A climactic night at Collinwood in 1840. For Valerie has saved Quentin and Desmond from the beheading, and Gerard has been killed. So Quentin and Daphne are free to leave Collinsport and start a new life. And Barnabas, moved by Valerie's willingness to incriminate herself in order to save his two friends, goes to the prison to tell her of his new feelings about her, but discovers she has been released, and so he hurries back to Collinwood for the most eventful meeting in his life.
Angelique sits by the fire when Barnabas comes into the room and begins to tell her that he loves her, but they are interrupted by Lamar, who shoots her with a pistol.
Act I
Barnabas and Lamar struggle for the gun, but Barnabas breaks away when he hears Angelique moan his name. Barnabas calls for Julia, but she is nowhere to be found. Barnabas goes to Angelique, but she smiles and dies before Barnabas can tell her he loves her, ironically becoming the final victim of her own curse (that everyone he loves will die). Just then, Lamar comes to and flees the room, scuffling with Barnabas in the foyer. Lamar breaks free and escapes up the stairs, where he finds a knife. He stabs Barnabas in the shoulder before Barnabas steals the knife and mortally wounds Lamar by stabbing him in the stomach. Lamar flees into the East Wing parlor where Barnabas watches him cross into Parallel Time. The room quickly transforms back to its empty state, and Lamar disappears forever.
Act II
Barnabas makes his way back to the drawing room and Angelique's corpse, where he confesses his eternal love to her. Julia finally arrives and notices he is wounded.
At Rose Cottage, Desmond frets, waiting for Leticia. Flora tells him she will be there, then berates herself for allowing Gerard to fool her, after having always prided herself in being such a good judge of character. Desmond fears that Leticia will do something rash before she finds out he is free, but just then she comes home, and they embrace.
Act III
Flora excuses herself so the happy couple can be together. Leticia explains she went to the sea to cry, then heard the news of Quentin and Desmond's release on her way through town. Desmond tells her they are going to leave tonight for New York to be married.
Back at Collinwood, Barnabas tells Julia and Professor Stokes that the police accepted his explanation for Angelique's death and she will be buried in the Collins mausoleum. Stokes is anxious to get back to their own time, which is now 1971, via the Stairway into Time. He tells Barnabas that unless they go back, they will never know if they succeeded in preventing the Destruction of Collinwood along with Carolyn and Quentin's madness and the death of David Collins. Barnabas wonders what their visit has done to the future, and does not hear Desmond approach, overhearing them speak of 1971. Julia confesses to Desmond that they came from 1971, and Stokes explains that they came via Quentin's staircase, which must be destroyed after they return. Barnabas tells them he wants to stay in 1840, but Julia and Stokes will not hear of it. They agree to go up the stairs, even though they do not know when they will reappear. Desmond promises he and Leticia will stay until Valerie's funeral and his mother will take care of everything.
In Quentin's laboratory, Desmond says he cannot believe that the staircase actually works, nor that the room in the East Wing leads to another band of time. Barnabas warns him that if Lamar should escape somehow, he will come back and try to kill him. Desmond swears he will destroy the stairs and tell no one of their power except Leticia and Quentin. The group bids Desmond farewell and walk up the stairs.
Act IV
The trio comes through the door and into the hallway, seeing electric lights and that the house is not burned. Julia declares they have saved Collinwood. Two hours later, after having put on their 20th century clothes, they wait in the drawing room, but no one has shown up. Stokes mentions the refrigerator is full, which must be a good sign. Julia delights in the comfort of her normal clothing, and there are no signs that the ghosts of Gerard and Daphne were ever there. Just then Elizabeth walks in, chiding them for being so late for the opening of the Collinsport Historical Center. She only saw them because she came back to get Roger's speech. They question Elizabeth about David, Hallie, Quentin and Carolyn, and Elizabeth shrugs it off saying of course they are at the gathering. On their way out the door, Elizabeth tells Stokes that she is donating a journal by an ancestor of hers, Flora Collins, whom she had never heard of before, a writer of many novels, and wonders if she can find any of them. Barnabas privately muses to Julia that Desmond has probably destroyed the staircase by now, and Julia says they will never forget any of the people they met in 1840.
Back in 1840, Desmond is chopping up the staircase, wondering if the trio made it back to their own time. In the drawing room, Leticia paces the floor when Desmond comes in and tells her he wants to take her to a room in the East Wing, where something may be happening. He tells her about Valerie, Lamar and Parallel Time when they get to the parlor. Desmond opens the door and they witness the room change.
In Parallel Time, Lamar screams for help, but collapses and dies. The parallel Julia enters the room, looks briefly at the body, and calls for Flora. Julia asks Flora if she has ever seen him before and Flora answers, "It has finally happened. What we feared, what we dreaded". Julia shushes her and closes the door, shutting out Desmond and Leticia from the regular time band. Julia tells Flora no one must know, but Flora fears everyone will know. Julia thinks she hears someone outside, but when she reopens the doors, no one is there. She tells Flora they must get rid of the body.
Several hours later (in Parallel Time), Melanie runs into the room in a panic, calling for Flora. She announces that her father is dying. Julia looks somber, saying this means the lottery will happen again, soon.
Memorable quotes
Barnabas: I love you. That is why you must live. I love you, Angelique. After all those years, all that happened between us, I can say it now because I know it's true. I love you.
Lamar: The judges were afraid to hold you, but I am not afraid. Die, witch.
Barnabas: Without even planning it, I've committed the perfect crime.
Barnabas: Your beautiful face, as if you were asleep. Am I never to see your eyes again? So often they looked at me with love, and I returned nothing but hatred. I was blinded by my fury that my rejection of you caused. And so throughout the years we battled and fought, and I never guessed that beneath my rage I felt a love as strong as yours.
Angelique ironically becomes the final victim of the curse she placed on Barnabas back in 405 that everyone who loves him would die.
Barnabas says that Angelique is to be buried in the family mausoleum. One can assume this is not the one at Eagle Hill Cemetery but another. Presumably she would be buried as 'Valerie Collins', which would explain why no one knew who she was.
In the west wing, Elizabeth found the journal of Flora Collins, which she plans to donate to the Historical Society Center. Flora is said to have written many novels, which Elizabeth is interested in reading. (Flora's journal was previously mentioned by Professor Stokes in 1177.)
Although Julia and Professor Stokes came to the year 1840 through use of the Stairway into Time, Barnabas came through use of the I-Ching in 1117. He took possession of his own body in the year 1840 after Julia had released the vampire to help her. Using the stairway to reach the year 1971 would mean that Barnabas would have two bodies in that time and none in the chained coffin for Willie Loomis to set free in the year 1967. But seeing as how he was cured of his vampirism by Angelique, there would be no reason for him to be chained in the coffin post 1840. (Barnabas' present-day body was in the other negated version of 1970, the one in which the Destruction of Collinwood occurred, so presumably his body would no longer be there to return to via the I Ching. If he was intending to return to the changed version of the present day, the stairway would be Barnabas' best option. Possibly, the body in the negated version of the timeline, which was still afflicted with the vampire curse, took the place in the chained coffin for Willie to find in 1967.)
TIMELINE: 8:10pm (1971): No one has been seen for two hours at Collinwood. 11:50pm (1840 PT): Julia and Flora dispose of Lamar's body. Day 441 begins, and will end in 1200. 2am at the end of 1198. The lottery will take place before the week is over.
Bloopers and continuity errors
When the end scene from the previous episode was reprised, Angelique holds her shoulder area as if she was shot there rather than the abdomen in the previous episode.
The set decorators recreate the present-dayCollinwood with its present-day furniture but have overlooked the candles in the foyer chandelier and did not change the curtains and cornice over the drawing room window. However, as the 1840 curtains were also a red color, most viewers probably wouldn't notice.
Upon their return to the present, Elizabeth speaks as if they spent the winter together even though time has moved while they were gone. Most curiously, she somehow made plans with them to attend the Historical Society Center opening that night.
In Act IV as the group starts to depart for the historical society center Elizabeth says that she found the most incredible thing. A boom microphone moves closer to pick up her dialogue and is visible on the top left of the screen.
