399 - (Alexandra Moltke) - A seance has been held in the great house at Collinwood, a seance which has suspended time and space and sent one girl on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. There, each of the Collins ancestors resembles a present-day member of the Collins family, but the names and relationships have changed, and Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger in a sea of familiar faces. Here in this bizarre world, one woman with powers beyond those of mortal men conspires to destroy her.
Vicki says in the intro that Ang has powers beyond those of mortal men. Does that make her Superman?
Angelique is horrified at the close call; luckily she shut Ben up before he could say more than "witch." In the Old House drawing room, she has readied a name to receive the word witch--Victoria Winters--and she takes a taper and lights three candles. Sarah, playing ball in Collinwood's foyer, hears her governess' voice calling to her, telling her to come to the Old House. She isn't supposed to, asserts Sarah aloud, but the voice of Vicki Winters continues to call, "Come. . ."
Collinwood drawing room - Joshua tells Abigail he's had Ben locked up for stealing, but Abigail fears the witch. He was stealing her black hair ribbon, a personal item that could easily be used to cast a spell! Joshua is disdainful, but his sister begs for his help and says they must search for her at the Old House. Joshua says they will NOT set foot in that house; he might see Barnabas (which seems to scare him far more than any witch)! They find Sarah in her jacket, ready to leave for the Old House. Her governess called her, the child explains, but she only heard Miss Winters' voice, calling her to come to the Old House. Joshua wants to send his daughter to her room, but Abigail prefers to let her go to the Old House--and they can follow her! Abigail tells Sarah to go ahead to the Old House, but Sarah first asks her father's permission. Abigail orders her brother to go.
Barnabas, puzzled at seeing his bride using candlelight during the day, asks Angelique why she lit them as she snuffs out her spell-binding candles. Oh, she was crawling around on her hands and knees in a most unladylike posture, searching for the brooch Naomi gave her--so she had to light the candles to find it. It was a gift from the mother of her loving husband, she says softly, caressing his face, but then Sarah, calling, "Miss Winters!" walks into the Old House followed closely behind by Joshua and Abigail. Angelique does her best to play hostess, but she is ignored, and Joshua glares at Barnabas as he asks permission to come into his house. (Poor guy is just trying to show his father that he's an adult, a bridegroom, but Joshua just won't bend.) Abigail demands that Sarah explain how she heard her governess' disembodied voice, but Barnabas calls the whole situation absurd and insists Vicki isn't there. Abigail asks his permission to search the house, anyway. No, says, Barnabas, Miss Winters is a poor, frightened, hunted girl (and he flat out says he wouldn't tell them she was there even if she was). Abigail warns Barnabas that all of them are in danger from the witch, but especially Sarah, who Miss Winters called to.
They find Sarah has left the group and Joshua stiffly requests that he be allowed to search for his daughter, at least. Angelique smiles. Abigail orders Joshua to tell Barnabas about finding Ben in her room, and his confession that he was stealing for the witch, but Barnabas seems far more concerned about Ben's fate than Abigail's prattling.
Sarah has found Vicki in her upstairs room, but the latter denies calling to the child. Sarah complains that she never sees her brother anymore, nor Miss Winters, and Abigail is very scary! Vicki sympathizes with her. However, Vicki is very upset to learn that Abigail and Joshua are downstairs--she has to hide! Sarah takes her to a hiding place in the attic that no one knows about, and promises not to tell anyone she saw her.
Downstairs, Joshua and Abigail are calling to Sarah, and Angelique stands at the bottom of the stairs, grinning with triumph. Abigail interrogates Sarah in Vicki's now-empty room, and the trembling-voiced child lies and says she never saw Miss Winters. Abigail shudders to recall what happens to little girls who lie, and you can see how hard it is for Sarah not to tell all--but her love for Vicki is stronger than her fear of Abigail, and she insists, again, that she didn't see Miss Winters anywhere in the Old House. Joshua apologizes to Barnabas for their intrusion--he doesn't usually give in to Abigail's hysteria, but his children are important to him, and he can't bear to see them coming to hard--or disgrace, he adds nastily, gazing directly at Angelique, who turns away in shame and anger. (Lighten up, Josh!) Abigail sourly says Sarah denied everything, and Barnabas suggests they listen to the child. Sarah insists she's telling the truth, but Abigail insists the witch is using her powers to hide herself from them. Trask will come to the Old House and use exorcism to oust the witch, says Abigail. Barnabas is dead set against this, but Joshua asks him to go along--let Trask perform his mumbo jumbo and when nothing happens, perhaps it will put the matter to rest. Abigail insists Trask is a righteous man, but Barnabas calls him a fraud. Angelique agrees with Joshua to let the man perform the exorcism, and Barnabas reluctantly agrees, saying it goes against his principles.
Sarah asks her father if she can stay at the Old House for a while, but Joshua says no, and when she asks to be allowed to come back in the future, he refuses that, too. After Abigail, Sarah and Joshua leave, Angelique tells Barnabas his father was very unkind to him. He says he wants to be alone, but agrees, tiredly, to the blasted exorcism. After he goes upstairs, Angelique re-lights the candles and casts another spell--everyone is going to be surprised, especially Trask, when they find someone who behaves very much like a witch--Victoria Winters! Yes, Angelique says happily, and Vicki, in the darkness of the attic, gazes fearfully around her, having no idea what fate Angelique has in store for her.
400 - (Alexandra Moltke) - A seance has been held in the great house at Collinwood, a seance which has suspended time and space and sent one girl on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. There, each of the Collins ancestors resembles a present-day member of the Collins family, but the names and relationships have changed, and Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger in a sea of familiar faces. Within this nightmare, forces not of this earth, evil, malevolent, slowly plot her impending destruction.
In her old servant's room, Angelique constructs a house of Tarot cards, ordering them to do her bidding. A fraud will come, she says, but his worthless ceremony won't touch them. However, it will rid the house of "a young, beautiful enemy" as well as any suspicion that might be aimed at Angelique herself. Trask will find his witch, she says--the cards are the walls of her room. . .she is enclosed in my power--stand fast!--keep watch--the moment is almost here!
Vicki's room - Barnabas tells Vicki that Trask is on his way, upsetting her--are you planning to turn me over to him? Asks Vicki. No, Barnabas assures her, Trask won't find her. His exorcism will fail all this will be over, and they will be convinced she isn't there. She tells Barnabas she's still scared, and wishes she could return to her own time. Perhaps your imagination is deluding you, suggests Barnabas, and she works hard to assure him she's telling the truth--your descendent is a kind, gentle man, says Vicki. If he free of the trials we're suffering? Queries Barnabas, and she tells him, "Not completely." Trask won't enter the house, he says, his ceremony will be performed at the threshold. Vicki has a premonition of bad things to come, and shivers.
Angelique's room - She commands first cold, then fire, reaching into the card house to the room that symbolizes Vicki's. That room is completely within my power! She cries.
Drawing room, Old House - Trask orders Barnabas to surrender the witch to him. There is no witch in this house, Barnabas says. Exorcism is terrible stuff, inviting evil, says Trask--turn the witch over to me! Again, Barnabas refuses, and warns him that he is not to search the house. Trask says it will work effectively from outside the house, and takes a forked stick into his hands. The next mortal to cross this threshold shall be known to hold the power of evil! Announces Trask. Annoyed, Barnabas says he has more important things to do and leaves. Trask begins the exorcism, ordering the evil out--"Yield yourself to their commands and spare yourself their awesome force, which is about to strike your very soul!" He calls to Victoria Winters, telling her powers of light have come to battle the powers of darkness--your destruction is at hand! He kneels down and, using chalks, draws a circle in the dirt, enclosing the letter "V" inside it.
Vicki hears Trask calling to her as he continues commanding that she surrender herself to the powers of light. "Let the witch come forth!" says Trask.
Angelique has set the house of cards on fire in her room, calling upon the heart of fire burning within the heart of ice--the fire that freezes and does not consume itself--I summon the eye of fire which burns within the ice eye, which watches over all things evil. I call to this room of my own creation--heart of fire, heart of ice, fiery eye of the coldest evil, burn! I command you to come and burn. . .burn. . .burn!
Flames erupt in Vicki's room.
At the threshold, Trask adds a W to the V in the circle, calling to Vicki over and over, demanding she come forth. He tosses dirt into the circle as well.
Angelique continues her incantation, and the house of cards merrily burns.
Vicki turns to find fire blazing in her room. Terrified, she throws a rug over it, but it starts up in another spot, which she desperately attempts to beat out as well.
Trask sets the stick on fire.
In Angelique's room, the house of cards is completely consumed in flames (thanks to an overzealous person on the set who doused way too much lighter fluid on the cards).
Barnabas, in the corridor outside Angelique's room, overhears his wife calling upon fire and ice. He's about to go in when he hears Vicki yelling, "Fire!"
Victoria Winters! intones Trask, your name is now known to fire. Surrender yourself! Come forth, or you will be consumed!
Barnabas races into Vicki's room, but she's gone-and there is no trace of any fire.
Evil, show thyself! Calls Trask, the powers of darkness are conquered now! The powers of light are triumphant! Come forth! You are summoned by the powers of everlasting light!
Calling for help, Vicki runs downstairs. Trask hides behind the door and grabs her as she runs out, shouting, with triumph, The powers of darkness are conquered now, the power of light triumphant! Down, witch, down on your knees! Down, down, down to the dust! I have the witch! Vicki cries out with terror as Trask forces her to kneel, then drags her off.
Exterior, Old House - Barnabas holds the blackened stick Trask used in his ceremony. I don't understand what happened, he tells Angelique. She pretends not to know and asks what happened. He describes the odd circumstances--he heard Vicki calling fire and went to her room, but she wasn't there. She implies that Vicki's a witch, reminding him of all the weird things that have occurred. She is unaware of the barrier that has come between them--he answers her words, but in the manner of one speaking to himself. I don't believe in witchcraft, says Barnabas, but it would sure explain a lot. Did you hear Vicki shouting fire? He asks. I was in the sewing room, replies his wife, and heard nothing. I thought I heard your voice in your old room, says Barnabas, puzzled. She swiftly denies it and goes upstairs. He stares after her. She lied, he realizes, I looked in the sewing room and she wasn't there. He considers her strange words and wonders. . .
He pushes that thought out of his head--I'd rather believe in the guilt of a strange girl who claims to be from another time--a witch, yes, but my wife? Oh, not my wife! (denial, denial, denial!)
In her former room, Angelique picks up a burned card.
Old house drawing room - Barnabas decides to ask Ben what he knows about the witch.
Angelique is quite pleased with herself--even Barnabas now believes Miss Winters to be the witch! Perhaps, she muses, some of the old customs can be revived--we all know what the fate of a witch should be-ashes, ashes! She crushes the ashes of the cards between her hands, ecstatic.
NOTES: Here's where Angelique made her mistake. If she hadn't been so jealous of Vicki, and just let things be, she wouldn't have felt compelled to seal the other woman's fate by casting a spell-which Barnabas heard as he was passing by. He puts together the fact that she lied about where she was and the peculiar words her heard her say. Those words will have even more significance in the next episode.
Love, Robin
