Episode 140 - 1/6/67

Laura startles David when he and Vicki are atop Widow's Hill. He backs up, slips and clings to a rock. Vicki grabs him and pulls him back up. Vicki tells David to look at his mother, crying because he won't go to her. Vicki tells him that the dreams are the reason he's upset. David walks over to see her and apologizes. She asked why he ran away from her, and he said it was because she looked so strange. He asks if she likes him, and his mother says she loves him more than anything in the world. She says they'll never be separated.

Roger tells Liz about the sheriff's visit, and the news from Phoenix about Laura's 'death'. Roger then mentions that Carolyn brought Burke Devlin home last night, and he used Carolyn to get to Laura. Laura, David and Vicki walk in, and David offers to show his mother his room. Roger asked how she got David and Laura together. She explains how she arranged a meeting on Widow's Hill, and how David was startled and almost fell off the cliff.

Roger, Liz, Vicki Laura and David have dinner in the kitchen. As they wrap up, Liz asks to speak to Laura. She tells her that David didn't initially think she was his mother. She mentions how David claims to speak with the ghosts of Collinwood. Liz finally asks about Burke Devlin, and Laura says she has no plans to become an ally of Burke's.

In the drawing room, Roger pulls out a photo album, and calls David over to look at photos. He points at several photos and asks David to confirm they are of his mother. He does, and he then confirms that Laura is his mother. Laura comes in and David reviews the photos with her. Roger leaves them, and asks Vicki to join him so they can be alone together.

As they go through photos, David asks if he'll be taller than his father. And then if he'll be taller than Burke Devlin. The discussion leads to Laura describing the phoenix to David. Outside the room, Vicki hears Laura describe the phoenix, and how it is reborn from the ashes of fire at the end of its life. As she gets to the end of the tale, the front door bursts open, as does the drawing room door, revealing Vicki lurking outside.

Our thoughts

John: It's sadly not frightening when the shot of the waves meant to remind us that we're on a cliff is just the opening shot without the title overlay.

Christine: You're right. They should have reused that footage of Bill Malloy's body being battered by the waves at the foot of the cliff. Now that would have been frightening!

John: So Collinwood is either lacking a formal dining room, or it's in the closed off portion of the house, as we've now seen two family meals served on what appears to be the equivalent of a card table.

Christine: I also wonder about the lack of formal dining area, though it could be that there was no need for a large dining table since it was only Elizabeth and Carolyn living in the house for 18 years. It certainly is a cozy arrangement. If you watch closely in that scene, when Roger and Liz both remark that Laura hasn't eaten anything at the same time, Vicki seems to be stifling a giggle in her napkin. I imagine the line was meant for Liz, since she finally delivered it.

John: Laura provides us with our most detailed description of the life cycle of the phoenix. Of course, if the phoenix lives for 100 years, and Laura just burned up three days ago...

Christine: Does that mean she was 90 when she married Roger and had David? Here are some expressive moments from today's episode.

Liz finds out that Carolyn was entertaining Burke at Collinwood.

Elizabeth's reaction to finding out David said Laura wasn't his real mother.

Roger failing to mention that he and Burke had a tussle over a rifle after interrupting him mauling Laura.