Friday, February 12, 2021

Dark Shadows Episode 1210 2/12/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Sitting down around the table at a seance, Quentin calls upon Brutus' spirit. Melanie moans, and says, "Lottery now or all will die. Plague. Die. PLAGUE! DIE! PLAGUE! DIE!" Quentin asks what she means, and asks about the black plague. She speaks of the smell of bodies burning. She says one must go in the locked room. She adds that he was cruel; that he killed. Quentin asks why the spirit demands a sacrifice. She says she can tell them no more, and says they must go to the locked room. She collapses, and when she wakes, she asks if she had an attack. He says that he thinks she was the same woman when she had the attacks. Melanie asks if they found out why the family was cursed. He says they didn't, but they got a clue about a plague. He says the disease is in the house because at one time, the family didn't go along with the legend of the locked room. He says it's possible a sea-faring man from the orient came along at the right moment. He says they can check the family history and village archives. He says the woman possessing Melanie may be the woman who cursed the family. Quentin says he's going to the village to find out what he can. There's a knock at the door, and Melanie goes to answer it. She comes back and says it's the police there to question them about Stella's murder. Flora goes to the door and invites them in.

Morgan kisses Catherine and tells her that he has a secret. The secret is that he's happy. She says she needs to unpack. 


Catherine asks him to start a family as soon as they can. He bristles. He tells her that it's out of the question. They will never have children, and they won't discuss it because of the curse. She's shocked that he lets the room dictate his life. She says he's married the wrong woman if he thinks she'll give in to superstition. He calls her a fool. She tells him that they must have children, and he tells her never to mention that again, and storms out. 

Melanie tells her mother and Quentin that she's sure they know she killed Stella. Quentin tells her that it's just her imagination. Melanie says they knew they were lying. Flora says they can blame Stella's brother for that. Melanie corrects, her, saying that they can only blame themselves, because they were lying. Quentin tells her that the police believed everything they told them. He asks who could deny the word of a Collins. Melanie goes upstairs and Flora tells Quentin that Melanie was right. 

Catherine removes some letters from her luggage. She opens and reads one. It's a love letter from Bramwell, explaining that he will return to her a success. Melanie comes into her room to say goodnight. She asks if Catherine is afraid when she comes into her room. She notices that Catherine has been crying. She tells Melanie that she's never learned to control her moods. Melanie says they each have a secret they must live with, and Catherine agrees.

Quentin reads from the family history about their ancestor's dental work. He tells Morgan if any of the Collins' had the plague, he'll find it. Morgan berates him for holding a seance when Quentin finds a reference to the plague at Collinwood. He says it started in the house at 1680. It starts with a fever and then black marks arrive. He also says it ended as quickly as it started. Morgan tells him to put down the book. He says it's more important than the plague. He says he wants Bramwell and his mother out of the old house. Quentin says his father made that agreement, and it will stand.

Melanie tells Catherine that she will be good for everyone in the house, and then bids her goodnight. Catherine is still unpacking when Morgan comes in. She says a wife is not supposed to argue with her husband; just accept. She says she never learned how to do that, and he says she will. She says she's not so sure, and he tells her she'll have to try. He finds a letter from Bramwell on the mantle and freaks out. He reads it, and she tells him it was written years ago. He accuses her of still being in love with Bramwell. She reminds him that she married him. He tells her to give him the letters, and then searches her suitcase for them. He takes them to the fireplace and throws them in, saying she will never read them again — EVER! She asks if he'll forbid her of thinking of them. She asks if she's allowed to have a past? Or are only the Collins' allowed that. He comes to her and embraces her, begging her to love him as much as he loves her. 

Melanie dreams. She sees her mother wondering what they did to deserve punishment. She sees Quentin holding Melanie's dead body. Flora tells him that he must take her body to the village to be burned, because she has the plague. Melanie wakes up screaming. Quentin rushes into her room and asks her what's wrong. She says she's burning, and he realizes she has a fever. He tells his mother to leave, saying the plague has come back.



Our thoughts:  

John: I guess we technically have to include the seance tracker again. Did you notice in the voiceover intro that Catherine says that the curse started in 1860 (which was still another 19 years in the future at this point)? We'll write that off as blooper, but with the curse starting in 1680, a good 100 years before the main house was built (at least in our time), someone still has some explaining to do. And I don't think the answer is that the house existed in parallel time first, and was then built up around the room in 'our' time, 100 years later...
 
Christine: The writers needed to consult the Collins Family history books before writing this curse into the storyline, but perhaps they think that parallel time gives them the freedom to play fast and loose with established history. 
                                                                                                                           
John: Would you let your part-time possessed/potentially murderous relative answer the door? Especially when there's a good chance that it's the police coming to visit? Interesting how they managed to handle a police visit without police on the call sheet for today's episode.

 
Christine: Now that Melanie has the plague, perhaps they'll finally hold that Lottery they've been putting off. 

John: Please tell me Catherine regrets marrying Morgan. He's a jealous, controlling jerk. Not since Angelique was with Sky Rumson have we seen such a dysfunctional relationship.
 
Christine: There was also Maggie and Quentin Collins in parallel time. I certainly regret Catherine marrying Morgan, though I have to wonder if his refusal to give her children is a precursor to her finding out that her recent tryst with Bramwell may have given her what she wants.  



Dark Shadows Before I Die Séance Tracker

Episode 170/171: Dr. Peter Guthrie conducts; Carolyn, Vicki, Roger, Laura Collins participate; Josette speaks through Vicki in French; held in the drawing room at Collinwood

Episode 186: Vicki conducts; Sam and David participate; David Radcliffe speaks through David; held in the drawing room at the Old House

Episode 280/281: Roger conducts; Liz, Vicki, Burke, Barnabas, Carolyn participate; Josette speaks through Vicki; held in the drawing room at the Old House

Episode 365: Roger conducts; Liz, Julia, Vicki, Carolyn, Barnabas participate; Sarah Collins speaks through Vicki after Carolyn pretends Sarah is speaking through her; Vicki is transferred to 1795; held in the drawing room at Collinwood

Episode 449: Countess duPrés conducts; Joshua Collins participates; Bathia Mapes shows up, claiming she was called; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1795

Episode 510/511: Professor Stokes conducts; Julia and Tony Peterson participate; Reverend Trask speaks through Tony Peterson; the basement wall breaks open to reveal his skeleton; held in the basement at the Old House

Episode 600: Professor Stokes conducts; Barnabas and Julia participate; Phillipe Cordier speaks through Barnabas; held in the drawing room at the Old House

Episode 640: David conducts; Amy participates; unsuccessful attempt to contact Quentin Collins; held in Amy's bedroom

Episode 642: Professor Stokes conducts; Liz, Vicki, Carolyn, Chris participate; Magda speaks through Carolyn; held in the drawing room at Collinwood

Episode 682: Professor Stokes conducts; Barnabas, Maggie, Mrs. Johnson participate; Janet Findley speaks through Mrs. Johnson; held in the drawing room at Collinwood

Episode 698: Professor Stokes conducts (assumed); Roger participates; unsuccessful attempt to contact Quentin Collins, whose laughter is heard; held at Collinwood offscreen

Episode 797: Barnabas conducts; Quentin and Magda participate; Julianka's ghost appears and curses Magda; held in the drawing room at the Old House in 1897

Episode 860/861: Charity, possessed by Pansy Faye, conducts; Edward Collins and Kitty Soames participate; a hooded figure appears (revealed as Judith in the following episode); held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1897

Episode 898: Julia conducts; David and Chris Jennings participate; Jamison speaks through David and tells them that Quentin's spirit is gone and won't come to them; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1969

Episode 948: Barnabas conducts; Maggie and Julia participate; Josette speaks through Maggie, informing Barnabas that the Leviathans aren't holding her and that she died by her own hand with poison; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1969

Episode 990: Cyrus conducts; Roger, Elizabeth, Bruno, Sabrina and Alexis participate; an unknown entity speaks through Sabrina, claiming that Alexis is dying, who then passes out; held in the parallel drawing room in 1970

Episode 1008/1009: Quentin conducts; Hoffman and Angelique as Alexis participate; after hearing spacey sounds, Hoffman freaks out and runs off, breaking the circle, and an entity appears in the room that turns out to be Joshua Collins, warning of an evil that is coming to the house; held in the parallel drawing room in 1970

Episode 1021: Unknown conductor; Quentin, Angelique, possibly Cyrus and other unseen people participate; Quentin rises up and strangles Angelique as colorful psychedelic lights flash; held in Maggie Collins' dream in 1970 parallel time

Episode 1070: Barnabas conducts; Julia and Professor Stokes participate; Carolyn speaks through Julia, providing the same six clues she wrote down before she died that portend the destruction of Collinwood, but is interrupted by the presence of Gerard before she can explain what they mean; held in the drawing room at the Old House in 1995

Episode 1079: David conducts; Hallie participates; a ghostly voice that sounds like David's repeatedly says, "Let us live!"; held in the Playroom at Collinwood in 1970

Episode 1126: Gerard conducts; Flora and Lamar Trask participate; the ghost of Reverend Trask informs them they are surrounded by evil and tells them to beware the cross; held in Rose Cottage in 1840

Episode 1150: Quentin conducts; Daphne participates; Joanna Mills is summoned and a hooded figure appears; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1840

Episode 1157: Gerard conducts; Charles Dawson and Daniel Collins participate; Dawson pretends that Randall Drew is speaking through him, and claims he was murdered by Quentin Collins; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in 1840

Episode 1163: Leticia conducts; Flora Collins and Barnabas participate; Leticia calls on the spirit of Roxanne to give the identity of the vampire who created her; held at Rose Cottage in 1840

Episode 1209/1210: Quentin Collins conducts; Flora Collins and Melanie Collins participate; Melanie is possessed by an unknown entity saying, "Lottery now or all will die. Plague. Die. Plague. Die! PLAGUE! DIE! PLAGUE!"; held in the drawing room at Collinwood in parallel time 1841

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