Touched by an Angel

Episode 410: “Charades”

Episode 410: “Charades”
Original Air Date: November 16, 1997
Written by: Glenn Berenbeim
Directed by: Victor Lobl
Produced by:

Martha Williamson
Jon Andersen
R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:
Libby  Swoosie Kurtz
Vera  Janet Leigh 
Clive Hathaway Joseph Campanella 
Budd  Michael Goorjian 
Young Vera  Kim Oja 
Young Clive  Tony Crane 
Young Libby  Brooke Ashley Stephens
Official  Jordan Charney 

With the approach of a special tribute to the victims of the Hollywood Blacklist to be given by the Hollywood Screen Guild, Tess and Monica arrive to help Libby Glaser, a powerful Hollywood agent, learn the truth about her Blacklisted father’s last days. Monica arrives as Libby’s new assistant and quickly impresses Libby with her “connections” by managing to connect her with the head of the Hollywood Screen Guild. Libby learns that the Guild has chosen to restore her father’s name to a film he made during the Blacklist Era when he was forced to write under a pseudonym, and that they want Libby’s mother, Vera King, to present the award with her co-star in the show, Clive Hathaway.

Vera flatly refuses to present the award with Clive which surprises Libby as he was her father’s best friend. Simultaneously, home movies from Libby’s childhood mysteriously appear from an unknown source and Libby’s memory is jarred as she views them. When Libby confronts her mother, Vera tells her Clive is the one who ruined her father’s career by naming him as a communist and that he didn’t die in an accident, he killed himself. Libby then sends Monica on a search for her father’s FBI file and it is soon delivered by Tess. Tess then explains to Monica that she was Budd’s angel and that she was unable to convince him not to kill himself, suffering under the burden ever since. She continues to say that Budd wrote a note to Libby just before driving his car over the cliff but that the note was lost during the fire.

Libby, now armed with her father’s FBI file, plans to ruin Clive Hathaway as he ruined her father. As the Blacklist ceremony is in progress, Vera begs Libby not to expose Clive, finally telling her the complete truth, that she had “one sad weekend” with Clive and that he was her real father. Now wrecked, Libby enters the stage intent on ruining Clive. Monica then freezes time and asks Libby to forgive. As time resumes, Libby then realizes that she is no longer holding the FBI file but the note from her father asking her to forgive those involved and telling her that she will always be his little girl. Libby then gives an emotional speech, denouncing the tactics of the Blacklist.

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