August 15, 1966--Episode 35

[the_collinsport_review]

My name is Victoria Winters.
Collinwood is quiet, but Victoria feels pressure all around her and she may not be able to finish her search.

Victoria stands alone in a corner in the drawing room. [Seriously, what's wrong with these people?] Elizabeth comes in, upset, and doesn't notice her. Victoria comes over to her, unintentionally startling her. [She says she was just sitting there, but she wasn't sitting.]

They talk about what should be done with David. David, sensing this, sneaks down the stairs and listens at the slightly open door. Elizabeth says that Victoria thinks she should send David away, but Victoria says that that's up to Elizabeth, then Victoria says that she has no choice but to leave.

Why? Elizabeth asks. It's because she's afraid of David, isn't it?

Victoria denies this, and says she has no choice. "Because it isn't easy? Very little in life is easy,Miss Winters. I should think that you, of all people, would know that." Elizabeth says, rather sarcastically.

"'You're going to be sorry you ever came here,'" Victoria quotes David, puzzling Elizabeth until she explains.

Again Elizabeth says that Victoria's afraid of him, and again Victoria denies it. Elizabeth says that she's afraid too, afraid for David. Then she goes over and closes the doors. This doesn't seem to hinder David's eavesdropping.

Elizabeth says that Collinwood hasn't been what Victoria expected. Victoria says she didn't know what to expect. Elizabeth says she wondered if she was doing the right thing, inviting a stranger into the house, but she doesn't think of Victoria as a stranger anymore.

Victoria says that she was the one who exposed what David did, and now he hates her, so how can she possibly help him?

Elizabeth says that Victoria is the one she wants. Victoria says that they both know that almost anyone would be better for David, so why does Elizabeth want her to stay? Elizabeth is about halfway through a vague answer when the phone rings.

It's Sam Evans. He asks for Roger, but when Elizabeth asks who's calling, Sam stutters around, then hangs up without answering. He goes back to his table at the restaurant, and Roger shows up, looming over him.

Sam says he was just trying to get a hold of him. Roger is unimpressed. He grills Sam on the call he just made: who answered, what did Sam say? Roger tells him he is not to call him at home, and that he is not to take portrait commissions from Burke. Sam says he tried to get out of it, but Burke wouldn't take no for an answer.

Roger asks if Sam ever wondered why Burke would want to have his portrait painted by Sam, of all people. Sam is offended by this, and tells Roger that he's a talented artist. Roger scoffs at this. Burke only wants Sam to paint his portrait so they'll have lots of time to talk and spill the beans. It's all part of Burke's plan.

Sam says that he'd never say anything about what he did, and he tried to get out of it, but when he started the questions--

Questions? What questions? Roger asked, and, did he mention my name?

Yes, he did mention Roger's name, but Sam denied it.

Roger tells Sam that he has until morning to cancel the portrait commission or Roger will find some other way to handle the problem. Sam needs to protect himself.

From Burke? Sam asks, or from you?

In the drawing room, Elizabeth is still trying to convince Victoria to stay. They all need her to help them. Carolyn can leave, knowing Elizabeth isn't alone.

Victoria doesn't understand why she's so important, but Elizabeth assures her she is, and asks her to stay, just for a little while. Victoria reluctantly agrees.

In the foyer, David is disappointed to hear this. He gets away from the door before Elizabeth opens it, and is hiding by the front door. [It's amazing how many hiding places there are just in the foyer alone.] He pops out to say he doesn't want Victoria to stay. Elizabeth tells him he doesn't have much choice in the matter. Then she sends him to the drawing room so she can talk to him.

David tells Victoria not to forget what he said to her, and Elizabeth says they'll settle that, too. Once he's in the drawing room, Victoria says she'd like to go into town [again] and see a movie. That's fine with Elizabeth.

Resignedly, Elizabeth goes into the drawing room. David asks her why she won't let Victoria leave. Elizabeth says it's because she wants Victoria there. And there is to be no more threatening Victoria.

David says that all Victoria wants is to get him in trouble!

Elizabeth says that David doesn't need Victoria's help to get in trouble, not after what he's done.

But I didn't do anything! [He's still in there pitching.]

He almost got his father killed, and that wasn't Victoria's fault. David starts to deny this, but Elizabeth tells him it's no use.

"You hate me, just like everyone else!"

Elizabeth says that she doesn't hate him, if she did, he wouldn't still be there. But she's very angry.

David doesn't care.

The world is a cold and lonely place for boys who don't care, Elizabeth says.

You want to send me away, just like my father! David says.

Elizabeth says that there will be no more talk about sending him away, the accident, or any of that, it's all in the past. What they'll talk about is the future.

Miss Winters, David says, and Elizabeth agrees. David is to do what she says.

"What if I don't?" David asks.

"Don't make me answer that," Elizabeth says. "I'm not asking much."

"You like her more than you like me!" David says, and Elizabeth only said she loved him, but he doesn't believe her anymore.

Elizabeth goes over to hug him, and David asks her to help him, please help him. Elizabeth says she's trying to, but David has to try, too. David promises not to do anything bad if Elizabeth doesn't stop loving him.

Elizabeth asks how she could stop loving David when he's her family. And in comes Roger to cause upset. All Elizabeth has to do is look at what David is: a potential murderer. [Considering Roger just threatened Sam, he's got a lot of nerve.] Elizabeth tries to shut him up, but Roger is cruel and sarcastic. David asks Elizabeth to go up with him, and again, Roger says nasty things to him.

Back in the restaurant, Sam is pacing around, waiting for Maggie, I guess. Victoria comes in and stands at the counter. Sam asks her what brings her down from her tower on the hill. Victoria said she came down to see a movie, but she's missed the beginning. She asks where everyone is [everyone?] and Sam tells her they're running errands. He offers her some coffee, but she declines and says that she better get back to Collinwood. [She's just been driving back and forth all evening.]

But Sam stops her. Victoria's been at Collinwood for a while now, and she must know Elizabeth pretty well. Sam used to see her occasionally, before she stopped leaving the house, and he wants to know what she's like now. Is family still very important to her? [That is a sublimely weird question.]

Victoria says family is still important to her, and Sam leaps on this. "How important?" Then he says that they protect their own.

Victoria says she doesn't understand, and Sam says she's lucky, and that she should be careful of "the thing we all fear, the thing that came closer to me tonight, of death, Miss Winters. Death." [Oh, well, that clears things right up.]

Roger is in the drawing room, having a drink. Elizabeth comes in and Roger asks if David is tucked in all safe and cozy. Elizabeth says that David will never be safe until Roger changes his attitude. "You son--" she begins, but Roger cuts her off.

"My son, my son, my son! Do you think nothing else matters to me in this world but David?" [I think everything else in the world matters to Roger except David.] Roger says he doesn't care what Elizabeth does, and even if he did, Elizabeth always has things her way--and she hasn't done a very good job with Carolyn. And she hasn't handled him well, or Victoria, she's done it all wrong, and Collinwood might vanish from the face of the earth and Elizabeth would never know! Roger storms out of the room, leaving Elizabeth perplexed by that last part.

Elizabeth makes a person-to-person call to Ned Calder in . Victoria comes in just in time to overhear this.

[Stay tuned for Where the Action Is, on ABC.]