Mrs. Johnson finds Julia in her bedroom trying to take down the draperies on the windows. Julia explains she'd be more comfortable if the room is lighter. Mrs. Johnson says she'll ask Mrs. Stoddard, and Julia asks her not to. She says she saw someone behind them yesterday. Mrs. Johnson says if she saw someone, she needs to tell Mr. Collins and Mrs. Stoddard. Julia suggests it must have been a nightmare. Mrs. Johnson says Julia hasn't been the same since Dr. Woodard's funeral. Julia snaps at her and apologizes. She says she saw him last night, and while she knows it wasn't real, it frightened her. She hears Woodard's voice saying it was no dream. She asks Mrs. Johnson if she heard the voice, and cries for help as she sits down in her chair.
Carolyn entertains Peterson in the garden. He says he expects Roger to come out and run him off the property. Carolyn tells him she enjoyed dinner. He describes her as rich, spoiled, silly—and impossible. She asks if she's changed his opinion of her, and kisses him. They hear a dog howl in the distance. Carolyn steps away from Peterson, and asks if he's free for lunch tomorrow. He asks if they can finish tonight, first. She tells him she needs to talk to him about Julia Hoffman, as she's worried about her. He asks her what happened to her, and she tells him he'd better go, as she's gotten a headache. He says she's sounding like Julia the night she came to his office. He tells her he doesn't think it's very healthy living in Collinwood. As he leaves, he tells her he's busy for lunch tomorrow.
Julia hears the dog howling from her room. She tries to convince herself that she's safe in her room, and that there are no ghosts. She considers returning to Windcliff, and forgetting about Barnabas. She finds Dr. Woodard's lab coat on the floor. When she picks it up, a rat scurries away. She pounds on her door pleading to be let out. Mrs. Johnson comes in and asks what's wrong. Julia says there was a rat. Mrs. Johnson denies there being any rats in the house. Julia says it came from under the coat, and Mrs. Johnson tells her there's no coat. Carolyn enters and asks what's wrong. Mrs. Johnson says Julia saw a rat, and she'll set out some rat poison and leaves. Julia tells Carolyn to tell Barnabas that she'll fight back, because she knows his weaknesses too She says she knows the thin line between love and hate.
Barnabas admits to Carolyn that Julia does know his weaknesses. He asks her if she thinks Julia would really harm him. There's a knock on the door, and he sends Carolyn away. He answers it, and invites Julia in. He offers her a drink, and she tells him that she knows he's responsible for the strange things happening to her. He denies it, and she says she underestimated his psychic powers. He describes her seeing a figure in her room, and hearing Dr. Woodard's voice. She tells him that she made the figure appear, and he says that he knows about it because he saw it himself, last night in the old house. He says Woodard accused him for being responsible for his death. Julia points out that he was. Barnabas says he's developing a conscience. He says he's undergoing a spiritual change. Barnabas says he realizes that he cannot recreate Josette. Julia accuses him of lying. He says he'd never give up that dream. She says she doesn't believe Dave Woodard came to see him. He tells Julia that he doesn't want her to be alone. He says she offered the best of herself, and he chose to ignore it. He asks her to help him, and says that he cares for her and needs her. He tells her that they will spend the evening together tomorrow to sort it all out. She's skeptical, even as he kisses her hand before she leaves. Carolyn emerges and says that was very cruel of him. She says Julia really loves him, and he could have found another way. He tells her she's tired, and in a trance-like state, she agrees that she is tired.
Our thoughts
John: So if Peterson doesn't really like (or trust) Carolyn, is he really just hanging out with her in the hopes of getting lucky? At least Burke Devlin was plotting against the family when he toyed with her.
Christine: He knows she developed a sudden interest in him the day Julia gave him her notebook, so he may be taking advantage of her friendliness until she reveals what she's really after. What was up with Barnabas calling her in with the dogs? He was the one who wanted her to put the make on Peterson and now he's spoiling her game.
John: Our first rat sighting on Dark Shadows! Though by the sound of it, it could have been a bat sighting, as they appear to use the same squeaky sound effect. One thing I do want to know - are we to believe the lab coat and rat were figments of her imagination, or did Barnabas' trusty rat servant drag the coat away before Mrs. Johnson arrived?
Christine: It may have been part of the magic his Indian friend taught him, or it could just be that the initial ghost visit troubled her so much that she's hallucinating now. I liked the way the lab coat started moving before she lifted it up.
John: Even under his influence, Carolyn finds Barnabas' toying with Julia's affections as particularly rude. And once again, there's specific mention about Barnabas being responsible for Woodard's death, which doesn't phase Carolyn at all.
Christine: Barnabas certainly knows how to turn on the charm when he needs to. I'm surprised she wasn't more skeptical, but since it's what she wanted to hear, it's understandable that she could be so easily fooled. She's obviously thinking like a woman instead of like a doctor again.
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