DS - Could It Have Continued To Today?

[Midnite]

I'd like to chime in on the original intent of this thread, but first comment on the "Hanscomb the Butler" myth (as it would most likely seem to be).

It was never established that there really was a butler named Hanscomb, and in fact it's unlikely there was not. When Victoria discovered an old payroll ledger in the East Wing with the name "B. Hanscomb" entered into it, she took it to Elizabeth's lawyer, Richard Garner, to see if perhaps "B. Hanscomb" was the same Betty Hanscomb who appeared in Sam's portrait. Richard told her that the Collins family once had a butler named Hanscomb, but after Vicki left Richard quickly placed a call to Elizabeth to warn her that Vicki had been snooping around, but not to worry because "He took care of it."

Now, if there was really a butler named Hanscomb then Richard simply told Vicki the truth and took care of nothing. Therefore he must have made up the story as a cover.

What if "he took care of it" meant that he didn't tell her the whole truth about the Hanscomb/Collins connection?  I don't think it necessarily means that what he did tell her wasn't the truth.

Elizabeth, thus tipped off, warned Roger to back up her story if Vicki mentioned Betty Hanscomb. Roger did not remember there ever being a butler named Hanscomb, nor did Sam Evans.

But to be fair, Roger didn't remember Betty either.  And at the time Sam said that he didn't know a butler named Hansomb, he also admitted that he never mingled with the "natives"-- the ancestors who settled in the area 200 years before-- and so he knows little about what went on at Collinwood.

There's also a scene in which Liz tells Roger about the butler named Hanscomb who had a daughter/niece named Betty.  Why would she bother to tell him that much and then refuse to say why she wants to mislead Vicki about her resemblance to Betty?  If the part about the butler was a lie, why not tell Roger nothing from the start?

The following appeared while I was typing:  (Love the new feature that alerts you to a new post.  You click preview and the new message shows up below.)

But if there was really a butler named Hanscomb, what exactly did he "take care of" if he told her the truth? Regardless of whether or not he had other information he witheld, he would have given Vicki a new lead, and therefore not in a position to tell Elizabeth he had "taken care of it." The only possible conclusion is that there was no butler named Hanscomb, and B. Hanscomb in the payroll ledger was in fact Betty Hanscomb, being paid by the Collins family for something we don't know about and never will.

It's a fascinating possibility, but I don't think it's the only one.  We know that Liz got rid of all the servants 18 years before.  And the other Garner brother passed on, so to whom would Vicki go for answers?  I think withholding information from Vicki was sufficient because he knew that what he had offered was a dead end.  And since the Collins family members were his clients, he probably couldn't have told her more even if he'd wanted to.

All further speculation is just that - speculation. However, it seems pretty obvious the story about there being a butler named Hanscomb was a fabrication.

I'm still not convinced that it was. 

[Miss_Winthrop]

Hmmm, that makes sense. If she was a blood relative of the Collinses, then she would be part and parcel of the curse that was placed on the family, given with all the wierd things she experienced, eh?

It does seem like Vicki had some sort of esp going for herself.  I remember when Barnabas was dying in the woods and he's calling for Vicki.  She feels it. In fact, a lot of people connected in some way with the Collinses feel it. For instance, Dr. Hoffman feels or hears Josette crying in the basement. Another example of a Collins connection is little Amy Jennings. This kid was feeling it a lot! Someone once called her a 'Moon Child'.  Can any one describe what that means?

[Heather]

Another example of a Collins connection is little Amy Jennings. This kid was feeling it a lot! Someone once called her a 'Moon Child'.  Can any one describe what that means?

Well, one meaning is that she's a Cancer...Astrologically speaking, that is. 
 I'm sure there's more to it than that, though  - LOL.  Among other things, the moon reference is ironic in and of itself....considering her family's history, and the Collins connection, etc. The moon, perhaps, intensified her psychic aura. 

[Philippe Cordier]

I just wanted to make a correction to something I wrote earlier.  It was Cassandra Blair (not VictoriaWinters) and I who developed a scenario (inspired by the now-unknown Bob on the VantageNet forum) regarding Victoria Winters.  Our theory was that Victoria was the daughter of Paul Stoddard and Betty Hanscomb.  Betty was actually Elizabeth and Roger's (younger) half-sister, who had been fathered out of wedlock by their father, Jamison Collins.  Victoria, then, was a Collins and was Elizabeth's niece.  An earlier version of our theory had Victoria as the daughter of Betty Hanscomb (daughter of the butler) and Jamison Collins, and hence she was Roger's and Liz's sister.

[michael c]

this is a bit of-topic, but with all this talk about liz and roger's parentage and/or offspring i thought about their mother.does anyone know anything about her?was she ever mentioned on the show?
also, i've always heard that the idea that vicki might be liz's daughter did not even come up until the show was being cast.when alexandra showed up for her audition it was noted how strongly she resembled joan bennett.but it was not part of the original plotting.

[Joeytrom]

Liz and Roger's mother was mentioned twice on DS, though never by name.

The first time is when Liz is going to marry Jason and she shows Vicky a family heirloom her mother gave her.

The second time is during the summer of 1970 when Liz needs to know the hour of the day she was born.  She mentions to someone that her father was away when she was born and her mother wrote to him the details about her birth.

[Miss_Winthrop]

What ever Richard Garner 'took care of' at his office was enough to satisfy Liz.  Richard turned around and assigned Vicki to his son Frank knowing that there were no loose ends to get in the way in Bangor and nothing would be stumbled upon accidently. Also, a nice way for the writers to set up the potential romance between Vicki and Frank.

[michael c]

What ever Richard Garner 'took care of' at his office was enough to satisfy Liz.  Richard turned around and assigned Vicki to his son Frank knowing that there were no loose ends to get in the way in Bangor and nothing would be stumbled upon accidently. Also, a nice way for the writers to set up the potential romance between Vicki and Frank.

and what became of mr. frank garner?during the laura collins story he helped vicki find clues to the mystery surrounding laura.in one ep. he accompanies joe and dr.guthrie to eagle hill cemetery to dig up the graves of laura's ancestors.they discover the bodies have disapeared.then frank does his own disapearing act.after this ep. the character is never seen again.

[Miss_Winthrop]

I believe I read it here on this board once that the Frank/Vicki romance ended up not going anywhere because Conard Fowkes (Frank) had to leave the show. I rather liked him and his wry sense of humor. Some thought he was boring (after Mitch Ryan) but I think he was the kind of young man most moms would want for their daughters. I don't think he ever even kissed Vicki before he left.