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The Portrait of Betty Hanscomb: The 97th Episode

The portrait that features a woman who resembles Vicky rears its head again and Elizabeth's dogged attempts to keep the secret of her governess' past is starting to fracture. Vicky puts Carolyn in her place regarding Burke and how behavior of those who live in Collinwood is presented to others outside the mansion on Widow's Hill. Vicky is sick and tired of how she is character assassinated and goes for a walk; it's at this point that she just needs refuge somewhere else, heading to the Evans home to see the Betty Hanscomb portrait again. This is a good episode for the Sam Evans character. He is sober, light-hearted, and just pleasant. I would recommend this episode to those who have this picture of a tormented drunk cemented in their minds regarding Sam; he's hospitable and offers a nice welcome to Vicky. He even gives her the portrait, certain to cause many sleepless nights for Elizabeth. This is a strong episode as it pertains to why Elizabeth is adamant in maintaining the secret and, in a conversation with Roger, she admits that it is for Vicky's protection. What is she protecting Vicky from? The series at this point was really involved in the Victoria character...looking back just twenty or so episodes, that wasn't always the case.

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