#0441/0442: Robservations 04/15/02: Another Brick in the Wall

441 - (Joan Bennett) - 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 Collins family in the year 1795. There in the village of Collinsport, Victoria Winters has been unjustly condemned as a witch. The man responsible for condemning her now lives for the time when she will hang. He is unaware that the time will never come, for he will soon be the victim of a fate worse than death.

Not surprisingly, Trask is quite stunned to find a woman, dead or alive, in his bed (exept for his conception of Lamar, of course), so you can figure it hasn't happened often. Someone knocks at his door--Nathan--so he quickly tosses a mustard yellow sheet over Maude's body and lets the Lieutenant in. He tries to make Forbes leave right away, and when Nathan spots the woman's arm hanging from under the cover, he thinks Trask was having himself some nookie, smiles, and starts to leave--he didn't mean to interrupt anything--Trask is a man after his own heart! Trask, eyes bulging, stops him--the woman is dead, strangled, and he found her body waiting for him this way when he came home!

Nathan uncovers the body and is sickened and horrified to see the victim is Maude. He feels terrible--he tried to warn her. Nathan gazes oddly at Trask, wondering why she was left in HIS bed. He starts to say something about telling the authorities, spinning Trask into a tizzy--he's innocent, he didn't do it! He'd never associate with such a woman--my reputation! If she's found dead there, says Nathan. . .

The two men dicker back and forth about risks and such; each wants something from the other, and they realize they must each trust the other. Both get what they want: Nathan will dispose of Maude's body and Trask will deliver a letter to Millicent at Collinwood the following morning for him, since Forbes isn't allowed on the grounds.

At Collinwood, the continually daffy Millicent reads the Tarot (I guess Natalie gave her lessons). She sees the death of a feeling and talks to the absent Nathan--it's the death of her love and the birth of her hatred towards him, which won't go away until he's punished! The moon and chariot reveal news hidden for a long time (Nathan's marriage)? Bad news for the lover--Nathan!

Naomi finds Millicent sitting there, talking to Nathan, and she wants her to get over this and be herself again. Millicent is the high priestess, Nathan the lover, and the former won't rest until the latter is dead! Naomi is distressed to hear Millicent talking this way, and the blonde agrees that she won't be herself again until her honor is avenged--and she must do it herself, since no one else will.

Trask stops by and Naomi is her frosty self towards him. Love it! He wants to speak to Millicent alone, but Naomi insists on staying, and the younger woman agrees. He wants to give Millicent the letter without telling who sent it, but Naomi forces that out of him, too, and when he reveals it's Nathan, Naomi takes it from him and tears it to pieces.

She laces into him for doing this favor for Forbes because the Lieutenant lied against Vicki during the trial--Trask has some nerve bringing such a missive from such a man, blasts Naomi, and Joshua wouldn't be too happy to hear of this, either! Trask is angry, saying Millicent is old enough to decide about her personal letters herself, but he leaves. After Naomi exits the room, Millicent stoops and gathers together the pieces of the torn letter, then arranges them on the table and gazes anxiously at them.

Trask sleeps, dreams. Abigail calls him--she's got a big secret to share with him! He follows her through a creepy, brick place to a door, which, when he opens it, reveals Maude's dead body. She chastises him for allowing her body to be thrown into the water. The secret will be out--she was dead in his room! He begs Abigail to believe him, he didn't know! Abigail's ghost appears to him and doesn't understand what he's talking about, but tells him the witch's most wicked secret, which he must destroy, will be revealed to him--at the Old House!

Trask sees Barnabas' beringed hand beckoning him over an image of the Old House, and when he wakes up, he decides that's where he must go!

NOTES: Terrific eps. Trask's dream was frightening, too, with a candleabra suspended seemingly in mid air.

Will Millicent succumb to her buried feelings for Nathan? She seems crazier by the day, doesn't she?

442 - (Clarice Blackburn) - 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 Collins family in the year 1795. Vindictive forces have sought her destruction, but now another force with even more terror at its command has vowed to avenge her. And at this moment, a terrifying act of vengeance is about to take place.

At the Three Bells (wasn't that where Josette went to get away from Angelique, and supposedly far away?), Trask relates his dream of Maude and Abigail to Nathan, who seems pleased to hear of Millicent's reaction to his letter.

Stay away from the Old House, warns Nathan, no matter what; Abigail wouldn't lure him there, and the only thing that he'd find is certain destruction, as in death!

At the Old House, Ben questions Barnabas as to what he intends to do with Trask. First entertainment, then his reward, exults Barnabas. He writes a note and leaves it tucked into a book in the drawing room, then instructs Ben to bring pen and paper down to the basement and build a fire for their guest. Trask is going to end up with the darkness of ignorance and ambition, Barnabas tells Ben. Barnabas takes a candle, stands outside the door, and says, "Summon him to his reward."

The candle blows out and Abigail's voice, filling the air, calls to Trask. He hears it and asks Abigail if she is going to meet him at the Old House. Yes, she responds, and after he quickly leaves, the candle on his desk blows out, too.

The Old House door opens by itself to a nervous Trask, who enters and calls Abigail. The door shuts behind him, locking him in; the chandelier sways. He asks Abigail not to torment him and sees the book open to the page with the note. "The wind will speak his name, the clock will chime the hour, but 'ere it strike again, he will know the darkness of the tomb and he will beg for death itself. If you would know his name, listen to the wind." "Trask!" calls Abigail, scaring the man terribly. "NO!" he cries. The clock strikes midnight. "Trask!" calls Abigail's voice, followed by an incessant heartbeat. He walks to the cellar door and enters, asking, "Why have I been summoned here?" He spots the coffin and stares at it. Barnabas appears and answers, harshly, "You have been called at last to a richly deserved reward!"

"You're dead!" shouts Trask. I heard voices calling me here, says Trask, rapidly growing more and more terrified as the vampire plays with him, batting him mentally back and forth like a cat with a rat. Barnabas reproduces Abigail's voice, showing him how he lured him there, then demands to know why he tried to destroy Victoria Winters. She was a witch, insists Trask. Barnabas tells him that was only in your feeble mind, you had no pity for the girl and therefore, I will show you none! He shows Trask the alcove--"Your tomb," says Barnabas. When Trask tries to run, to escape him, Barnabas grabs him and tells him he will learn the true meaning of darkness in that alcove. Trask babbles--I was wrong, I'll help Miss Winters, anything!--I DID persecute her, he agrees. Barnabas cruelly suggests he commit that confession to paper, which Trask does, his hand trembling terribly, then signs it. Barnabas reads and is satisfied, but when Trask asks when he can go, he tells him very soon--his final resting place isn't quite ready. Trask expresses disbelief, but Barnabas says he never promised to free him--then grabs him and propels him into the alcove. He'll be in a prison of his own making, chortles Barnabas.

Nathan checks Trask's lodgings, finding him gone, and he isn't in his bed asleep, either. Barnabas is slowly walling the terrified Trask in, brick by brick. He cruelly holds up a candle in the one-brick opening, telling him to burn that into his mind before he's consigned to eternal darkness.

Trask begs for his life, crying, "No, please, don't!" as Barnabas gleefully fits the final brick into place.

NOTES: Back during the first run of this show, I remember thinking what a horrific way to die this was, to slowly starve to death behind a brick wall, running out of air. Did Trask deserve such a fate? I was happy then, but now. . .well, he was an SOB, but this seems excessive...

Superb performances here!

Love, Robin