353 - (Alexandra Moltke) - A brilliant afternoon sun shines over Collinwood, and the shadows of the night have disappeared-but terror still stalks the great house, for one girl has fallen under the spell of the supernatural, and forces of evil possess her-forces bent on death and destruction.
Carolyn, fingering the scarf covering her throat, contemplates how, although Vicki was once her friend, her only friend now is Cousin Barnabas. Vicki listens to Carolyn, muses Carolyn, and she's going to make sure she comes to Barnabas willingly--and stay with him forever. When Vicki finds Carolyn studying the portrait, she comments on how vague her friend is behaving. When Vicki suggests they see a movie, Carolyn comes up with an alternative--go see Barnabas at the Old House and start working on the West Wing project! Vicki is reluctant; she doesn't want to impose. When Carolyn encourages her, Vicki says perhaps. Julia comes in from a walk to town and back and greets the girls, and Carolyn remarks how fond Julia is of taking long walks. Funny, Vicki says, she dreamed she took a walk with Julia to an old house, but in the dream, Vicki didn't want to go in despite Julia's insistence on it. When Vicki leaves to check David, Carolyn mentions what an odd coincidence, Vicki dreaming about taking a walk--but strangely, she doesn't remember taking a walk for real with Julia.
Julia thinks Carolyn is being hostile towards her, but the blonde assures her they're on the same side. "She suspects me," Julia thinks to herself. If Carolyn learns the truth, she'll tell Barnabas, so she'd better watch out--watch and fear.
On the terrace, Carolyn is thrilled that the sun is setting. She hears Barnabas calling her but is forestalled by Joe, who now wants to take her to the mausoleum to check out the secret room. No, Carolyn says, acting like a space alien, it was all in disturbed David's imagination,
and she never really saw Sarah, etc., etc. She thanks him and says she's going for a walk; he offers to join her, but she suggests he go inside and see Vicki. He agrees, but you can tell he finds Carolyn's behavior very odd.
Carolyn goes to the Old House and tells Barnabas about her discussion with Joe, but when he insists she make sure Joe never suspects anything, she assures him she'll take care of it. She also tells a distraught Barnabas about Vicki's reluctance to see him, which spurs him to go immediately to Collinwood to see what's up.
At Collinwood, Joe tells Vicki that Carolyn seemed weird, remote--she wanted to get rid of him. Perhaps it's her worry about David, they decide. Barnabas comes to the door and Vicki lets him in, but it's apparent she isn't that happy to see him. Joe leaves for a date with Maggie, and Vicki almost seems prepared to beg him not to leave her alone with Barn. Barnabas offers to finance a private search party for Burke, which draws words of gratitude from Vicki, who turns him down because she believes the authorities are doing everything they can to find him. Barnabas wants her to be happy, anything she wants, all she needs to do is ask. He takes her hand, but Vicki, repelled, pulls it out of his grasp, then instantly apologizes for doing so. He suggests perhaps she'd rather be alone, and while her lips deny it, her eyes say something else: LEAVE!!!! Barnabas turns to look at Vicki as he's leaving, and she won't even turn around to look at him.
Later, Carolyn finds Vicki staring out the window. Vicki, ashamed of her actions, tells Carolyn about Barnabas' generous offer, then how she pulled her hand from his. It was cold and clammy, says Vicki, like the hand of a dead man. She unaccountably felt frightened in his presence, and can't understand why. This clearly upsets Carolyn.
Back at the Old House, Barnabas asks Julia why Vicki recoiled from him. Burke? suggests Julia. She's still in love with him. Barnabas can't understand--she was never afraid of him before. Perhaps she senses Barnabas' interest, says Julia, and isn't ready to accept it? Barnabas curtly comments that he's heard enough, he's weary of Julia's company. When Carolyn comes in, he rudely dismisses Julia, who is pissed at being thus dismissed. Carolyn tells Barn that Vicki IS afraid of him, although she doesn't know why. Carolyn, citing the walk with Julia that Vicki doesn't remember, thinks Julia is somehow involved, and Barnabas, his face dark with anger, orders Carolyn to watch Julia.
If she's doing anything to undermine his efforts with Vicki, she's signed her own certificate, he vows. Carolyn smiles.
NOTES: Three women-Carolyn, who is under Barnabas' power; Julia, who'd love to be; Vicki, who has been hypnotized and now fears Barnabas in the deepest portion of her brain. Barnabas is all set to kill Julia if he learns she's fiddled with Vicki's head, and we KNOW she has-how long before Barnabas knows, now that he's set Carolyn on Julia's trail? Carolyn is determined to do whatever is necessary for her master, and she thinks it would be great if Barnabas took revenge on Julia for betraying him. Cold vampire, cold victim, where will all this end?
354 - (Alexandra Moltke) - A cluster of pale stars shine over Collinwood, like cold, unblinking eyes in the darkness, watching the earth below. At Collinwood, there is one girl who is trusted implicitly by all of us, but unknown to us, she has fallen prey to the supernatural. She watches and waits, and everything she learns becomes the knowledge of one who, at any moment, is prepared to wreak destruction.
Carolyn, who, according to the intro is trusted implicitly by all, has been bugging Julia by following her everywhere. Julia asks the blonde spy if it's necessary, and Carolyn assures her she's free to go anywhere she wants.
Sarcastically, Julia thanks her, and heads up to her room, where hopefully, she'll have some privacy.
Roger and Liz come in the inform Carolyn that David and, reluctantly, Vicki, are going to Boston for a vacation. Roger remarks that he feels sorry for Vicki in the Burke situation; he must be dead. Carolyn is pleased that David is going, which surprises Liz, who thought she'd object. When Roger suggests, and Liz agrees, that Carolyn go to Boston, too, for parties, clothes-buying and all the things she usually adores, she vehemently objects.
She can't go--rather, she doesn't want to. She leaves them quickly, and Roger muses to Liz how strangely Carolyn's been behaving--he saw her watching the sunset with a blank, vacant expression on her face that frightened him. They both express hope that Carolyn's all right.
Julia finds Vicki preparing a bouquet of lovely yellow flowers; she's planning to take them over to Barnabas to apologize for yanking her hand out of his grasp the day before. Why did you do that? asks Julia, knowing full well why. Vicki explains she doesn't know--Barnabas has always been there when she needs him. Carolyn pops in and announces that she's going shopping for a loooong time.
Julia closes the doors after Carolyn departs, but the latter sneaks back into the house and listens in. She gets quite an earful, too, as Julia again uses the chandelier crystal to hypnotize Vicki, then leads her out of the house, Carolyn quietly in pursuit. Julia brings Vicki to "Maggie's cell" in the Old House basement, which now contains only the coffin Willie had crafted for Maggie. Julia tells the tranced-out, protesting Vicki that the coffin is intended for HER--Barnabas plans to make her what he is, then make her his bride. Vicki protests that she doesn't WANT to be his bride,
and Julia again reinforces the only way she can avoid it--recoil when he touches her, behave frightened of him when he's in her presence--resist his will. Vicki vows to do just that. Carolyn scurries away from her post around the corner just as they exit. Her lips are compressed in a tight line; she knows all now, and can't wait to give the skinny to Barnabas.
Vicki and Julia return to Collinwood, where the latter snaps her fingers, bringing the younger woman out of the trance. When Julia suggests to Vicki that she come with her to the Old House to show Barnabas the crystals and bring the flowers, Vicki hesitates, then says she doesn't have time. She asks Julia to drop off the flowers, and say goodbye to Barnabas for her. Liz comes in and says the arrangements for David and Vicki to take the bus to Boston are all set. Vicki remarks that she's glad to be going, surprising Liz, and bringing a smug smile to Julia's face.
Carolyn goes to the Old House and reports to Barnabas what Julia's been up to with Vicki. He's stunned that "Hoffman," as he calls her, has finally turned against him and done such a foolhardy act. He's further angry to learn this wasn't the first time Julia hypnotized Vicki--she actually showed him Barnabas in his coffin! Now Barn knows why Vicki's been behaving so strangely! He hasn't decided what to do, but damage control is necessary as far as Vicki is concerned. "Are you planning to kill her?" asks Carolyn eagerly, looking overjoyed at the prospect.
"Perhaps she'll meet a worse fate--much worse," predicts Barnabas.
NOTES: Now Barnabas knows for sure that Julia is working hard to undermine his relationship with the woman he loves-he even knows she showed Barnabas, in his vampire-slumber state, to Vicki! He speaks of Julia meeting a worse fate-what could he possibly have in mind? The mind trembles to contemplate it.
Love, Robin
