343 - (Alexandra Moltke) - The lengthening shadows of Collinwood have faded with the dusk, as night comes on from the sea. But the troubling mysteries of the day do not dissolve into the dark. They persist, submerged, unseen in the twilight, waiting until another day or night will come when they will be revealed with even greater horror.
Barnabas enters the lab Julia has set up in the Old House basement. Julia is down there, testing the equipment, a complex labyrinth of tubes and bubbling, vari-colored fluids. Concscience-stricken, Julia tells Barnabas she wants to discontinue the experiment. She elaborates--you wouldn't like being human, she assures him, it brings the torment of guilt. Barnabas, insistent, demands that the new treatments begin at midnight
Barnabas shows up at the terrace at Collinwood just in time to hear Burke and Vicki arguing about Liz' offer to let them live at Collinwood. Angry and dismissive, Burke leaves her standing there and goes inside to use the phone. It's Julia's turn to eavesdrop on Barnabas and Vicki as the vampire lends a sympathetic ear to her troubles.
Why not restore the West Wing of Collinwood? suggests Barnabas, and offers his able assistance in that endeavor.
Julia comes in at the tail end of Burke's phone conversation about going away on a business trip.
In the drawing room, she advises him against going on a trip and leaving Vicki. Vicki comes in and urges Burke to go, do what he has to do. Burke and Vicki invite Julia to come along to Dave's funeral with them; it might be easier on her if she had company at her side. I'll let you know later, she says, nearly overcome, and hurries out.
Julia stands in the courtyard, drying her tears of sorrow and guilt. A figure materializes behind her and reaches out for her.
Hearing Julia scream, Vicki and Burke race out to find her saying, over and over, "There was no one there," a weak attempt to convince herself.
Old House lab - Julia once again tries to talk Barnabas out of resuming her experiment--I may betray you, she warns--but Barnabas says that, judging by her reaction to Dave's murder, he doubts her capable of committing another. You will no longer want Josette after the experiment, she says--and there might be someone willing to love you as you are.
Ignoring her heartfelt, heartbreaking hint, he orders her to get on with the treatment. At last, she gives in, but adds, "I remind you of what I said. Humans, too, are seldom able to love without hurting." "And I remind you of what I said," says Barnabas--"I'll take my chances." He settles back in the chair, and Julia gets started on the treatment.
NOTES: If there were only hints before about Julia's feelings, this episode clearly shows her assuring him that SHE is willing to love him as he is, vampire curse and all. But Barnabas doesn't, er, bite, and leaves her suggestion hanging in the air. Poor woman. She has now killed for this man, and he doesn't seem to care much. He's willing to take his chances on how he will feel as a human man; actually, Julia's pointing out that he would no longer feel the same about Josette sounds a lot healthier than his current preoccupation with his long-lost, long-dead love. If Barnabas wanted to pursue Vicki for herself, not her resemblance to Josette, that would surely be healthier than trying to turn a live woman into one now dead.
344 - (Alexandra Moltke) - The nighttime mists that shrouded Collinwood have lifted in the morning sun--but no light of sun or stars can disperse the sadness that pervades the land around--a man beloved by all the town has been buried. But the grief over his death did not follow him into the grave--and on this day of death, a mysterious melancholy seems to have been born in the heart of a young boy.
(Black and white) - Sarah is playing her flute for her sad friend in his room. It appears she told him about Dr. Woodard's death,
and while she admits the doctor died terribly, and it shouldn't have happened that way, she refuses to say if it was murder and disappears, leaving the despairing David alone.
Liz comes into David's room and tells him they all attended Woodard's funeral. He already knew about the doctor's death, he says quietly, with no emotion in his voice. He repeats that Sarah said about it being terrible, and that it shouldn't have happened. No one believes him, he tells his aunt. Nothing matters.David tells Liz he liked Dr. Woodard because he believed him, and he feels that may be why he's dead.
Concerned, Liz tells Carolyn and Vicki about David's strange reaction. Carolyn volunteers to bring up her cousin's lunch, and Liz tells Vicki that David doesn't believe that Woodard died peacefully.
Carolyn brings David a sandwich up in his room, and they have a nice cousin-cousin talk. She was brought up at Collinwood, too, lonely and friendless, she tells him. She once had a friend, Randy, who used to play with her and bring her sea glass. He brought her a piece of green glass on her 10th birthday and never showed up again. To this day, she isn't sure if he was real or imaginary, but she still misses him. (Dr. Fisher, another patient for you, sir.) Sarah is real, a real ghost, insists David. Sarah's flute, a sad melody, fills the room. David says something will happen soon, far away, an accident that will sadden them for a long, long time. Carolyn asks for more information, but David can't reveal more. Terrible things happen and nothing can be done about them, he intones.
None of it is real, says Carolyn, spooked, but he says it is.
Liz tells Vicki and Burke she'd really like for them to accept her offer of the West Wing, for the sake of the whole family. Burke refuses, but promises to consider it, and Vicki says she hopes his instinct for kindness will win out. David says a sad, final goodbye to Burke, scaring him, Vicki and Liz. He thanks him for what he's done for him, says he'll miss him and never forget him.
Burke promises to bring him some stamps. "To remember you by," says David strangely. Liz tells him to stop saying this nonsense, and Burke heartily suggests he and David go on a fishing trip when he gets back, just the two of them. "It's all set, nothing can change it," says David gloomily. "Goodbye, Burke." The three adults look stricken.
On the foggy terrace, Burke elicits an enthusiastic "I love you" from Vicki when he says he'll consider living in the West Wing. Vicki asks if he has to go away, and he chides her for buying into David's fears. He promises her he's going to come back. The wailing of the widows starts up, and though Burke assures her it's only the wind, Vicki is frightened.
"Only the wind," she repeats, but you can see she doesn't
NOTES: So is David right? Is Burke doomed? He sounded as if he were saying goodbye forever to him in this ep, and seemed so certain, he spooked all the grownups.
You had to feel sorry for David today (and admire Henesy's performance). He lost one of his heroes, one of the two people who believed him --and had a premonition about Burke's death!
The cousin-cousin talks are so nice to hear, and you love the fact that David and Carolyn seem on such affectionate terms now. Both had their problems with loneliness growing up at Collinwood, but at least they seem to have each other now.
Nothing can change it, David said. Change what?
Love, Robin
