Fashion notes first . . .
Either the actors on DS had exceptionally large heads or the costume people could not purchase hats to save their lives. Louis Edmonds always seemed to realize this because he's in his hat for about two seconds before that thing is off.
Carolyn has a strange little updo for her date with Burke. She's also opted for an A-line, long-sleeved dress. The sleeves are sheer chiffon and are gathered at the wrist. There are sparkly bits around the collar. Not my taste but she looks cute in it.
Maggie is sporting a light (possibly white) wool double breasted coat. KLS is so thin that it looks flattering on her. She also has on a dark skirt and turtleneck. It's a very casual look, but I think she pulls it off nicely.
Still Day 15. Francis and John brought us these two episodes. To recap, Roger knows that Vicki is up to speed on the pen thing.
Manic Carolyn is prepping for her date. Roger is in the room which is kind of odd and creepy. I mean she's wearing a robe and all but still. Anyhow, she doesn't get the fuss over the pen, but neither does she get Roger's 180 reversal about her date. He still doesn't approve, but his mind is on other things. He is very much concerned with where Vicki went and when she'll be back. Carolyn finds this interesting for a second and a half, concludes Roger is personally interested in Vicki, and then moves back to primping.
David is back to drawing. This time it's a charming picture of a gallows with Bill's murderer swinging. Roger wants to know where Vicki is first and what the picture is about second. His look when he finds out the latter is hysterical and he's out of there. Five seconds later, Davy gives Vicki the all clear.
Miss Winters is evasive about wanting to avoid Roger. David pushes for him to come to the Old House so they can look for Bill. I love his reasons for why the late Bill Malloy might be there. Basically, it appears that in David's universe, once you're dead you want to hang with the other dead people. It seems to be a philosophy reminiscent of the one expressed in the cult classic
Carnival of Souls. Now I thought Bill Malloy was a very cool guy, but somehow I can't really fathom what he and the late Josette Collins would have to talk about. Vicki declines the honor of the invitation and David takes off.
Upstairs in the boudoir, the girls chat about lipstick shades (seriously) and then Carolyn relates her discussion with Roger. Vicki has that to be upset about. She then learns that Liz and Mrs. J. are hanging with Matthew and that she'll be all alone in the house. Heh.
Some exterior footage of Roger making the rounds in town looking for Vicki. He even phones Sam to see if she's there.
It appears to have occurred to Vicki that the situation is not a good one. She tries to contact Burke, but leaves no message for him (the first in a long line of utterly idiotic moves). Maggie comes by (I forget what Vicki left at the coffee shop). Vicki starts telling her about Bill, but won't disclose what evidence she has that points to murder or the murderer. Maggie assumes that she's implicating Sam and is mildly freaking. Knowing how Vicki and logic are strangers to each other, it's not an irrational assumption on Maggie's part. Before they can get much further, Carolyn catches David eavesdropping on this conversation. She's chilly with Maggie and practically laughs in Vicki's face when Vicki asks her to have Burke get in touch with her and she's outta there.
We get more exterior footage of Roger coming into the house the back way.
Maggie directly queries Vicki about Sam, which Vicki denies, but won't offer up any more dirt. After viewing these episodes several time, I think I see what Vicki's problem is. She's conflating what would be needed for a court of law and what would be needed to save her derriere. That's the first problem. The second appears to be a precursor of the Rachel Drummond syndrome: she's hooked on the gothic heroine bit. Vicki claims she's doing this to protect Maggie which makes no sense. If you're going to be in the house alone with a potential murderer, the more people who know what you know the better. Also, once you're in danger, that's the time to start phoning the police. Finding more evidence is not your job, it's theirs.
Maggie rightly pokes holes in Vicki's non-logic. She also suggests that either Vicki come home with her or that she can stay with Vicki. The synapses are just not firing in Vicki's brain. I don't quite get why not. Carolyn is certainly not going to tell Burke to call Vicki; she's rabidly and demonstratively jealous of Vicki--Vicki knows this. Vicki has not left an actual message with anybody. She is alone in the house; how she thinks locking her door is going to keep out a man who she believes went so far as to murder another human being will help is unclear. For all intents and purposes, she might as well be wearing a neon sign saying "VICTIM: HERE I AM! COME AND KILL ME NOW"
As all of this idiocy is going on, we see Roger skulking in and about the foyer. Maggie finally reluctantly leaves. Before Vicki knows what hit her, Roger has her in a lock, his hand over her mouth.
End scene.
Next episode opens with Roger sounding and acting awfully like a killer. He's very menacing. I have to admit I really got a kick out of watching this scene. However, after Maggie's safely out of the way, his next words are not all that threatening. He just tells Vicki he wants to talk. He moves her into the drawing room, but once they're there, he releases her. He confesses that he did in fact leave earlier than he claimed. It's kind of funny how indignant she gets about being persuaded to think otherwise. If you'll recall, she really never was persuaded otherwise. All she copped to was being unsure.
Meanwhile the littlest Collins has taken off solo to the Old House to commune with the spirits. He has quite the conversation with Josette's portrait getting her up to speed (Blah, blah, Bill was murdered and that Roger did it). If Bill Malloy is really there, why the need to tell Josette? Presumably Bill would have shared this information with his new ectoplasmic girlfriend, but this disclosure is setting up plot points, so we'll move on.
Carolyn's big rebellious night out on the town is dinner at the Blue Whale. It makes her a little sad and pathetic really. I mean, she got all dolled up to go to a place where the proprietor walks around with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth? There's some fairly heavy suggestive flirting.
David is dialing, but the spirits aren't picking up the phone. That may be because Matthew Morgan has decided to investigate potential intruders and conveniently gets to talk with Master Collins about Bill's murder. David is short on specifics. What gets hammered home is that Vicki has proof that will put the murderer (Davy's got his money on Roger) away. As they leave, we see Josette's ghost walk down from the portrait.
Blue Whale: Ah, this but the first stage in a long night of planned activities. They'll go somewhere for a drink and then there'll be dancing. I would have thought that it would have gone: nice restaurant, dancing, Blue Whale for the louche feel and the cocktail, and then whatever else Burke had in mind (perhaps the back of his car? Seducing Carolyn at the Collinsport Inn and shredding what remains of her reputation). This is not to be however because somehow Carolyn blabs that Roger is seriously interested in Vicki. Burke finds that difficult to believe so to prove her point, Carolyn offers up his insistence on knowing where Vicki was and the pen. Ha.
Drawing room: I'd like to think that if I was in Vicki's shoes, I would have realized by now that I really wasn't in danger. Roger explains that he had set up an appointment to speak with Bill at Lookout Point. When he got there, Bill was very dead. He lied because he knew it would look bad. He pleads innocence. Vicki is looking very skeptical. The phone rings and he allows her to get it. Burke tells her to pretend she's talking to Maggie and basically tells her to get the hell out of the house and he'll send a car for her.
Now here's the thing. She hangs up the phone and Roger wants to know if she believes him. She says she's confused (hello? If you had doubts, wouldn't you lie through your teeth?) and that she needs to sleep on it. He says that's fine and allows her to go on upstairs. He doesn't follow her. He doesn't lock her in her room. He lets her leave--in Collinwood, big ol' mansion with lots of doors and windows.
Burke ditches Carolyn lying that he has a business meeting which the twit believes.
We close with Vicki sneaking out of the house while Roger pounds back another drink.
