415 - (Nancy Barrett) 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. And on this night, a promised storm threatens Collinwood, and a child has unknowingly discovered the most horrifying secret she will ever know.
Naomi despondently tells Millicent they haven't found Sarah yet. If Vicki isn't vicious, why didn't she tell Naomi about Sarah sooner, demands Millicent, who immediately apologizes for her outburst; she's accustomed to saying what comes into her head.
Barnabas searches for his sister, promising to take her home if she comes to him. He runs into Ben and haltingly explains to him that he went to Collinwood and Sarah spotted him from the window and followed him. The vampire confesses he went to the village, and is ashamed when Ben turns away from him. His wife knew him well, says Barnabas bitterly, to curse him eternally to night. The only thing left living in him now, he admits, is his hatred. Ben sends Barnabas to his coffin and says he'll continue the search until Sarah is found.
Cemetery - Sarah is huddled against Jeremiah's tombstone when Barnabas passes right by her, but she shrinks away from him and he doesn't spot her. Ben is finally the one who finds Sarah, but she seems afraid of him, too. He reminds her of a doll he once whittled for her, promises to start another, and scoops her into his arms. "Barnabas," she silently mouths to him. He carries her home in a torrential downpour, and when Ben brings her to Collinwood, Naomi's joy is short-lived when she realizes how sick Sarah is.
The following day, Naomi sits at her very sick daughter's bedside. Although Millicent tries to convince her that Sarah looks better and Naomi should drink her tea and keep up her own strength, Naomi isn't buying either; the medicine the doctor left hasn't helped, and she knows the child has pneumonia, even if the doctor is too kind to say so. Ben brings up some compresses for Sarah's forehead. Sarah smiles at Ben and tries again to say "Barnabas", but no one understands, so they give Sarah a chalkboard and chalk and she writes her brother's name. Millicent tells the child Barnabas is away, but Sarah shakes her head. He'll be back, promises Millicent, but instead of comforting her, Sarah turns away, fearful. Naomi feels the child's forehead; her fever is up. They apply the compresses. Ben gazes at the dusk sky; Barnabas rises from his coffin and calls to Ben--he must know what's happening with Sarah! The dogs howl, scaring Millicent, who goes downstairs to get some dinner. Ben promises to stay with Naomi, who wishes the dog would stop howling, although he knows Barnabas is anxiously waiting for him for news of Sarah. Ben tells Naomi Barnabas has always been kind to him, they're friends. Naomi wonders why Sarah seemed frightened at the mention of Barnabas; Sarah would never fear her own brother. Ben suggests the child had a nightmare, which makes sense to Naomi.
Mausoleum - Barnabas frets about Sarah--should he risk going to Collinwood? Ben finally shows up and tells him how sick Sarah is. Barnabas blames himself--if Sarah hadn't seen him. . .he must see Sarah! Ben tries to talk him out of it, and explains Sarah hasn't spoken since she was found, although the doctor says there's no reason for it. Perhaps if she sees him as she remembered him, suggests Barnabas, she won't be afraid. Realizing Barnabas intends to go no matter what, Ben agrees to help him.
Millicent insists Naomi go get something to eat; she'll stay with Sarah, who is holding her doll in her arms. Ben comes in and offers to stay with Sarah if Millicent has anything to do. She does want to go get her stationery and write her lawyer, so she leaves Sarah with Ben. Barnabas quietly enters and Ben leaves the room. Barnabas sits on his sister's bed and tells her he's sorry he scared her, very sorry. She gazes at him silently, and he begs her to try to get better. "Hold me," she pleads weakly. He does. She reaches up and touches his face. "I love you, Barnabas," she murmurs, "I always will." Then, to his horror, she dies in his arms. He holds her limp body close. "No," he sobs, heartbroken.
NOTES: A child's death; nothing is sadder. We really needed those tissues this week, folks! Sarah's death scene was one of the most difficult to watch I can remember on this show. Sarah is the first victim of the curse Angelique set on Barnabas, but many more sad scenes are to come.
416 - (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. She finds herself both witness and participant as the ancient agonies of the Collins family slowly unfold.
(Who else is totally tired of this intro? I sure wish they'd come up with something new. It was dull the first time around, after hearing it so many times, but hearing it twice a day is really lame.)
Joshua returns from a business trip and is disgusted to find Naomi already drinking in the morning and blathering about a little bird who flew straight into the sun. This is her way of telling him of their little girl's death, which stuns him. She's glad Sarah died, she informs her husband, she was suffering so. He assures her he would have come home if he'd known, but she is in no mood to listen to him: "Daughter, son, wife--what do they mean to you?" she cruelly demands. Hearing that Vicki warned Naomi of Sarah's impending death gives Joshua something concrete to focus on, and he decides the witch was responsible for his daughter's death and he's going to seek revenge. Naomi insists Vicki tried to warn her, but Joshua says this was just her way of covering up for putting the mark of doom on Sarah. Joshua vows retribution, but Naomi accuses him of seeking it only because something was done to HIM, someone had the gall to take his daughter, his property, away from him--not because of grief or sorrow. Revenge is all he has! Joshua begs her to speak no more, and tries to walk out, but Naomi first says she doesn't want to be alone--and then that she does. One senses she doesn't want to be alone with her husband, who simply doesn't understand, but you can see the intense grief Joshua is trying to keep under control. She tells him that Sarah is laid out in her blue dress, and she's brushed her hair, if he cares to say goodbye.
Joshua goes to the gaol and listens with ill-concealed impatience and anger as an upset Vicki, hearing of Sarah's death, tries to explain to him how she knew Sarah was going to die, and how much she loved her. She reveals the truth, that she's from the future and knew this from reading a Collins history book, but when she is finished, it's clear he doesn't believe a word of her claim. He advises her to enjoy her few remaining sunrises and sunsets, because he's going to see to it that there won't be too many of them, and the fire she sees in them will remind her of the fiery witch's death she has to look forward to--and her eternity in hell beyond that.
As Vicki gazes forlornly at the sunset, Ben is watching the sun go down, too; Barnabas has risen for the evening. In the secret room, Ben tells the vampire that Sarah's funeral is over, and that Miss Winters is in trouble for killing the child. No, says Barnabas--I killed her. He wants to turn himself in to save Vicki, but Ben wants to help her escape, and asks Barnabas for money to do so. No, Barn decides, they might get caught; he'll turn himself in, and if he's not back by sunrise, and it's the end of everything, including his own undead existence, so be it. Ben won't allow it, but Barnabas says he can't stop him. They hear someone enter the outer room--it's Naomi, who rests her head on her daughter's coffin and murmurs her name.
Joshua comes in and tries to pull his grieving wife to her feet, that he wants to take her home, she insists she wants to stay with her children and starts reaching for the ring. Joshua cautions her--no one must know about Barnabas being in there, or they will exhume his body and burn it! She laments that she not only failed to save them from dying, but from Joshua's bitterness and coldness-they both must stay, says Naomi. She wanted them buried; their life was stone and now they are entombed in stone forever. "My children, my poor, lost children," mourns Joshua, truly revealing his grief to his wife. This time, Naomi leads her sorrowful husband home. (A beautiful, touching scene by both actors.)
"Father. . .Mother, don't go," cries Barnabas, listening inside the secret room. As Ben and Barnabas leave the mausoleum, the latter reveals he has changed his mind about facing the sunlight. He can't disgrace his family with such a revelation; however, Ben will return at sunrise and stake him while he slumbers. Ben is horrified at this suggestion and refuses--until Barnabas painfully explains that it will save him from an eternity of agony. "Free me," begs Barnabas, gazing at Sarah's coffin. "Give me peace--give me to the waiting arms of the sleeping dead." He begs Ben to say yes, and when he does, giving him a vow of "Yes," Barnabas gazes heavenward, hope on his face. "Yes!" he repeats exultantly.
(Superb performances from all today, and this was one exceptionally sad episode.)
Love, Robin
