Episode 126: Flowers and Sugarplums

Wednesday, December 21, 1966

Note: The episodes’ official numbering includes skipped numbers for pre-emptions, in accordance with their numbering system (so that one could look at the number of an episode and know what day of the week it aired on). I have elected to number the episodes by what episode it actually is, but I will note the official numbering also.

This is the 126th episode, but the official number is 128.
 

My name is Victoria Winters. The nights of terror have ended, and I have returned to Collinwood, but death has also come here—a death so weird and mysterious that no one can explain it.

Joe stops by the restaurant and tells Maggie the coroner’s report on Matthew is a heart attack. 
Maggie and the sheriff think he died of fright. They argue back and forth about that and ghosts.

She says his reality is only fish—“and Carolyn Stoddard, if you want to call that real.” He says she’s getting to be a brassy dame, and she asks if he expected flowers and sugarplums. 
He says he doesn’t know what to expect from her. She says, “Good.” That’s the trouble with men; they expect women to agree with them and be predictable.

Sam comes in and wants to talk with Maggie. He wants to know whether she found out anything about the mysterious blonde. 
She hasn’t. He asks her to try.

He grills her about what the blonde said. 

She gives him what details she has.

Maggie recounts the legend of the phoenix. 
Sam thinks it’s a strange thing for her to talk about.

After he leaves, Joe volunteers to keep an eye on Sam at the Blue Whale.

He leaves and the blonde comes down.

Maggie fills her in on Matthew and the ghost of Josette Collins. 
Maggie asks a few questions about the blonde’s reunion with her family. She says she hasn’t seen them yet. They’ll be shocked to see her again.

She lights a cigarette and keeps the match lit a little too long. (Fire is pretty.)

Maggie says she looks like she could be a Spencer—or one of the Langes?

No.

Sam says Joe is a good kid, but he doesn’t drink enough. 
Sam is anxious for Maggie to arrive. She finally does, and he wants to talk with her alone. 
She doesn’t have the name. Sam grabs her violently (not the first time he’s violent with Maggie), saying he needs to know. 
After Sam recovers himself, Maggie says she felt like a spy, and the lady seems very nice.

Sam says if she’s who he thinks, Maggie will find out how nice she is.

When he leaves, Joe offers Maggie a lift home.

Sam goes into the hotel lobby, and, finding the clerk not there, checks the guestbook. He is shocked by the name.

He goes to the payphone and hunkers down as the blonde goes by.

Sam calls Roger and tells him the worst possible thing that could happen has happened and to meet him at the Blue Whale.

At the Blue Whale, Sam is drinking. 
He lights a cigarette.
Roger tells Sam that he doesn’t like to receive phone calls like that.

Sam says he doesn’t like to make them.

   Roger needs to help him get a little drunker. Sam says they’re going to be closer now, like brothers. Roger doubts this.

After some verbal darts, Sam asks him who is the person who could ruin both of their lives.

“Roll out the welcome mat! Yeah, my boy, Laura is back in town. Smile, Roger, your wife is home!”

                                          Cast, In Order of Appearance

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

         Maggie Evans  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Leigh Scott

         Joel Haskell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Joel Crothers

        Sam Evans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Ford

        The Blonde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Diana Millay

        Roger Collins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis Edmonds

        Fashion by Ohrbach’s

        Directed by Lela Swift

        Written by Malcolm Marmorstein