538 - This time, when Adam starts to gesture and gasp for air, he calls for Barnabas. After Julia admits she has buried Barnabas alive, she asks Stokes for a pencil. She explains only that Barnabas' heart had stopped, so she buried him. Perhaps, since Adam's heart has stopped and now he's breathing, Barnabas, too, could be alive. Julia uses the pencil to calculate - Barnabas could only live in the coffin 30-40 minutes at the most--it's too late, he's been there an hour at least. Stokes notes that if her insane theory is true, she has 39 minutes to save Barnabas since Adam just started breathing a minute ago. They bicker about who will go save the buried man. Finally, Stokes agrees to help and leave Adam. He tells the gasping man that Carolyn is coming. They leave. On the way out they meet Carolyn. Stokes tells her to look after Adam--he's alive. She goes in and sees him gasping. What's wrong? she asks, concerned.
In the buried coffin, Barnabas moving just as Adam is. Julia and Stokes arrive at the gravesite. Stokes starts to dig. He comments that he isn't used to such work--surely the Collins family didn't agree to such a bizarre burial? Julia promises to answer all his questions when Barnabas is free--if he doesn't survive, there will be no reason for questions or answers. "Hurry, hurry!" she implores. Both Barnabas and Adam are gasping and holding their necks. Carolyn is begging Adam to try to sit up. Barnabas and Adam both suddenly stop breathing. Carolyn cries out for Adam. At the cemetery, Julia tells Stokes to hurry and get the lid open. Maybe you'll be in less of a hurry next time you bury the dead, suggest the professor. The lid is open, and Julia tells Stokes that she must be alone.
At the hideaway, Carolyn is unable to find Adam's pulse.
Stokes refuses to leave. Julia finds that Barnabas has a faint pulse.
Stokes wonders what she's afraid of. She orders him to go see if Adam is breathing too. He complains about all the questions he still has, and insists she come examine Adam when she's done. After he's gone, Julia tells Barnabas that he's breathing. (crackerjack doctor!)
Carolyn finds Adam is breathing as well. She tells him she was frightened--what was wrong?--you often spoke of Barnabas. He stands up and asks why he spoke of Barnabas. Stokes joins them, and Carolyn tells him that Adam doesn't remember anything that happened. Adam, rubbing his stomach, says he wants to go home now--this place makes him sick. Stokes tells him they can't go home because the police are looking for him. Carolyn thinks he needs a doctor. Stokes says Julia is coming. No Julia, insists Adam. Carolyn whispers that Adam doesn't trust Julia. Stokes doesn't know what they should do and apologizes for his inability to come up with an idea--he doesn't normally react this way.
Carolyn says they need a place to hide him and he needs someone to take care of him. Adam says he'll take care of himself and starts to leave. Carolyn stops him. She suggests the West Wing of Collinwood. It hasn't been used for years and is always kept locked--she could supply him with food. Stokes thinks someone else will be desperate to find Adam, someone with access to Collinwood--Barnabas. Why? asks Carolyn. Stokes doesn't have the answer, but assures her that one day he will.
At the cemetery, Julia comforts the scared Barnabas. It will soon be dawn. The bat attacked him. But your heart is beating, Julia reminds him--you aren't as you were. He doesn't believe he is not one of the living dead.
Julia hands him a mirror and tells him to look in it; he does so and sees his reflection. Free! exclaims Barnabas. They wonder why the curse didn't work. Angelique did not count on Adam, notes Julia. She explains that he had the same symptoms at the same time--there is some link between Barnabas and Adam. Barnabas wants to see him, but Julia thinks that would be a bad idea. Stokes will ask too many questions, and they must decide what to tell him. But Barnabas is thinking only of Adam. I owe my life to Adam, a man I vowed to kill, he says--can it be true?--we must make it up to him. Julia says he won't be able to do so. Then you must, insists Barnabas--tonight.
Julia returns to where Adam had been hiding and finds only Stokes. She tells him that Barnabas is a little weak but otherwise fine. Stokes says Adam is recovered and has no need for her services-when he heard Carolyn talk about the police, he ran away. Where's Carolyn? asks Julia. Stokes chides her for asking all the questions; he'd hoped she would arrive with answers for him. (I love this guy!) Tomorrow, the next day and any time, but not tonight, says Julia. Stokes wishes he knew the secret of Barnabas Collins, a man who stirs so much emotion in so many people--someday he will understand it, he's certain of that.
Outside Collinwood, Cassandra paces next to the fountain. Barnabas watches her from outside the gate. He thinks that she waits for news of his death, unable to sleep until she knows her triumph is secure. He wonders if he should surprise her. He raps his cane on the gate. She asks who is there. He bids her a triumphant "Good evening." Barnabas! You frightened me, she says. I'm sure I did, he responds. He makes small talk about what a lovely night this is--there was a time I was alive only at night--because I could not exist in the day. He asks her to look at the dawn. Does it frighten you? he asks significantly--it used to frighten me, but doesn't any longer-I have changed.
She tries to escape him, but he grabs her arm and tells her it will be a beautiful dawn because it will be the first one he will see without being afraid of her--you no longer have any power over me, Barnabas saystriumphantly--none at all. He walks away. I will have again, Cassangelique vows--and soon!
NOTES - I loved the juxtaposition of Barnabas and Adam pushing upwards, gasping for breath. It was technically very well done. I adored the conversations between Stokes and Julia, and loved how he did her bidding even though she refused to answer any of his questions. His curiosity must be killing him, but he will bide his time and wait with patience.
Best of all was the final scene between Barnabas and Cassandra, who looked very romantic together, by the way, despite the content of their scene. His gloating over her was well-deserved, and the subtle way he revealed to her that her attempt to re-curse him had failed, by standing there, clutching her, and watching the sun rise with her, was very effective, more so than just telling her he wasn't a vampire. You feel that if Julia had been watching, she'd have bounced up and down and let out a cheer of delight.
Carolyn's feelings for Adam are far stronger than a woman who had her life saved by him. She acted like a very, very close friend had "died"--or a lover.
539 - Carolyn sneaks Adam into a vacant room in Collinwood's West Wing. She gives him a blanket to keep warm, but only one lantern lest anyone see in from the outside. She prepares to leave, telling him she'll be back later, but Adam has other ideas. He grabs her, saying "No, no!" She coughs and tells her to let him go-you're in danger, she reminds him--others will hurt you because they're afraid of you, so you need to hide--I'll help you, but I can't help if I stay here.
Adam doesn't want to be left alone, but reluctantly agrees to let her go. Promising he'll be all right, she leaves.
In the drawing room, Cassandra stares at the fire and thinks about time not being on her side. She wonders why she failed, and vows that whoever it was that interfered, "He will pay". David, who's been standing next to her, asks who will pay. She accuses him of sneaking up on her, but he changes the subject--he wants her to show him how to use the tape recorder Dr. Hoffman gave him. She's complains that she's too busy, isn't good with mechanical things--and has a headache. He leaves, pouting that everyone's always too busy for him. Alone again, she thinks about how she must find out what went wrong before Nicholas finds out. She thinks of the "bargain" she and Nicholas made (what the heck was that)? She must win, and Barnabas must DIE!
David finds Carolyn as she's locking the door to the West Wing. He whines that he doesn't know how to play the tape recorder, and she tells him she's too tired to help. He wonders what she's been doing in the West Wing. As she herds him into his room, she tells him she was looking for some old pictures to show Vicki, and she locked the door to keep the ever curious David from prowling around in the West Wing. He asks where the pictures are, and she says she couldn't find them. Eager to change the subject, she says maybe she can help him with that tape recorder after all. She shows him what the buttons do, then switches it on. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. David wonders if something more "interesting" or "spooky" will come on if they keep listening.
He invites her to stay and find out, but she says she really is too tired. The moment she leaves, Lang's voice comes on. David listens attentively to the message, flabbergasted.
Downstairs, Vicki's on the phone with Maggie, who's apparently just given her the bad news. Vicki staggers to the sofa, sobbing, "Barnabas..." Nicholas barges in looking for Cassandra. Vicki sobs that she went out a few minutes ago. Noticing her mood, he unsympathetically offers her some brandy and says she looks upset. She sobs that Barnabas is dead. His back turned to her, he can't conceal his glee, but he recovers quickly to display a poker face.
How awful, he says, how did it happen? She doesn't know (Vicki, Vicki, repeat after me-dream curse, dream curse, dream curse-you knew it was destined to kill him?) Nicholas remarks that Cassandra had always spoken so highly of Barnabas. Flatly, Vicki says "Really. That's hard to believe." Why? wonders Nicholas. Because, explains Vicki, "She's your sister. And you're her brother." (LOL!) Nicholas should know that Cassandra is the greatest enemy this family ever had! He accuses her of being delirious--Cassandra has always been charming, ever since she was a sensitive child. Oh, says Vicki, how long ago was that? (get him, Vicki!) Nicholas declines to give away a lady's age.
Carolyn enters the drawing room. Vicki tells her about Barnabas, and Nicholas, as before, offers some brandy. Carolyn doesn't believe it, especially when she hears that Willie was the original bearer of bad tidings. She decides she'll go to the Old House to see for herself. Just then, Cassandra comes in, and Nicholas eagerly tells her the news. Cassandra says it isn't true--Barnabas is quite alive. What a relief, says Nicholas, sarcastically. He asks Vicki and Carolyn if he can speak to his sister alone by the lovely fire in the drawing room. The girls exit. Once alone with Nicholas, Cassandra says she doesn't know what went wrong. He does--she failed. She insists there must be a key to what happened, and she wants to find it and finish this. He marvels at her almost-human emotion and muses that instead of hating Barnabas, perhaps she still loves him--maybe that love weakened her powers--whatever happened, she'd better find this "intervening force" that ruined her idiotic plan before midnight, or they'll have to break the little pact they made.
Until midnight--that's all the time she has! He invites her to have a little taste of what will happen to her if she fails, by looking at her hand. At first her hand appears normal, but as she watches, it morphs into that of a skeleton! Horrified, she begins to scream with horror and disgust.
NOTES: You've got to give Nicholas credit for playing nasty games with Cassangelique. He sure loves to toy with her, but right now he's REALLY turned her hand into that of a skeleton, something that will surely be hard to explain.
Loved Vicki's gumption at going after Nicholas, dropping her veneer of not understanding and letting him know she knows his true relationship with Cassandra and knows that since she is the Collins family's greatest enemy, HE can't be far behind!
Now David Has heard the tape and knows the truth-what will he do with this info? Will he tell the right person-or the wrong person?
Did Carolyn do the right thing in bringing Adam to Collinwood for sanctuary? Who thinks this is a bad idea?
Love, Robin
