279 - July 20, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[narrating] - The dark mantle of deception hangs heavily over Collinwood.

There are those who are about to play

a game that death has devised,

a game that death cannot lose.

They don the garments that will transform them

into other people from another time,

garments that will help forward a diabolical scheme.

[knocking at door]

- Come in.

Well!

When does the minuet begin?

- It won't begin at all

if somebody doesn't button me up the back.

- Oh, it looks beautiful on you.

- Thank you.

I'm amazed that it fits so well.

- Mine needs a few small alterations.

I feel as though I'm going to the family prom.

- I wanted to try this on before tomorrow night.

- There, all buttoned up.

Now let's see what you look like.

- Does it look all right?

- Does it!

Oh, Vicki, if I didn't know you,

I would swear you were Josette Collins.

What's the matter?

- I don't know.

When you said her name...

the strangest feeling came over me.

♪♪

♪♪

- What kind of feeling?

- A feeling that-- that I have worn this dress before and--

and that I had gone through a moment

that I had experienced before.

- That is strange.

I'll tell you something, Vicki...

when I was trying on this dress,

of Millicent Collins, a chill went through me.

- A chill?

- The feeling that I shouldn't be putting the dress on.

I felt, somehow, as though I were an intruder.

- What do you mean?

- Well... maybe it was...

the realization that this was the actual dress

that Millicent wore over years ago.

Yes, that must be it.

I'll tell you, Vicki, if I get that feeling again

the next time I put this dress on,

I don't think I'll be able to wear it at all.

- Of course you will.

- Vicki, if-- if you have the same feeling you just had,

will you wear the gown to the party?

- Yes.

- But how could you?

- Because I don't think there's anything wrong

with that kind of feeling.

Besides, I'm flattered that you think I resemble Josette.

Carolyn, you'll feel differently about it by tomorrow night.

- I hope so.

This party sounded like such a good idea to begin with.

Now I'm beginning to wonder.

- You shouldn't wonder.

It-- it's a brilliant idea.

And it's going to bring this family closer together,

and give it a sense of ancestry and heritage and tradition.

- Frankly, I think we have a little bit of--

too much of that already.

I respect the past, Vicki,

but I have no desire to live in it.

- This is just a harmless masquerade.

It's just something to help lift us

out of the depression we've all been in.

- I suppose you're right.

- Roger had quite a time persuading your mother to go,

but she's going to be going.

- I can't imagine my mother going to a party.

That in itself makes this a unique occasion.

It will be the first one for her in years!

- I'm sure she will have a wonderful time.

Carolyn, I--

I, I hope that this party is going to be an enormous success.

I'm going to do everything I can to make it just that.

Even if it includes wearing a dress

that makes me feel strange.

- Okay, you've made your point.

I'll wear this th-century Dior.

- I'm going to be very proud...

that for at least one night,

I'll actually be a member of the Collins family.

- Vicki, you should be a member of the family.

If anyone deserves to be a Collins, it's you.

- Victoria Collins.

Victoria Collins.

No.

Josette Collins.

Has to be Josette Collins.

- How is everything progressing?

- Okay. I'm getting everything cleaned up.

- I want this place immaculate.

Did you deliver the costumes?

- Yeah.

- Good.

Then Vicki Winters will have tried hers on by now,

and found it to be a perfect fit.

- I guess so.

- Everything is going very well.

Tomorrow evening will be an occasion long remembered.

That night must go with nothing wrong.

I want everything to be just as I planned it.

- I'll do whatever you want.

- This will be the most important night of my life.

- It'll work out.

Yes.

I'm sure it will.

♪♪

[knocking at door]

[knocking at door]

- Burke! - Hello, Carolyn.

- Come in, won't you? - Thank you.

- To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?

- Well, I wanted to speak

to Vicki for a moment, if she's here.

- Mm, she is. I'll get her for you.

- Oh, Carolyn...

I've been meaning to ask you if everything is all right now.

- Yes.

For once, everything seems to be all right.

- And you've gotten all that

motorcycle business out of your system?

- [laughing] Every bit of it. Never again.

Burke, I want to thank you

for the things you've done for us.

You have taken a lot from this family,

but in spite of it all,

you came through for us at the crucial moment.

- Oh, come on now, I didn't do the whole thing.

- Well, at least let me thank you for the part

you did play in pulling my mother through.

- Well, where do you go from here?

- [chuckling] I don't know.

But I know that whatever I do,

I can do now with a clear conscience.

[door opening]

Oh, here she is now, Burke.

Vicki, there is a salesman here to see you.

- Oh? What's he selling?

- Uh, subscriptions.

- Well, I might be in the market for one.

- Well ma'am, if I can have a few moments of your time,

I could explain the whole thing to you.

[laughter]

- Would you excuse me?

I have to try to fix my party dress.

- I'll be right up to help you.

- I can use some help!

- Have you two gone in for dressmaking?

- No, I'm just helping Carolyn

alter her dress that she has to wear.

- Busy girl.

- Well, now, what's this about a subscription?

- Well, it's a subscription to a dinner of the week club.

- Is it expensive? - Only to me.

- Well, sounds like something I might be interested in.

- [laughing] Fine.

- And, uh, how does one go about joining?

- Well, I'll tell you.

If you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night,

I'll explain the whole thing to you in detail.

- I'd love to. Oh.

- What's the matter?

- I just remembered I can't.

- Why not?

- Because, I am going to a party tomorrow.

- A party?

- Barnabas Collins is giving a party for the Collins family.

- Well, do you have to go?

- Yes. But more than that, I want to go.

- It sounds very important.

- It's going to be a very special party.

- Well, what's so special about it?

- Barnabas wanted to do something

to lift us all out of the doldrums,

and so he came up with the brilliant idea of having us

all come to his party dressed as-- as one of our ancestors.

And he even supplied us with the actual clothes

that were worn by those ancestors.

Mrs. Stoddard is going as Naomi Collins,

and Carolyn is going as Millicent Collins,

and Roger is going as Joshua Collins.

- And you?

Who are you going as?

- A very, very special one.

- Which one?

- Josette Collins.

- Josette Collins?

Josette Collins.

I don't like that.

I don't like it at all.

♪♪

- Why Josette Collins?

- Because Barnabas chose me to be her.

- Well, why did he choose Josette for you?

Why not for Carolyn, or Mrs. Stoddard?

- Because he thinks I resemble her,

and that I am like her in some ways.

- It's funny, but... something bothers me about this.

I don't know why.

Maybe it-- it dates back to that séance

where Josette Collins spoke through you.

- Oh.

Well, I-- I don't think that means anything.

I-- I think that's just a coincidence.

- I hope so.

I really hope so.

Well, at any rate, you're booked for tomorrow night,

and my salesmanship is not at all what I thought it was.

- I'm sorry, but will you ask me again?

- You have a standing invitation.

- I wish you were going to be there tomorrow night.

I really think you would enjoy it.

- It sounds interesting.

- Burke, it's --

Burke, it's going to be a wonderful party.

I wonder... - You wonder what?

- I wonder if you couldn't go.

- [laughing]

Now, I'm not going to crash a party.

- I don't mean that. But, after all, it is a party,

and-- and the attitude of the Collins family

has changed towards you.

I wonder if you couldn't be invited.

- Well, now, I can't march down to Barnabas

and ask for an invitation.

- No... but if I go down,

maybe I can speak to him and you could be invited.

- No, Vicki.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the thought.

But, well, I don't feel snubbed.

And I really don't have any business at a--

at a family party, anyway.

Look, we'll have dinner some other time.

- Oh, but I could talk to him, I know I could.

- Oh, now, Vicki, no.

Now, I'd look fine in one of those costumes, wouldn't I?

- You'd look fantastic! - [laughing]

- Oh, come on, you've got to drive me.

- Now, Vicki, I don't want to go to a par--

- Yes, you're gonna drive me down there...

- Listen, I'm not gonna go to a party.

- And I'm gonna see to it that you're...

- Now, I-- all right, I'll drive you, but I...

[knocking at door]

[knocking at door]

- Hello, Willie.

Is Mr. Collins here?

- Yeah, he's here.

- May I speak to him?

- Sure, come-- come on in.

- Well, I see you're getting everything ready for the party.

- Yeah, I have been working. There's a lot to do.

- You deserve a lot of credit for this party, Willie.

Everybody is coming to see your work.

- Thank you. I'm-- I'm glad you like it.

- Are you going to be there? - Yeah, I'll-- I'll be around.

- Are you going to wear a costume?

- I don't know. Mr. Collins wants me to, but...

well, I feel a little funny about it.

- Oh, you must! It's going to be so much fun.

- Think so?

- Yes, I do.

You could do with some fun, Willie.

You never smile, do you know that?

- Haven't got much to smile about, that's all.

- Oh, yes you do.

Willie, you have done a fantastic job on this house.

You should be very happy and very proud of it.

You deserve to be.

- Thank you, Vicki.

Thank you very much for saying that.

But there's a lot of things we deserve and never get.

And there's a lot of things we get and don't deserve.

- That's an interesting philosophy, Willie.

But I am dedicated to seeing that people get

what I think they deserve.

♪♪

- I know one thing you deserve, Willie...

a brief respite from your work.

- I-- I could use one.

Be seeing you, Vicki. - All right.

- Well, I am absolutely delighted

that you have chosen to visit me this evening.

- I can only stay for a moment.

- I hope it will be longer than a moment.

- Oh, I'm afraid somebody is waiting for me

in the car outside.

- Oh, I see.

- I wanted to ask you something about tomorrow night.

- Well, no problems have arisen, I hope.

- Oh, no, there are no problems at all.

- And Josette's dress?

It fits?

- It fits perfectly,

just as though it were made for me.

- Wonderful.

I'm sure that you will look lovely in it.

- Thank you.

- And the others? Do their costumes fit?

- They only need a few minor alterations.

- And everyone is coming?

- Without fail, we'll all be here.

- Well, then, obviously, there are no problems.

Well, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?

- Well...

since there are only four of us coming,

and since it is such a special occasion,

I was wondering if there couldn't be an additional guest.

- An additional guest?

Well, whom did you have in mind?

- Burke Devlin.

- Burke Devlin? - Yes.

- Why should you want to ask him?

- Well... when I got your invitation,

I had completely forgotten

that I had a previous engagement with him.

- I see.

Well, you understand, of course,

that the party is for the members of the family only.

- Oh, I know that,

but you have already made an exception for me.

I thought perhaps you could make another exception.

- Well, I really don't know what to say.

You are hardly an exception.

You are part of the family.

- It would mean so much to me.

- Would it?

- Yes.

And I'm sure that he would be a great asset to your party.

- Would he?

Perhaps you are right.

There is a role that Mr. Devlin could play.

- There is? - Yes.

He could play a very important member of the family.

- Which one?

- Jeremiah Collins.

- Jeremiah...

wasn't he the husband of Josette?

- That's correct.

And he was also the man who built Collinwood.

Well, a gathering of the Collins family

certainly wouldn't be complete without Jeremiah.

Yes, That's the role that Mr. Devlin will play.

You may tell Mr. Devlin that...

he is cordially invited tomorrow evening.

- Thank you so much.

- And tell him that his costume

will be delivered tomorrow morning,

and I look forward with great pleasure to seeing him.

- I will. Thank you again.

- Until tomorrow night then, Josette.

- Oh... yes, of course.

Good night, Barnabas Collins.

I think tomorrow, when you are in your costume,

you will look very much like the other Barnabas Collins.

- I will do everything in my power to make that believable.

- Good night. - Good night.

Willie!

There will be another guest, Willie.

- Who? - Burke Devlin.

- He's coming to the party?

- Well, it's something that Miss Winters desired...

but could be very useful to me.

- What do you mean?

- Burke Devlin is coming as Jeremiah Collins.

Oh, that doesn't mean much to you, I realize,

but to me... he was an object of hate.

He was the worst enemy I had.

If time had permitted, I would have destroyed him.

Tomorrow night,

I may well have that opportunity.

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis Production.