Episode 185 - 3/10/67

On his knees before the fireplace, Dr. Guthrie begs for David to save him. David calls for Vicki, and Guthrie grabs David and holds on to him. We see Laura withdraw, and Guthrie is back to normal. Guthrie looks into the fire and says, "You didn't get me, why?" Guthrie tells David that he saved him; that he is the key.

Vicki comes in and Guthrie sends David upstairs to get ready. He thanks David for saving him, and David says he came in because Josette was on the stairs and sent him in. Guthrie tells David to thank her for him the next time he sees her. He tells Vicki that he threatened Laura, and when he got back, she attacked him. He tells her that David is the key. He said that as soon as David touched him, her spell was broken.

Vicki tells David to wait in the foyer for her before they head out. She goes to tell Mrs. Johnson something, and the front door swings open and Laura enters. She tells David that she's missed him, and he says he's missed her, too. She invites him to spend the night at the cottage tonight. He said that he can't, because they're going somewhere. She asks where, and he says with Vicki and Dr. Guthrie, but he doesn't know where. He explains what happened earlier, how Josette led him to saving Dr. Guthrie. Laura suggests they leave now, but Vicki arrives in time to stop them. Vicki explains that they've got a surprise planned for tonight, and it can't be put off to another night. Laura tells Vicki that she'd prefer David go with her tonight. As they leave, Vicki tells Laura that soon they may know all there is to know, and in the mean time, Laura knows exactly where things stand.

Mrs. Johnson finds Laura in the foyer, and says that she doesn't like what's been happening since Mrs. Stoddard fell ill. She says she doesn't like the whispering and sneaking around. She says she knows they took the table and chairs to the old house. She thinks they're going to have another seance, and that they're going to involve David with it. With this information, Laura leaves the main house.

Vicki and David arrive at the old house, much to his surprise and excitement. They find the table and chairs setup. She tells David that Dr. Guthrie and Sam Evans are coming, too, and they're planning to hold another seance. David is thrilled. Vicki warns him that what he hears that night may not be very pleasant.

Laura returns to her cottage, and takes up residence by the fire.

Dr. Guthrie gets in his car and heads back towards Collinwood.

Laura has wide eyes as she stares into the fire.

David offers to build a fire in the fireplace while they wait. Sam Evans arrives, and admires the setup for the seance. He says he's come to find out if Josette was responsible for his painting the paintings of Laura in the fire.

As Guthrie drives, Laura's eyes are superimposed over him.

David shows Sam the beautiful portrait of Josette Collins. Sam admires it, and how it hasn't appeared to age.

A bright light shines into his windshield, and Guthrie complains about drivers driving with high beams. We see fire superimposed over Guthrie, and he recognizes the brightness resembles fire.

Sam notes that the portrait is of the woman they expect to join them during the seance.

Laura's eyes remain wide as Guthrie drives with his hand in front of his face. He says he needs to stop the car, but he can't control it as it moves faster, crashing into a tree.

Laura smiles in front of the fireplace.

Our thoughts

John: Good thing David didn't yell, "Stranger Danger!" when Guthrie grabbed him.

Christine: Way to go, Mrs. Blabbermouth Johnson! You may have just killed Dr. Guthrie.

John: Shouldn't Sam have recognized Maggie in the portrait of Josette?

Christine: Not yet. Vicki is setting up for the seance like she's an old pro. It seems she's gotten over her fear of being used as a medium by Josette.

John: Looks like Guthrie's car accident was in the exact same spot as Roger's after David had sabotaged his car. Have we seen the last of the good doctor? Or has Laura rid herself of the meddling parapsychologist once and for all?

Christine: The car is burning. It doesn't look good for Dr. Guthrie. Apparently, the phoenix can also control vehicles. It was helpful that Dr. Guthrie narrated his predicament so we could understand why he didn't just pull over, and would know that his brakes had failed and the car was accelerating. Where was Josette when we needed her?

Episode 184 - 3/9/67

Guthrie tells Laura that she's the undead. That she's lived, and died, and somehow returned to walk the earth. She says he's ridiculous. He asks if she denies that she's the undead, to which she replies, "And if I am?" He says if she is, and he's sure she is, this is a significant moment. He asks if she's aware what this means to the world of the living. He says what disturbs him the most is why she's come back. She says surely his investigation has identified that.

She says she wants to be together with David, in a place far from here. He asks her to name the place, and why she needs David so desperately. He says she hasn't denied his claim, and she says she hasn't admitted it either. He suggests she wants David for a specific purpose. He asks if she represents the forces of good or evil. And why does Josette oppose everything she's doing. She says he'll have to ask her that, and he says he will. He asks her to explain the empty coffins; all the missing Laura Murdochs. He begs her for David's sake to leave the boy alone. He says he'll help her if she leaves David alone. He says if not, he'll tell others about her, and she says no one will believe him. That he's powerless.

Joe arrives at Collinwood to meet with Guthrie. Guthrie tells Joe that he confronted Laura, and she's ready to lash out, and soon. They need to block any opportunity that she has. He says that Josette is the only one who seems to know about Laura, and they need to contact her via another seance. He wants to get David, Vicki, and Sam Evans to join them. He tells Joe he needs him to convince Sam to join them at the old house. Joe agrees to try and convince Sam to come.

Inside, Guthrie runs into David, and tells him that tonight, Vicki's going to take him to a secret place, but he needs to keep it a secret. 

Sam whines about his hands not yet being healed. He wants to resume painting before tourist season. Joe arrives, and apologizes to Maggie that he's not going to be available tonight. He says he needs Sam. He says that Dr. Guthrie wants Sam's help. Sam says he likes Guthrie. Maggie asks what it's all about, and Joe asks her to keep the secret. They want Sam to join them for a seance at the old house. They want to talk to Josette about Laura, and Guthrie thinks that Josette may have been using Sam to paint the portraits of Laura. Sam says he can't do a preposterous thing like that.

Laura paces around the cottage before sitting down in front of the fireplace.

In the main house, Guthrie seems to be getting uncomfortably hot.

Joe tells Sam that the seance may help Mrs. Stoddard. He asks Sam how he burnt his hands. Sam realizes he might find the truth about it if he does attend a seance. Maggie asks him to stay away from Collinwood.

Laura's eyes are superimposed over an image of Guthrie. He removes his glasses and clutches at his head.

There's a knock at the door, and David let's in Joe to see Dr. Guthrie. He goes into the drawing room and sees Guthrie looking uncomfortable. Joe tells him he talked to Sam, and he's agreed to join them. Joe says he'll get things setup at the old house, and leaves Guthire, who is once again seen superimposed with Laura's eyes. He gets up and approaches the fireplace. He reluctantly moves closer and says, "Don't let it happen to me now!"

In the foyer, David sees the ghost of Josette on the stairs. She points him to the drawing room and disappears.

David goes in and finds Guthrie, near the fireplace. His body curls back to look David in the eyes.

Our thoughts

John: Great slate shot with Laura today!

Christine: I was not expecting Guthrie to be so thrilled about being the first parapsychologist to converse with one of the undead. Once again, he threatens her and does not anticipate that she will try to stop him with her powers of entrancement.

John: Josette makes an appearance at the main house, and they're scheduling the seance for the old house. Seems pretty rude considering she's already in the main house.

Christine: I always thought that Kathryn Leigh Scott was the only one to portray the ghost of Josette, but apparently she is played by Rosemary McNamara in this episode, as well as Episodes 149 and 165. I still think it looks like Maggie in #149 though.

John: Laura works her magic on Guthrie once again, but to what end? With Sam, it was clear she burned his hands to keep him from painting. But toying with Guthrie? Kill him, or otherwise disable him. It makes no sense to just torment him for brief periods.

Christine: I don't think she's toying with him. She seems to be giving him the Liz treatment. The first time was interrupted, so she was unable to complete the entrancement. She may successfully turn him into a vegetable this time since there's no-one around to break her concentration. I'll bet he regrets not putting out the fire in her hearth now.

Episode 183 - 3/8/67

Mrs. Johnson is startled by Laura walking in the front door looking for David. She tells Laura that Vicki has taken him to town to buy shoes, and Laura says she was supposed to do that. Laura tells Mrs. Johnson to send David to the cottage when he returns, and she says he's not allowed to leave the house without Carolyn or Vicki. She asks who issued those orders, and Mrs. Johnson explains that her husband did. She's shocked. She tells Mrs. Johnson that she must have misunderstood.

Laura pushes past Mrs. Johnson and yells for Roger. He reluctantly comes downstairs to see her. She invites him in to the drawing room, and asks what's going on. She explains what Mrs. Johnson told her, and he says that he's decided it would be best for David not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. He needs to catch up on his schoolwork. She says that's a limp excuse. Roger reiterates that he is David's legal guardian since she was remanded to a sanitarium. He says that due to things that started to happen after she returned to Collinwood, he thinks it would be best if she would leave for a while. Laura brings up the threat of testifying against him regarding Burke's manslaughter charge. She says one way or the other, David will be hers.

Laura stops by to see Burke at the hotel. He's surprised to see her. She says it's not that she doesn't want to come by more often. He asks what she wants; if it's something to do with David. She senses that he's cold, and he asks her the purpose of her visit. She explains she has to get David away from Collinsport right away. She tells Burke that he has to stop it from happening. She says it's for their future, and he asks if they really have a future. He takes her near a light so he can clearly see her face. He says she's changed more than he realized. He says she's an entirely different person that he doesn't know anymore, and he cannot help, because he doesn't trust her. She asks who's been turning him against her; Carolyn? Vicki? She asks if he's saying he doesn't love her anymore. He tells her that he doesn't believe a word she says. She starts crying, and he says her phony tears won't work anymore.

Dr. Guthrie reassures Roger that he's doing the right thing. It's not safe for David to be near his mother. Roger says Laura even threatened him. Guthrie asks what she threatened, and Roger dismisses it. He does say he's afraid of her, as she can be very vindictive. He says she's threatened him in the past, and hasn't gone through with it. Roger tells Guthrie how Laura previously mentioned how she needed David and was running out of time. He tells Guthrie that he let Laura know that she should leave Collinwood for a while.

Mrs. Johnson comes in and says that she heard Roger say Mrs. Collins might be leaving. She's excited about her possibly leaving so that she wouldn't have to clean up her cottage, too. Guthrie asks if she's observed anything out of the ordinary about Mrs. Collins. She mentions how Laura keeps her fire burning 24 hours a day, even when it's warm. She said Laura nearly had a fit when she tried to clean the fireplace. Guthrie says that maybe she needs it badly. He says he's going to pay a visit to Mrs. Collins. He has a theory he wants to test.

Laura sits in front of the fireplace when there's a knock at the door. She answers it and is less than thrilled to see Guthrie, but she invites him in. She asks how soon he'll be leaving Collinsport. He says it depends how soon he can prove his theories. She says that Roger is gullible for believing Guthrie's theories. He admits that he told Roger that David should be kept away from her. He says she wants to destroy David. She says it's preposterous, and he replies that he means every word he said. She asks why she'd want to harm David, and he says that's what he'd like to understand. He approaches the fire and says that it's warm, and asks if she minds if he puts it out. She has a strong reaction, and he asks who she is and what she wants. She threatens him again, and he says that he knows she's not the Laura Murdoch Collins that Roger married. He says she's the undead.

Our thoughts

John: Roger almost seems to believe it when he tells Laura that he doesn't let others put ideas in his mind. I think most of us know better.

Christine: Roger is full of surprises. I did not expect him to be so resolute and fearless in standing up to Laura in keeping her away from David.

John: Burke has got his Laura defenses on, so she's lost the one ally she could previously count on.

Christine: Thank goodness Burke Devlin has returned to us. I suspect he'll be back to putting the moves on Vicki soon.

John: Guthrie confronts Laura point blank. Where will things go from here, and will Guthrie live long enough to tell anyone what happens? I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

Christine: That was a fantastic scene, though I don't understand why he didn't follow through on putting out her fire. He should know that as soon as he leaves, she'll be back to staring in the fire and he'll be getting all woozy again.

"You, Laura Murdoch Collins, are the undead."

Episode 182 - 3/7/67

In the drawing room, Vicki tells David to concentrate on his schoolwork. He tells her that he's made up his mind about going with his mother. He says he's liked Collinwood since Vicki came, but he's decided he wants to go away with his mother. Vicki says he should wait to decide until his aunt returns home. He says he's scared since seeing his face in the fire, and thinks it was a warning that he should leave Collinwood. Vicki reminds him of the painting he appeared in with his mother. He asks if he's in danger as Dr. Guthrie walks in. David says he'll ask his father as soon as he returns, and that he'll let him go. He runs off, and Guthrie tells Vicki that he'll work with Roger, telling him what they found out about Laura's ancestors.

Roger returns from seeing Liz in Boston. Guthrie tells him that he wants to talk about keeping David from Laura. He asks him point blank if he wants David to die. He says they have evidence that Laura is setting out to destroy her son. Guthrie describes the empty graves of Laura's ancestors. He tells Roger that he thinks Laura plans to burn David alive.

Meanwhile, Vicki also tells Burke that they suspect Laura plans to burn David alive. She asks for his help for David. Burke recounts what Vicki told him about the empty graves and the empty vault in Phoenix, and how they all died by fire. She also tells about the newspaper article which describes the son David that was burned alive with Laura's ancestors.

Back at Collinwood, Roger responds to Guthrie's claims about Laura with disbelief. He is surprised to hear that Laura's ancestor burned her son alive with her. Roger remains unconvinced.

Burke agrees to think about what Vicki told him.

David asks his father about his aunt Elizabeth, and Roger tells him the doctors have said she has improved. David tells his father that he saw himself in the fire in the fireplace, and Roger suggests he might have imagined it. David tells him that he thinks he wants to go away with his mother. He asks if he can, and Roger asks if he loves and trusts his mother. David says that he does. Roger tells him, "We'll see," and asks him to run along.

Roger pours himself a drink and watches as the book of newspaper clippings opens to the article about the boy, David, who died in the fire. He calls Vicki and and says the boy who was burned alive with Laura didn't want to be saved.

Our thoughts

John: So David thinks he wants to leave with his mother. He goes from unsure to pretty positive, and yet we don't really see anything that would justify his making that decision.

Christine: He is making the decision based on his misinterpretation that his face in the flames is a sign that he and his mother are both in danger of burning and it's a warning to leave Collinwood.

John: They do a good job inter-cutting between Guthrie telling Roger what they found about Laura's ancestors, and Vicki telling Burke the same story. Nice way to get through the exposition in half the time.

Christine: It will be interesting to see how they both handle themselves around Laura, knowing this information, and if either one will confront her about it.

John: Roger finally sees Laura for the possible threat she presents to David. But what will he do with that information?

Christine: He will probably drink more cognac to cope with his fear of what Laura will do when he tries to keep David away from her.

David Henesy has a turn with the slate today.

Episode 181 - 3/6/67

Carolyn and Vicki sit in the drawing room, lamenting the fact that the house is empty save for them. Carolyn wonders why they haven't heard from Guthrie and the others. Vicki says she hears someone approaching the door. There's a loud knock at the front door, and they approach the door, frightened.

They call out, and Dr. Guthrie answers. Guthrie describes how just as Frank arrived to stop them, Josette stepped in and opened the coffin. They confirmed it was empty. Vicki suggests like the morgue in Phoenix, and Joe confirms like the grave of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, which was also empty. Joe shows them the records they borrowed from the caretaker with the missing article. Joe is going to research the particular paper in the library. Carolyn asks what the empty graves mean, and Guthrie says they'll know soon. Vicki asks how she can help, and he says he may ask for another seance, and he also suggests that they do whatever they can to keep David away from his mother.

Carolyn checks in on a sleeping David, who wakes calling for his mother. He asks what Carolyn is doing in his room. She tries to explain that she's concerned about him. He says Mrs. Winters and his mother will take care of him, and that he doesn't need her. She explains that when people grow up they can change. He says she's not so grown up, she just thinks she is, and she agrees with him, She also suggests that perhaps she's the spoiled monster, She gives him a kiss on the head, and he asks if she's okay. He wonders if something bad has happened, since she's being so nice to him. She tells him that everything is fine, and he should go back to sleep.

At the library, Joe searches old newspaper records.

Vicki and David go over his schoolwork, and review a paper about a fictional sister. Vicki asks where he got the idea from. He says Carolyn might be different if she had a brother.

Joe calls Collinwood looking for Dr. Guthrie. He found the newspaper, and says she'll be surprised by what he found.

David is sitting by the fire with his schoolwork, and suddenly sees his face above the flames. He calls for help, and runs out of the room and into the hands of Dr. Guthrie. Vicki comes downstairs and asks what he saw. David says he saw himself in the fire.

Joe shares a copy of the newspaper he found with Guthrie when Vicki comes down and asks the doctor to come upstairs to see David. She tells Joe that David saw himself in the fire, and Joe says it's a vision of the past. Guthrie tells her that the article describes Laura Murdoch Radcliffe dying in a fire, and also of her son, named David, who died in her arms.

Our thoughts

John: Joe sure treats 100 year-old newspapers with little respect. He flips through the bound volumes in the library like he's paging through a phone book.

Christine: David and Carolyn are warming to each other. How long before these two are back to normal and irritated with each other again?

John: Wouldn't it have been more effective if David saw himself in the flames in agony? The face we saw looked bored, not terrified...

Christine: I think it's more frightening that his face in the fire appears very calm about burning alive. It suggests that he is in the flames willingly.

John: Laura's history becomes more clear. Another son named David? I wonder who his father was. And what role does the son play in the legend of the phoenix?

Christine: Speaking of fathers...I wonder if the issue of David's paternity will ever be resolved.