Your Worst Nightmare -- 127 & 128

Fashion notes first . . .

The post-trauma Vicki has on a robe and nightie set. The robe is one that makes it quite far into the series. It's dark, lace at the sleeves and at the neck, square neckline, with a bow at the empire waist. Underneath is a generic spaghetti strap nightie. Very much in keeping with the look of the gothic heroine,

I suspect someone found the same problem with Laura's suit that I did because she now has on a giant fur collar. I like it.

Loving Maggie's wool coat. It has velvet covered buttons, but she's totally lost in it. I cannot get over how thin Kathryn Leigh Scott is.

Onto the show . . .

Okay, I lied. We're not done with Matthew Morgan yet. This is a Ron Sproat and Lela Swift affair. The first episode is pretty much a wrap up of the whole affair complete with a rehash of the last episode's ending scene of Vicki's rescue. There is a lot of exposition of which I shall spare you all. My favorite part is when they're all sort of sitting in a drained, strained, dazed and confused fashion in the drawing room and everyone (including Vicki) is drinking brandy. It's a nice moment. For a brief point in time, nobody has any other agendas. They're all just dealing.

There are a couple of points worth mentioning about this episode. I believe this marks the first time that Vicki truly becomes obsessed with everyone validating the supernatural. Up until now she's been a believer in the rational, logical explanation for the most part. The rest of the crowd get uncomfortable when she starts telling them about seeing Josette. I like to think it's not so much as that they think she's crazy or hysterical as it is their need for self-preservation. They don't talk about these things, mainly because they live them. Also, I think everyone's just beat. They've all been through the emotional wringer and they would really like it all to be over with, thank you very much.

After the drink, Burke returns to his previous plans. He also denies up and down any interest in Vicki. I don't believe he fools anyone. Liz makes a heartfelt plea for Carolyn and Vicki's welfare, but it's falling on deaf ears. He gets permission to go upstairs and say goodnight to Vicki whereupon he proceeds to warn her to leave town again. Vicki isn't having any. She sees Collinwood as the home she's never had.

And here's where it gets interesting. Vicki has a talk with Elizabeth (sleeping pills in hand). It isn't enough that Vicki saw the ghost of Josette; she has to get Elizabeth to state that she believes her. More than that is Vicki's need and desire to have a family of her own. She tells Liz that Josette looked like her and theorizes that Josette is one of her ancestors. Well, other than KLS and Alexandra Moltke both being white and female, there's no physical resemblance. And Josette dies without descendents so that's out as well. Elizabeth dislikes this idea.

I do like the ghost story Elizabeth offers up to Vicki. It's not terribly interesting, but it supposedly happened to her great-aunt (who would be Judith if we fit 1897 to this) when she was a little girl. Vicki starts falling asleep. I think we tend to forget the fact that she's an orphan as the show continues. She wants to belong. It's just unfortunate that she fixates on the ghosts. Episode closes with the footage of KLS as Josette walking in and around the pillars of the Old House.

So it's Day 23 now and the action moves between the coffee shop and the Blue Whale. This is a Lela and Malcolm episode.

You know how I knocked KLS in the last column? Well, it's like night and day here. I don't know if she thought about the role more or if the director or her costars worked with her or what, but she's really quite good in this episode.

Not like we're dealing with different script content or anything. Same old stuff, different day. Maggie and Joe flirt. He catches her up on Matthew. Her delivery is appropriate: shocked, horrified, teensy bit thrilled. She and her sister under the skin, Sarah Johnson (who voiced this in the prior episode), would really rather believe that Matthew died of fright as opposed to a plain old massive coronary. Don't know why. Dead is dead. Joe seems to think so too and is adopting the more rational explanation. And then in the midst of some more flirtation, he slaps her on the butt!

Yes, you read that right.

Sam makes an appearance. He is totally over the Matthew Morgan saga. Privately, he asks Maggie about the mystery customer (Laura). Maggie claims she knows zip. Why Maggie didn't go and talk to the hotel desk clerk is a mystery. All Maggie has is the legend of the Phoenix, of which Sam has heard but does not care. He leaves for the bar.

Laura comes in looking for coffee. In a way I feel for her. From the way Maggie talks about her coffee, I get the feeling she makes rocket fuel which is then left on for eons where it slowly turns bitter and sour. Yum! Maggie has dish and a fresh new victim so she feels Laura in on Matthew Morgan. There's absolutely no context though, which in retrospect could be a deliberate choice on Marmorstein's part. It serves to illustrate Laura's oddness. She's not asking many questions because she's not really interested. She's on her own plane and Maggie's just background noise. The only thing to elicit a reaction is a reference to Vicki seeing Josette's ghost.

Mindful of Sam's request to find out who Laura is, Maggie asks blatant questions. Laura is totally onto her. Only thing of interest are the families Maggie asks her if she belongs to--one of which is the Langs. I live for stuff like that. I realize it could be totally random, but I don't care. Anyhow, there is no resolution.

At the Blue Whale, Sam is totally bombed. He's spilling his drink. Can't say that my beloved Bob Rooney looks happy to be dealing with him. Joe is being his usual stalwart self, but can't divert Sam's focus from his drink or the fact that Maggie is supposed to be stopping by.

Eventually Maggie makes an appearance. She's embarrassed about having to pump Laura for information. If I were Maggie, I'd be more embarrassed about my drunken father, but that's me. To be fair, this is nothing new for the poor girl. Although she has zip in the way of solid information, Sam seems to be pretty darn sure by now. He mutters something about finding out for himself and takes off. Despite the fact that this is a show that has a drunk driving incident as a core plot point, nobody ever seems terribly concerned when a visibly intoxicated character gets in their car. Things that jar.

So Sam goes into the hotel and does what Maggie should have done. He helps himself to the registration book. He does not like what he sees at all and hightails into the phone booth. As he places a call to Roger, we see Laura return, start toward the presumably closed coffee shop, and then head upstairs.

A ticked-off Roger comes into the Blue Whale. The man is seriously unhappy. Sam is trying to drink himself into oblivion and gets annoying. Roger finally starts to put together the problem from Sam's oblique hints. Mainly that this is the worst person who could possibly be back in town. Then Sam spells it out for him. The expression on the face of Louis Edmonds is priceless: appalled, devastated, and totally scared.

RIP: Dan Curtis. I groused about him, but no question he brought us some really good TV.