_get another purse_ because _this one clashes with my lab coat!!"

Julia again has the dream. Barn figures she’ll keep having it until she tells it to someone – and she wants to, and how! Barn & Jules go back and forth about escaping Ange’s curses and going on with the experiment. There’s a knock on the door and much to their amazement it’s Mrs. Johnson in a trancelike state. After much ado, Barn finally relents and agrees to let Jules tell Mrs. J. the dream but not without first telling her what is going to happen and how to react, etc. Mrs. J. brings up the previous day’s conversation with Cass confirming Barn’s fears. We the audience are not privy to Julia’s telling of the dream to Mrs. J. so that is left to our imagination. Next, with a clear mind, Julia finishes Lang’s notes and readies to carry on with the experiment. Enter Vicki, to talk with Barn about his leaving the states. She’s upset that he is leaving because she rejected him and he promises it is not the case and that time will reveal that matters have worked out for the best. He then goes on to tell her about Adam and how he expects she will like him very much and he is sure Adam will like her as well. A noisy storm approaches and gives Barn his cue to excuse Vicki so he can proceed with the experiment. Next, all is in place including Barn & Adam for the experiment to proceed. After the mirror and magnifying glass get their second 15 minutes of fame, Julia says an emotional goodbye to the Barnabas she knows and loves. Barn isn’t in an emotional mood and is somewhat cold and practical about it all. Julia does her best Dr. Frankenstein fiddling with gadgets and whatnot while things pop and smoke and electrify until she finally shuts the whole thing down. Barn’s still alive and is pissed that Julia has failed and wants her to figure out what went wrong and try again. She leaves the lab as Barn stays behind to feel sorry for himself. During Barn’s mournful speech, Adam opens his eyes – Barn happily states “You’re alive.” and in the same breath sullenly proclaims, “We are both alive.”

I almost always enjoy Barn & Vicki's talks together - that is to say that Frid usually does well opposite Moltke and I am wondering if it is the relationship bewtween the characters that Frid is comfortable with or if it's the actor he is playing against that makes him seemingly excell at times in his role as Barnabas.

Poor Grayson looked ridiculous trying to make it look as though she were contolling the experiment at the panel.

...pacing the drawing couldn't dispel her fear!!?

Another artsy mirror shot opens the show. Tony Peterson accuses Cassandra of being involved in Lang’s death. They are interrupted by David’s homecoming. She entrances him (though it is crudely edited out) to shut him up and sends him to the gazebo to wait for her. David asks Mrs. J. why she picked him up instead of his father and she replies, “Ask me no Questions, Davy, and I’ll tell you no lies.” (Mrs. J. is the best! Lol)  Roger greets David then dispatches Mrs. J to fetch Cassandra. Roger tells David about Cassandra. Zombie Tony bumps into Mrs. J. on her way in to tell Cass she is wanted in the drawing room. Cass flitters about readying herself to meet her new stepson as Mrs. J. tidies up. Cass engages Mrs. J. in hopes of discovering if she’s had the dream yet. Mrs. J. disappoints her by stating she’s never felt better and is the healthiest person at Collinwood. David offers his new stepmother an icy reception and recoils when she goes to hug him. Roger is concerned but Cass shrugs it off and asks he give the boy time. Cass, leaving ‘the men’ to talk under the guise of a walk, saunters off to see Tony. Roger asks that David meet Cass halfway then sends him out to play. Cass continues her talk with a now clearheaded Tony. She re-entrances him and beseeches him to find out how & why Julia is denying the Dream Curse its proper course and wipes clean his memory of her involvement with Lang’s death. Their conversation ends with Cass telling Tony that he is falling in Love with her and seals it with a long hot kiss – witnessed by David. Now that she’s met David and everything is ducky (is it?) Roger tells Cass to ready for their 30-day honeymoon sending her into desperate mode, as she has no intentions on going anywhere anytime soon (as I see it). Mrs. Johnson enters looking for David and once again Cass questions her, trying to learn what she can about the Dream Curse’s progression or lack thereof, even asking outright if Mrs. Johnson believes in dreams to which Mrs. J. replies that she is a practical woman who hasn’t the time to dream, and leaves on that note. Next, David confronts Cass about the gazebo kiss and threatens to tell his father. Cass mutes him and cripples his ability to write then feigns a desperate emergency shout for Roger, who, concerned with David’s wellbeing once again cancels his month long honeymoon. Parker walks out of frame and ruins the whole damn scene. Roger walks his ailing son to his room. Cut. Print.

Big sloppy edit before the title break. There’s a lot of this going on lately. It’s obvious the ep ran long because there were no closing credits, only the DCP logo. So I won’t ask if this (the big sloppy edit before the title) too is on the DVD. (I am highly suspect of MPI, at least where the VHS videos are concerned.)

Afterthoughts: Clarice did not disappoint - Mrs. Johnson was a hoot in this episode. No wonder the actress & character is beloved by so many. Edmonds and Henesy were in good form also. No one can accuse Ohrbach’s of not keeping up with the times as David comes home from Boston wearing the latest male fashion – the Nehru jacket and he looks sharp in it. I wonder if he ever dons a Lost In Space filled in v-neck pull over? Roger is in his trademark turtleneck and this is one of those ‘fun’ instances that mirrors Depp Shadows. Cassandra’s outfit is tight as well and the wig is still holding up. I liked the way the ‘new’ Roger handled things with David.

...count together how many layers of chiffon this nightgown has!!"

...slept with old men for money!!"

KLS isn’t much better than Parker with the OVO’s.
Julia (who almost has Barnabangs) injects Adam with the last of Lang’s MSG formula. Barn makes her admit they have about 24 hours left in which to start the experiment with any hopes of success. (The intro fades with an image of Barn in a small round mirror – nice symbolism. The opening title seems slightly different. And the distortion at the top of my screen is gone.) Barn nags Jules to the point of a hissy fit. Barn suddenly realizes that he is not the only person in the room and asks Jules what’s wrong. Julia tells him about the dream and it’s implications (via a surgeon’s magnifying glass. Someone on the tech crew has a glass fetish. All this artiness is a bit distracting – but fun/interesting.) Of Course Barn figures out Cass/Ange is behind the Dream Curse, remembering his Angelique dream to Julia. Julia seems a lot less distracted in the next scene with Barn discussing the experiment and guessing what Lang was trying to tell them before his death to do to make it a success. (Hall is showing a lot of leg & thigh in this scene – shocking!) Julia finally remembers that Lang kept repeating the word ‘listen’ and puts two and two together and thinks perhaps Lang wanted her to listen to the tape. They play it but hear only music – (we hear so much more once they’ve left the room). Before leaving the lab Barn & Julia have a moment– Barn relates that he will be happy to get a young and handsome face and Julia tells him that for some women it wouldn’t be an issue. He, sensing her vulnerability, and with sincere sensitivity tells Julia he appreciates all she’s done for him past & present. (Once again we get to see Julia face her feelings for Barn – and Barn deny them.) Stokes visits Maggie to hear her version of the Dream Curse and finally starts to fully comprehend and interpret it’s workings. (I enjoyed this scene immensely. Both actors were splendid, the writing good, and the camera work & lighting – wonderful. I believe Stokes has blown my Dream Curse theories out of the water – and just in the knick of time because after Julia’s dream I’d had enough. Stokes involvement is making it interesting again. Where I was trying to tie-in what was behind the door to the dreamer, it appears what is behind the door is a visual of the incantation the dreamer hears. Stokes correlates the ‘of sight’ with the ‘eye popping’ skull. My dose of KLS worship: Nobody looks good under lit – it is commonly used as a sinister effect and yet KLS looks gorgeous under lit.) After leaving the Evans cottage Stokes faces Barnabas at Lang’s. Stokes tells Barn he thinks he can break the Dream Curse if he knows the identity of the witch who set it in motion. Barn tells him that Cass is the witch and Stokes hie-tails it out of there (presumably to Collinwood to confront Cass – at least that is what I’m thinking.) Barn returns to Julia in the lab and tells her about his meeting with Stokes and they think that Barn may have made a big mistake telling Stokes about Cass, being she was once a student of his. Barn also brings up how 'Timothy' resembles Ben Stokes who was once a slave to Ange’s witchcraft as another cause for concern. (Nice reasoning here. I can dig that they are putting time and effort into something that makes total sense even though it is totally wrong – makes everything seem logical – especially in the face of the absurd experiment, lol. I’m guessing that Julia did not tell Stokes the dream.)