Episode #239 - A gentle night wind blows over Collinwood, and all is silent and peaceful, but there is no real peace in the night, for those in the great house and for those beyond it. For one man, especially, the approach of nightfall brings with it ever increasing desperation, for a search is in progress, a search for a missing girl once believed to be dead.
At the Blue Whale, Sam and Joe sadly discuss the fruitless search for Maggie. "Where is she?" laments Sam.
At the Old House, the object of their concern is sitting across from Barnabas Collins at the elegantly set table. As Willie lights the candles, he asks Barnabas why he keeps calling her Josette. Hell, that's her name, Barnabas asserts, and that's the only name by which Willie must address her--"Miss Josette." Barnabas talks to Maggie, calling her Josette over and over, reminding her of her impeccable taste, how they always used to dine together by candlelight, how the music box was the only gift she would accept from him because no one would accept their love, and that she will be his bride. "Bride," repeats Maggie softly, woodenly. He encourages her to play the music box. They're going to stay together this time, he promises. Willie pours them some wine and Barnabas raises his glass and drinks to forever.
At the Blue Whale, Sam is trying to get stinking drunk and despite a huge intake of booze, can't seem to get to attain that state. Waiting is driving him crazy! When Joe suggests Sam go back to painting,
Sam insists that's impossible--and oh, by the way, he'd better go tell Barnabas they'll have to put off his portrait until Maggie is found. Sam is praying for a miracle.
Barnabas tells Maggie, who is listening raptly to the music box, that he doesn't want her to be frightened of him, that he wants her to be happy.
He begs her to say she understands. She agrees with everything he says, but seems repulsed when he kisses her hand and pulls it away. This upsets Barnabas. She wants to be with him, she assures him, mechanically. He recalls how she was 18 and he was teaching her English. They were so happy spending time together, and now time will mean nothing.
Their romantic dinner is interrupted when Sam and Joe (!!!) knock at the Old House door. Barnabas orders Willie to take Miss Josette upstairs, but Maggie reacts to the voices of Joe and Sam, seeming to withdraw from her trance somewhat. Barnabas invites Joe and Sam into the house after Willie has led Maggie upstairs. He solicitously asks about Maggie, again, and assures Sam that if he can't paint, heck, he's busy with his new business venture, anyway (Brainwashing, Inc.), and doesn't have the time to sit. So it all works out perfectly! Sam has Joe load everything but the portrait into the car (Barnabas still wants it left at the Old House). Maggie, upstairs in Josette's room, prowls restlessly around, and even though Willie tries his best to get her to sit and relax, she hears Sam's and Joe's voices and reacts to it.
Willie finds everything falling down around his ears as she says she doesn't want to stay in that room, she wants to leave! "Pop," Maggie whispers. "Joe." This wigs out poor Willie, who is still trying to get her to remain in Josette mode and not cause trouble that will bring Barnabas' wrath down on them. Maggie struggles in Willie's grasp and something falls. Sam and Joe hear it, but Barnabas says that's just his clumsy servant, Willie.
Upstairs, clumsy Willie has his hand clamped over Maggie's mouth, trying to shut her up and protect her from her own foolishness. The car drives off and Maggie runs to the window, calling for her father and Joe. When she realizes they didn't hear her, she sits down on the love seat and bows her head in sorrow. Barnabas, meanwhile, ascends the stairs, looking intensely angry.
Joe and Sam, driving home, think they see a girl who looks like Maggie on the road, but it's a false alarm. While Sam says he'd give the rest of his life to have her back safe, Joe says he can't help but feel that Maggie is nearby, close enough to touch.
Barnabas barges into Josette's room and orders Willie out. In one of the most funny, touching scenes ever, Willie closes the door, trying to make Barnabas think he's left, but he's still actually in the room. After Barnabas gives Willie a withering look, the vampire is left alone with Maggie. Barnabas, sad and angry, accuses Josette of lying to him and trying to leave him.
"You must never leave me," he warns, and lurches at her menacingly. Maggie screams.
NOTES: Some think Barnabas probably bit AND raped Maggie at the end of this episode, and it certainly appears that at the very least, he viciously attacked her in some form, determined to bring her back under his power. Maggie has quite a strong personality, which probably means, resemblance aside, Barnabas chose the wrong lady to try to turn into Josette. But he will learn that soon enough, as will Maggie herself--and poor Willie, caught in the crossfire, suddenly determined to be a protector, will find himself calling upon his reserves of strength and personal determination as his moral sense is tweaked to heights that would surely surprise Jason.
Creepy, romantic and utterly enthralling!
Episode #240 - The evenings at Collinwood are quiet now and long, but the twilights seem to hold menace in their lengthening shadows. An omen of rain. And the quiet is disturbed by the strange disappearance of a young woman. It remains a mystery no search can solve, and as the evening comes once again, even the strongest hopes falter and the night wind says again the word: lost. . .lost. . .
Roger soberly gazes at the front page of the COLLINSPORT STAR with a picture of Maggie and the story of her disappearance. David is thrilled to learn that Josette's portrait was moved to her old room, but he can't take Vicki's word for it and decides he must check it out for himself. So, forbidden to go there though he is, he knocks at the door, sees the figure of Maggie/Josette (being played by someone else in this non-speaking ep, I bet)
trailing past and tries knocking on the door again. The door mysteriously swings open and David goes in. He searches, feeling Josette's presence there just ain't what it used to be.
Barnabas comes across David in Josette's room and maintains his cool beautifully. He works on the kid a little, trying to convince him Josette is a fantasy (take a dose of your own medicine, Barn!), and is understandably upset to learn his cousin has been looking through his windows where he might catch a glimpse of his kidnapped houseguest.
He assures David it was no spirit that admitted him, but the capriciously-behaving front door of the Old House. Barnabas insists David give the portrait a good look, and the child admits that Josette isn't there.
Barnabas takes David back to Collinwood where he tattles on him for peeping and creeping. Of course, he doesn't want Roger to punish the child, because it won't happen again; David has learned his lesson and knows Josette isn't really there. Roger offers Barn a brandy, which he refuses, but they talk a while. Meanwhile, David muses to Vicki how different Josette seemed, but he can't figure out how.
Roger tells Barnabas he thinks David is reacting to the adults' concern for Maggie's disappearance, and that's what's responsible for the resurrection of his son's Josette fantasy--there's a direct link between David's search for Josette and her portrait and Maggie's disappearance. Barnabas tells Roger Maggie is alive, then catches himself and adds, "I hope."
Barnabas shows great interest when Roger reveals the info about Dr. Woodard's samples of Maggie's blood, which they hope will provide a clue to her whereabouts. Roger mutters that he almost feels sorry for Sam.
On Collinwood's staircase, Vicki insists homework and dinner while David continues to muse about Jostte, maddening his governess because he seems to be deliberately ignoring her. She tries to tell him he can't go to the Old House anymore; it's Barnabas' now, and David insists that it's JOSETTE'S and no one else's.
Later, after they realize David has again bucked orders and gone to the Old House, Roger shows his sensitive side by asking Vicki to conceal her worry about Maggie's disappearance because he feels it has caused David to regress.
Vicki rightfully calls him on his request, saying HE, Roger, is the one who feels uncomfortable being surrounded by all this caring and fear, not David. Does he want her to forget Maggie? Hey, she's SCARED! Roger apologizes for being such an SOB and says they'll go to the Old House together to bring David home.
David, eyes shining, is back inside the Old House, watching as his Josette walks slowly downstairs, holding her music box, which is playing her song. "Josette!" he says, enthralled.
NOTES: So Maggie escapes the room and floats downstairs into David's view. Of course, he's delighted, since he feared she was gone forever, but he has no way of knowing this woman in white is NOT Josette's ghost but the living (barely) Maggie Evans, who has been Barnabas' prisoner all this time they thought she was missing. Will the adults find Maggie there, or will she float off and disappear, like her ghost-clone used to do?
Now that Barnabas knows Maggie's blood might provide a clue that could lead to HIM, what will he do? Every time he goes to Collinwood, someone reveals something else to him that he can use to protect himself.
Roger was ridiculous, asking Vicki to hide her feelings! Like he does? Harrumph! The man still has too much nerve, even if he has mellowed a lot!
Love, Robin
