Parapsychologist Dr Guthrie visits blonde fire witch Laura Murdoch Collins in her cottage on the grounds of the estate of Collinwood. He tells her that his researches have led him to the conclusion that she is “The Undead” and that she poses a danger to her son, strange and troubled boy David. She replies that he is being preposterous, but she doesn’t deny anything he says.
Guthrie says that she is probably wondering why he has told her these things. The audience certainly is- Laura has already tried to cast a paralyzing spell on Guthrie, and can hardly be expected to grow more benevolent towards him now that she knows that he has figured out her nature and has told her he is “closing in on” her.
Guthrie explains to Laura that their meeting marks a significant moment in the history of the world- a scientist has come face to face with a being who has died and returned to walk the earth. He wants to learn from her, and offers to help her if she will stop trying to claim David. He tells her that an effort to bring science to bear on cases like hers “has been my life.” “What an interesting way to put it,” Laura responds, in her unforgettable sardonic tone. She dismisses his offer, and tells him he is powerless.
In a way, it’s too bad Laura doesn’t take an interest in what Guthrie might be able to do for her. That’s quite an idea, a scientist trying to help an undead being and to explore the realm of the supernatural thereby. It suggests the 1945 Universal movie The House of Dracula, in which a blood specialist treats Dracula for vampirism, with apparent success. That doctor then encounters the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s monster. He attempts to treat them also, but things eventually go awry. The House of Dracula runs for 67 minutes; it might be interesting to develop a story like that in a daytime serial, where you have as much time as the audience and the network are willing to give you.
Guthrie is trying to organize a séance to contact Laura’s chief adversary, the ghost of Josette Collins. He tells hardworking young fisherman Joe* that they will have to recruit drunken artist Sam Evans to join them at the séance. Joe laughs at the thought of how Sam will react to such an invitation. Sam’s daughter, Maggie, is Joe’s girlfriend; Joe stops laughing and is a little bit scared when he thinks of Maggie’s likely reaction. But Guthrie insists that Sam’s participation is essential. Josette took possession of Sam to paint pictures that gave them some of their first and clearest warnings of what Laura might do to David, so he has already been one of her most powerful mediums. Joe agrees to ask him.
At the Evans cottage, Joe pitches Sam and Maggie on the séance. Sam at first finds the notion hard to take seriously. The more he thinks about it, the more convinced he becomes that Guthrie’s theories are correct and that it is his duty to participate. Maggie is dead set against her father having anything to do with Collinwood or the supernatural. She has worked on getting him to forget the paintings he made under Josette’s influence and his belief that Laura was responsible for the fire that injured his hands shortly after he painted them. As an Adult Child of an Alcoholic, Maggie is in the habit of heading Sam off when he’s on his way to do something weird. Usually Joe is her most reliable ally and greatest help in looking after her father. Today, she reluctantly gives in when Sam and Joe both think the séance is a good idea.
In the drawing room of the great house at Collinwood, Dr Guthrie is studying some documents. We see Laura staring into the fire in her cottage. Her eyes are superimposed over the image of Guthrie as he becomes ill.
Joe comes in and sees that Guthrie is struggling for breath. He asks Guthrie if he is all right. Guthrie complains of the heat. Since Joe is still wearing his heavy coat and looks perfectly comfortable, he ought to know that isn’t much of an explanation. He mentions that he has completed some tasks Guthrie asked him to perform. Guthrie has no idea what he’s talking about. When Laura attacked Guthrie in episodes 175 and 176, it was through a spell that hit him while he was in this same room. Then also, he had difficulty breathing during the attack and a gap in his memory afterward.
That time, well-meaning governess Vicki came into the drawing room and saw Guthrie suffering the effects of the attack. The attack abruptly ended. While Guthrie was recovering, David came back to the house and told him and Vicki that he had interrupted Laura a few minutes before while she was staring into the fire at her cottage. After David gave Vicki and Guthrie a full account of the incident, they sent him off to have dinner followed by two desserts- cake and ice cream.
That day, Vicki recognized the symptoms of Guthrie’s attack as the same those reclusive matriarch Liz exhibited after a confrontation with Laura and before she lapsed into a catatonic state from which she has not yet recovered. From this, Vicki concluded that David must have stopped Laura while she was in the process of casting the same spell on Guthrie that she earlier cast on Liz. Guthrie agreed with Vicki’s analysis, but was confident he could defend himself against any further spells Laura might cast. He never explained what his defense would be.
Whatever protection Guthrie thought he could give himself against Laura’s powers obviously isn’t working, at least not while he is alone. After Joe goes away, Laura resumes casting her spell.
While Guthrie struggles in the drawing room, David strolls into the foyer. The ghost of Josette manifests on the staircase above. She takes a few steps down towards him and points to the drawing room doors.
David realizes Josette is telling him to go into that room at once. He obeys, and finds Dr Guthrie on the floor by the fireplace, apparently near death.
*Who is evidently fishing again. Months ago, Joe got a white-collar position in the offices of the cannery, a position he accepted only in order to make enough money to buy his own boat. Today David asks him when he will take him along on the boats, and Maggie mentions that he’d recently lost his watch in a mackerel net. They never told us that he’d gone back out, and indeed he was carrying papers back and forth from the office as recently as #174.
Dark Shadows Commentary 