Werewolf Chris Jennings finds that his curse is no longer effective only on the nights of the full Moon, but that he can transform on other nights as well. Also, the evil ghost of Quentin Collins takes steps to foil the efforts of old world gentleman Barnabas Collins and permanent houseguest Julia Hoffman to prevent him from destroying the living members of his family.
So far, so much fun to watch. But there is also bad news. Actor Roger Davis rejoins the cast. Mr Davis ruined dozens of episodes in 1968, many of them by whining angrily when people called his character “Peter,” saying he preferred the name “Jeff.” Now he is greeted as “Jeff,” only to respond with a demand that he be called “Ned.” The character has some different story around him than did Peter/ Jeff, but he has the same irritating voice, the same uptight walk, the same handsiness with his female cast-mates, and the same incessantly violent temper Mr Davis showed in his previous role.
Ned shows up at the great house of Collinwood at 1:10 in the morning. He walks past heiress Carolyn Collins Stoddard when she opens the front door and takes up a position in the foyer, peppering her with his questions and refusing to answer hers. When she objects to his aggression, he sneers about the unfriendliness of New Englanders. He tells her he wants to see Chris. She reaches for the telephone to call Chris at his cottage. Ned rushes over and puts his hand on hers, keeping the receiver on the hook. She gives him a startled look, but does not raise an explicit objection to this violation of her autonomy.
In #684, Quentin took the same telephone from the hand of twelve year old David Collins, who vigorously protested that he had no right to do so. Indeed, restraining a person from calling for help can be an element of kidnapping, and Ned has every reason to believe that Carolyn wants to enlist help dealing with his intrusion. Both Quentin’s relationship to David and Ned’s presence in the house at this moment have strong kidnap vibes.
The last time someone tried to confine Carolyn within the main part of the house was in #204, when dangerously unstable ruffian Willie Loomis blocked the door and kept her from leaving the drawing room. Carolyn responded to that move by pulling a loaded gun on Willie, with salutary results. We might hope she will use the same weapon to bring Mr Davis’ return to the show to an abrupt conclusion, but alas, it is not to be.
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