680 (Clarice Blackburn) Night has cast a somber silence over the great house of Collinwood, a night that will at first be frustrating and then terrifying for a young woman, a governess to two children who have been possessed by evil spirits from the past. No one in the house knows the children's terrible secret, but recent frightening events have caused some to be suspicious. On this night, the young governess will come close to learning the horrible truth.
Maggie calls to David again and again, but he doesn't acknowledge her presence.
She leaves the room, closing the door behind her. David turns. His eyes widen.
David greets Quentin, asking if he's angry. We almost had a close call, says David--Amy almost told everything--a little while ago, she promised me she'd keep our secret, if you promise her not to hurt Chris in any way. Quentin frowns. David says he doesn't want to see Chris hurt, either--will Quentin do that? Quentin nods, and his music plays. David looks scared. He steps closer to Quentin, and they lock eyes. "All right, Quentin," says David mindlessly, "I will do what you want." And he sounds far more adult than before.
Liz tells Mrs. Johnson to bring David a tray to his room, as he will not be attending dinner. Mrs. J looks upset at the prospect of serving him alone in his room, especially when Liz orders her to stay with him. Mrs. Johnson agrees to take the tray but asks if Maggie can stay with David while he eats. Liz asks her what's wrong. Mrs. Johnson says she'd rather not go to David's room, because he scares her!--both David and Amy are downright scary, she says, they're playing a monstrous game that's intended to scare them all to death! Liz says all kids make up odd games sometimes. This is monstrous, not odd, says Mrs. J.
Liz finds it hard to believe Mrs. J fears a 12 year old child, but the housekeeper assures her she does. Despite her fear, Liz orders Mrs. J to stay with David until he is done eating--she guarantees nothing will happen to Mrs. Johnson. The housekeeper looks damned miserable as she heads to the kitchen.
Maggie enters David's room and turns on a light. She finds the 19th century suit jacket he's been dressing up in. Mrs. Johnson knocks on the door and Maggie lets her in. The housekeeper is thrilled to see Maggie, who informs her David left his room against orders. Maggie asks her about the jacket. Mrs. J says it's the coat David was wearing when she found the kids playing dress-up--the same kind of coat the man at the cottage was wearing. It's from the Victorian period, says Maggie, who doesn't want Liz to know about David leaving his room--I prefer to handle it myself. Maggie sends Mrs. Johnson downstairs after emptying the tray. She'll let Liz know what's happening as soon as she knows, she assures the housekeeper. Suit yourself, says Mrs. Johnson, leaving the room. Maggie takes the jacket and returns it to the dresser, then sits down in a chair to wait for David to come back.
Liz is working on some correspondence in the drawing room. Mrs. Johnson comes down and tells her she was to David's room and he's fine, he didn't do anything to frighten her. Mrs. J wants to scuttle off, but Liz begins to question her about this sudden fear of David. Has she been working too hard? No, says Mrs. Johnson, I don't need a rest--I've never been healthier in my life. She races back to the kitchen before Liz can question her further.
David leaves the West Wing and quietly goes to his room. He turns and sees Maggie sitting in the chair. He says hello. She asks if that's all he has to say--he wasn't supposed to leave his room! David asks her how he can wash his hands and face without leaving the room. Is that all you did? she asks. Yup, says David, acting innocent. She doesn't answer. He walks up to show her his clean hands. She asks what else he did. Nothing, he replies. Do you want to tell me everything--or will I tell you? she asks. He throws himself on his bed, puts his hands behind his head and says he doesn't know what she's talking about. She informs him crisply that she saw him going to the West Wing, to the storage room--I followed you. He tells her she's made a mistake, but she assures him she didn't, she just doesn't know how he exited the storage room without her seeing him. I didn't get out, he says, because I wasn't there! She accuses him of lying. He denies it. I saw you go into the room! she cries. If you saw me go in, he asks, how did I get out without you seeing me? She blocks his way. He insists he can't tell her something he doesn't know. She warns him to stop acting innocent, he can't fool her. Hurt, he accuses her of not wanting to believe him. Stop it, she orders--it won't work--whatever it is, it's something you're terribly afraid of. What? he asks. Whatever he's trying to hide, she replies. He denies that, too. You're hiding something in the storage room, says Maggie--did you really find the phone there? David doesn't respond, then says he found it in the cellar. Why did you go to the storage room? She persists, giving him one more chance. "Maggie," he says, "I think there's something wrong with your eyes." She again orders him to stop it--you can try every trick in the book, go ahead, but in this battle of wills, I'll be the victor. He's casually reading a book. I'm extending your punishment, she threatens--you must spend all day tomorrow in your room, and if you don't admit going to the West Wing, you'll be confined another day, as well.
David rises from his chair and tells her she can't do that. She says she's doing it until he tells her the truth. He gets in her face and tells her, only Aunt Liz and Dad can punish me. Maggie reminds him that his father is still away and she now has complete authority to discipline him. He demands to see Aunt Liz to corroborate this, and tries to leave his room. She bars his exit. She forbids him to leave the room! "GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" he shouts. She tells him to shout all he wants--if your Aunt Liz hears you, she might come see what's wrong--and I doubt you'd like that--I'd tell her where you went tonight. It would be your word against mine, says David--and what makes you think Liz would believe you over me? (Wise ass!) Maggie doubts it--when you went to the West Wing, you were carrying his flashlight, and didn't have it when you went back--I bet you left it in the storage room--I advise you to stay in your room and consider everything--when you want to talk, let me know, I'll be in my room. David threatens to get even with her. "You wait and see," he warns, returning to his room with a sly smile.
Maggie's room - She's reading a book in her chair. It's storming. She hears a creaking sound and looks outside, but nothing is there. She returns to her chair. Her lamp goes out. None of the lights in her room work. She goes into the hallway, where the lights are working fine.
In the drawing room, Mrs. Johnson empties ashtrays. From the landing, Maggie tells her David's in his room, but a fuse blew out--all my room lights are out, but not in the upstairs foyer. All your room lights went out at once?--that's no stranger than other things that have been happening, says Mrs. Johnson--I'll bring up some bulbs.
David glances into the hallway, then returns to his room, grinning.
Maggie returns to her room, but her lights refuse to work. Suddenly, the phone rings. Quick camera pans from her shocked, scared face to the phone, back and forth. "David!" cries Maggie sternly. "If this is your way of getting even, it won't work! I know it's you making that ringing sound, the phone isn't even connected." Still, slowly, she picks up the receiver, then drops it. She orders David to come out from wherever he is. Her windows blow open, making her scream "David!" She covers her face with her hands, growing hysterical with terror. "Stop it!" she demands.
Mrs. Johnson comes in with the bulbs, but all the lights have gone back on in Maggie's room. Mrs. J wonders if the lights were ever off to begin with. Maggie shakily assures her she isn't in the habit of imagining things. Mrs. Johnson heard her calling David, she thought he was there, but he isn't. Maggie says he was, because when she came back, the door to her room was wide open, and when the old phone started to ring, she thought David was playing one of his tricks on her. Mrs. Johnson picks up the phone and shows her it isn't even connected--you heard that ring?? Maggie asks her not to look at her as if he's crazy, but Mrs. Johnson retorts that when she told HER about seeing that man at the cottage, she got the same look! Maggie admits that, but doesn't understand how the old phone rang--I intend to find out. She leaves her room and enters David's. He's hiding behind his dresser, smiling, reciting, "I do not like thee, Dr. Fell, the reason why I cannot tell, But this I know and very well, I do not like thee, Dr. Fell." David stands silhouetted in very eerie light, and looks very terrifying indeed.
Maggie, in the West Wing, begs David to answer her, if he's here. She enters the storage room, sees Quentin, and screams, screams, screams!
NOTES: My goodness, the Quentin we come to know and love sure makes the ladies scream, but not with fear! LOL! When David and Quentin are gaslighting Maggie, it's nothing but sheer fun. It reminds me of David's early days with Vicki, when he tried everything to force her to leave Collinwood. Henesey was such a wonderful actor, I'm sorry he didn't pursue it into adulthood. Denise Nickerson is always excellent, and her desire to protect Chris is very real and poignant. Liz' green paisley dress was horrible. Quentin was deliciously wicked and evil, and handsome as all get-out!
681 (Nancy Barrett There was never a greater fear than that which one young woman will experience tonight in the great house of Collinwood. Maggie Evans knows that the two children in the house have changed mysteriously--where once they were carefree and innocent, they now seem constantly uncertain and terrified. Tonight, Maggie Evans will attempt for the first time to find out why.
Quentin locks eyes with Maggie, completely terrifying her. He takes a step toward her. She screams and runs away.
He laughs at her fear.
Chris and Carolyn return from a date. Liz comes downstairs and remarks tgat they haven't seen him in a couple of days. Carolyn comments they just had a long talk about that--Chris got sick and suffered through it alone at the cottage. Liz wonders why they didn't know, and he says it wasn't serious, and Julia helped him--just a bad case of food poisoning (whiskey poisoning). Maggie races downstairs, panic-stricken, to tell report a strange man she saw upstairs. She's shaking, terrified--I was looking for David and ran into this man in the West Wing who kept staring at me with evil eyes! Carolyn and Chris exchange glances. Chris offers to go take a look, and Carolyn volunteers to get a flashlight and join him. Liz leads Maggie into the drawing room and has her sit down. Maggie assures her she'll be OK. Who could it be? she wonders. The man was wearing a long, old-fashioned frock coat, like the man Mrs. Johnson saw in the cottage; the housekeeper described him the same way--she saw him last week. Mrs. J never told me about it, says Liz. Perhaps that accounts for the housekeeper's strange behavior lately. Liz assures Maggie she'll be OK.
Carolyn clings to Chris' arm at they investigate the West Wing. He wonders how many rooms there are up there, and if there are any lights--someone could hide up here very easily, surmises Chris.
Liz pours Maggie a drink. I'm feeling better, Maggie assures her. Liz asks why she was in the West Wing. Maggie explains that earlier, David disobeyed Liz's orders and went to the WW--I followed him there, saw him go into a room and followed him, but when I went in, he wasn't there--I returned to his room and waited for him, had it out with him and extended his punishment--that's when he threatened to get even with me--and this is how--I'm sure David had something to do with the man's appearance. Liz finds it hard to believe David told a strange man to frighten Maggie. The governess says David has changed since I came here. How? asks Liz. He's not as open as he used to be, explains Maggie, and he's frightened of something, but I don't know what. Liz can't dismiss the fact that a strange man might have gotten in and intends to get to the bottom of this--but I can't believe David is responsible. When I questioned David earlier, says Maggie, he just wasn't himself---he was like a child I'd never met before--he wasn't in his room 15 minutes ago, insists Maggie. Are you quite sure? asks Liz. Yes, Maggie assures her, and, finding his room deserted, I went to the WW to look for him. A little while ago, says Liz, I went to David's room to say goodnight--I stayed for 10 minutes, which means all the time you were searching for him in the WW, David was in his room--and I was with him!
Maggie is stunned.
Chris and Carolyn slowly walk the WW, Chris aiming the flashlight around, Carolyn holding onto his arm. They arrive at the storage room and find no one there. They've been searching for a while. Carolyn says they can't possibly search the entire WW, so they choose to go back downstairs. After they leave the storage room, we see a moose head, covered with cobwebs, then Quentin rises from a chair, walks forward, and smiles--fooled 'em!
Drawing room - Maggie sips some tea, saying she doesn't understand it--David wasn't in the room when she went there. He didn't expect her to go to his room, so there was no reason for him to be hiding. Liz doesn't know, but she's quite concerned about the incident. Maggie suggests perhaps David DID expect her, and hid from her, knowing she'd search the WW--and what she'd find there.
David's room - David tells Quentin that it's wonderful--but we're just going to scare her, right?--I don't want to hurt her, just teach her a lesson. Quentin nods, grinning. That's why, David tells Quentin, after tonight, I won't play the game anymore--do you understand? The ghost looks angry. David says, we can keep playing the game for fun. Quentin grins again. David asks where Mr. Jughans is--we have to get him ready. "Mr. Jughans," chuckles David, "How did you ever think of that?" Carolyn and Chris enter the room. Quentin disappears. Carolyn asks her cousin who he was laughing and talking to? David claims he told himself a joke, which Carolyn calls absurd. Since I can't play with anyone, pouts David, I have to find some way to amuse myself. Carolyn tells him to get ready for bed. That doesn't excite me, says David, but I'll do it. Carolyn and Chris bid him goodnight, then leave. David turns and sings, to the tune of Yankee Doodle: "Mr. Jughans met his Evans on a darkened night, the poor girl fainted dead away, he gave her such a fright. Mr. Jughans keep it up, Mr. Jughans keep it up, Mr. Jughans keep it up, Mr. Jughans keep it up until Aunt Liz believes me." (This is on the music video tape, and Henesey doesn't have a bad singing voice, either.) David turns and smiles at Quentin, who smiles back (too much rouge on Selby.)
Chris and Carolyn tell Liz they didn't find anything in the WW, puzzling Maggie. Maggie admits she didn't take a flashlight with her, and it is pretty dark up there--but protests she didn't imagine all this--the man she saw was real, not 3 or 4 feet in front of her. Carolyn and Chris exchange glances (of sympathy? Disbelief? Hard to say).
David asks Quentin where Mr. Jughans is--they should bring him out, they haven't much time--I'm supposed to be in my room.
Chris lights a cigarette and tosses the match into the fireplace. Liz tells Maggie she knows she had a great scare and she doesn't doubt she saw someone. Maggie suspects David has a secret in the West Wing--or why would he go there this evening? Why risk going back tonight? Perhaps, says Liz, what seems important to David is trivial to us. Perhaps, agrees Maggie, but there must be something up there David wants to see--he risked doing so even though he was already on punishment, knowing it would be extended--so something must be terribly important to David in that room. Carolyn agrees with Maggie--David hasn't been himself lately, and for both Maggie's and David's sake, Liz should try to find out what's bothering him. Chris looks on earnestly. Liz says fine, they'll go up now, and she and Maggie head upstairs.
David's room. He's getting ready for bed when Liz and Maggie enter. Liz says something is wrong--Maggie went looking for you in the WW and saw something. A prowler? asks David. Maggie doesn't know who or what it was, says Liz, but seems to think you know. ME? asks David--I don't know. He resentfully adds, I don't know why you think I do. Maggie: "David when I talked to you earlier tonight, you threatened to get even with me." I was mad, says David, I didn't mean it. Liz looks at Maggie, then tells her nephew, I'll take your word for it, but if I find out later that you lied. . . David assures her he hasn't, honest--I wouldn't lie to you. Maggie reminds him he lied earlier, when she asked about the West Wing. Did you? asks Aunt Liz. David admits, so, I did go up there. What for? asks Liz. I just got bored of staying in my room, says David. Maggie feels he had more reason than that, but David denies it--he wasn't supposed to leave his room, so the WW was the only place he could go where he wouldn't be seen. David confesses he did go to the storage room. Maggie grins and asks how he got out of the storage room without her seeing him--when she went inside, he had completely vanished. I was hiding, says David. You couldn't have been, she counters, I looked everywhere. "You just don't know the right places to look" retorts David. I don't care what you say, Maggie says--you weren't in that room when I was there. This isn't fair, says David--I'm telling the truth and you don't believe me. The room was small, says Maggie, and I looked everywhere. "No you didn't," says David triumphantly, "and I can prove it." Liz says he doesn't need to prove anything, but David feels otherwise--he doesn't want her thinking him a liar. I don't think that, Liz assures him. David wants to take them up there, show his hiding place and no one will doubt him. Maggie tells Liz she'll go there if she's willing, and if they find the hiding place, she'll admit she was wrong and apologize to David. The boy takes a flashlight from the desk, gives Maggie a smug look, and leads the way to the WW, the women following behind.
Carolyn wonders to Chris how David's doing under the third degree. If I were making book on it, says Chris, holding his own very well--David isn't ordinary, he has intelligence, keeps his eyes and ears open and stores info like a computer--David dropped by to see me before I got sick, and I wondered about his visit ever since--David was surprised to see me, reveals Chris, almost as though he suspected something had happened to me--nothing had, but 12 hours later, something did, and it almost killed me.
David takes Maggie and Liz to the West Wing. Maggie hesitates--the man I saw was behind that door. David opens the door and they enter. At first glance, it appears Quentin is standing there. "There he is!" cries Maggie. David shines the flashlight on a dummy dressed in Victorian clothing with drawn-on sideburns that looks much like Quentin. "Don't be afraid of him," says David, "that's only Mr. Jughans." Maggie repeats the name. David says Mr. J is an old friend of mine and Amy's. Liz steps forward, looks over the dummy, turns to Maggie and asks, with a hint of sarcasm, "Could this be the man you saw?"
Maggie stares, David grins smugly. Maggie has had "the game" played on her for sure.
NOTES: Outsmarted! It looked as if Maggie had gotten the better of David, but with Quentin's help, they turned the tables and now Maggie looks like a foolish, scared young girl who saw a dummy and thought it a real man. Too bad, because now Maggie's attempt at discipline haven't worked (not that Liz really seemed on her side, anyway, she always allows David to get away with everything), and David has gotten the better of her. Quentin's plan will go on.
Chris and Carolyn DO make a nice pair, don't they? They look cute together, but she doesn't really need a supernatural guy in her life. Then again, it's only going to get worse, isn't it?
I used to think that was spelled Juggins, but it's not, the dummy was named after someone working on the show, and it was spelled Jughans. Weird name, weird trick, fun show.
Quentin's winning!
Love, Robin
