Tabitha Lenox

Tabitha Lenox is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists from the NBC/DirecTV daytime drama Passions. Tabitha has been played by Juliet Mills since the show's debut in 1999. Mills continued in the role when the show moved from NBC to DirecTV's The 101 in September 2007. Jane Carr portrayed Tabitha's voice and served as a body double for a time when Mills was on vacation in 2006. In June 2007, Tabitha recalled her youthful days at a magic academy in which the role of young Tabitha was played by Kim Huber.

In 2001, HarperEntertainment released Hidden Passions, a tie-in novelization presented as Tabitha's diary, exposing the secrets and pasts of the town's residents. Passions featured a storyline involving Tabitha and Timmy promoting the book, which reached #4 on the real-life New York Times Best Seller list and garnered the series two alternative covers of TV Guide in July 2001.

History

Tabitha Lenox is a witch residing for well over 300 years in the Eastern seaport town of Harmony. She is known to be virtually immortal; that when one body dies she is later reborn in another, identical body. It is known that she has witnessed and/or participated in numerous historical events. She claims to have been the child of a mortal father Darrin Lenox and a Witch mother named Samantha. As a child, Tabitha had green skin because on her mother's side of the family she was descended from a Frog Prince. Her early life is unknown though as a young adult in Magic Academy she was teased because of her skin color. A loner because of this, Tabitha was an avid student of dark magic and gradually befriended another young witch Esmeralda.

Though Esmeralda at first teased Tabitha, the two eventually formed a wary friendship. Esmeralda even helped Tabitha hide her green skin with make-up. Eventually Tabitha used her own magic to maintain a permanent Caucasian complexion. Though the two witches bonded somewhat, Tabitha wanted to excel further into the Black Arts and eventually left the academy to pursue a life of evil but not before saying good bye to her friend Esmeralda.

Young Tabitha at school as portrayed by Kim Huber in the Spellbinding spoof on the musical Wicked

Tabitha is next known to have existed in Ancient Rome as Cleopatra's handmaiden, claiming to have supplied the Egyptian queen with the asp that killed her. Tabitha claims to have been the party planner for Roman Emperor Caligula, known for his alleged extravagance and debauchery. At an unspecified time in the Middle Ages, she lived in Europe with her witchly rival, Hecuba. She also randomly claims to have lived through countless historical events and drops the names of an endless series of celebrity suitors and comrades. Tabitha claims responsibility for many historic disasters, among them the destruction of Pompeii, the Black Plague, the great fire of London, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the Great Chicago Fire, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and the sinking of the Titanic. In Harmony in the late 17th century, her witchery was exposed by Prudence Standish and the townspeople of Harmony burned her at the stake. After her resurrection, Tabitha vowed vengeance on the unwary descendants of those early Harmony settlers, especially the Cranes.

Tabitha has lived for an unspecified amount of time in a ramshackle, Victorian house in Harmony. Older residents of the town, including Sam Bennett and Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, often comment on the fact that she looks the same as she did when they were children or when they first came to Harmony; Tabitha's usual cover story is to say they must be remembering her mother, and that the name "Tabitha" is a traditional family name. What few Harmony residents believe or understand is that Tabitha harbors the Dark Forces in her basement, a collection of demonic evildoers and devils who oversee Tabitha's wicked doings on Earth. Alternately called "the Dark Side" or "the Boys in the Basement", the Dark Forces sometimes appear to Tabitha, giving her orders or scolding her when her schemes go awry. Generally, they keep to themselves, usually eavesdropping on what is said in her house, and protesting with a loud foghorn-like sound and smoke issuing from the vents, (which Tabitha tries to pass off as a leaky boiler).

Josh Ryan Evans as Timmy Lenox and Juliet Mills as Tabitha in an NBC promotional photo

Tabitha's former companion was Timmy, a doll she had created and brought to life. Timmy had had many incarnations over the centuries, always being stitched back together and brought back to life when met with misfortune. He had cavorted with his Tabby on all of her historical capers, including the sinking of the Titanic. His latest incarnation was in 1999, when Tabitha once again brought him to life to do her bidding. His mission in this lifetime was to help Tabitha destroy Charity Standish, a young girl with the ultimate powers of good. Tabitha was ordered by the Dark Forces to destroy Charity in order to keep her from mating with her one true love, Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, which would supposedly trigger her full powers of goodness, thereby eradicating all evil from the universe forever, and presumably, Tabitha as well. However, on meeting Charity for the first time, Timmy was smitten by her and never could quite bring himself to do her any harm. In those days, Tabitha carried Timmy, in doll form, under her arm as she went about her business around town. At times Timmy would mischievously come to life and cause the townspeople to check their senses, especially Julian Crane and Reese Durkee, both of whom would swear the doll was alive, although no one else ever believed them.

Another member of the "family" was Fluffy, Tabitha's enormous and not-so-nice house cat, who loved to pounce on Timmy and rip out his stuffings.

Tabitha at one time tried to kill Charity by setting fire to her house and trapping her inside. She succeeded in killing Charity's mother, Faith, but Charity was rescued in the nick of time by Miguel. As a result of her failure, the Dark Forces punished Tabitha by removing most of her powers, agreeing to restore them upon Tabitha's eventual destruction of Charity.

Scheme after scheme backfired for Tabitha, but she did at least manage to keep Charity and her true love Miguel from sleeping together, therefore keeping Charity's full powers in check. As money begin to dwindle in the witchcraft-free household, the impulsive Timmy submitted Tabitha's tell-all expose' of Harmony's citizens, Hidden Passions, to Harper-Collins publishers. The book became an overnight best-seller, forcing Tabitha to flee Harmony before the fallout exposed her as a witch. Stumbling into a weather-beaten hotel out west, Timmy and Tabby met Norma Bates, the proprietor of said hotel. In a gender-switching send-up of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, it was discovered that Norma kept her deceased father's skeleton in the house, and talked to him as if he were still alive. At some point, Tabby and Timmy decapitated the father's skull off the skeleton, sending the deranged Norma into such a fury that she actually blamed Tabitha for her father's death, and still pursues her to this day.

Tabitha and Timmy eventually returned to Harmony, but their peace was short-lived, as the Bennetts, their house having been sucked into hell through one of Hecuba's schemes, moved into the Lenox residence. Tabitha uncomfortably resided with the Bennetts for the next six months, and was happy to get rid of them after their house was rebuilt.

After Tabitha cast a spell onto all copies of the book Hidden Passions that made the reader forget its contents, Tabitha safely returned to Harmony and resumed her plot against Charity. Timmy wished upon a star to become mortal, and the angel girl granted his wish. Tabitha passed him off as her nephew and they continued to live in her house. She found an unwitting ally in Kay Bennett, a young next-door neighbor who coveted Miguel for herself and therefore hated her cousin Charity. Kay sold her soul to Hecuba in order to secure Hecuba's magical help in winning Miguel's affections. After a few dead ends, Kay then was given a spell that froze Charity in a block of ice, while an evil doppelgänger, Zombie Charity, took her place. In order to save the real Charity, the by-now human Timmy took it upon himself to save her. Making his way across an enchanted countryside with Julian Crane, he secured the Demon's Horn, a magical device that could destroy the zombie version of Charity and restore the real Charity. Upon using the device, however, the eruption of dark magical forces killed Timmy. Charity, having been freed from the block of ice, was found to be dying from her months-long ordeal. A heart transplant was required, and Tabitha reluctantly allowed Timmy's heart to be inserted in place of Charity's. Charity survived, and thereafter Tabitha's hatred toward Charity was somewhat tempered by the knowledge that her beloved Timmy's heart beat in place of Charity's.

Zombie Charity returned briefly as a ghost, just long enough to con Tabitha into bringing another doll to life to replace Timmy. The second doll, Cracked Connie, in turn brought another doll to life as a boyfriend for herself. Demented Cecil therefore briefly joined the "family", but these subsequent dolls were considered pests by Tabitha and quickly left the unhappy household. Concurrently, Tabitha and Julian Crane commiserated over the loss of Timmy, and wound up making magical whoopee. The outcome of their liaison produced a daughter, Endora.

Endora, while initially being mocked by the magical community for having a mortal father, then showed that half-mortal or not, she was one powerful witch. In the summer of 2005, while innocently crossing magical forces with Tabitha's, the fallout inadvertently created a major earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Harmony, submerging the town for days and causing untold damage.

Julian, dimly aware that he must have been Endora's father, often offered to support Tabitha and Endora financially, stopping short of a public admission of her parentage. Tabitha however, wanted nothing further to do with Julian and has so far kept him at bay. In 2006, Julian's ex-wife Ivy Winthrop discovered the secret of Endora's parentage, but has so far kept silent about the matter.

Kay Bennett, pregnant with Miguel's child and unhappy with her home situation, moved in with Tabitha. When Kay's daughter Maria was born, the two single mothers raised their very different daughters together. At some point, Kay discovered that Tabitha was a witch and very often forced her to cast spells on her behalf, most of which eventually backfired.

Tabitha, having never fully recovered the loss of her own powers, often had Endora cast spells for her. In 2006, Endora's childish spell revolved around bringing a mermaid, Siren, to life from a doll in order to supply Miguel with a girlfriend after Charity had left town. The crowded Lenox household then consisted of Tabitha, Endora, with Kay, Kay's fiancé' Fox, Miguel and Siren, and of course, Fluffy. Eventually fed up with the mermaid's wanton ways, Endora zapped her back into a doll and currently keeps her hidden away in a fish tank.

After contracting a strange "witch's illness" in the fall of 2006, Tabitha left Harmony briefly for therapy on the rings of Saturn, returning very relaxed and much more powerful than before. In January 2007 a fake Charity Standish appeared in Harmony, and Tabitha at first thought she was the real thing. When Kay revealed to her that she saw Charity and Miguel having sex in the shed, Tabitha wondered why she and the Dark Forces hadn't been destroyed. Tabitha later found out that the Charity walking around town was fake, so she didn't have to flee Harmony with Endora and Fluffy on her personal spaceship located in Area 51.

Tabitha was nearly reclassified by the Witch's Council as a good witch. Loudly reaffirming her dedication to the Dark Side, Tabitha stood her ground. However, the Witch's Council declared her an unfit mother and kidnapped Endora, intending to raise her a real bad witch. Tabitha and Kay formed a rescue party, in which Kay finally discovered that she too had magic powers. However, Tabitha soon realized that Kay, while powerful, was utterly unskilled in the magic arts, as every spell she cast led to disaster. Eventually she conjured up an evil Demon Elf which plagued the Lenox household—not to mention the rest of Harmony. Tabitha, fearing reprisal from the Witch's Council and the elf's wicked mischief, decided to send Endora away from Harmony to her old nemesis Esmeralda's school for good witches.

Not long after, Tabitha went to check on Endora through a magic portal (secretly followed by Julian), and she discovered two of the Witch's Council members fighting Esmeralda with Endora in the middle. In the end, Tabitha, Esmeralda, Endora and Julian used the power of love to destroy the two hags. That was when Julian discovered that Tabitha and Endora were witches.

Later Endora, along with Miguel, were sucked into Hell or some other evil dimension by the Boys in the Basement. Tabitha later received a ransom from the Dark Side saying she and Kay must become bad witches to get their loved ones back. So, Tabitha unleashed the rottenness within, trying to break up loving couples in Harmony.

Kay grew angry at Tabitha's antics and responded by shrinking her and trapping her in a fast food bag. On Halloween 2007, she said she managed to escape the bag before Ivy squished it. In early 2008, Miguel, rescued from Hell along with Endora, finally discovered that both Tabitha and Kay were witches, and tried to make them vow not to use dark magic again. But with mischief and madness running rampant in Harmony, not to mention the constant presence of the Demon Elf, can Tabby and Kay keep true to their word?

Later on, Tabitha looks into her magic bowl and saw the future of Kay, Miguel, Noah, and Paloma wedding and knows the wedding is going to be a disaster. After she saw the future of the double wedding her magic bowl showed her that Ethan and Gwen are going to renew their wedding vows and then saw that someone is going to stop their wedding. When she saw Theresa, her eyes popped out and realized that Theresa is alive.

Meanwhile, with the Death of Alistair Crane, Tabitha's Book of Disasters predicted that Harmony would be destroyed by Mother Nature when the ocean rises and takes Harmony away. She decides to leave town. She is able to put the disaster off for a little while as she arranges to stay down south with Nurse Precious. She also tells Edna and Norma to leave town as well. Meanwhile, she sells her house to Juanita Vasquez. Before she leaves, she must bring Endora to realize that they must leave. She enlists the help of Esme. Esme realizes that Tabitha is a witch. Eventually, as Tabitha prepares to leave, Vincent Crane and Viki try to poison everyone in town. After the citizens of Harmony all die, Esme, being one of the few survivors, came to ask Tabitha for help. Although reluctant, Tabitha is convinced by Endora to save everyone, including Julian. Tabitha enters the church, and begins to pray. The forces of darkness and goodness battle, and Tabitha looses all of her powers to the Good side. She didn't tell anyone, because people would be scared of her. Tabitha was able to attend Kay Bennett's Wedding. She also performs a symbolic wedding for Edna and Norma. The Dark side, represented by the Demon elf, comes to destroy Tabitha for her ineffectiveness at killing Charity and embrace of goodness. However, Endora embraces her love for her mother and defeats the demon. Mt. Harmony, a volcano in Harmony, begins to erupt. She and Kay attempt to stop it. Tabitha is zapped to the Church. Kay, however, goes to heaven and meets with Timmy.

Timmy tells Kay that Tabitha must become a Christian. Tabitha reluctantly agrees and confesses over 400 years of sin to Father Lonigan. Father Lonigan baptizes Tabitha and she feels something new—a real happiness. She says that she feels genuine happiness because it is of the Lord. She says that she will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Endora says that she will have eternal life like Timmy. Tabitha says that there is only good magic in Harmony now. She then reminisces about Timmy, and his hand reaches to her from heaven. As the series wraps, Tabitha looks on the new life ahead of her.

The Bewitched connection

In the Passions universe, the television show Bewitched (1964–1972) is alternately presented as both fantasy and in-universe fact. Bewitched featured a witch named Samantha married to a mortal named Darrin, with their daughter named Tabitha, Samantha's witch mother named Endora, and Samantha's ditzy witch friend named Esmerelda. At times Passions‍ '​ Tabitha is seen watching the program as if it is fictional; at other times she refers to the Bewitched characters as if they are all real to her. Tabitha is acquainted with Bewitched character Dr. Bombay, who has made two appearances on the show and in both cases implies that Bewitched storylines exist in the same reality as Passions. Tabitha claims that her mother had been named "Samantha" and been married to a mortal named "Darrin," and names her daughter "Endora."

References

External links

• Juliet Mills at the Internet Movie Database
• soapcentral.com|PS Online
• Tabitha at Soap Central
• Tabitha at TV Acres