291 - August 7, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Julia narrating] - There are times when death brushes by silently, unnoticed.

But, there are times when we invite him deliberately.

For one who has sought this meeting,

it could be

a fatal encounter.

- Good evening, Barnabas Collins.

I've been waiting for you for a long time...

a long, long time.

- Have you?

- Yes.

- Why?

- Because I know what you are.

♪♪

♪♪

- What do you mean you know what I am?

- You are Barnabas Collins.

The only Barnabas Collins...

who died over years ago.

- That's an absurd statement.

- Don't try to deny it.

I've investigated you thoroughly,

and I've seen you in your coffin.

- Have you?

- Yesterday at dawn.

- You realize that such knowledge

puts you in great danger.

- Well, of course, that's why I took the precaution

of putting a dummy in the bed.

- But you didn't take the precaution

of getting as far away from here as possible.

- No, because what I need is here.

- What is it you want?

- You.

- I don't know what you mean, but it doesn't matter...

because...

I...

am going to k*ll you...

Miss Hoffman.

- DoctorHoffman.

Doctor Hoffman, uh--

- Doctor Hoffman?

- Yes, yes, I-I-I-I can help you.

- Help me?

- Yes, I, I tell you...

You don't have to live this life!

- You're merely trying to save yourself.

- Oh, would I...

Would I have let myself be in this position

if I didn't believe I had something of value

for you and for me?

- But there is no other way of life for me.

- There is.

- It isn't possible.

- It wasn't possible odd years ago

but it is possible now.

- How can you be so certain?

- Because I have spent my lifetime

studying conditions such as yours.

- How could you have done this?

Have there been others like myself?

- No.

You're the only one I've encountered.

That's why you're so important to me.

That's why I need you.

- Need me?

- From the time I entered medical school

I've been fascinated by the relationship of life to death.

I believe that one is a continuance of the other,

and that someday they will merge

and that life will not terminate.

That day is close at hand now, now that I've found you.

- You assume too much.

You assume that I'm interested in your theory.

- You can't help but be interested in my theory.

You're the-you're the only link I know of that can span

the two worlds from dead to living.

Oh, my research has been very long and fruitless up till now.

Your condition seemed to exist only in legend and story.

I had no hope of finding someone like you.

- What is this theory of yours?

- Whole blood is insufficient to sustain you.

That's why you constantly have to replenish your supply.

- If I were to permit you, what would you do?

- Well, the basis of your problem

is the destructive nature of your blood cells.

There's an imbalance which causes more cells

to be destroyed than replaced.

My objective then is to alter the cellular structure

of your blood by introducing

a new plasma into your arterial system.

- You begin to intrigue me, Dr. Hoffman.

You begin to intrigue me very much.

♪♪

[wind howling]

- There's too many things I don't understand, Dr. Hoffman,

but your room was not the place to discuss them.

- I suppose you're right.

- Now tell me...

Do the others:

Mrs. Stoddard, the Collins family, Miss Winters.

Do they know who you are and what you're seeking?

- No, they only know me as Miss Hoffman,

an historian who asks too many questions.

- Does anyone else know?

- Yes. - Who?

- Oh, does it matter?

- Of course it does. - But I don't see why...

- If we're to succeed,

a mutual trust must exist between us.

Because if, for a moment, I thought I couldn't trust you...

- You would k*ll me.

- Yes.

Who else knows?

- Dr. Woodard.

- Woodard? Of course.

How much does he actually know?

- Well, I've kept him in the dark, told him nothing.

He wouldn't believe it anyway.

You've got to trust that no one else knows about you.

- Willie.

Doctor Hoffman will be spending some time here.

- Doctor?

- Yes.

Dr. Hoffman has fooled us all.

She's been investigating us very carefully.

- Has she?

- Yes, she knows everything.

- Well, what's going to happen?

- Well, that remains to be seen.

You see, Dr. Hoffman is a very unique doctor.

- What do you mean?

- She believes she can cure my condition.

- Can you?

- I'm almost certain of it.

- Willie would like that.

I'm sure he'll be a great help to you.

Dr. Hoffman will need a room to serve as a laboratory.

There are several downstairs that she could choose from.

Take her down there and let her select one.

- Oh, we can do that tomorrow.

- I prefer you to do it now.

The sooner you are able to begin,

the sooner we'll know

whether you're able to fulfill your theories.

♪♪

[horn honking]

- Did you see him?

- He's just finishing up an operation.

The nurse said he would be out in a minute.

Look, sit down Sam, take it easy.

- Oh, it's gotta stop, Joe, it's gotta stop!

- Well, no argument there.

We all need to know where we stand.

- I want to know it now.

- Okay, but just remember that Dr. Woodard is a friend.

- I'm trying to remember it. - Here he is.

- Dave...

- Sam, Joe, what are you doing in the hospital so late?

- We've been tracking you down. I had to see you.

- What about?

- We'd like to have the answers to some questions.

- Oh, come on now, you two.

I've just finished delivering a set of twins.

I'm-I'm bushed, it's been a long, long night.

Can't it wait until tomorrow night, tomorrow morning?

- No, no, it can't because I can't sleep.

- Well, what do you want to know?

- The lowdown on Dr. Hoffman.

- I've already told you everything

I know about Dr. Hoffman. - No, no you haven't.

There's something fishy going on about her

and I want to know what it is.

- Shh, now come on, Sam.

Come on down here.

We have to be careful that we're not overheard.

Now what are you talking about?

- We just found out that Dr. Hoffman is here in town

passing herself off as some kind of an historian,

writing a book on the Collins family.

She's even, she's even living up at Collinwood.

Nobody there seems to know who she really is.

- Well, that's true.

- Well, isn't that a, a strange kind of cure for Maggie?

- Sam, Dr. Hoffman has her own methods of work.

I've nothing to do with that.

- But why all the concentration

on the Collins family?

What good is it gonna do Maggie?

♪♪

- I don't know that the Collins family

has anything to do with Maggie.

- Then will you please tell me, Dave, why Dr. Hoffman

is spending so much time up at Collinwood?

What does she expect to gain by it?

- I obviously asked her that.

There must be some value that she hopes to gain

in what she's doing. - What kind of value?

- I don't know. She was a little vague.

- As vague as you are?

- How else can I be under the circumstances?

- I... I just can't accept that.

- Look, Sam, what we're trying to find out

is what has affected Maggie's mind.

Now, no possibility can be left unexplored.

We're probing an area here where...

Well, the answer could come from almost anywhere.

- But why the false identity?

Why can't she just come right out and say she's a doctor

and ask whatever questions she wants to ask?

- She feels that it's necessary

for her identity to be kept a secret.

- Ohh...

But, look, I'm, I'm willing to buy anything

that will, that will help Maggie.

But, is, uh, Dr. Hoffman making any progress?

- Well, her reports haven't been too encouraging so far.

Now remember, I pressed this woman very hard.

I told her that I might even take Maggie out

from under her care. - Then why not do that?

- Because I can't dismiss the idea that she's on to something.

[elevator bell dings]

Look, all she's asked for is a little more time.

- Oh, she's had plenty of time.

- Now wait a minute, Joe.

You cannot measure time in a case like this.

The solution to Maggie's problem could just be...

Oh, hours away.

Then again, it... could be years away.

You just have to face it, Sam.

- Look, Dave, I just don't know how long

I can go on pretending that Maggie's dead.

I don't know if I can take much more of it!

- I know, I know how rough it is on you.

And I know it's rough on you, Joe.

But there's nothing else that I can recommend.

- All we want is a little bit of honesty doctor, we'd...

We'd just like to know what all these maneuvers mean.

- Yeah.

Can't you tell Dr. Hoffman to level with us?

Is that asking too much?

- I can't tell her anything, Sam.

I can ask her to explain...

but I know she won't.

- I have too many secrets in my life.

Now you just tell that Dr. Hoffman

that she'd better give me some explanation for her activities

or I'm going to bust this thing wide open!

- Shh.

Joe, don't you let him do that.

- I don't think I could stop him.

You see, I feel the same way he does.

♪♪

- Where is she?

- She's still down there.

She picked out a room.

- Good.

- Well, is it good?

I mean, is it on the level?

- I don't know.

- Well, can you trust her?

- I'm not sure.

- But if you're not sure, how,

how can you let her go out of here?

- I didn't say I'd let her out.

- Then what are you going to do?

- I'm going to k*ll her.

♪♪

- You're gonna k*ll her?

- I'm afraid I'll have to.

I went to her room tonight with that intention.

But she anticipated me and was waiting for me.

I planned to bring the body back here

but now she's made that so much easier for me.

- She-she told me what she was going to do.

The kind of experiments she was going to make.

But what about that, Barnabas? Can she really cure you?

- I don't really know.

- It would be good if she could.

- Would it, Willie? Would it really?

- Well, sure, it would mean we wouldn't have to do

the things we've been doing.

- You think things will change for you?

- Some things, yeah.

It would mean that I could live without...

without the feeling that something terrible happening

at any minute.

- If you think you'll be free of me, you're wrong.

Because you will be with me for the rest of your days.

- I know that.

- What she has to offer me is very enticing to me.

But, it may be my downfall.

She was clever enough to discover my identity,

clever enough to trick me into walking into her room,

which might well have been a trap.

- But it wasn't.

- I know.

That's what bothers me.

That's the contradiction!

And then her theory about changing the structure

of my blood.

Simple, logical.

Too simple perhaps.

Somehow, I feel I'll never really

be able to trust her entirely.

- Well, why not give her a chance?

- Because, that chance may be my last mistake.

I can't risk everything.

My existence may not have been what it should be,

but at least I have permanence.

No, no, I cannot trust Dr. Hoffman.

I cannot take a chance.

I will...

do away with her...

Now.

♪♪

- Barnabas-- - The room's quite satisfactory.

- Fine.

- I've prepared a list of things that I'll need.

There's a chemical supply house in Bangor.

They'll have all these things.

Willie will have to go.

- Very complete.

Willie, you have an errand to do.

You can do that tomorrow morning.

- Sure.

- The room will have to be cleaned and scrubbed.

- Do you hear that Willie?

You might as well go down and begin now.

- You want me to begin?

- That's what I said.

- Okay.

- He looked at me in a very strange way.

- Willie's a very strange young man.

- Well, it'll be a few days

before I can begin the first of my experiments.

The first thing I have to do

is purge your entire arterial system.

There won't be any discomfort,

and there won't be any after effects.

Now, I think I've done enough for one day.

- Where are you going?

- Back to Collinwood.

- I think not.

- But I can't stay away from there all night.

They'll-they'll miss me, they'll wonder where I am.

- Yes, they will miss you and they'll wonder where you are.

But I'm afraid that can't be helped.

- Well, how will you explain my being here?

- I won't have to explain it.

No one will know.

- What do you mean?

- I've reevalued our relationship and I have

come to the conclusion that it is not possible to trust you.

- But how very wrong you are.

I'm the one person in the world that you cantrust.

- I believe you to be a threat to me.

Therefore, I cannot permit you to continue your existence.

- Oh, Barnabas, you'll-you'll have to learn to trust me

because I represent your entire future.

- Do you?

- Yes.

Alive, I can give you the kind of life you want.

Dead, I will be your downfall.

- How so?

Your body will never be discovered.

You'll never be traced to me.

- Oh, if I die you'll be named.

Everything you've done will be told.

They'll know what you are.

- Who will tell this?

- To k*ll me is to find out.

- You're bluffing.

- Try me and see.

- Who is it? - Oh!

[gasping]

Maggie Evans!

- Maggie Evans is dead!

- Is she?

- She's alive.

- And well hidden.

- What has she said?

- Nothing, nothing specific as yet.

I traced her-- traced you through my own deductions.

At present, she's suffering from traumatic amnesia.

But, eventually, she willrecover.

And then she'll tell everything that she knows.

- But she'll do that whether you're alive or dead.

- No, she won't.

Because, if I'm alive,

I will be in charge of her treatment.

And I can see to it that her amnesia remains permanent.

My life guarantees your security.

Destroy me and you'll destroy yourself.

♪♪

♪♪

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