Yes, calling the Evans Cottage was an amazing triumph of will on Willie's part. It may be that, in order to keep Willie strong enough to work on the Old House, Barnabas has been feeding on him only occasionally, and concentrating on the cows, so that Willie's ability to resist Barnabas is greater that it was at first - since, over time, it appears that frequent feedings are necessary to keep the victim's will in check. Still, this is more than I would ever expect Willie Loomis to do.
Vicki is left to dust the telephone.
Vicky's the helpless little woman in this episode, staying at home while the menfolk search for Maggie. This is not the way she has been in previous episodes, but I guess the writers had to have some way for Willie to find out what Barnabas was up to and to get the warning out.
How Maggie walked the supposed five miles in a nightgown and slippers is never explained, but she is wandering around Eagle Hill when a particularly heavy wisp of fog clears to reveal Barnabas standing before her.
Oh, but it's very simple. Eagle Hill Cemetery was said to be five miles north of Collinwood. Assume Collinwood is about a mile south of town, and assume the Evans cottage is half a mile north of town, and you've cut the distance down to three and a half miles. Then call to mind that the cemetery eventually ends up in the back yard of Collinwood, and it has to start the trek sometime (sort of like Birnam wood, maybe), and you can cut...well...maybe another mile or two. That brings the distance down to a couple of miles. Granted, even a couple of miles in Maggie's get-up is more than I'd care to do, but I daresay she's not really noticing much as she answers her vampire's summons.
Maggie's picture has made a shorter move, from her Maggie's bedroom to the living room. It must have been moved by Sam, and all I can figure is that in his distress over Maggie's disappearance, he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. Goodness knows what else he'll find in odd places before all this is over.
