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Episode Recap #13: The Baron's Bride
Original Airdate: February 20, 1988
Starring:
John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion
Louise Robey as Micki Foster
Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak
Guest cast:
Tom McCamus as Frank Edwards
Kevin Bundy as Abraham
Susannah Hoffmann as Caitlin
Diana Barrington as Marie Simmons
John Shepherd as Constable
Written by Larry Gaynor
Directed by Bradford May
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This week, we open on a man walking down the street. He arrives at a house with a room for rent and knocks on the door. A woman answers, saying she was waiting for him. She says she has been looking to rent the room since her husband died. The man, Frank Edwards, replies that, from the look of things outside, a man is needed around here. She agrees, then leads him upstairs. The room is large, done up in an antique style. The woman, Mrs. Simmons, leaves Frank alone to check out the room. Frank's attention is drawn to a cape laid out on the bed, with a brooch for a clasp. The woman watches him from the doorway.
At Curious Goods, Jack tells Micki and Ryan to get their coats. He says he has located the cape at a house on Bay Street. Seems it was sold to a Peter Simmons, who died. Jack saw that the house he lived in has a room for rent, so he wants Ryan to pretend to rent the room so they can look for it.
Back at the house, Frank is drawn to the cape and the brooch and puts it on so he can look in the mirror. His appearance is instantly changed to a more Gothic, romantic look. Mrs. Simmons comes in and tells him it is okay that he put it on, she has been waiting for someone else to wear it. Frank protests, but she says the man who could wear the cape is the man she wants to share her life with.
I wonder if Mr. Simmons was already a vampire when Lewis sold this to him?
On the way to the house, Ryan asks Jack about the cape. Jack says that when a man wears the cape it makes him irresistible to women. Micki wonders what good the cape will do Mrs. Simmons, then.
Mrs. Simmons tells Frank that they can be together forever. A drop of his blood mixed with hers on the clasp and they can even travel through time! She loosens his collar.
Vampire!
Jack knocks on the door, but no one answers. Inside, Mrs. Simmons tells Frank that, first, he must become "one of us". She then bears her fangs and bites into his neck. Outside, the trio hears Frank's scream and bust the door open and rush inside. More screams lead them upstairs, where they find Mrs. Simmons feasting on Frank, her mouth covered in blood. She uses her powers to attacks Micki, knocking her out. Then she forces Jack back and tosses Ryan out of the room. Ryan gets and idea and rushes downstairs. The vampire attacks Jack as Frank comes to, a vampire himself now. Mrs. Simmons is about to attack Jack when she is stabbed through the back and into her heart by the "Room for Rent" sent wielded by Ryan. She dies.
Ironic, I think? Hmmm...
Jack tells Micki to get the cape from Frank, but the curse works on her and she is entranced by the new vampire. She leans in and a drop of her blood lands on the clasp as a drop of his does. The time travel aspect of the curse is activated, but Ryan grabs onto Frank, trying to free Micki. Instantly, the three of them are transported back in time to 1875 London! Frank takes off, leaving Micki and Ryan confused.
Well, this is a new one for our heroes.
A young couple approach them, asking if they need assistance Ryan says that they have come a long way and Micki says they are from the States. The man introduces himself as Abraham and his wife as Caitlin. Ryan asks if he knows of a place to stay and Abraham offers to let them stay with them. Micki is still entranced, however, looking around for Frank.
Kindness ends up being their downfall, sadly.
Frank runs through the London streets, confused. The lust for blood causes him to follow a street walker and he scares her, but tells her he just needs help and leads her away. She is entranced by him, as well, and he feasts on her blood as she screams into the night. As he finishes, a constable notices and calls to him. Frank bares his bloody fangs, then disappears into the night.
At Abraham's, Caitlin tends to Micki's cut. Some confusion takes place as the couple are confused about customs Ryan mentions. Ryan worries about Micki, asking her what's wrong. She snaps, saying that they are trapped in London in 1875 with no way of getting home. He says they will get back, they just need the cape. Micki wonders if they will be stuck there forever if they can't locate the cape. Caitlin offers to let them stay there, but Micki says that isn't the point. She looks out the window and then says she is tired.
Micki, trapped by a curse antique, yet again!
During the night, Micki awakens, feeling a need to find Frank. She attempts to slip out of the apartment, but is stopped by Ryan. She tells him to go back to sleep, she just wants to look for the cape. Ryan doesn't understand why she wants to go tonight. He reminds her that they shouldn't be chasing vampires at night. She says she isn't afraid, which worries Ryan more. She insists all is well, but Ryan tells her he won't let her go. She snaps at him and Abraham awakes. Soon, they hear a commotion outside and a man in the street tells them about the dead prostitute with the marks on her neck. They all rush out to investigate, leaving Caitlin home alone.
Outside, Frank is running from the mob chasing him. Ryan tells Abraham about the vampire, but the man doesn't believe him. Still, he leads them on toward where the murder occurred Seeing the body, he still doesn't believe a vampire is the culprit. Ryan asks if Abraham knows of places to hide in the city, which he does. Ryan then says they need some items before they go after the creature.
Frank hides in an old building and the mob moves on, not knowing how close they were. Abraham leads Micki and Ryan to the old warehouse, the same place Frank hid. The sun rises and Ryan is glad to have sunlight on their side. Micki says Frank is inside, it seems she can sense him. They enter and search.
Frank takes off the cape and tosses it aside. As soon as he does this, he feels strange. His skin begins to rapidly age and shrivel. The group gets closer to where he is hiding, Micki leading the way. Frank continues to age and then realizes the cape and clasp must have some power. He puts them back on and is instantly transformed into a young man again. He snarls and Micki hears, heading deeper into the warehouse.
A vampire trapped by a curse antique! Doh!
Frank leaps out at them, tosses Ryan and then Abraham aside. Micki warns Frank when Ryan attempts to attack, and the vampire tosses him away again. He tells them that Micki is his. Abraham takes a chance and rushes at the vampire with the cloves of garlic they brought. Frank is repelled and Ryan grabs Micki and the three make their escape. Frank quickly goes after then.
Micki screams in protest the whole time Ryan pulls her along with him. She needs to be with him, she yells. As Frank approaches, Ryan leaves Micki with Abraham and, just as the vampire grabs Micki, he opens the shutters on a window. The sunlight causes Frank pain and he takes off, back into the depths of the warehouse.
Back at the apartment, Caitlin asks if there is anything she can get for Micki. But the entranced woman just stares at the window, waiting. Abraham is still having trouble believing all this, but he knows how strong love is. Ryan says the only way to stop the vampire is to kill it, which Micki hears. Abraham insists on going with Ryan. Leaving Micki with Caitlin, the men head off to find the vampire.
In the warehouse, Frank is thinking about Micki and how she is the woman he wants to spend eternity with. His thoughts call out to Micki, awakening her in pain. She thinks about him, as well, and he gets the sense of just where she is. Ryan and Abraham arrive at the warehouse and look about.
At the apartment, Caitlin worries about Abraham and comments to Micki about the sunset. Micki smiles at the thought of the coming night. Later, she tells Caitlin "he" is here, she can feel it. But the woman sees no one when she looks outside. When she turns back, she sees Frank levitating outside the window, but he vanishes.
At the warehouse, Ryan and Abraham find the body of yet another woman and realize the vampire has fed and escaped. They rush out and are startled to see it is dark already.
Caitlin doesn't understand how someone could be outside their second story window, then hears the noise of a person on the roof. Opening the door to get away, she is frightened to find Frank standing there. She blocks the vampire from Micki, demanding he leave her be. But he reaches out and grabs the young woman by the throat as Micki, still entranced, watches.
Ryan and Abraham arrive and see the constables about. Abraham rushes inside and screams when he finds the dead body of his wife. Ryan steps closer to offer his sympathy, but Abraham tells him to get out, that ever since Ryan arrived, his life has been turned upside down and now look, Caitlin is dead. All because of Ryan and his stories of vampires. Ryan quietly leaves as Abraham cries over the body of his love. Outside, Ryan holds the wooden stake in his hand and heads off, determined to rescue Micki.
Poor Caitlin. Poor Abraham. Damn you, Lewis!
Micki awakens and Frank tells her not to be afraid, that he is the only man she will ever love. She is still under his spell. He tells her what Mrs. Simmons told him, about the cape and its powers. He leans in to bite her, but Ryan rushes him, stake in hand. Frank is able to deflect the attack and grabs Ryan by the throat, lifting him up into the air so he can kill him. Just before he can, however, the wooden stake protrudes through his chest. He screams and drops Ryan, then collapses. Abraham, having arrived and killed the vampire, tells him to die in pain.
Ryan picks up the cape with its clasp and heads to Micki, who is slowly coming out of the trance. He apologizes to Abraham, who apologies in return for doubting Ryan. Ryan says he can never thank him for all he has done and all he has suffered. Micki hugs Abraham, then Ryan is about to put his blood and Micki's on the clasp when Abraham says he wants to go with them. Ryan tells him he can't, he needs to stay in his own time. Ryan and Micki then mix their blood on the clasp and Abraham watches as they both vanish.
Back in the present, Jack is shocked when Micki and Ryan reappear, cape in hand. Ryan tells him he wouldn't believe how far they had to go to get it.
Later, at the store, Jack wants to hear about the London of the past. Ryan says they didn't have time to absorb all the details. Jack says it was a waste that they didn't see more on their journey. Micki says they got the cape and the clasp, that isn't a waste. Jack agrees, then tells them he has something to show them. He asks about their friend from the past, Abraham. Seems they never learned his last name, but Jack says he might know it. He pulls a book down and hands it to Micki. She reads the cover, "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. Ryan says it could be anyone, but Jack tells them to read the inscription. Micki does, and it reads "To Caitlin, The Only Woman I Will Ever Love".
Quite a twist. I like it! :)
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My thoughts:
Great, jam-packed episode! Love the introduction of vampires into the series and how Jack, upon seeing the vampire attacking Frank, yells "Vampire!" He obviously has had some dealings with them in the past, makes me quite curious to know of those adventures.
Love how even vampires can use the cursed items, by the way. No one is immune to their power! And They are trapped by them, as well, as we see Frank shrivel when he tosses the cape and clasp aside. Doubly-cursed, he was.
Nice touch have the scenes in the past be in black and white. I know the show revisits this concept in other time travel episodes and I like it.
The twist of Abraham being Bram Stoker was fun, as well. Lewis not only made his cursed items able to affect people in the past, he inadvertently changed the history of literature and horror along the way!
Micki being entranced completely was scary. She stand by as the vampire kills Caitlin, unable to help. At the end, when the vampire is killed, I at first thought she pushed through the spell to save Ryan, but even then, she was helpless. Abraham had to do the killing. Makes sense, she would be totally in the power of the curse, just as everyone else has been. They aren't cursed by Satan for nothing!
Feel bad for Abraham and Caitlyn, though. All they did was try to help!
Great episode!
Next week: "Bedazzled"
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