Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Episode 98 - 11/9/66

Liz explains to Matthew that Mrs. Johnson is moving in today. He's not particularly thrilled. There's a knock at the door, and he lets her in. Liz welcomes her to the house. Liz cautions her about certain members of the household. She says to ignore any hostility from Roger. Also, she requested that Mrs. Johnson stay out of the closed off east wing as well as the basement. Liz introduces David, who asks why she wants to work at Collinwood. Liz takes him aside and tells him not to be rude. David brings up the ghosts and Liz is exasperated with him.


David creeps up on Matthew cleaning the fireplace and startles him. David asks Matthew if he likes Mrs. Johnson. David says he doesn't, because she looks mean. Matthew says he should do what his aunt asks of him. Mrs. Johnson brings David lunch. Matthew leaves, and she asks David about his crystal ball. He says he can't tell her. She says she thinks he must have a lot of secrets. She tells him that when she was his age, she knew a lot of secrets, too. She talks of a deserted house close to where she grew up, and how she used to go into secret rooms. She leads him on and asks what he sees in his secret rooms. He says she'd be scared by what he's seen. He asks if she believes in ghosts, and when she says no, he says she will.


Matthew overhears David and tells him to take his lunch into the kitchen. He does, and Matthew asks why she's asking David questions. She explains she takes her orders from Mrs. Stoddard. He says he's not ordering her—he's warning her.


Liz reads a book in the drawing room when Matthew enters. He warns Liz not to trust Mrs. Johnson. He says he caught her asking David questions about the house. Liz explains that Bill Malloy trusted her, and that's enough for her. Liz sends him on his way, and goes up to bed.


At 3am, Mrs. Johnson sneaks down into the basement. She snoops around, and is startled when David grabs her hand. She asks what he's doing down there at that time of night. She says he head a noise—probably him. He explains he came to see a ghost. He asks if his aunt will be happy to hear she was in the basement. He says he might not tell his aunt she was down there, because she's a friend of Burke Devlin's. She denies being Burke's friend. David suggests that Burke could have sent her to Collinwood to spy on them. He says he doesn't care if that's true, as Burke is his friend, and like Burke he also hates his father. He offers to bargain with her. He won't tell that he saw her in the basement if she does the same. She sends him up to bed, and he says he'll stick to his bargain if she sticks to hers. As she ascends the stairs, she hears someone sobbing. It appears to be coming from behind the locked door. She knocks on it, and the sobbing stops. She returns upstairs.



Our thoughts

John: We're reminded just how creepy Matthew can be. He throws his weight around, under the guise of protecting Liz's interests. Of course when he doesn't even get support from Liz, that doesn't seem to bode well for him. He's clearly at odds with Mrs. Johnson, which will likely result in more turmoil in Collinwood.

Christine: Well it's about time Mrs. Johnson moved in! We last saw her in Episode 81. I thought she'd never get here. Her arrival heralds the beginning of an exciting new phase at Collinwood. Matthew certainly is creepy. It's a wonder Liz has kept him on the past 18 years. I wonder what he's worried the nosy Mrs. Johnson might find out.

John: Interesting how Mrs. Johnson immediately starts in on David, hoping to get him to give her information about the house. Of course it just fuels Matthew's suspicion of her.

Christine: It will be interesting to see how David and Mrs. Johnson get along. David was worried she would be his jailer, but now that he has something on her, he is probably feeling more secure.

John: Mrs. Johnson sure doesn't waste any time snooping around in the basement. And once again we're left wondering who's sobbing we hear. Could it be Paul Stoddard? Or his ghost?

Christine: I thought her purpose was to find Bill Malloy's killer. Does she think she'll find the answer in the basement? I'm glad we're finally getting back to the basement and the secret Liz keeps there.



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