Episode 48 - 8/31/66

Vicki returns David's drawing of Collinwood to him. He initially seems proud when she expresses how much she likes it, but when she mentions showing it to his father David tears it up. David calls Vicki a thief for taking his drawing without his permission. He's yelling at her when his aunt walks in. She's bringing him a wrapped package that had been delivered. It's a crystal ball from Burke Devlin.

David calls Burke to thank him for the gift. David tells Burke he made a drawing of Collinwood for him, but it was torn. He promises to make him another.

Joe arrives to see Liz, and David shows him the crystal ball he got. Liz comes downstairs and Joe says he has papers for her to sign. She asks why Bill didn't bring them to her and Joe explains that no one has seen Bill since last night.

Liz calls Bill's housekeeper to ask about his whereabouts. Vicki came downstairs looking for David. Liz says she sent him upstairs. She mentions Bill and Vicki says he was at the house last night to see Roger, and that he was distraught. She says the two spoke privately, and before the door was closed she overheard Bill saying he was extending an invitation to Roger.

Joe loiters in the foyer until he's surprised by David. He asks if Carolyn is home, and David says she's out. David says he looked into his crystal ball and saw that Carolyn wouldn't marry Joe; she was going to marry a friend of his; Burke Devlin.

Liz asks Joe to contact her if he hears anything about Bill. He leaves and she calls Roger at work. She demands that he come home immediately to discuss the whereabouts of Bill Mallloy.

Vicki has David work on math problems. He tells her that in his crystal ball, he saw that Bill was killed by his father.

Our thoughts

John: Time to start a Robot watch! We see the second of David's robots in his room in the opening scene.

Christine: I'll bet he's a Lost in Space fan.

John: Never thought I'd find myself agreeing with David, but Vicki really didn't have any right to take his drawing to show Roger.

Christine: She should have known better, since he has trust issues with her and only hatred for his father. The boy would benefit more from a psychotherapist than an inexperienced governess.

John: The daily soap time warp can really get to you when you go days without seeing characters, and then when you do see them next, they refer to the last time we saw them as only hours ago.

Christine: We haven't seen David since Episode 36. I thought perhaps they sent him away after all, though it seems he went to get his hair cut with Carolyn.

John: So Burke giving David a crystal ball is one thing... David prognosticating about current events, such as the mystery of Bill Malloy's disappearance, is another thing altogether. Are these unexplained phenomena the overactive imagination of a spoiled little boy, or is there more to this kid than we know?

Christine: As he said, it isn't a toy. For some reason it reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode, "Long Distance Call." While David's prowess with the crystal ball is probably reliable, let's consider the facts surrounding Bill Malloy's disappearance. According to Joe, Mrs. Johnson hadn't seen Bill Malloy since 10:30 the night before, when he received an upsetting phone call, after which she left to spend the night with her daughter. She returned to the house to fix his breakfast at 6:30 am, but his bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. Liz started calling at 11:00, so he's unaccounted for between 10:30 and 11:00. Roger left the house just before 10:30, and even though it should only take 10 minutes to get to his office, he didn't arrive until 11:00. Liz found out he lied to her when he said he hadn't seen Malloy since early in the afternoon. Why would Roger lie?

Episode 47 - 8/30/66

Wandering the house in her nightgown, Carolyn finds her mother paying the piano.  Liz says she's got an awful feeling of impending disaster, just as the grandfather clock begins to chime. Liz tries calling Bill Malloy.  Carolyn asks if Liz is concerned something happened to him. Carolyn then asks if Liz is concerned about uncle Roger. She explains they had a fight earlier over a pen, and how strangely Roger behaved. Carolyn describes how Roger said he wouldn't be anyone's sacrificial lamb. Liz goes upstairs to find Roger.

In Roger's office, Roger tries to call Bill Malloy, but there's no answer. At 11:30, Roger and Sam suggest they leave, since Bill isn't coming. Burke says they will wait. Sam says he doesn't know why Bill wanted them there, and Roger expresses the same sentiment. Burke tells them to stay put, as he's going to get Bill.

Liz comes downstairs and tells Carolyn that Roger isn't upstairs. Liz is very upset, and Carolyn tries to console her. Liz says she had such a premonition once before, years before, as if death walked into the house. Liz says perhaps the lamb has gone to the sacrificial alter.

Sam says Burke is going to find Bill is not at home. When Roger asks how he knows that, Sam says he would have answered the phone. Roger says Sam would feel a lot safer if Bill never showed up. Sam grabs Roger's lapels and says he could kill him. Burke returns and says Bill didn't answer the door, but his car was at his house. Burke says they're going to wait. At midnight, Roger and Sam decide they're going to leave. Before they do, Roger attempts to return Burke's pen, only he doesn't seem to have it in his pockets, so he tells Burke he'll get it to him later. Burke tries Bill one last time as Roger and Sam leave.

Liz and Carolyn are having a laugh remembering old times. Liz sends Carolyn up to bed while she waits for Roger. Roger returns home and goes into the drawing room for a drink. Liz asks where he was. She tells Roger what Bill accused him of. Roger plays as if he has no idea what she's referring to. He sends Liz off to bed with a wish for pleasant dreams.

Our thoughts

John: Argh! How dare they start the episode anywhere but Roger's office!

Christine: We might have had to hear them discuss the weather and the price of sardines while they waited for Bill if we had started the episode there. It was much more interesting hearing Liz talk about her premonitions after playing maudlin tunes on the piano. I wonder if she had her last premonition about 18 years ago.

John: So Sam is shaping up to be Bill's killer... I love how the first thing he does is threaten to kill Roger when Roger suggests he might have something to do with Bill's absence. Of course Roger had the most to gain, and he's a bit more on the ball than Sam...

Christine: We find out through Roger that Sam was an accessory after the fact, so he's got a motive. Then again, it did take Roger longer than usual to get to his office. I think it was the housekeeper. Why isn't Mrs. Johnson answering the phone when everyone is trying to call Bill? She also doesn't answer the door when Burke goes to the house. Perhaps she's busy disposing of the body?

John: Does anyone believe that Roger left Burke's pen at Collinwood? I think Louis Edmonds lost the prop.

Christine: Perhaps Carolyn took it back without him knowing.

John: Is it just me, or does it seem like Carolyn and Liz dipped into Roger's wet bar?

Christine: Maybe Carolyn spiked the teapot. Or they could just be giddy due to the 'witching hour.'

Episode 46 - 8/29/66

Roger paces in the drawing room before putting on his coat and prepares to leave the house. Before he gets out the door, the phone rings. It's Burke Devlin. He tells Roger to be at his office at 11pm. He, Roger and Bill have business to settle. After hanging up, he removes his coat and makes a call to Bill Malloy. His housekeeper, Mrs. Johnson, doesn't know when he'll be back. Vicki comes in looking for a drawing of David's in the drawing room. She finds it and tries to impress Roger with it, but he couldn't care less. Roger describes Vicki as Pollyanna. Vicki is interested in having David meet Maggie's father, the artist Sam Evans. Roger isn't thrilled at the idea.

Sam works on a painting when Bill Malloy pounds on the door. Sam lets Bill in, who tells him after 11pm tonight he'll have all the time he wants. Bill says he'll be at the meeting in Roger Collins' office with he, Roger, and Burke Devlin. They're going to clean things up once and for all. Sam says he won't go, and asks Bill to leave. Sam takes a drink and says it's none of his affair. Bill told Burke what Sam said about being the only thing between Roger and a prison sentence. Roger makes it perfectly clear - Sam had better be at Roger's office at 11pm.

Roger tells Vicki Sam drinks too much, and when he does he gets ugly. He suggests there are other artists they could meet. Vicki says only Maggie invited her to dinner. Vicki leaves Roger alone, and he makes a call.

As she's about to go upstairs, there's a knock at the door. It's Bill demanding to see Roger. Vicki asks if Bill knows Sam Evans, and what kind of man he is. Before he can answer, Roger comes out and brings Bill into the drawing room. Bill says it's the end of the road. Roger finally starts to break. Bill said he had to choose between Roger and the Collins family, and he wasn't going to make Liz pay for something Roger did. Roger says Sam won't show up. Then he says Liz will never forgive him. Bill once again offers that Roger can avoid this by calling the police.

Vicki interrupts Roger to ask him about Mr. Evans. She asks Roger if the Sam she saw on the cliff when she first arrived is Sam Evans. Vicki wants to know if Sam Evans knows about her past, and if that's why Roger doesn't want her talking to him. Roger dismisses her, and leaves for his meeting.

At 11pm, Sam arrives at Roger's office. Burke is sitting in the dark. Roger arrives next. There's no sign of Bill.

Our thoughts

John: In the opening, Roger picks up the phone, puts it down, and then it rings. I think he jumped the gun.

Christine: It looked to me like he was going to make a call, as his finger reached toward the dial, then he reconsidered and got his coat on and went to the door to leave, but stopped when the phone rang. He sounds like he wants to cry when asking Burke "My office? Bill Malloy told you to come to my office?"

John: I love how Roger describes David's drawing is Collinwood with all its Dark Shadows. While it took nearly 50 episodes, the show's name has been given a meaning.

Christine: Are you kidding? Where have you been?

 

Dan Curtis said, "We didn't know what we were gonna call the show....somebody came up with Shadows on the Wall, which was gonna be the title of the show, and I didn't like that title...I gotta come up with a title that makes sense...Dark Shadows--that sounds pretty good to me. Why not?...and then somebody said, well shadows are always dark. I said, not necessarily. There are light shadows as well. Dark Shadows, that kinda says it all! So we named it Dark Shadows."

John: I loved the intensity of the scenes with Bill and Roger. Of course the way this episode ended, I'm a bit concerned that we may have seen the last of Mr. Malloy. The only question being, who did him in. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Perhaps he's just running late... or having car trouble...

Christine: Perhaps Mrs. Johnson made a meal that didn't agree with him. Bill was intense and sweaty in his scenes with everyone, though his interactions with Roger were especially fiery. It was Take #2, so Dan Curtis was probably hot tempered as well, which may have inspired the explosive acting. Both Sam and Roger seem rather desperate to stop Bill. Time is of the essence.

Roger leaves Collinwood.

Roger arrives at his office.

Episode 45 - 8/26/66

In the Blue Whale, Bill Malloy calls for Roger and leaves a message that he's waiting for him, and Roger knows where. Burke Devlin arrives and the two men sit down for a drink. Bill says he doesn't like or approve of what Burke is trying to do to the Collins family. Bill mentions Blair, and Burke says he's jumping to conclusions. Bill asks if he can prove Burke's innocence, will he leave the rest of the Collins family alone—the ones who didn't have anything to do with the accident.

In his office, Roger plays darts. Carolyn drops in looking saying she's looking for Joe. She then admits she came to see him. She's worried about what Bill Malloy had been saying to Liz. Malloy bursts in at that point and says they have to talk. Carolyn asks where she can find Joe, and Bill says she can ask at the front gate. Roger proceeds to throw darts with Bill standing right next to the target. Bill says what he knows isn't as important as what Sam Evans knows. Bill demands that Roger go talk to the police—or he will.

 

Carolyn reads from a book of Collins history in the drawing room. Roger enters and asks if she was talking to herself. She says she was talking to Jeremiah, whose portrait rests above the fireplace. She tells her uncle that she met Burke for lunch, and he gave her a gift. She shows him the pen, and Roger says she can't accept a lead pencil, let alone a fountain pen, from Burke Devlin. He yells at her and she walks out on him.

Bill calls Roger to see if he plans to go to he police. Roger threatens to have Bill fired and hangs up on him. Bill then calls Burke and asks him to meet at the Blue Whale.

 

Roger takes a drink and is back to calling Carolyn 'Kitten.' He offers her the pen back. Carolyn then fills Roger in on the discussion about Blair with John, Liz and Bill. Roger figures out why Bill is pushing him, and tells Carolyn he won't be Bill's sacrificial lamb.

Burke and Bill meet in the Blue Whale. Burke confirms that Bill will hand him Roger Collins if he lays off the rest of the Collins family. He asks how he can be sure no one other than Roger was involved. Bill clarifies he has a 'hold card' to play that he's prepared to play tonight. They agree to meet at 11pm at Roger's office, and Bill says all the players will be involved.

Our thoughts

John: I like how Bill knows Burke so well. It's like he's been reading Burke's scripts.

Christine: He loves him, he loves him not, yet he still loves Burke more than Roger Collins.

John: I was beginning to think Roger was going to kill Bill with his darts when they met in his office. I don't think I would have trusted Louis Edmonds filming those scenes.

Christine: We never actually see him throw any darts toward Bill Malloy because the shots of the darts hitting the board are in close-up.

John: What a cliffhanger to leave us on this Friday afternoon! Of course it's a safe bet that things aren't going to work out as Bill has planned. But where does that leave Roger, Burke, and Bill's 'hold card'... Sam Evans...

Christine: The meeting is set, their fates are determined, and it's bound to open up a new dimension on Dark Shadows.

 

Burke: You give me credit for being a lot smarter than I am.

Bill: No I don't. I give you credit for being smarter than I am.

From the Collins Family History Book: "Jeremiah Collins, sixth generation descendant of the founder of Collinsport. In 1830 married Josette la Frenière of Paris, France. The construction of Collinwood, the family mansion, was begun the same year."