unable to complete what he intended; instead, he moves to the other side of her bed and opens the music box again. He gently touches her, and when she awakens, he is gone.She's puzzled that the music box is open again and closes it, then finds out the electricity is gone. Carolyn comes into her room with a candle, and Vicki reveals she felt that someone was in her room, and that she was in danger, but something intervened!

They go downstairs to find Julia in the drawing room, trying to read one of the Collins family books by candlelight. While Carolyn goes to get coffee, Julia quizzes Vicki about Josette and Barnabas. Vicki's fondness for Josette comes through clearly, but Julia is more interested in the connections she recalls from her therapy with Maggie Evans--the strong scent (Jasmine), and the "tinkling" sound of the music box, which Vicki opens for her. When Julia suggests to Vicki that Barnabas is trying to recreate Josettethrough Vicki, however, the latter becomes upset and dismisses it as "an absurd notion", so upset that Vicki retires for bed after demanding to know what Julia is insinuating about Barnabas. When Carolyn returns with the coffee, she and Julia sit down for a cup. Julia asks Carolyn if Vicki has inclinations towards the supernatural, and while Carolyn says things do tend to happen in Vicki's presence, when Julia tries to ask about Barnabas, the lights abruptly go on and Julia never gets a chance to finish her question. Carolyn goes up to bed. Julia glances at Barnabas' portrait before heading out into the diminishing storm.

Willie tells him dawn is approaching. Barnabas is only too aware of the depressing fact that he has no control over it, and wishes that the night could be eternal. Barnabas gives Willie instructions, which the spying Julia overhears through the window--go to Portland and do some shopping, but come back right away--that inquisitive, snoopy Miss Hoffman is making him nervous, and he wants to be sure he is watched over, just in case.Knowing he is unguarded, Julia climbs in through the ever-unlocked window, and apparently finds the basement door unlocked, too, because the next time we see her, she's standing before Barnabas' coffin, taking a deep breath, and opening it up.Seeing Barnabas slumbering within, she half-smiles, looking smug and ecstatic. She knew it!

NOTES: Picture it--I'm all of 13, watching this lady doctor opening MY Barnabas' coffin. She knows he's a vampire, but what are her intentions now that she knows? What does plan to do to him? Oh, how I worried, fretted, just praying this overbearing woman wouldn't hurt MY Barnabas. Once again, he has a shot at biting Vicki and doesn't do it. What's different about her and Maggie? Why did he so easily nibble the latter, but can't put that first bite on Vicki? What's on Barnabas' mind?

And what about that expression on Julia's face when she sees Barnabas in there? Why the triumph?

I couldn't WAIT to get home and see this show, especially after episodes like this one!


290 - (Alexandra Moltke) - The quiet nights are longer now at Collinwood, as the season continues its advance toward the still-distant fall. Succeeding days surrender to the coming night without complaint, and nature would seem to have made a truce within itself. But deep within the night, opposing forces stalk each other, forces so opposite, no peace is possible--and their meeting when it comes will shatter the ancient truce between the living and the dead.

Drawing room, Collinwood - When Dave stops by looking for an update on Maggie, Julia insists she has nothing to report. Well, then, I want to take you off Maggie's case, says Dave--you're neglecting her case to concentrate on research at Collinwood. I'd like to stay at Collinwood a little longer, says Julia, andsmoothly convinces Dave to permit Maggie to remain at Windcliff for now. We'd better not meet at Collinwood again, cautions Julia; it might jeopardize the success of my investigation. We can meet in my office from now on, says Dave. As Julia is escorting Dave out, Vicki has come down to answer the door to Barnabas, who looks suspicious at seeing Dave and Julia together. Woodard exits. Julia explains to Barnabas that she and Dave are old med school friends. I want to talk to you, says Barnabas. Julia rushes off to get her notebook, leaving Barnabas and Vicki alone. I'm afraid the past is going to trap me, says Vicki, which is why I want to give you back the music box--it has an odd effect on me, like it's casting a spell.If you play it more often, it will become commonplace, advises Barnabas--don't be afraid of being trapped in the past, but more so of being trapped in the present.

Drawing room - Barnabas offers Julia apologizes for his ungentlemanly behavior the other evening. She asks him questions about the first Barnabas and Sarah Collins. Barnabas backs off once more, tells her that his ancestor died in obscurity in England.I've heard differently, says Julia slyly, reminding him that she'd offered to exchange information earlier, but that he'd refused. Let's meet in the daytime, she suggests, but he demurs--he can't be reached until evening. I understand completely, she says, with great significance. When Barnabas goes to the foyer to get his cloak, Julia comments on how very much he looks like his ancestor--"You are closely related," she adds, "VERY closely related." "Yes, aren't we?" he agrees, without saying more. I'm very much looking forward to our next meeting together, she says eagerly--I can hardly wait. Barnabas grins at her, looking for all the world like Satan himself. "I can't wait until tomorrow," Julia says almost to herself, "and I'm sure you can't, either."

Vicki comes to Julia's room after midnight and informs her that she's resigning as her research assistant on the family history book--I'm afraid of my own obsession with the past, she offers as explanation. When a dog howls outside, Vicki, scared, recalls Maggie's death. They gaze out the window. There's nothing for you to be afraid of, Julia assures her. Vicki leaves Julia's room.

2 AM - Barnabas appears in Julia's room. He goes to the bed, where her body lies under the covers, and reaches out to strangle her. A voice from across the room says, in an even voice, "Good evening, Barnabas Collins." Barnabas whirls around to see Julia, clad in her nightgown, hands behind her back, rising from an armchair."I've been waiting for you for a long time," she declares--"A very long time." Barnabas looks amazed, Julia, filled with confidence. They face each other.

NOTES: Oh my God! This has to be one of the most amazing cliffhangers EVER on DS, at least IMHO. I still remember watching this show for the first time--I'd gone to Amagansett, Long Island, with my friend and her mother, who owned a summer home out there. We watched the show on a little black and white TV set, all clinging to each other as Barnabas bent over Julia, intending to strangle her. The ocean was right outside the window, the perfect setting for DS, and we had a blast watching it all week. When we saw her awaiting him, we screamed, then babbled, "Does she have a cross behind her back, or a wooden stake? What is she DOING there, putting herself in so much danger? She's so brave? Or is she stupid? Is he going to bite her? Kill her? She really surprised him, and it's so good to see a woman one-up a vampire man!

It was so good, I could hardly wait for Monday to come! And Monday's episode brought even more amazing revelations.

This was DS at its best, at least to me! INCREDIBLE!

Love, Robin