Episode 66 - 9/26/66

Roger joins Burke, Vicki and Liz in the drawing room. He heads over to fix himself a drink. Roger says he'll talk to Burke—alone. Liz doesn't want to leave, but agrees when Roger says he'll talk to Burke alone or not at all.

Liz asks Vicki if Burke seemed to be in control of himself. She was worried about he and Roger being left alone together.

Roger threatens to sue Burke for slander. Burke invites Roger to sue him. Roger doesn't want to dredge up the past again. Burke asks Roger if he killed Bill Malloy. He says he can always deny it later. Roger says he has no reason to want Bill dead. Burke says Sam must have been able to prove that he was innocent, and that Roger was driving the car, and should have served the prison term. Roger denies it all, and says Sam would also be a suspect. Burke tells him he knows Sam didn't do it, and stops Roger from leaving the room.

Liz interrupts Vicki writing a letter. Vicki explains that she's writing a letter to herself. She talks about how she used to mail letters to herself at the foundling home. She describes it like a diary. She says not very much ever happened to her before she came to Collinwood.

Burke asks Roger to spell out his timetable the night of Bill's death. Burke asks about the forty minutes between his meeting with Bill and when he says he left for the meeting. Roger says that Vicki saw him at 10:45, proving he wasn't able to kill Burke. Burke asks to hear Vicki confirm that. Roger suggests that he wouldn't make it up if she were able to corroborate it. Burke demands that he get Vicki.

Liz and Vicki discuss loneliness. Roger comes in and asks Vicki to help him. He asks her to confirm that he didn't leave the house in time to kill Bill Malloy. Roger sends Liz downstairs so he can talk to Vicki. He asks Vicki to tell Burke he left at ten to 11, even though she can't confirm that.

Liz asks what Burke is after. He says he wants justice. Burke says he thinks Roger killed Bill, and that he sent Matthew to the Blue Whale to kill him. All to protect the Collins name. Roger and Vicki come downstairs. Vicki says she saw and talked to Mr. Collins at 10:30, and she has every reason to believe he left when he said he did. Before leaving, Burke says he'll be back in Collinwood, possibly to stay.

Our thoughts

John: Is it weirder for Vicki to write letters to herself, or for Liz to have not left Collinwood in the last 18 years?

Christine: It was the only way little Vicki Winters ever got any mail at the foundling home. As Liz says, "How sad." We still don't know why Elizabeth has not left Collinwood for 18 years, so we can't properly assess which is the more aberrant behavior.

John: Vicki doesn't exactly corroborate Roger's timeline, but she throws in that she believes Roger, which says a lot considering how tumultuous their relationship has been.

Christine: Exactly. She wouldn't say it if she didn't truly believe it. But then who did kill Bill Malloy? Will we find out before 1967?

John: Burke's parting words indicate he's going to forge ahead with his plan to bring down the Collins family once and for all.

Christine: Or at least move in and hang his portrait in place of the founder of Collinsport. Perhaps he only meant that he wanted to come back to stay for another lovely tea time with the Collins clan.
  

Episode 65 - 9/23/66

Burke forces his way into Collinwood in search of Roger. Liz says he's not there, and asks Burke to leave. He refuses, and wanders into the drawing room to sit and wait for his return. Liz explains the Sheriff asked her to call if Burke showed up. He tells her to go ahead, but she doesn't. She says they'll both wait for Roger.

Roger calls Maggie from the Blue Whale looking for Sam. Evans enters the bar, and Roger tells him to join him at a table. Roger asks Sam what he told the Sheriff. Sam tells him he said exactly what they agreed. Roger then asks what he told Burke. Sam says Burke was asking if he killed Bill Malloy. Roger says he didn't kill Bill, they were good friends. Sam said the only time Bill was Roger's friend was when he conveniently died.

Liz prepares tea for Burke, and makes small talk. Vicki steps in, and Liz asks her to entertain Burke while she gets the tea. Vicki asks if he came to accuse Roger of being involved in Bill's death. Burke asks about David, and Vicki suggests he should think of David before he does anything to Roger.

Sam tells Roger that after running out, he went back to Burke's apartment. He says he was able to convince Burke he was innocent of Bill Malloy's murder. He also said Roger is next on Burke's list. Roger tells Sam that if Burke learns anything from any source, Sam will also suffer. Sam asks about Roger's offer for money to skip town. Roger says the offer is off the table.

Sam calls Maggie from the Blue Whale to let her know he's coming home. Roger says he's reconsidered giving him money to leave town. Sam also waffles about wanting it. He says that it would look odd if he ran out during the investigation of Bill's murder. He hadn't thought about that before meeting with Roger.

Roger returns home and Liz lets him know Burke is there to see him.

Our thoughts

John: The mood swing from Liz was a bit much, going from anger that Burke stormed his way into the house to her fixing him tea and talking about the good old days.

Christine: I saw it more as a change of tact. When she couldn't intimidate him with her formidable behavior, she switched over to turning on the Collins charm to try and have her way with him. Although she is obviously flustered and calls him Roger while imploring him to sit down for tea with her, her strategy ends up throwing Burke off guard.

John: Roger missed his opportunity to both get Sam out of town, and to make him appear like the guilty party. Who would have thought Sam would have even picked up on that. A functioning alcoholic, indeed!

Christine: There's another non-Cobert tune playing on the Blue Whale jukebox when Roger reconsiders his offer of money to Sam. I wonder if this is a trend and if it's the last we've heard of the Robert Cobert standards on the jukebox. Burke and Vicki have the opportunity to get to know each other better. I expect he'll be picking up the rain check on that dinner date soon.

John: Ah, another Friday, another impending confrontation between Burke and Roger. If only I could believe that come Monday the conflict between the two men would reach a conclusion...

Christine: I feel cheated. I thought surely the confrontation would occur on a Friday, but let's hope Monday's episode does not disappoint.

Burke notes Isaac's portrait, which has moved once again to the left of the bay windows.

There's a new portrait in the drawing room hanging in Isaac's former spot.

Episode 64 - 9/22/66

Carolyn asks her mother why Maggie Evans visited Collinwood. Liz says she was concerned about her father. Carolyn asks her if she really believes that Burke killed Bill Malloy. Liz says Bill's death was an accident. Carolyn asks how claiming Burke was a murderer would help Maggie. Liz is flustered by Carolyn's continued questions about Burke. Carolyn asks her mother if she said any of this to Matthew. She mentions that she saw him at the Blue Whale looking for Burke. She passes on Matthew's message that everything was going to be all right.

Burke arrives at the Blue Whale and sees Matthew. He asks if Matthew has seen Roger. Matthew asks him to join him, and grabs his arm when he refuses. Matthew says it's about Bill Malloy and Burke sits down.

Liz calls the Blue Whale looking for Matthew, and is told he's not there. Liz realizes that Matthew may intend to harm Burke on her behalf. The phone rings and it's the Sheriff. He's calling to see if they've seen Burke up at Collinwood. Liz tells the Sheriff she needs to tell him about her caretaker, Matthew.

Matthew warns Burke to leave the Collins family alone. He says he's trying to protect Liz, and the only time he's lied is when he told the waiter to tell Liz he wasn't at the Blue Whale a few minutes earlier. Matthew tells Burke he wants him to get out of town tonight. Matthew attacks Burke and the Sheriff arrives just in time to break it up. He escorts both men back to his office.

In the Sheriff's office, Matthew admits he tried to drive Burke out of town. The Sheriff sends Matthew outside to wait while he talks to Burke. The Sheriff asks Burke where he's been tonight. He warns Burke not to be judge, jury and executioner. Burke says he'll leave that to Matthew.

Liz tells Carolyn that Burke accused Roger and Sam Evans of being responsible for the death of Bill Malloy. She also tells Carolyn that Burke says Roger was responsible for the accident 10 years ago, and that Sam could prove it. She tells Carolyn these things are untrue. She asks her if she'd rather believe that her uncle sent an innocent man to jail or that Burke Devlin is a liar.

The Sheriff asks Burke what happened with Sam. Burke says he ran out on him, but that he doesn't believe Sam killed Bill Malloy. Which would mean Roger Collins did. The Sheriff warns Burke to stay away from Roger Collins and Collinwood. He sends Burke away and calls for Matthew. As he's leaving, Burke says, "Be nice to him Sheriff, that family has influence in this town." The Sheriff tells Matthew to go back to work and leave Devlin alone.

Carolyn believes her mother's story about Burke. Liz suggests that she should ask Burke if she wants to know why he would say those things. Carolyn goes off to bed, and Liz calls the Sheriff looking for Matthew. There's a knock at the door and Liz opens it expecting to find Matthew, but it's Burke Devlin.

Our thoughts

John: Where is Roger Collins? Is he in hiding? Is he up to no good? Is it Louis Edmonds day off?

Christine: He's probably trying to stay one step ahead of Burke. On the other hand, maybe he's off visiting his wife.

John: Who would have thought that the first brawl we'd see would be between Matthew and Burke. Unfortunately the Sheriff arrived before things got interesting.

Christine: I would have expected Joe to go after Burke first, in keeping with his Episode 24 promise to punch Burke in the mouth. Still it was an exciting brawl. Matthew is a madman! Just to note, there was some groovy new tune that did not sound like one of Robert Cobert's compositions playing in the Blue Whale when Burke walks in on Matthew. I believe it's the first time we've heard non-Cobert music on the show.

John: I'm extremely disappointed in Carolyn. She made up her own mind about Burke based on her experiences, and then throws all that out when her mother makes claims that she can't back up with facts. One has to wonder how long this web of lies can last.

Christine: You know Kitten has a special affection for her Uncle Roger. When Liz asks if she'd rather believe that Burke is a vicious liar or that her Uncle Roger let an innocent man to go to jail, she has to side with her uncle. The bar fight certainly livened things up today. Let's hope we'll get to see more action when Burke confronts Roger tomorrow!

Episode 63 - 9/21/66

Joe and Carolyn go to the Blue Whale for a drink. She refuses to dance with him. He tries to get her to stop thinking of Bill Malloy, but nothing works. A new song comes on the jukebox and she agrees to dance with him.

Matthew brings some firewood into the drawing room. He asks Liz if he can do anything for her. She asks if there were any marks on Bill's body before he pushed it out to sea, and he says no. She mentions the autopsy says he had a blow to the head. Matthew suggests that it must have happened after he pushed the body back out to sea.

Maggie arrives at the Blue Whale looking for her dad. Joe and Carolyn are talking about Bill Malloy. She sits down to join them and asks if they've seen her dad, or Burke Devlin. Maggie and Carolyn argue about Burke's intentions. She says she's going to go meet with her father's companion in crime.

Back at Collinwood, Matthew asks if Burke Devlin is going to continue bothering Liz. She says he'll continue to use Bill Malloy's death to make accusations.

A knock at the front door signals the arrival of Maggie Evans. She asks to speak to Roger. Liz asks what she wants to talk to him about. If it involves her father, Roger and Burke Devlin. Maggie explains that it does. That Burke made accusations about her father and she wants to know if they're true. Liz suggests that her father should be able to answer her questions. Maggie pleads to see Roger, and Liz goes to check if he's available.

Matthew arrives at the Blue Whale as Joe and Carolyn are leaving. He asks if she's seen Burke Devlin. He then asks her to tell her mother that everything is going to be all right with regard to the Bill Malloy business. They leave, but come back and Carolyn asks Matthew what he's going to do to Burke. Matthew suggests that Burke was responsible for Bill's death.

Liz tells Maggie that Roger is not at home. Liz tells her not to believe Burke's claims. Maggie starts to leave, unsatisfied. Carolyn arrives at home to hear her mother speak ill of Burke Devlin. She asks if Liz thinks Burke is capable of committing murder. Liz says yes.

Our thoughts

John: I kept waiting for Matthew to reveal he had a gun on him in the Blue Whale. He clearly means to rid Collinsport of that scourge, Burke Devlin.

Christine: Matthew may not be playing with a full deck. I wonder how he plans on straightening things out with Burke.

John: Maggie has survived her first trip to Collinwood, and while she didn't encounter any ghosts, she confirmed that inside it's just as dark and cold as on the outside.

Christine: I think Elizabeth was responsible for the chill factor inside Collinwood. She's rather imposing in her manner with Maggie.

John: Sad thing for Maggie is that even if she speaks to Roger, he's not going to be any more truthful with her than he has been with anyone else.

Episode 62 - 9/20/66

In Burke's room, he asks Sam why he ran. Sam asks for a drink and Burke refuses. Sam pontificates without actually saying anything. He then says he ran because he didn't want to argue with Burke in front of Maggie. Sam says he wants to settle things and Burke agrees to give him a drink.

Vicki returns to Collinwood and Roger stops her in the foyer. She explains it's been a trying evening and Roger wants to discuss it. He escorts her into the drawing room. She says she doesn't want to talk about the evening. Roger continues to pry. Vicki asks if he's trying to figure out if they talked about Burke's manslaughter trial. She asks if Roger discouraged her from going to the dinner for fear she might find something out. He asks who provided the details. And what facts came out in court. She shares the story Sam told. Roger spins a yarn about trying to convince Burke to stop after they hit the man, and it ruined their friendship. Vicki then says that Burke was at the house, too, and he has a different version of the accident.

Burke revisits the story with Sam, who now says that's not what he came to talk about. Burke tells Sam that after he ran out, he told Maggie and Vicki that Sam could have cleared him. Sam's distraught. Burke then asks Sam if he killed Bill Malloy. Sam says he didn't, and that's why he came to see Burke. Burke says if Bill made it to the meeting, Sam would be in jail right now for withholding evidence. Bill accuses Sam of calling Bill that night to try and talk him out of going to the meeting, and when Bill refused, Sam killed him. Sam says he would have taken his own life before killing Bill.

Roger assumes Vicki believes Burke's story that he was responsible for the death 10 years ago. She says Burke asked if Bill met with Roger the night of the meeting. She explains that she did tell them about his argument with Bill. Vicki mentions that Roger was on the phone at 10:30 that night. He seems concerned about that. And then Vicki points out that Roger left shortly after that, around 10:35. Roger explains that he left at 10 to 11. And then he says it's not important, aside from his personal fetish for accurateness.

Roger interrupts a phone call Vicki is making, accusing her of calling Burke. She was talking to Maggie. Roger apologizes for his behavior. Roger offers to place Vicki at a governess position in a nice house in Florida. She declines, and he offers money. She says no, and he calls her a fool. He leaves the house as she goes upstairs.

Burke says he believes Sam about Bill Malloy, but there's more to it than that. He sends Sam away saying that if he didn't kill Bill Malloy, there's only one other person who could have.

Our thoughts

John: So now we know that Vicki can confirm a time frame that would show Roger had time to commit Bill's murder. Will that info ever make it to the Sheriff?

Christine: Vicki's recollection is slightly different from what actually happened in Episode 46, as the great clock in the entrance hall says 10:15 when she walks in on Roger making a call. When Roger grabs his coat to leave, the camera zooms in on the great clock at 10:25. Either way he had ample time to send Malloy off the cliff.

John: Sam is a bumbling old fool. I don't know how he hasn't managed to blab what he knows to anyone else yet. Especially since the only thing it seems to take is a little alcohol.

Christine: Since Burke believes Sam didn't kill Bill, I hope this means we can expect an intense confrontation between Burke and Roger tomorrow, though it's more likely the fireworks won't happen until Friday.

John: Roger continues his abuse of Vicki, and then tries to bribe her to get her out of Collinwood for his sake. As long as she stays, he's at risk. He should realize that each time he interrogates her, she's that much more likely to do him harm with the information she has.