Episode 81: Interview

Monday, October 17, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. For eighteen years, most of this great house has been closed off. Eighteen years, during which the servant staff has consisted of only one man, a man whose continued devotion to the Collins family has been the driving force of a narrow, lonely life.

Matthew stops by the restaurant and decides to sit down with Burke Devlin, who isn’t too interested in having coffee with the man who tried to strangle him to death. 

Matthew wants to know why Burke wants Collinwood when he has more money than he’ll ever need. Matthew says Liz will never sell Collinwood.

Burke says there’s nothing that isn’t for sale. Matthew wants to know if Burke still thinks Bill was murdered. Why can’t he accept the coroner’s verdict? Matthew says he’s sorry for what he did. Burke says when he’s through with Collinwood, he’ll apologize. He tells Matthew not to worry—what happened to Mrs. Johnson won’t happen to him. Burke’ll even get him a housekeeper so he doesn’t have to work so hard. Burke uses reverse psychology to get Matthew to spill that Mrs. Johnson has an interview at Collinwood. She might end up living there, but Burke never will.

Burke goes to the pay phone and calls Mrs. Johnson. She starts to tell him about the interview but he says he already knows. He’s annoyed at being kept out of the loop.

Liz tells Matthew to stay away from Burke. 

Matthew wonders why Mrs. Johnson needs to have a job. Couldn’t she just go live with her daughter? Liz says if she does engage Mrs. Johnson, it will be because she thinks it’s for the best.

Matthew lurks outside as Mrs. Johnson arrives for her interview.

Liz tells her that they’ve had so many phone conversations, it doesn’t seem like they haven’t seen each other for years. They talk about how they miss Bill.

Liz explains the current situation at Collinwood and why she’s thinking of getting help now.

Mrs. Johnson thinks Bill’s death could have been prevented.

Liz says when she began considering a housekeeper for Collinwood, Mrs. Johnson was the first person who came to mind. (This is completely inaccurate, unless she was thinking of this before Carolyn mentioned it!)

Liz says the family’s business is their own concern. Mrs. Johnson assures her that she doesn’t gossip. Liz gives her a tour of the house.

Liz asks Matthew to take Mrs. Johnson back into town.

She thinks.

At the restaurant, Matthew tries to convince Mrs. Johnson that she should go live with her daughter. She says that what’s really bothering Matthew is whether she’ll be loyal to the Collins family. 

She says Bill Malloy’s first priority was the Collins family. Matthew doesn’t want to talk about Bill. Mrs. Johnson does. She’ll do what Mr. Malloy would want and be loyal to the family.

After Matthew leaves, Mrs. Johnson tells the waitress she’ll order later and goes to the pay phone to call Burke. She tells him she’s just been to Collinwood and she’d like to come up to see him.

Burke wants to know when she starts. 

She says she might not start at all and he accuses her of lousing things up. She says it was an interview, she didn’t louse anything up, she doesn’t like his tone, and she doesn’t much like him.

He apologizes.

He says he’s going to Lookout Point (where Carolyn is going for a walk) to look for evidence.

Matthew comes home and tells Liz that whatever she decides about Mrs. Johnson will be for the best. Liz calls Mrs. Johnson and tells her she can start whenever it’s convenient for her.

Liz hopes she isn’t making a mistake.

 

                          Cast, In Order of Appearance

Victoria Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandra Moltke

Matthew Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Thayer David

Burke Devlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitchell Ryan

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard . . . . . . . . Joan Bennett

Mrs. Sarah Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Clarice Blackburn

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by John Sedwick

Story created and written by Art Wallace