RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S EPISODES
EPISODE 23 (released 9/12/11)
While Vicki prepares to teach David a lesson on Maine history, David reads Nightcrawler Comics, on the off chance that they may contain the answers to some of her questions. (Hey, on this show, stranger things have happened).
Constable Carter arrives to investigate the accident. Roger wants him to arrest Burke, but Carter thinks that might have been a little easier before he and Malloy tampered with the wreck themselves. Liz interrupts, desperate to discuss Vicki's Foundling Home letter with Roger before she does. Roger doesn't want to talk family secrets in front of the F-u-z-z, but Liz assures him that this one isn't illegal. Carter pretends to be too engrossed in the portrait of Isaac Collins to notice any of this discussion.
Upstairs, David seems oddly agitated about what the penalty for attempted murder might be, and wants to know the worst thing Vicki has ever done. Her juvenile delinquincy record doesn't compare with his, and all she can think of is once giving another girl at the Foundling Home a bloody nose. And even that only happened because Vicki bumped into her while she was drinking a Bloody Mary. Vicki gives David his history test. Despite the fact that the answer to every question is "Maine", David only manages to score a 75.
Roger and Liz tell the Constable the whole bleeder valve story. Carter wants to know why Roger waited for 12 hours to call the Police. When Roger explains that he wanted to try to blackmail Burke into leaving town first, Carter pretends to be absorbed in that painting again.
Upstairs, the lesson is still going on. According to Vicki, the first Christmas tree in America was in a French settlement in (where else?) Maine, in 1604. A Google search shows that it was actually in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1747, but nobody calls her on it. (Just as 60's TV viewers didn't have freeze frame, they didn't have Wikipedia either.)
Vicki is called downstairs, but every time the Constable asks her a question, Roger answers for her. This continues until Roger finally gets tired of being asked "Is your name Vicki?". Vicki admits that Burke never said anything threatening, and didn't have any grease stains on his hands or clothes. Carter thinks the case doesn't quite add up. Burke might be angry, but he doesn't seem to be completely nuts. Why would he go after Roger in such a blatant way? Why not hire a hitman? Roger says that doesn't mean he's nuts, just that he's cheap.
Vicki, Roger and Carter all go to get the wrench (must be a big wrench!). Liz catches David eavesdropping, and he's quite agitated to learn that they want to check it for fingerprints. Carter returns and deposits the wrench on the table so close to David that he can taste it. David "accidentally" knocks it on the floor and picks it up. No matter, says the Constable. It just means that if we find his fingerprints on it now, we won't suspect him of sabotaging the car, like we would have otherwise. Ditto for his tongue prints, since David actually did try to taste it before picking it up.
EPISODE 24 (released 9/12/11)
It's Allowance Day, and Carolyn enters the coffee shoppe with the entire inventory of Macy's under her arms. Carter comes into the Coffee Shoppe looking for Burke, but Maggie wants to know why he's so interested in their doughnut selection. Carter tries to explain that they ran out of fingerprint powder at the station, and he needed a substitute, but Maggie isn't buying it. Carolyn orders two pies. Maggie sassily asks if she's eating for two, only to find out too late that the second one is for use on smart-alec waitresses.
Carter catches Burke in the lobby and asks to talk to him. Burke says sure, he just wants to grab some lunch and coffee first. From the way we saw Burke blow through coffee in Episode 22, the statute of limitations will have expired before the Constable ever gets to talk to him.
Joe tells Carolyn that his plans to buy his own boat have been pushed forward. He's found one for sale that he likes, although it will need a few extras. Sails, motor, hull, et cetera. Carolyn wants to know since when the hull of a boat is considered an extra, but Joe tells her that women just don't understand fixer-uppers. Carolyn says she thought Joe wouldn't be able to afford a boat for another year, but Joe explains that he's arranged to go halfsies with an offscreen character, Jerry Gerst. Carolyn hopes his money isn't offscreen too.
Burke comes in for that lunch, and tries to muscle in on Carolyn again when he sees her and Joe together, by making a date with her after Joe has to go back to work. After Burke leaves, Joe swears that one of these days... one of these days! POW! Right in the kisser. Jackie Gleason sues for copyright infringement.
Back in his room, Burke tells the Constable he's innocent. Sure, he blew his top 10 years ago, but he doesn't want to kill Roger. And if he did, he'd much rather do it with his bare hands than by tampering with his brakes. Carter wants to know why he was looking at Roger's car. Burke repeats his story about wanting to buy one like it, but breaks down and admits that he was actually hoping to foreclose on Roger's if his payments weren't up to date. Burke argues that if he were desperate enough to tamper with the brakes, wouldn't he have tried to dispose of Vicki when she spotted him? Carter says that from what he's seen of Vicki, Burke might have thought it would hurt Roger more to leave her in his hair.
Burke summons Carolyn upstairs. She confirms that the only reason Burke was at Collinwood that night at all is because she had invited him, and that he was reluctant to go. But once alone, she says she's heard about Burke's portrait, and thinks Burke lied to her about leaving town. Burke explains that since he's not allowed to leave town anyway, he'd rather have his mug shot done by a professional artist than by some county clerk with a Polaroid. He insists that most of the portraits at Collinwood were created under similar circumstances.
When Carolyn leaves, Burke calls Bronson and tells him to meet him in Bangor in an hour and a half. Bronson says no fair, they've already used his arrival as a cliffhanger in Episode 21. With all this buildup, "Bronson" had better be Charles.
