Back in Collinwood, Liz tells Carolyn it's too late for her to go to town. Jason and Willie arrive, and Carolyn says she's leaving. Jason says Willie is only there to apologize, and will then be leaving. Liz says it isn't necessary, but with Jason's help, Willie apologizes for his behavior. Liz says now he can go. Jason asks to speak to Liz alone for a minute. They step into the drawing room, and Willie tells Carolyn that he really means it when he says he didn't try to scare her earlier. She almost believes him, and asks if he's okay. He says he's fine, and she leaves. Willie turns to see the portrait of Barnabas, and begins shaking in fear.
Liz asks Jason what difference it means to him that she believe Willie's apology. She tells Jason to thank Willie for his apology, that she accepts it, and that she wishes him a long, happy journey.
Willie cowers by the staircase, looking away from the portrait of Barnabas. He can't help himself but walk back and turn to it. He screams. Liz and Jason find him passed out on the floor in the foyer.
Jason reaches to loosen Willie's collar as he lies on a bed, and Willie bolts up screaming. He asks where he is, and Jason says he's in his room in Collinwood. He explains that Willie fainted in the foyer. Willie says he remembers. Jason tells him to lie down, and that he'll talk to Liz about letting him stay a while.
Liz tells Jason that it's exactly what she expected, now that he's asking to let Willie stay. Jason says Willie is sick, and asks her not to force him to insist. Liz says the one thing more honest with Willie's fainting is Jason's supposed concern. Jason brings up his threats again, and tells Liz that he's going to tell Willie that she's allowing him to stay. Liz agrees that Willie can stay. Jason tells Liz that none of them are completely bad, not even her.
Liz explains to Carolyn that she's allowing Willie to stay because he's sick. Carolyn says she understands, and that she believes he's really sick. She says that's the case, or something very strange has happened to him.
Jason checks in on Willie. He tells him he can stay until he feels better. Willie tells him he doesn't want to stay. Jason says he'll take care of him. He helps Willie take off his coat, and notices his wrist is bandaged. He asks to look at the wound, and Willie says no one can see it. He tells Jason to stay away.
Our thoughts
John: Willie's performance works on everyone. Even Carolyn believes it to be true.
Christine: He played it well. It would have been hard to imagine a few weeks ago that he might become a sympathetic character.
John: Nice how they're building up Willie's fear of Barnabas, with the portrait enough to cause him to faint. A nice bookend to his early appearances admiring all of Barnabas' jewelry.
Christine: It's hard to reconcile the well mannered image of Barnabas we've seen so far with a creature that has inspired abject terror in Willie and may be responsible for draining a cute little calf of its blood.
John: It's interesting to note that while the town vampire apparently has no qualms biting a calf on the neck, he can't bring himself to do the same with Willie, whose wound is on his wrist...
Christine: A bite wound on the neck might invite questions. A wound on the wrist can be more easily hidden and explained away. While the women in Collinsport might soon develop a fashion for scarves, that look wouldn't really work for Willie. It could also be that biting Willie's neck might seem a little more...intimate.
No comments:
Post a Comment