Episode 156 - 1/30/67

The front doors swing open at Collinwood, and Liz starts up the stairs in a trance-like state. She calls out to Vicki and Roger before falling down the stairs. Roger comes out and finds Liz at the bottom of the stairs. He screams for Mrs. Johnson and Vicki. Vicki comes downstairs and goes to call a doctor. Liz wakes up and Roger helps her up. Vicki asks if she should still call a doctor and Roger screams, "immediately," while Liz says not to embarrass her.

They lead her to the drawing room. Liz starts talking about a call from Mr. Metcalf, and getting Mrs. Johnson a menu, as she can't sit around all afternoon. Roger explains that it's after 10pm, and that she spoke to Metcalf earlier that afternoon. Vicki also says she already gave Mrs. Johnson the menu for tomorrow. Roger says she's forgetting half the day. She tries retracing her steps up the stairs. She stumbles as she reaches the top, and asks them to help her to her room.

In The Blue Whale, Joe is drinking when Carolyn arrives. She asks the bartender if Burke Devlin had been in all night. He says no, and Joe asks if she'll even say hello to him. She doesn't respond, and he asks if she's making the rounds looking for her boyfriend. Carolyn says she's sorry, and Joe says he doesn't believe it. Joe says he'd like to get even, though he doesn't want to. She asks if they can be friends, and he says no chance. She asks if they can sit down for a drink and he says he has to go pick up Maggie. Carolyn asks if he sees her often, and he says as often as he can. A call comes in for Carolyn, and Joe says to tell Burke he says hello before leaving. The call is from Roger, telling her to come home because something is wrong with her mother. She hangs up and leaves.

Back at Collinwood, Carolyn runs upstairs. Her uncle Roger says they've ruled out a heart attack or stroke.

Carolyn goes into her mother's room. Liz doesn't recognize Carolyn, and asks why she can't go to her own room. Carolyn explains that it is her room. Liz says she's not sick, but that something terrible is happening to her. Carolyn says she won't let anything happen to her. She then recognizes Carolyn, and describes how she was walking up the stairs... and then begs for Carolyn to save her.

Liz tosses and turns in bed.

Carolyn goes downstairs and finds Vicki in the drawing room. She says that her mother keeps saying that something terrible is going to happen to her. Carolyn asks Vicki that despite vowing to never leave Collinwood, if her mother should be in a hospital. Vicki says that the doctor will be back in the morning. Carolyn cries out of fear that she'll lose her. She says she can't be alone. Vicki asks if she can do anything for her, and Carolyn says there is something she wants. She hates herself for wanting it, but she wants Burke to hold her and never let her go.

Liz talks in her sleep about walking up the stairs. And then she remembers being inside the cottage with Laura, and deciding that Laura must go. She calls to Vicki and Roger. She gets out of bed and sees a silhouette by the window. She calls out for the person to identify themselves. She screams, and the person disappears. Carolyn, Roger and Vicki rush in, and Liz describes a bird in the sky, with fire.

Our thoughts

John: You would think after passing out, Liz would finally leave Collinwood for the first time in years. At least Carolyn agrees with me.

Christine: Roger sounds genuinely frightened when finding Liz passed out at the bottom of the stairs. So Liz can't remember being at the cottage with Laura. What other hidden powers does the phoenix possess?

John: How'd they get away with playing a muzak version of "Michelle" by the Beatles at The Blue Whale?

Christine: I tried to track that down, but the closest I could get was an unsubstantiated claim that Dan Curtis paid a lot of money for it. Did you miss "Yesterday" playing when Carolyn walked in to The Blue Whale and met up with Joe at the bar? Joe was at the juke box making that selection before she walked in, so what should that tell us about his feelings for Carolyn? It's surprising to hear good ol' Joe say that he wants to hurt her and will try not to get even, even though he really wants to. Should we be concerned that Joe may be slightly...pathological?

John: It made sense that Liz forgot the events of the afternoon, but then they want us to believe that she also lost selected memories, like being able to recognize Carolyn? Whatever the case, Liz is certainly messed up!

Christine: She sure is! Let's take a moment to appreciate Joan Bennett for the fine actress that she is. She probably had no idea what she was in for when she signed up for this show, but she rolls with it like the pro she is. She's got me truly worried about her character.