- With this charm, set forth the power to hide my true intentions. When they look upon me, let them only see the good and not the evil in my heart. Let me confuse and beguile and turn them against each other. Therein, keep my soul and thoughts secret so I may bring the Merrywick women down. - Hmm. - CASSIE: Hello, Stephanie. - (SIGHS) One of these days, I am going to figure out how you do that. (BOTH CHUCKLE) - That looks good. - You are glowing. - Well, it's that time of year. - You do love Halloween. It's almost like Christmas for you, huh? - Yeah, it's filled with traditions and family and a little bit of magic So, yes, it's very special. - I passed by Grey House and didn't see any decorations out. - I was waiting for the whole family to get here before I did any real decorating. - Oh, so you're gonna get them all to help you? - Yeah. Everyone's so busy. It just gets harder every year to keep our traditions alive. This Halloween needs to be extra special. - Hmm, so hanging twinkling lights and carving pumpkins helps keep your family strong? - Yes. (BOTH LAUGH) Speaking of traditions, are you going to go for six years in a row? - Oh, that trip to New York is all mine. - Trip to New York? - The winner of the Harvest Festival Queen competition gets a trip to New York, compliments of the Middleton town council. - People stopped running against me after the third year. I may not have a date, but I will have my crown. - So confident. - Hey, Sam. Abigail has your to-go order ready. - (CLEARS THROAT). - Not dining in? - No, I need to work on my maze. - There's a sentence you don't hear every day. - I promised Martha and the town council that I'd build a walk-through maze. Never been a Halloween guy, but I missed out on so many with Nick in New York that I want to make an effort this year. - Maze sounds like it's going to be complicated but very satisfying. - Hi, Sam. Bye Sam. - (CHUCKLES) - So George tells me that the B&B is booked solid and you're short of family help to turn Grey House haunted. Of course, now I've got a maze to build. - Of course. - But Nick could lend a hand. Or two. - I think asking Nick is perfect. - I will. - OK. - How's Ryan? - Still in Chicago. - Surprised he ended up taking that Jones job. - Yeah, not so surprising. - Any plans to move back to Middleton? - Well, he hasn't sold his house. - Sounds like he's coming back. - I think he wants to. - Oh? - But time will tell. - True. - You need a ride? - Excuse me? - To Grey House. Joseph Weld, the doctor from Chicago? - My luggage. Neat trick. Cassie Nightingale? Website. You know, you're much prettier in person. - Shall we? - We shall. ('THE GOOD WITCH' THEME) Captions by Julie Taylor. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 - (KNOCKING) I have a bone to pick with you, Miss Cassie Nightingale. - Hi, Martha. - No, no! No time for small talk. What's this I hear that Grey House is going to be dark? Lori tells me that you won't be doing your usual haunted house because you're all too busy. Now, as you well know, the Grey House Haunted House is a Halloween staple here. It is a Middleton family tradition to trick or treat and then tour your haunted house and then end up at the festival to close out the night. The whole town is counting on you. - Don't worry, Martha. The Merrywick women are never too busy for Halloween. - Oh. Well, good. Great, (CHUCKLES) actually. So... Well, what are you waiting for, Christmas? String some lights, carve some pumpkins, and haunt this place up. Pronto. - Oh, Mom! Where are the skeleton napkin rings? - Oh, they're on the table, wrapped around the spooky cat napkins. - (CHUCKLES) OK. (SIGHS) I love Halloween. - (SIGHS) Me too. - I mean, seriously. It's like the best holiday ever. I mean, how can Halloween not be everyone's favourite holiday? Between the decorations and the costumes, all-you-can-eat candy. (CHUCKLES) - Mmm. - It doesn't get any better. And, Mom, I promise to never lose sight of how special Halloween is to me. - I hope so. - Got that doctor checked in and settled. The inn is officially full. (PHONE RINGS) I'll get it. Grey House Bed and Breakfast. - (GASPS) Yay! - There you go. - Thank you. - Sorry to barge in, but... - Our apartment building has a wasp infestation. - No way. - Yep. We are officially homeless. - Never. You'll stay here. - I thought we were booked. - That was the Freeman couple. They had to cancel. Work. - (CHUCKLES) - You knew. -So I waited for everyone to be together so we could decorate Grey House for the festival. - I thought we weren't gonna do that this year cos it's so late. - Oh, come on, you guys. I mean, we can't let the whole town down. - No, or each other. It's Halloween. It's Grey House. It's what we do as a family every year. - Pardon me. Sorry to interrupt, but I need some towels. - Oh. - I'll get them. - I don't believe we've met. But I feel like I know you already. - Joseph, this is my family. (CHUCKLES) - Hi. I'm Grace. - Tara. - Brandon. - George. Be right back. - Lori. - And I'm Abigail. - Right. - Do you want to join us? - You know what ` I have a bit of a headache. I think I'm gonna lay down. Close my eyes. - Oh, I think I might have parked behind you. Just let me know if you need me to move my car. I took the train, so we're good. - Oh. - All right. Enjoy. - GRACE: Bye. - OK, how did I miss that? - Mom! He's cute. Seriously, not bad for an old guy. - I don't know about cute, but he does have a certain charm to him. - All I know is he uses too many towels. (GIGGLING) - Well, I'll just have to make up for all of you in making our guest feel welcome. - Just remember the first and only rule when I reopened Grey House is that we treat our guests like family. - He shoots, he scores. You're going to help me with the walk-through maze, right? - No way. - OK, then I told Cassie you could help them decorate Grey House. - You can't just volunteer me up without asking. And I'm not going to that festival. Halloween is for kids, and just in case you missed it, I'm not a kid any more. - You used to love dressing up. - I was 5. - I'm not a big Halloween guy either, but it's important to be part of the community. - Nick does have a point. OK, look. Decorating aside, sweetheart, you may end up having fun with your friends at the festival. - OK. Yeah. Maybe you're right, Mom. - Great. - (SIGHS) - Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to` - ...undermine me with Nick? - You know, Nick may be living with you, Sam, but I am still his mother. And I'm staying right next door. And I said I was sorry. Oh, come on. I am not some evil witch. You and I both want what's best for Nick. - I never called you a witch. - Your lawyer did. Twice. - Was that my lawyer? - (LAUGHS) Yeah. - Look, I can't go around giving citations to every business who refuses to participate in this year's decoration contest. - Your lips are moving, but the wrong words are coming out. - OK. Halloween is optional. - (GASPS) We are Middleton. We are Halloween. Now let's table this discussion and move on, shall we, to how you're going to help me have the best display that City Hall has ever seen. Thank you. (GASPS) I need pumpkins. Many, many pumpkins. Ooh! - OK. - You getting a horse? (CHUCKLES) - At this point, I think it'd be easier. You know, I followed the instructions I got online, but I keep ending up with a straight path because my bales keep falling apart when I try to make turns. Think the town will be happy with just a straight, festive hay walkway? - The residents of Middleton love Halloween. - Oh, so if I fail, I will have let down an entire town. - When you succeed, you will have made Halloween better for an entire town. - If I don't succeed, Martha is going to haunt me for the rest of my days. - (SIGHS) Halloween is a big thing in Middleton. We get a lot of visitors. I think Martha just wants to make sure that` - ...that she looks good. - (CHUCKLES) I was gonna say she wants to make sure the festival is special. - You know what's not so special? Having all of these great plans for Halloween and your son wants nothing to do with them or you. - 'The best laid plans of mice and men.' - (CHUCKLES) Steinbeck. - Um, Burns. - Robert Burns, right. The poet. - Steinbeck used a line from the poem for the novel. - Your book club must hate you. - (CHUCKLES) - What are we talking about again? - Oh, uh, plans. - Mm. - Burns knew that plans are what we want to happen, not necessarily what actually happen. - I disagree with Mr Burns. I think if you plan something well, it will actually happen. - Hmm. Well, that's all fine and good until your plans don't work out. - Clearly, that's never happened to me. - Clearly. (CHUCKLES) - Would you like some tea? - There seems to be so much, I don't know what to choose. - Allow me. Did you come for the festival? - No. But this is the big event in town? - Oh, yeah. All the shop owners on Main Street decorate. Grey House's haunted house is a big attraction. Cassie decorates like you wouldn't believe. There's a festival in the park with live music and a costume contest, and at the end, there's a big dance, and they crown a Harvest Queen. And I just threw my hat in the ring. Winner gets a free trip to New York. Can't beat that, right? - I love New York in the fall. - Does that mean I can count on your vote? - Absolutely. - I'm famished. - Lunch? - I have to work, but I could do dinner. - Don't you have family plans? - No. - OK. - I thought the family was decorating. - Oh, hi! I gotta run. I'm late for work. Oh, and count me out of family time. I have a date. - Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but my bathroom seems to have sprung a leak. - Hi. - Hey. You're, uh... - New. Just moved here. We have Calc together. - Oh, (CHUCKLES) right. - So are you going? - To the festival? - No, the haunted place. - Hey. - Grey House. Rumour is there are real witches living there. - (CHUCKLES) - What? - It's not actually haunted. (CHUCKLES) - How do you know? - Well, because I live there. - Let's go. - OK. Nice to meet you. - It's all done. - Thank you, George. - Sorry, Cassie. I thought I fixed that pipe. I must not have sealed it properly. - George, old house, old pipes. Don't blame yourself. - Well, I think we're gonna have to replace a main valve. And we'll need an outside plumber for that big a job. - Just a few drops and you'll sleep like a baby. - No time to beat around the bush. I need your help. Just a little bit of your 'magic'. - Magic? - I need you to fix me up. I've decided I can't be a Queen without a King. - Some of history's greatest queens were single. - I don't care about history. I care about having a date. Things didn't work out with Sam. He wasn't ready, and now that his ex-wife is in town, (SIGHS) I just want someone complication-free. (ENTRY BELLS RING) - Hello there. - Hi. Uh, where can I find, uh...? - Over there. Plai essential oil. - Excuse me? - For your sister. It's steam distilled from the rhizome of Plai, wild-grown in Thailand. - Oh, OK. - It's widely regarded for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and rejuvenative properties. - She has a bad back. Uh, car accident. - Well, that shelf has exactly what you need. - Uh, thanks. - Sure. - Oh. I'm Ben, by the way. - Hi, Ben. I'm Cassie Nightingale, and this is Stephanie. - Oh, uh I just moved here from Kansas. My sister got a divorce. Single mom, so I came to help out. - Mm. Family. - Yeah. It's the most important thing. I'm a plumber, handyman by trade, so if you ever need some work done... - Thank you. - OK. - I have a feeling. - And I have a feeling I want you to keep looking. - (CHUCKLES) - Nick. - Hi, Nick. - Hey. - Um, just so you girls know, there'll be a pop quiz in history today. - How do you know that? - How do you know? - I just do. - It's kind of weird she knows something that hasn't happened yet. - Spooky. - Maybe she's a witch. - She was doing you a favour, all right? That's not cool. - (SCOFFS) - You didn't have to do that. - I did. - This is so sweet. - Well, you have way too much to do, so I thought I'd bring dinner. - Thank you. - (CHUCKLES) (FOOTSTEPS APPROACH) - OK, you're all set. I replaced the valve and got the water back on. Hello, Stephanie. - Ben. What a surprise. Welcome, Ben. Again. Now, if you'll excuse me... (CLEARS THROAT) - He's sweet. - I don't do sweet. I do smouldering and romantic. He can't even look me in the eye. - Maybe he's waiting for you to look him in the eye. - Look. He's sweet, just... not for me. - So, Stephanie, She's, uh... She's nice. - And currently unattached. (CRICKETS CHIRP) OK. The plumbing problem has been addressed, so we need to focus. There isn't much time before we have to open Grey House for Halloween. - I mean, there's so much to do. Maybe a little bit too much? - I agree. - I think we need to work in pairs on the different projects. Strength in numbers. It's what's going to help us get this place ready faster. - I could start with the front porch. - No, I think we need to work on the inside first. - OK, but I have to get my article in by the end of the week. - Yeah, I'll do what I can, but I am a police officer. Even when I'm not on duty, I kind of am. - Cassie, it's the end of the month. I've got a lot of work to do in the books. I'm sorry. (INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS) - Hey. It's good Nick's here. - He's not here for me. - Well, honestly, neither am I. - (CHUCKLES) - Hello, Nick. - Hey. - This book spoke to me. But I have a feeling that it could find a better home with you. - (CHUCKLES) Thanks. I used to be obsessed with knights when I was kid. For four straight Halloweens, I was King Arthur. - You'd still make an excellent knight. - No offence, Cassie, but I'll be sitting this Halloween out. - Are you going to help your father? - He doesn't really want my help. He still thinks I'm a kid. But still, thanks for the book. - Sure. - Cassie. - Linda! - I didn't bring enough for all of us. - Oh, no. I was just leaving. - All right. You know, if you need me to leave Grey House to make more room for your family, Sam has a spare room at his place. I could` - You are welcome to stay as long as you need. - OK. - I need you to vote for me. - For Harvest Queen. - I'm running. - Against Stephanie? - Yes. Can I count on your vote? We're family. - What are you up to? - Me? - Mm-hm. - I just love New York in the fall. And I like to win, plain and simple. - Hmm. Not so plain and never simple when you are involved. - Where's Nick? - I don't know. (CHUCKLES) - So, are you two... - We're friends. - I don't know how you trapped Nick, but everyone is talking about that house of yours and your mother. - Maybe she used a spell on him. - That would explain a lot. - What are you doing? - Huh? - That's Cassie's. And this is a family space. It's not public. - Oh. Sorry. My mistake. - Hey. (SIGHS) (CLATTERING) Hey! Wait! - What's going on? - Your daughter is being rude. Interesting tactic for a charming, homey B&B. - He was upstairs in the attic going through your trunk. - He's allowed in the house. - Can you stay out of this? - No, I will not stand by and watch you attack a guest. - I don't want to cause trouble. - I'm with Lori. - Big surprise (!) You two always stick together. - Look, I didn't realise it wasn't a public space. - It's an attic. - Joseph, I am so sorry. - It's OK. - No, it's not. - He was upstairs, just going through our stuff. Your stuff. - I've seen him snooping around too. You have to ask him to leave. - Joseph isn't the problem. - Remind me again ` why are we carving pumpkins? - Because we always do. - It's tradition. - Every year. - We attack innocent guests and then carve pumpkins? (CELL PHONE CHIMES) - Do you need to get that? - Uh, no. I'm just gonna silence it. (CHUCKLES) - Once we finish the first round of pumpkins, I'm gonna need your help finishing the lights and the cobwebs out front. (CELL PHONE VIBRATES) - Don't worry. If we all work together, we can get Grey House extra spooky this year. - Excuse me. - Dr Radford. Did you get my memo and my pumpkin? I am going to create the biggest carved pumpkin display that City Hall has ever seen. - Eve. Where did you put it? - (GASPS) You are openly defying my mandatory order for businesses to decorate. - We're trying. - Try harder. Put your back into it, man. - (SIGHS) - You left so quickly, you forgot your coat. - Oh. Thanks. (SIGHS) - Why is that? That you left so quickly? What's up? - Nothing. (CHUCKLES) There's a rumour going around school that I'm a witch and that Grey House is haunted. - Well, rumours are the playthings of unintelligent beings. You shouldn't let them get to you. - It's too late for that. - They're just jealous. - Hello, you two. You look like you're having a less-than-good day. - The kids at school are giving her a hard time. - Ah. It must be hard this time of year. Halloween. Hard to combat a rumour that Grey House is haunted, especially when your mother is advertising that it is. - Yeah. This is the first Halloween where I'm honestly not happy to be living in 'haunted central' Grey House. - Right. Well, good luck, Grace. - Thank you. You know what ` he's right. Mom's plans for Grey House are just going to make things worse. - Hey! Oh, is that the book Cassie gave you? - Uh, yeah. - (SIGHS) You used to love all things knight. Hey, what do you say you and I dress up like Knights of the Round Table this Halloween? - What? No, I told you ` I'm too old for that. - It could be fun. As a matter of fact... (CHUCKLES) - What is this? Oh, there's a costume shop in Blairsville. I picked them up on the way home. - (CHUCKLES) No way. - Why? - Look, I don't know what's up with all this Halloween stuff, but the time for matching father and son costumes is over. - (SIGHS) - Thank you. (ENTRY BELLS RING) - Oh, Cassie! I must compliment you on both your Halloween spirit and your decor. Bell Book is a shining example for others to follow. Now, how is our haunted house coming? - Right on schedule. - I wish all the business owners were more like you. And when I say all the business owners, I mean Sam 'I can't be bothered to carve a pumpkin' Radford. That man has absolutely no town spirit. - Oh, he's got plenty of spirit. - He allowed that new receptionist, Eve, to throw my memo in the trash. - He's got spirit. He's just trying to work his way through the maze right now. - Well, he does owe me one truly confusing maze and a freshly carved pumpkin. Tout de suite. - (CHUCKLES) - (SIGHS) - I could fix that. - I just had it fixed. Like all the other broken things around here. - Oh, yeah, sure. OK. - CHUCKLES) How much? - How about lunch? - Free lunch? Done. - No, um... I want to have lunch with you. I mean, the least you get out of it is a cabinet that won't break on you again. I promise. - (LAUGHS) - OK. All right. Piece of cake. (CLATTERING) - I know she has it. It's got to be here somewhere. - Hi, Sam. - Tutankhamen? - His tomb. Very intricate. Deadly twists and turns. Very mazy. - Well, I have two days and a bunch of hay, and I don't think the citizens of Middleton are looking for deadly. - (SIGHS) No, that's probably true. - But thanks. - (CHUCKLES) - I had this great idea for Nick and me to dress up as knights, and he shot me down hard. I'm trying to make up for lost time, and it's just not working on any level. - I guess that depends on what you're trying to make up for. - Meaning? - Is it possible that maybe this is too much about you and not enough about Nick? - Maybe. Probably. Yes. - (CHUCKLES) Well, then, stop trying to recreate and just create. - What? - A fresh start. Clear of guilt and expectations. - (SIGHS) That's easier said than done. - (SIGHS) If it were easy, everyone would do it. - (CHUCKLES) I just want to turn back time. - I think it's more important to use the time we have wisely. - Special occasion? - Yes. I am making our traditional 'get in the spirit of Halloween' dinner for my family. - Nice. Family, I mean. - I believe food is a direct pathway to the soul. It reaches us at a very primal place. - This is all very, uh... eclectic. - (CHUCKLES) Brandon's favourite soup, Grace's favourite drink, Lori's favourite pie, Abigail's favourite veges, George's potatoes, all to accompany my famous eggplant parmesan. You seem to be looking for something. If I can help` - No, you... can't do more than you're already doing. - Some spares just in case you need them. - A witch can never have too many brooms, or can she? - You all right, Grace? - Yeah, fine. (CELL PHONE KEYS CLICK) - I just hate this digital technology. - Oh, yeah, me too. (CHUCKLES) - It's as if people are too busy tweeting or calling or texting about what they're doing instead of actually experiencing what they're doing. - Oh, no, I'm not texting about us. No, it's Lori. She's helping me with my profile for Harvest Festival Queen. - Right. I hear you're the reigning queen. - That I am. - Well, if you need to handle something, you know... - Oh, no, I'm good. Keep talking. - Oh, you know, I hate to cut this short, but I remembered I told Cassie I'd help her with the last of the booths for the festival. - Oh, OK. (CHUCKLES) So... (CHUCKLES) - It was nice. - You have to look at the maze like a puzzle. - This maze is making my brain bleed. - Lay out the bales as if you didn't know the ending. - Well, maybe you could just walk me through a blueprint. - I could do that. - OK. And then maybe we could take your plan and make the greatest maze Middleton has ever seen. - Yeah, we could do that. (CELL PHONE VIBRATES) I gotta go. - But what about the maze? - I'm late for my friends. Sorry, Dad. - Coffee's on me. - Oh. I need to go over the menu for the festival with Stephanie. - She should be back soon, but I'm glad you stopped by. - You are? - I wanted to run a few things by you. - Yes. I'm thinking about taking my campaign for Harvest Queen to the next level. - Really? But I wouldn't want to do anything that would go against the rules. - Rules? - I had this idea that could really open up the campaign. - And how would you do that? - Well, I've already spoken to several businessmen, regulars, who want to run ads for me, which would in turn promote the festival. - I'm sorry, did you say local businessmen? - Mm-hm. Yes, print, and radio, and also some flyers. Do you think anyone else that's running would take issue with that? - (CHUCKLES) How many local businessmen? (ENTRY BELLS RING) - Linda! - Cassie. Can I be honest with you? - Sure. - I need you to stop helping. OK, interfering. Nick is my son. And you are everywhere with books and advice, and I'm really trying to make this situation with Nick and Sam work, and I can't compete with all of this. - Oh, Linda. I'm not competing with you. - I think you are. So if you wouldn't mind, if you could just back off, just a little bit, and give me a fighting chance here. (CELL PHONE RINGS) - Hello. George? What? Grace. - I asked Grandpa not to call you. - What's going on? - I don't want to talk about it. - Sometimes holding things inside can make them grow bigger and stronger. It helps to talk. - There's a rumour going around school that I'm a witch and that Grey House is haunted. Did that help? No, it didn't. Look, high school is hard enough, but this haunted house is not helping. - (SIGHS) Grace. - Mom. Cancel it. Please. Just do it. - Closing Grey House isn't the answer. - It is. - No. The answer is not letting others define who we are. Honey, you're beautiful, and you are strong and smart. I love you. It's gonna get better. - It won't. Mom, I have these feelings and when I have them, they're usually right. - Grace` - So, what, you're just gonna choose Halloween over me? - Not having the haunted house here is not what you need. It won't help you. - It will. You just don't want to ruin your Halloween. Thanks for the help (!) - (SIGHS) - What's this? - Oh, that's the advance for tomorrow's paper. - Since when are you running for Harvest Queen? It's just a friendly competition with a free trip to New York. - Yeah. My free trip to New York. - Hey, don't worry. People usually vote for the incumbent anyway, right? - (SCOFFS) I will not go to the Fall Festival dateless and come home crownless too. - Well, then, may the best woman win. - She already has ` five times. - (CHUCKLES) Hey, Ben. - Uh, hi. - It's Abigail. - Um, can I get the turkey sandwich to go, please? - I would love to get you a turkey sandwich. - OK, great. - (SIGHS) He's cute, and a man of few words. I like that. He's got a real George Clooney thing going on, don't you think? (CRICKETS CHIRP) - That abandoned car ` it's registered to Joseph Weld, Cassie's guest. But he didn't take a car here; he took a train. So how did his car end up here? - I don't know. - And why would he abandon it? - Suspicious. I mean, it definitely doesn't add up. - With this guy, nothing adds up. - Look, you already accused him once without having all your ducks in a row. - You're right. You're right. I have to have a real case the next time I bring this to Cassie. - Yeah. You do. - I just don't understand why she doesn't get the same vibe from this guy that Lori and I get. I mean, she's usually three steps ahead of the rest of us, but when it comes to Joseph Weld, it's like she's blind. - (CHUCKLES) - Joseph. - I want what's mine. It's why I came. You have it. And you're going to give it back. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) Captions by Julie Taylor. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.