Friday, March 22, 2019

Dark Shadows Episode 715 - 3/21/69

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Rachel listens at the tower room door, and hears a rocking noise. She calls to anyone inside and asks them to let her in. When no one answers, she leaves.


Beth has a tray in the foyer as Edward comes downstairs. He tells her to use the back stairs when she brings trays up, since people will no longer assume she's bringing food to his grandmother. He asks her if Quentin asked her what happened while he was away, and she says no. He points out that Quentin doesn't even have the grace to be curious. He sends her on her way, and she goes to use the back stairs.


Rachel visits the old house to see Barnabas, and Magda answers. She says Barnabas isn't there, and Rachel asks if she can wait. Magda waves her in. Rachel looks at the portrait of Josette, and says he told her they look alike. Magda sees that he gave her the amulet. Magda asks if she's ever had her palm read. Rachel offers to pay her for information, and Magda agrees to take her money.


She sits her down and reads her palm. She says she lived a lonely, loveless life until she came to Collinwood. Magda says that she has met someone who she may love, but the man has an enemy who has now become hers, too. Rachel asks who it is, and Magda says she can't see a name. Rachel asks if it's someone in the tower room. Magda tells her that 'she' wants Rachel in the tower room, but she's not sure why. She adds that if she doesn't go to her, she will come to Rachel. Magda then says she hears a night of terror. She tells Rachel there's an unmarked key in the pantry that will get her into the tower room. She says that she will meet her enemy, but if the choice of time is hers, and not Rachel's, it will be much worse. Rachel says she'll see Barnabas in the morning, and Magda adds he will not be back until sundown. Rachel leaves to return to the main house.


Beth returns to the tower room.

From her bedroom, Rachel watches as lights come on in the tower room.

In the middle of the night, someone sneaks into Edward's room and lights the end of his bed on fire.



Rachel wakes to the sounds of Edward screaming.

Edward points at someone in a chair and says, "You... you..."


Beth comes in and finds Edward looking at the chair. Beth says she warned him, and he points out something in the chair, like an animal. Beth swears she locked the door, and says it wasn't her fault. He says that some night they will all be burned alive in their sleep. He tells the unseen figure in the chair, "You deserve what's happened to you."


Outside his room, Rachel listens, asking him what it is. He opens the door and she says she heard him screaming and smelled something burning. He says it was an accident, and she can go back to her room. She does as she's told.

In her room, Rachel wonders what happened.

Edward tells Beth that now she must stay in his room, along with the thing in the chair, until Rachel goes to sleep.


Rachel is still awake in her room.

Edward gives Beth something to gag the creature with, saying there must be no noise in the hall.

Rachel hears sounds in the hall, and listens at the door. She hears Edward and Beth walking in the hall and then closing a door.

Rachel goes to the window and sees the lights go on in the tower room again.


Beth serves Edward coffee in the drawing room and tells him everything is calm today. He reminds her that he doesn't want to hear anything about it. Rachel comes into the house and hears Edward talking to Beth in the drawing room, saying that if it happens again she will lose her job. Beth leaves and Edward comes out, asking if the children are at their studies. She says they're just about to start. She apologizes starting late, as she didn't sleep well. He suggests that the atmosphere at Collinwood might not agree with her. She rushes upstairs.


Much later, Rachel runs into Beth in the drawing room. She asks if she knows what was going on with Edward last night. Beth denies it. Rachel says she heard her voice. She asks again who is in the tower room. Rachel says she knows someone is there. Beth says that they say it's haunted, and asks if she believes in ghosts. Rachel says she doesn't, and Beth points out that if she stays, she might start believing.


Magda arrives at Collinwood with a note for Rachel. Rachel reads it and she asks if Magda knows when Barnabas will be back. She says she does not, but asks what she expects he would do if he was with Rachel when she sees 'her.' She says Rachel should not be afraid, as the amulet will protect her. She says she found the key, and Magda says she must not wait any longer.


Edward comes in and asks what she's doing there. She explains that she's delivering a note from her master, and leaves. Edward apologizes for his curtness last night when she checked in on him. He asks her to promise him that she'll forget about the events of last night. She goes upstairs. Beth comes into the foyer, and Edward tells her he doesn't think she will bother them any more.


Upstairs, Rachel unlocks the door to the tower room.


Our thoughts

John: I'm forgetting my Collinwood governess history. Is Rachel destined to go over the cliff at Widow's Hill?

Christine: In Episode 9, Carolyn told Vicki that Josette and two governesses were said to have jumped from Widows' Hill, and that legend stated a third governess would be found at the foot of the cliff. It would be just like Angelique to have Barnabas suffer a repeat of having his one true love slip from his grasp over the cliff, so it's a possibility.

John: I'd picture a fiery phoenix sitting in the chair in Edward's room if we hadn't seen a hand with a candle setting his bed on fire. Sadly, I don't think the reveal is going to live up to my expectations.

Christine: It is nice that we're being allowed to use our imaginations to craft an image of some hideous creature tucked inside the odd shaped chair in Edward's room, since what we imagine will often be more terrifying than what is eventually revealed. Just enjoy the moment.

John: I'm curious to find out why whatever lies beyond the door of the tower room is Rachel's enemy. Again, that would seem to conflict with my expectations of finding Edward's estranged wife behind the door. So many unanswered questions! I wonder if we'll have more information soon...

Christine: Magda's palm reading was a bit confusing, but what I was hearing was that Barnabas' enemy who became Rachel's enemy wanted Rachel to go to the Tower room, which to me meant that Angelique wants her to find whoever is in the Tower room. I could have it totally wrong too, but I expect we'll find out soon enough. Incidentally, was that a radio broadcast we started hearing when Edward was speaking to Rachel in the foyer that caused him to falter in his lines and produced a grimace from her?


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