1230 - Quentin races into the drawing room and stops Forsythe from strangling their aunt. Julia falls to the floor, unconscious. The men grapple wildly. Quentin grabs one of the dueling pistols and holds it on his possessed brother, warning, I'll use it if I have to. Yes, I believe you will, says Forsythe. Quentin pushes him away from Julia and checks her pulse--she is still alive, lucky for you, he says. I'm sorry to hear that, says Forsythe through gritted teeth. Why did you want to kill her? demands Quentin. Catherine runs in--what happened? she asks. Your husband tried to strangle her, says Quentin. Is she all right? asks Catherine.
Take care of Julia, orders Quentin--I'll tend to Forsythe. What are you going to do? asks Catherine anxiously.Take him upstairs and lock him in a room so he won't harm anyone else, says Quentin, grabbing hold of Forsythe's arm--"Now come on." Morgan shouts to Catherine--tell "Constance" that I will attempt to do that to her again! Constance? repeats Quentin quizzically. Take him upstairs, says Quentin, I'll explain to you later. Catherine rouses Julia, who moans in pain, grabbing her throat. He tried to kill me, he's like a madman, she croaks.
Cottage - Ben Stokes (who now looks young enough to be Carrie's father) returns home. She throws herself into his arms. "Thank heavens you've come home," she sobs, "promise you'll never go away that long again!" What happened to you? he asks, why are you so frightened? She tells him about Morgan's insane visits, his possession by James Forsythe, a man who lived many years ago and hated the Collinses.
I was afraid he would kill me tonight, she says--please keep him away from me! Holding her, he says, sit down and tell me the whole story.
Quentin marches Forsythe into the bedroom Morgan shares with Catherine. Get in, orders Quentin. Do you really think you can keep me in here? sneers Forsythe. You forget, says Quentin, I'm the only one with a key to this room. Locking the door is no precaution, says Forsythe. You didn't let me finish, says Quentin--there are two servants--one at the end of the corridor, the other on the terrace below the window, and if you escape, they are under orders to shoot to kill. Quentin bangs his back into the door (OUCH) and locks Morgan in. Morgan bangs on the door over and over, infuriated at his incarceration.
Let me out of here, do you hear me? shouts Forsythe, pummeling fiercely at the door. I'm going to get out somehow, and when I do, I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill every Morgan (yes, he says that) Collins I can get my hands on!--do you hear me?--do you hear me? Quentin walks away.
Catherine tends to Julia, who is feeling better. Thank you for helping me, says Julia. Be grateful to Quentin, suggests Catherine--he's the one who came in, if he hadn't, you might be dead by now. I know, says Julia. What are we going to do about Morgan? wonders Catherine. I wish I knew, replies Julia. When the possession first started, says Julia, he seemed quite harmless, but now he's as dangerous as Gabriel is--I'm afraid there's nothing we can to do help either of them. We can't just give up, insists Catherine. Quentin joins them--Catherine, we won't give up on Morgan, he assures her--because there's still hope for him--do you know why he called Julia Constance? Yes, she was Brutus' sister, he just mistook me for her, explains Julia--what did you mean when you said that there is some hope? I've been thinking, says Quentin, before the possession, Morgan was perfectly all right--he seemed normal, knew he was in this time--I'm thinking Forsythe's spirit has retrogressed and is reliving the events of that time--we must exorcise the spirit from Morgan's body or Morgan will die. No, moans Catherine. It's worth a shot, insists Quentin--we will hold a seance and try to force Forsythe's sprit out of Morgan's body. Both women are willing to try. What about Carrie as a medium? suggests Quentin. I doubt the girl will want to help us, opines Catherine--she's gone through so much already. Quentin is about to leave when Ben comes in. When did you get back from Boston? asks Quentin. Let's postpone our greetings for now, suggests Ben curtly--where's your brother, Morgan? Why do you want to see him? asks Quentin. I don't just want to see him, says Ben--I want to kill him!
I don't want anybody frightening my daughter, complains Ben--I wouldn't have left if I'd know she was going to be frightened. Listen to me, says Quentin. I'm not listening to anybody, says Ben, where's Morgan? He's upstairs under lock and key, says Quentin, he's not going to hurt anyone--please talk to me for a few minutes. Ben reluctantly agrees. Good, come into the drawing room, invites Quentin--I want to speak to Ben alone, he tells the ladies. Julia greets Ben warmly, and Catherine nods to him before both exit. Quentin closes the double doors and reminds Ben, you've known Morgan since he was a child, and know as well as I do that he would never hurt anyone--he is not the one who frightened Carrie. Carrie tried to make me believe some such nonsense, says Ben. It's not nonsense, says Quentin--something happened to Morgan that he couldn't control--Morgan is possessed by a spirit from a very long time ago--we want to exorcise the spirit from Morgan's body, and to do this, we need Carrie's help. Are you crazy? asks Ben. You've been with the family a long time, says Quentin--you know how much we care for you and Carrie--you've been loyal to the family for a long time--we have appreciated your loyalty in many ways. It's not fair of you to bring that up, Mr. Quentin, Ben chastises. Carrie has a mental gift that we need to help Morgan, insists Quentin. I fear Carrie will be afraid if she does this, says Ben. Nothing will happen to Carrie, promises Quentin
--come on, Ben, we're after the same thing, out to conquer the same threat--don't you see that?--wouldn't you like to see Morgan be himself again? Of course I would, says Ben. I know Carrie would, says Quentin, she's always been very fond of Morgan, and I promise, so help me God, nothing will hurt Carrie. I'll talk to her, promises Ben, tell her what you want--she'll have to make up her own mind. Can I come with you? asks Quentin. If you want to, says Ben. They leave the house. (Quentin will be able to talk any woman into anything!)
11:15 - Julia rests in the drawing room. When Catherine enters, Julia asks, how is Morgan? I just listened outside the door, says Catherine, I didn't go in the room--I'm sure he's in there, I could hear him moving around. Quentin returns--Ben and Carrie are on their way over, he says, we have to move fast--there's going to be one other person here besides Carrie--Morgan. Impossible, says Julia--Morgan is the one possessed, he won't sit still and watch himself be exorcised! We will have to bring him here against his will, says Quentin. How? asks Julia. I've got an idea, says Quentin, it's risky, and Catherine, it's going to take a lot of courage on your part. He holds her shoulders comfortingly. What do you want me to do? asks Catherine. Come into the study, says Quentin, I'll show both of you.
Morgan, agitated, paces, walks around the room; he looks out the window. Catherine enters, being careful to close the door behind her--I am here to help you, she says. I doubt that, he says--no Collins ever lifted a finger to help me! You've got to trust me, believe I'm your friend, she says. Why do you want to help me? he asks. We share a common goal, she says--we both want Constance dead, don't we? I don't know if I should believe you, he says. If you believe me, I will free you, she says, if you don't, I'll leave you here in this room. Why do you want to see her dead? he asks. We don't have time to go into that now, says Catherine--Constance and I have always been mortal enemies--now, do we help one another or not? You agree to let me out of here, if I agree to kill her, he says--is that your bargain? Yes, she says. No strings attached? he asks. None, she says. I agree, he says, smiling. Let's drink to our agreement, she suggests. When she prepares the drinks, she dumps a little something into his. They toast each other and drink. When can I get out of here? he asks. Sometime before tomorrow morning, she assures him. Good, he says, then I'll expect you tomorrow morning... He instantly feels the effect of the drug she slipped him and tumbles to the floor, unconscious. Quentin enters, surveys Morgan and is pleased. Good girl, he praises Catherine--Julia go get the servants.
With the unconscious Morgan seated in one of the chairs at the table, the seance commences. Quentin again assures Carrie and Ben, Carrie will be safe, even if the drug wears off. I've already told you the history of the man who has possessed Morgan, Quentin reminds Carrie--I want you to contact the spirit of James Forsythe. Scared, Carrie says, I'm ready. Hopefully, we will be able to rid Morgan of his possession if we succeed, says Quentin. The lights are put out; everyone (all six of them) sits at the table and joins hands. Maintain contact throughout, says Quentin--concentrate very deeply. Carrie calls to James Forsythe--who once lived and died here--if you can hear us, give us a sign...we are waiting to hear from you--can you please speak to us? The chandelier tinkles. A figure appears outside the window. Morgan stirs and speaks. "What is it you want of me? I am James Forsythe." Why are you speaking through Morgan? asks Carrie. I speak through Morgan because I must--I am only a spirit without form or substance--I possessed Morgan to be free again and right all the wrongs that were done to me. Who wronged you? demands Carrie--tell us, please.
He is here now....he has come to get me again!" cries Morgan--"BRUTUS! Brutus is in this room!--Brutus has come to get me, to send me back--you will not get me!" Carries screams and passes out, Morgan runs from the room and locks them all in. Catherine rushes to tend to Carrie. Julia produces a key to the door. Quentin chases Morgan. Julia goes to check upstairs and Quentin outside while Catherine and Ben support a very weak Carrie. Catherine assures Ben, Carrie will be all right. Not until I get her out of this house, says Ben, angry over the way they used his daughter.
Upstairs, Julia hears Morgan screaming, "STAY AWAY FROM ME! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She comes in to find Morgan lying on the floor. You are still Forsythe, she says. Yes, he agrees, but Brutus is here and sending me back to my tomb--time is running out, I feel weaker every moment--you must listen to me, while there is still time, you must hear the truth about the curse--what really happened in 1680. Yes, says Julia anxiously, you must tell me!
"Brutus is here! It is too late for you to stop me!" Forsythe shouts--"I am going to tell the truth at last--what really happened in 1680--your family will finally know about the curse!" (This line is spoken with too much exaggerated force.)
NOTES: It was very generous of Carrie to agree to help the family this way. They're using her as their personal medium, and it isn't really right after everything the innocent child has gone through. I can understand Ben being pissed. Great to see Thayer David again.
What will Forsythe tell Julia? Will they finally know the whole backstory of the curse and be able to break the curse that is haunting the family?
Lucky for Julia that Quentin came in when he did, she'd have been a goner. Loved the way Catherine got Forsythe to drink the drugged booze. It was a smart idea on Quentin's part to have her pretend to be on Forsythe's side and as anxious as he to kill Constance.
NOTE ABOUT ONE OF YESTERDAY'S EPS: Kate Jackson turned in one of her best performances to date with her barely controlled anger at Catherine and Bramwell. The closer Keith Prentice gets to relinquishing James Forsythe, the worse his acting becomes--again.
1231 - He will not stop me, insists Forsythe--it is too late. Tell me how it all began, please, begs Julia. Forsythe sits on the bed--I first met Brutus in 1677--my sister Constance introduced us--he seemed an amiable, honest man--we liked each other at once and soon became business partners. We are transported back to the 17th century, as Forsythe explains, in three short years, I learned there were many sides to Brutus Collins--he was a man of many dark and terrifying secrets--spent almost all his time alone, going over his books, and trusted no one, not even his own wife and children. We see Brutus, sitting in the Collinwood drawing room, going over a book. A candelabra with three red candles sits on the desk. Constance knocks. Come in, he says, annoyed. She enters. I didn't want to be disturbed, he reminds her. James Forsythe is here, she says--he wants to see you. Brutus doesn't look pleased. Very well, he says, give me a moment, then show him in. She leaves, closing the double doors. He takes the book and puts it into a cabinet, then takes his drink and looks into the fire. Forsythe bursts in. James, my boy, what a pleasant surprise, says Brutus affably. Dispense with the parental greeting--the jolly welcome, advises Forsythe--I'm here to discuss our partnership. Come, come, says Brutus, I never discuss business at night. I'm assuming you discuss business in your sleep, assuming you do sleep, remarks Forsythe. What a curious thing to say, says Brutus. It isn't really at all, considering your strange preoccupation with the occult, nothing would surprise me, says Forsythe--I can imagine you using some strange powders and potions, and doing strange chants to do anything you want. I'm not so dedicated to the occult as you would imagine, says Brutus, I'm merely a dabbler--but why do you want to speak about the partnership? It has become a little too one-sided, says Forsythe--you seem to be getting richer, and I'm getting poorer. We both make the same money, insists Brutus--how you spend yours is your concern, not mine. I'm of the opinion that you are spending MINE, says Forsythe, and I don't like that! Brutus, angry, warns, take care not to make a statement you will regret. If I'm wrong, says Forsythe, you won't mind if I audit the books. The books are in the company office, says Brutus, they're always at your disposal. I'm not talking about those books, says Forsythe, but the books that tell the real story--the ones only you see! There are no such books! insists Brutus. You're a liar, replies Forsythe. I think it's time we dissolved this partnership! says Brutus, furious, we will summon our attorneys in the morning. I want what is coming to me! demands James. Brutus narrows his eyes and says, "Have no fear, James, you will get what is coming to you--in due time--good night."
As Forsythe is about to leave, he runs into Amanda (Nancy Barrett), who greets him warmly. He bids her good evening. Brutus triumphantly says, Mr. Forsythe is leaving us--he is leaving this house and the Collins-Forsythe Trading Company. Forsythe gives Brutus a long look, Amanda another, and exits. Quite upset, she turns to Brutus--I'm sorry, she says, I didn't know you were in here. If you had, you wouldn't have come in, is that it? he asks. No, of course not, she says. How did you become such an abominable liar, my dear wife? he asks. You enjoy being mean, she accuses--I don't know why you are so cruel, but... But what? he demands. Nothing, she says, turning her back on him. I expect you'll be sorry to see Forsythe leave the company, he says significantly. Why should I be sorry? she asks. I think we both know the answer to that, don't we? he says. She looks at him--I don't know what you're talking about, she says--"Please excuse me." She hurries to the door. Where are you going? he asks. She takes her cloak--out--for some air, she says. Constance, follow her, orders Brutus--see where she goes and what she does. Constance (Grayson Hall) leaves immediately.
Cottage - James and Amanda, mid kiss, are sucking face really good. You shouldn't have come here, my darling, he says, it's too dangerous. I couldn't wait, she says, I had to come see you and find out why you came to Collinwood--what happened between you and Brutus? We had a confrontation at last, he explains--I accused him of cheating--I know he's embezzling funds and trying to get me out of the partnership--but I don't know how to prove it. There's only one way, she says--to go to the secret records room and find the books he keeps himself. We've gone through this already, he says--if I only knew where the record room was, but only Brutus knows that. I know, she says, I found out today--quite by accident. Tell me, where is it? asks James.
Constance listens outside the window as Amanda tells James--just off Brutus' bedroom--at the head of the bed is a large drape--behind the drape is a door leading to that secret room. He hugs her gratefully--I know I can prove it now, he says--I'll go there tonight. James, she says, staring into his eyes, you must be very careful. Only of Brutus, he says--if anyone in the family sees me going in there, they will want me to go on and show him up as the cheater he is. Please, begs Amanda, don't be over-confident, Brutus has uncanny instincts and always seems to sense when there's danger near. Don't worry, he says, I have a very good reason to succeed--I love you, and I'm going to take you away from Brutus--from this terrible life he's forced you to live. I love you, says Amanda, her arms still around his neck--I will pray for you--she gives him another kiss to send him on his way. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, he says--we'll go to the village together. They kiss again, as Constance watches.
Collinwood - Constance reports to Brutus, Amanda is at the cottage with Mr. Forsythe. The lovers trysting, he says nastily, how touching it is! There wasn't anything very touching about what I heard, she says
--they are plotting against you, planning to destroy you. Tell me more, says Brutus eagerly, tell me more!
2:20 - Collinwood - The house is dark. James enters the house and quietly closes the door, then goes upstairs. Hidden by the clock is Brutus, who follows him. James enters what we know as the locked room, but what is, in this time, Brutus' bedroom. James finds the secret door behind the drape and hammers off the lock. He takes a candelabra and goes inside. Brutus enters his bedroom.
Forsythe has found a secret room, filled with record books, some piled on tables. He begins looking through them. Good Lord! he cries, it's worse than I thought--he's stolen me blind! I couldn't have phrased it better myself, mocks Brutus--yes, my boy, a little meeting we're going to have that's been a long time coming! How did you know I was here? asks Forsythe. I have my ways, Brutus assures him. I have the proof right here, says James, that you've embezzled hundred and thousands of dollars! What do you propose to do about it? asks Brutus. I'm going to the authorities, of course, says James. You don't think they will believe your charges, do you? asks Brutus. I have all of the proof right here on the paper, says Forsythe, slapping the ledger in front of him--I don't think I'll have any problem at all getting people to testify against you--including your own family--except for Constance--there are many people who would like to see you hang! Yes! says Brutus, voice ragged, and do you know why they hate me?--because I am intelligent, aggressive, ambitious, more determined to succeed than they will ever be! What chance did you ever give any of your sons? asks Forsythe--you were jealous of them, afraid they might succeed honestly--so you did everything you could to squelch their quality. I gave them constant opportunities, says Brutus, but they were too weak to take advantage of it--the only thing they excel in is ingratitude--no, they will never testify against me, nor will you, my boy. I have all the proof I need right here, says Forsythe, piling up some of the ledgers--and you are not going to stop me, Brutus--now will you... From a table behind him, Brutus finds what looks like a metal baseball bat, and applies it with a loud thud to Forsythe's head--he falls unconscious to the table. Oh yes, says Brutus--James, in fact you've left open to me only one course of action!
Forsythe lies on a table in the records room, Brutus standing over him. "You spoke of my interest in the occult, James," says Brutus, mixing some potion in a bowl--"Little did you know you'd be a victim of it--yes, I know many secrets unknown to ordinary man--you see, an ordinary death would not be good enough for you--oh, I want you dead, but I don't want you to rest, James, I want your spirit to be troubled, through all eternity!" He fills an ancient hypo with the solution he has just concocted and injects it into Forsythe's arm.
Cottage, morning - Something is wrong, frets Amanda--he said we should meet here at 9 o'clock in the morning--he would never be so late--something has happened to him. She runs from the cottage, back to Collinwood, where she is coolly greeted by Constance, who notes you seem quite out of breath. Where is Brutus? asks Amanda. I don't know, why do you ask? says Constance. I was just wondering, replies Amanda, if he still intended to dissolve the partnership with Mr. Forsythe. Oh, haven't you heard about Mr. Forsythe? asks Constance, looking quite satisfied. No, what happened to him? asks Amanda anxiously. He suddenly decided to leave town quite early this morning, says Constance. That's impossible, Amanda begins to say, but stops herself. Oh, why isn't it? asks Constance. What I mean is, says Amanda, I had understood they were to meet with their lawyers this morning. Perhaps Mr. Forsythe had a change of heart, suggests Constance. Yes of course, agrees Amanda--I must go to my room--she heads upstairs.
Amanda enters the secret room just off her bedroom and finds Forsythe lying on the table. She gasps and runs to him, touches him. Dead, she realizes, and sobs against his chest. I was so afraid it would end this way, she says. How heart-rending! mocks Brutus, appearing from his hiding place--the lovers together, and in such a curious trysting place. You killed him! accuses Amanda viciously, you're a murderer! You were planning to help him destroy me, weren't you? asks Brutus, but you see, I got to him before he got to me. You knew I would come back here! cries Amanda, you have waited for me. I am here in the interests of poetic justice, he says. What do you mean? she asks.
You've always wanted James Forsythe, he says, now you can have him--you two will be together at last--together for a very long time! He advances on her, grabbing her, strangling her, until she is unconscious. Then he places her on a table next to that upon which Forsythe is lying. I will put your body beside his, he exults, arranging her--how romantically beautiful you look in death--but your spirit will not rest, either.
Constance enters Brutus' bedroom and is about to go into James' and Amanda's death chamber. Brutus comes out--what are you doing here? he demands. What's inside there? she asks. None of your business, he says, forget you ever saw this door!--do you hear me? Why are you angry at me? she asks. Get out of here, he orders. All right, she says, I'll go find Amanda. I forgot to tell you, he says, Amanda has left with Forsythe! She gazes at him suspiciously; he asks why. I saw Amanda less than a half hour ago, she says--you lied to me! Constance, would you go to your room! he commands. No, she says, you must tell me why you're lying to me. I'm warning you! he says. You know where Amanda is, guesses Constance--you've done something to her--and Mr. Forsythe, what's happened to him? I'm telling you for the last time, threatens Brutus, go to your room. She pushes him aside--are they behind there? she asks, walking to the forbidden door. No, Constance! he cries--come back here. He follows her. She goes downstairs into the record room and discovers the two dead bodies. Horrified, she returns to Brutus, who awaits her. They're dead, she accuses. They deserve to die, he insists, for betraying me. Please, she says, I think I'm seeing you for the first time as you really are! Don't you turn on me! he says, I'm warning you! I've always taken your part against your enemies, believed in you, she says, but I think they're right--what they believe is true--you're a monster!--a monster--she attacks him with a letter opener she has picked up from a table. They struggle.
He forces her to drop the weapon and pushes her down onto the bed. "I set a curse upon the family," says Brutus, holding up the letter opener, "a curse which will haunt even future generations--this will bring death and insanity to all who ever inhabit this room, and it shall not end until that time when someone spends a night in this spot and survives with his sanity--that person and only that person shall be worthy of the name of Collins!"
(How does Forsythe know all this?--did he learn it after death?)
1841PT - He was so right, says Forsythe--whatever devilish thing he did to me, my spirit did not rest--nor that of Amanda. So it was Brutus Collins that put the curse on us, says Julia--our own ancestor--he must have been totally mad! Brutus' spirit returns. He's back, says Forsythe--he has come back to take me back there. Brutus' ghost appears, reaching out.
"Yes, Forsythe," he says, "it is time!--back to your tomb--back with your lover, Amanda!" Forsythe begins to choke, grasping at his throat, and falls on the bed. Morgan, are you all right? asks Julia. "HEAR ME AND HEAR ME WELL! shouts Brutus--THE CURSE WILL GO ON!--THE TRUTH WILL NOT HELP YOU--THE CURSE WILL GO ON, AND LEAD TO MORE TRAGEDY THAN EVER BEFORE!"
NOTES: Wow, three deaths in one show! I assume he killed Constance, too, but that wasn't made clear. Brutus is truly a brute, isn't he? And he won't let anyone rest in peace, either--definitely a madman, as Julia called him--he placed this awful curse on his own family--but it's obvious family means little to him, judging by the callous way he killed his wife and insulted his sons. I think it safe to assume that Brutus' marriage to Amanda was a second one for him. The age difference is huge. And it sounds like he has grown sons, too, and Amanda is far too young to be the mother of children that age. Apparently, Brutus was making Amanda so unhappy, she sought an affair with Forsythe. He's certainly kinder and hunkier than Brutus, so who can blame her? Well, Brutus, of course.
Brutus is a bad guy. He's cruel, materialistic, murderous, concerned only with money and making more of it. Being a loyal friend and business partner was impossible for him, and he stole from James and embezzled from the company they had together. Of course, Brutus is furious that his wife has taken up with his partner, but his revenge is more than a little extreme, isn't it? To not only kill them both, but to inject them with something that precludes peaceful afterlife.
Will they have to hold the lottery again? One would assume so, since Morgan didn't die or go insane in the room, nor did he officially beat the curse, either. Wonder who's going to get the magic button this time and get a one way ticket to the secret room?
Interesting costumes in this episode, and hairdos, too. I don't know how historically accurate they were, but they were fun to look at. Nancy Barrett's hair looked very pretty up.
We are heading pretty quickly for the home stretch, folks.
Love, Robin
