The psychotic Sara Chapman (aka Carly)
Sara Chapman, aka Carly (Pamela Bach; 1963-2025), is the main villainess from "Diabolique," episode 8.19 of Baywatch (airdate April 27, 1998).
Introduction[]
Sara Chapman was introduced as a woman who was on her boat, which she later set on fire in an apparent suicide attempt. She was later saved by Mitch Buchannon and taken to Baywatch headquarters, where Sara introduced herself and thanked Mitch for saving her. Sara later introduced herself to Mitch's mother, Irene Buchannon, and was quickly hired to be a nanny for Ashley, the infant daughter of Neely Capshaw. As time passed, however, Sara began to develop an infatuation with Mitch, even dreaming of being together with Mitch.
Sara enacts her plan to have Mitch to herself, which included lacing Irene's drink with cocaine to incapacitate her so she could be alone with Ashley. Later that evening, Mitch woke up and saw Sara standing over him, claiming that she had a dream about him.
Reveal[]
By this point, Mitch realizes Sara's clingy and obsessed behavior, and on the following day, Sara presented Mitch with a prepared sack lunch, after which Mitch informed Sara that he and Irene would let her go, while promising to pay a full month's salary to Sara. In response, Sara pleaded with Mitch not to let her go, and when Mitch refused, Sara turned heel and set up Mitch as an attacker; tearing her clothes and screaming for help in front of two men who later beat up Mitch before Sara escaped. The madwoman later snuck into Mitch's home and took Ashley, with Mitch returning home to see Ashley missing and learning that Sara took her to a photo booth.
In the episode's climax, Sara returned to the house and confronted Irene before attacking her and tying her up in her bedroom, which was followed by Mitch encountering the villainess as a blonde, causing Mitch to mistake her for Neely. Sara attempted to seduce Mitch, who later revealed the truth about Sara's backstory. As it turned out, the woman's real name was Carly, and Sara Chapman was the name of a nanny for Sara's daughter, Dana. However, Carly's husband had an affair with Sara and ended up with custody of Dana after Carly suffered a mental breakdown, and as Mitch deduced, Carly/Sara's boat catching on fire was done intentionally.
After denying everything at first, the evil Carly/Sara attacked Mitch and screamed at him to not take her daughter from her, while using a fireplace poker as her weapon of choice. The maniacal villainess' attack was stopped when Mitch tackled her and knocked her out, and after Irene was rescued, Mitch revealed to his mother that Carly was arrested and would be locked up for a long time.
Trivia[]
- At the time, Pamela Bach was the real-life wife of David Hasselhoff, who played Mitch Buchannon on the series.
Gallery[]
