F13:TS 25 - Pirate's Promise

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Episode Recap #22: Pirate's Promise

Original Airdate: July 2, 1988

Starring:
John D. LeMay as Ryan Dallion
Louise Robey as Micki Foster

Guest cast:
Cedric Smith as Joe Fenton
Thomas Hauff as Dewey
Bernard Behrens as Barney
Kirsten Kieferle as Marie
Susan Markle as Kim

Written by Carl Binder
Directed by Bill Corcoran

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A truck pulls up to a lighthouse at night and its occupants make out a bit before heading inside. The woman asks if the man lives here all alone, he says yes. They head up to check out the view from the light, the man secretly bringing a knife with him. He turns the old foghorn and then the woman notices an old boat in the water. He says he sees nothing then stabs the woman, killing her. A shrouded figure in the boat watches. The man then brings the woman's body down to the water, placing her in the dinghy. He appears to recognize the figure in the boat, who proceeds to throw some gold coins into the sand. The man gathers up the coins as the boat drifts back out to sea.

Interesting how this antique aligns itself with a pirate who wants revenge!

The next morning, a man named Dewey Covington calls Curious Goods asking for Jack. Micki tells him Jack is unavailable and asks if she can assist. He says he got their letter about the old foghorn, but he sold it and the man who bought it died last year. Micki asks for directions to his town, Whaler's Point. She tells him they will be on their way. Ryan doesn't seem too keen on the idea of seafood and salt air.

Ryan, I think you protest too much about this seaside town!

Once they are in Whaler's Point, Micki tells Ryan about some of the town's history, including pirates and treasure. They also wonder what the curse on the foghorn could be, before heading into the museum to meet Dewey.

Dewey making his fateful telephone call.

Inside, Micki is enjoying the history of the old town. They meet Dewey and he tells them about what happened to the foghorn. He said the man running the lighthouse now is named Joe Fenton. He then takes them outside and points them the right way. Barney, the town drunk, tells them to avoid the place and tells them about the sordid past of the town and the pirates. Dewey plays off Barney's warnings and Micki and Ryan head off.

Crazy Barney?

At the lighthouse, the pair meet with Fenton, who says he found the old foghorn, but it was obsolete. He says he sold it to some old fellow, but he never got the man's name. Micki and Ryan thank him for his help and leave.

Love the lighthouse shots!

That night, Fenton comes home with yet another woman, but she is here to appraise the gold coins. She examines them and says they are real. Fenton hopes she can help him get good money for them and she says her company can definitely help him get what he deserves.

Later, she says they need to first set up some legal rights for the gold, but Fenton throws a rope around her neck and strangles the woman. Quickly, he turns the foghorn and the figure in the boat appears again. Fenton brings the woman to the shore and tosses her into the dinghy, unaware that old Barney is nearby, drinking and watching the events unfold. Fenton again gathers up the coins as the boat leaves with the body. Barney slowly takes off, unnoticed. Upstairs in the lighthouse, Fenton crosses of yet another name in an old book, saying there is "just one more".

Barney rushes to the museum and wakes Dewey, telling him he saw one of the long-dead pirates at the beach. Dewey scoffs and sends Barney back out into the night. Barney heads to the hotel, wanting someone to believe his tale. Micki and Ryan are having dinner inside, planning what to do next, when Barney comes in, raving about the dead pirate at the lighthouse. The bartender tosses Barney out, but not before he mentions the foghorn. Micki and Ryan race out to find him, but when they get outside, he is gone.

Wonderful.

At the lighthouse, Fenton has one name left to cross off, that of a man named Frederick Williams.

Micki and Ryan have no luck finding Barney. They know they need to get into the lighthouse to see for themselves if the foghorn is there. They decide to get some rest first.

The next morning, they are at the lighthouse and see Fenton. Ryan tells Micki to keep the man busy while he goes inside and checks for the foghorn. Micki asks Fenton more about the foghorn as he works on some lumber. Ryan has trouble getting into the building until he finds an open window. Fenton tells Micki the new foghorn works automatically. He then says he has to go to the house to get his tape measure. Micki asks to go along. Inside, Ryan is searching with no luck. Hearing them coming, he rushes up the stairs. Fenton goes inside, but keeps Micki out. Ryan goes out to the top deck and hangs himself over the side to hide from Fenton, who is supsicious of the whereabouts of Micki's friend. He doesn't spot him, so he leaves, heading back to his work, Micki following. Ryan pulls himself back onto the deck.

Best hiding place, Ryan?

Micki sees Ryan wave to her, so she takes her leave of Fenton. Ryan tells her he had no luck with the search. The two then ponder what is going on. Micki wonders if the man in the boat could be the same one Dewey sold the foghorn to, but Ryan scoffs, saying that would mean the man has been dead three centuries. They decide to find Barney and find out what he really saw. Later, they make their way over rocks to a cove. Ryan spots something on the shore and picks up a gold coin.

Could have been a Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew story!

Micki and Ryan and the Curse of Whaler's Point.

At the lighthouse, Barney bangs on the door, then pushes his way in, telling Fenton he knows he is dealing with long-dead Angus McBride and he wants to know where the gold is. Fenton says he has something to show him, opening the old log from McBride's ship. It is the book with the names crossed off. Fenton says Barney is a relative of one of the old crew and shows him one of the coins. He then takes the old man up to the top of the lighthouse, saying they need to call McBride. He turns the foghorn and the boat appears again. Barney is excited and heads down with Fenton. At the boat, Barney introduces himself to McBride and demands his share of the gold. Behind him, an axe is raised and Fenton kills the old man. He tells the shrouded figure Barney is the last one, but the pirate says there is one more. He takes the body and sails off as Fenton demands to know who the last person is. He gets no answer.

Very spooky scenes at the beach at night.

At the museum, Dewey examines the coin, saying it looks new, as if it was just made. But it appears to be a real coin from the treasure of McBride. He shows them a book that is a history of McBride's ship. The coin matches the one in the book. The phone rings and he answers as Micki and Ryan look at the book and begin to put the pieces together. Micki asks Dewey if the missing women could be the descendants of the crew. Dewey is amazed to find that it appears to be true. Ryan asks about Barney and Dewey tells him where he might be. Micki heads to the hall of records to check the relationships of the women and the pirates. After they leave, Dewey realizes Barney is also a relation.

Seaside air is not a friend to Micki's hair!

At the lighthouse, Fenton works to find out who the last person he needs to kill is, but has no luck.
Ryan enters the cave on the beach, searching for Barney and is spooked by bats. Meanwhile, Micki comes across some interesting information at the hall of records. As she goes to leave, Fenton arrives. She hides and slips out before he notices her.

In the cave, Ryan uses a lantern to search for the old drunk, going deeper and deeper into the dark. Fenton finds the book Micki was reading and appears to have come across the name he needs. Micki rushes to the museum, but it is closed and locked.

In the cave, Ryan finds Barney, but is shocked that the man is dead. Falling back, he finds the bodies off all the missing women. He gets up and rushes out.

Great scream!

Fenton arrives and finds the museum locked, as well. Micki rushes toward the beach and finds Dewey. He says he is looking for Barney, but she tells him that she found out his real mother died when he was very young and that the Covington's adopted him. He is also one of the descendants and that, whatever is going on, he is next in line. Dewey is shocked. He tells her that McBride's Curse is that he would avenge his death. Micki tells him the foghorn is related to all of this and they need to get it back. He goes toward the lighthouse, but Micki stops him, saying the curse won't affect her. He says he will keep looking for Barney while she goes to the lighthouse. Micki finds the same window Ryan did and pulls herself inside that way.

Fenton arrives back at the light and notices a flashlight move in the window. At the cave, Ryan comes face to face with the shrouded ghost of McBride and screams.

300 years will do that to a pirate!

Fenton comes in and confronts Micki. She says she is there to talk to him, but he doesn't believe her. He pulls a sword and she hides, then Dewey comes in and tells her to run. The two men struggle and Dewey stands in front of Micki to protect her just as Fenton runs him through with the sword. Micki rushes off as Dewey dies.

You killed your brother, prepare to die!

Ryan is trying to escape the cave and the ghost, but appears to be trapped, just when the foghorn goes off and the ghost leaves, heeding its call. Ryan grabs his lantern and follows.

On the beach, Micki stumbles about as Ryan rushes up. She tells him about Dewey and he tells her what he found in the cave. She tells him Fenton uses the horn to summon McBride. On the beach, Fenton dumps Dewey into the boat, saying that the man is the last one, there are no more descendants. The ghost says no, there is one more. He demands to know who the other person is, as the ghost raises his hooked hand towards him.

Fenton has about had it with this misleading ghost pirate!

Micki and Ryan again search the lighthouse and finally, up on the top deck, Ryan finds it, wrapped in canvas. They take it and flee.

Fenton rushes away from the ghost and into the lighthouse, struggling with Ryan over the antique. Just then, the door breaks open, the ghost forcing his way inside. The spirit pulls Fenton toward him and then skewers the man with his hooked hand, carrying him along as he leaves.

Turnout is fair play, right Fenton?

Back at Curious Goods, Micki is crying as Ryan comes down. Ryan says Dewey was a good man. Micki says that Dewey cared about Barney, a drunk no one else worried about, and he saved her life, too. Ryan shows her something he found in the record book. Seems that Joe Fenton was also adopted, by a different couple. Seems like Dewey and Fenton were brothers. Micki and Ryan head upstairs, but she stops and tosses the gold coin on the desk.

Back at Whaler's Point, we see an old pirate ship at sea as a foghorn goes off in the distance.

The end?

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My thoughts:

Wow. A lot of detail in that write up! But it is a detail filled episode! Even without Jack, wherever he is this week.

Awesome that the show did a pirate/curse episode and set it in a seaside town. And even though Ryan says he isn't looking forward to the trip, he has a nautical sweater on for almost the entire time!

Love the outdoor scenes here, some of them are just beautiful, yet also keep with the vibe of the show. You can feel the damp, dank, coldness in the air.

Funny that the pirate keeps stringing Fenton along. First there is this many to kill, then one more, then, oh wait... YOU are the last one! Tricked ya!

Did think it was kind of funny how Fenton didn't notice Ryan on the deck of the lighthouse when his fingers holding on were clearly visible.  And how Dewey was the man in charge of the museum and apparently well versed in town lore, but Micki is the one who, after not much time in the local hall of records, stumbles across the fact that Dewey was adopted. Ah well, small things.

Also like the Crazy Ralph-like figure Barney is, although he is definitely more well liked in town, especially by Dewey.

I wonder where this lighthouse is located? I am assuming in Canada, will have to check and see if any other F13:TS sites ever pinpointed it.

All in all, I like this one, from the seaside setting to the curse of the pirate, a great, spooky episode for a late night scare!

Next week: "Badge of Honor"