412

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Number	406
Timeline	1796
Narrator	Alexandra Moltke
Writer	Gordon Russell
Director	John Sedwick
Broadcast	January 22, 1968 (Monday)
Recorded	January 17, 1968 (Wednesday)
Video	Complete: Disc 44 Collection 5: Disc 4

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Peter allows Victoria to leave jail in order to get the Collins Family History Book so that it cannot be used as evidence against her.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

A séance has been held in the great house at Collinwood, a séance which has suspended time and space and sent one woman on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. There, each of the Collins ancestors resembles a present-day member of the Collins family, but the names and relationships have changed, and Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger in a sea of familiar faces. She has learned that history is not always written down as it actually happened. Thus far, two members of the Collins family have died under mysterious circumstances, and soon someone in the great house will attribute one of those deaths to Victoria Winters herself.

Natalie du Prés is reading the Collins family history book in Collinwood's drawing room when Josette du Prés Collins descends the staircase. Josette is going to town, accompanied by Riggs, to see Victoria Winters at the gaol. She is going to personally see that Victoria will never be free. Natalie wants her to leave this task to the Reverend Trask, but Josette wants Victoria to know she will not rest until Victoria is hanged as a witch.

Act I

At the Collinsport Gaol, Peter Bradford brings Victoria out of her cell to see Josette. Josette tells Victoria that she made a terrible mistake by not saving Barnabas Collins. Victoria asks if Barnabas is better, and Josette becomes even more angry at Victoria's asking of the question. Victoria seems shocked at the news that Barnabas is gone, and Josette accuses Victoria of trying to fool everyone by writing otherwise in the history book. Victoria again denies writing the book, but Josette tells Victoria that Barnabas knew the witch's identity. Victoria asks why Josette thinks she is the witch, but Josette says the book convinced her. Victoria tries to convince Josette that if there was anything she could have done to help Barnabas, she would have. She then tries to persuade Josette not to present the history book to the court at the trial. Josette reminds Victoria that she will personally see Victoria punished. Victoria asks Josette if she remembers how the book states she will die, and Josette replies that perhaps she will want to die by her own hand after all. Josette departs after stressing that she will not die until Victoria is hanged.

Act II

Victoria asks Peter if he is still willing to defend her, and he replies affirmatively. Victoria still believes the book to be a true history, but she knows the Reverend Trask will only see it as a witch's work. Peter thinks he can discredit Trask, but Victoria thinks the only way to save herself is to get the book with Peter's help. Peter refuses to help Victoria in this manner because two women have been attacked on the streets in the past two nights. He asks if he can get the book for Victoria, but she tells him she knows exactly where it is. Finally, Peter agrees to help her, but he refuses to let Victoria go to Collinwood alone. At Collinwood, Natalie and Josette hear a knock on the door. Natalie answers it to find the Reverend Trask, whom she has been expecting. Trask attended an emergency meeting of the town's elders, who are concerned for the safety of their families. The others thought the attacks to be the work of a wild animal, but Trask convinced them that the witch was at fault. He urged the elders to advance the date of the trial, but they agreed only to deliberate the matter. Natalie hopes to speed their decision by telling Trask that Josette has agreed to testify and introduces the book as deciding evidence against Victoria Winters.

Act III

Victoria is in Josette's room looking for the book. Downstairs, Trask asks Josette how she attained the book; Victoria told her where to find it. Josette tells that Victoria seemed more concerned over her own life, as the book told of Josette's suicide, than that of Barnabas, whom the book said would move to England. Trask wishes to see the book, and Natalie excuses herself to get it from Josette's room. Victoria finds the book in the vanity, but the moment she does Natalie opens the bedroom door. Natalie leaves the room and calls Reverend Trask, and he and Josette hurry upstairs. Trask enters the room alone and Victoria is nowhere to be seen. He calls for the women, who wonder how Victoria disappeared. Josette finds the book missing, but Trask's look is not one of surprise.

Act IV

Victoria and Peter reenter the gaol, and Victoria lets him know that she left the room not through a door or window, but a secret panel. Victoria asks Peter to keep the book for her, and he agrees. Suddenly the two hear a knock, and Peter locks Victoria in her cell. After hiding the book, he opens the door to reveal Reverend Trask. Trask, along with Natalie and Josette, lets Peter know that Victoria was at Collinwood where she stole the book. Peter answers that he merely dozed off for a few minutes, and Victoria could not have escaped. Trask wants to see Victoria; Peter allows him to verify that she is in her cell. Josette tells Peter she is missing the same book she referenced earlier. Trask returns and tells the others Victoria is sleeping, but he is not satisfied that she has been in her cell all evening. Trask agrees the book is useful evidence, but it is no longer needed. If Peter testifies that Victoria stayed in her cell all evening, Trask, Natalie, and Josette will testify that they saw Victoria at Collinwood, and only witchcraft allows someone to be in two places at once. When the three depart, Peter realizes he may have hurt, rather than helped, his client.

Memorable quotes[]

Josette: (to Victoria) I don't know why you wanted Barnabas dead, but I do know that you are responsible for his death.

Trask: I demand to see for myself that Miss Winters is in her cell.

Peter: Reverend, we don’t usually have visitors this late.

Trask: I do not wish to visit with her!

Dramatis personae[]

Grayson Hall as Natalie du Prés
Kathryn Leigh Scott as Josette du Prés Collins
Jerry Lacy as Reverend Trask
Roger Davis as Peter Bradford
Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

There are three tape edits during the scene at the Collinsport Gaol.

Story[]

Reverend Trask talks about meeting with the town Elders. From what he says, these Elders have political power for the town. In reality, New England towns are governed by a Board of Selectmen. It is likely the Collinsport Selectmen that Reverend Trask met with.
TIMELINE: It was last week when Josette last saw Victoria in jail (occurred in 408, which suggests as much as five off-screen days between 410 to 411). Two women have been attacked in the past two nights (suggests at least one off-sceen day since 409). It was less than a hour ago when Victoria was seen at Collinwood.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

A few episodes ago, Joshua made Josette and Natalie swear never to tell that Barnabas is dead; everyone must think that he went away to England. Yet in this episode, Josette stupidly tells Reverend Trask and Victoria, with Peter listening, that Barnabas died.
In Act I, as Josette is telling Victoria that perhaps she will take her own life because her life is meaningless without Barnabas, Alexandra Moltke puts her hand to her nose and mouth and briefly rubs it, perhaps to stifle a sneeze or cought.
When Peter and Victoria are preparing to leave the Collinsport Gaol to go to Collinwood, Peter takes Victoria's cloak from the coat rack and puts it on her. Why is a prisoner's coat hanging on the office coat rack?
As Josette and Rev. Trask run from the drawing room when Natalie calls to them from upstairs (after seeing Victoria in Josette's room with the Collins family history book), Kathryn Leigh Scott and Jerry Lacy seem to be turning to the right out of the room (going to the next set) rather than toward the left to the staircase.
After Trask, Natalie, and Josette come into Josette's room and when Josette realizes that Victoria likely took the book, a boom mic shadow can be seen on the bed's canopy when Josette goes to her desk.
This is the first mention of a secret panel in Josette's room at Collinwood. The only secret panel mentioned or shown so far is the secret panel in the drawing room that Roger Collins previously used in 87 to find Victoria when she had been locked up in an unused wing by David Collins.