Dark Shadows Episode 1098 9/9/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV! 

David points out to Barnabas that they're all right. Carolyn comes in, and tells Barnabas that she assured him the children were well. Barnabas says he's going to talk to Julia about taking them out of Collinwood. After he leaves, he hears Leticia say goodnight to Tad and Carrie, and them say goodnight to her. Barnabas comes back into the room and accuses the children of being possessed. David says he doesn't know what he's talking about. He claims they were just playing a game. Barnabas asks to play as well, and asks David to name his mother, and when he was born. He does the math to come up with David's birthdate, and Barnabas asks him the name of his governess before Maggie. He then asks Hallie what brought her to Collinwood, and her parent's names. She cannot. She begs him to stop. Barnabas says that David and Hallie did not leave under their own volition. Hallie calls for Daphne, and Tad calls her Carrie.

Barnabas asks what Daphne and Gerard want. Leticia tells him they do not know. Julia comes in, and Leticia says the children can't help him, and she then goes to her room. Julia is shocked to hear the possession has taken place. Tad says that he and Carrie are here to stay, and there's nothing he can do to change that. Barnabas suggests that they stay in the house, and Tad says he has no intention of leaving.

Barnabas and Julia leave the room, and she asks if Gerard has already won. He says his plan is not complete, and suggests that they go see Stokes.

Carrie asks Tad what's going to happen to them. He says they can't do anything to them. She asks him why they're there, and he says they'll know soon. He tells her he's going to the playroom, alone. She asks him if David and Hallie are dead, and he says he doesn't know, but he doesn't think so. He says that while they're there, David and Hallie just don't exist. Carrie says she hopes nothing bad has happened to them, and Tad agrees that he likes them, too.

Quentin is drinking when Carolyn comes to see him. She forgets why she came to see him. He asks if they found out why the children ran away, and she says they didn't want to be taken to Professor Stokes. She says they all need sleep, and says that she sees terrible pain in his eyes. Some terrible guilt. She asks him what he's done, and he says he hasn't done a thing.

Barnabas tells Julia that he's troubled Gerard has been able to succeed so easily. She says there are still two clues to go — the murder and the destruction of Rose Cottage. Julia says that someone in the house is helping Gerard. She says that she's convinced Daphne already has control of Quentin. She shows him Daphne's handkerchief. He finds it hard to believe, and yet she's convinced Quentin is the reason they've failed at every step.

Tad tells Carrie he found out what they're to do. He says he's got Gerard's ship model, and she needs to go to Daphne's room to get something. He says that one of them will appear to them tonight, but not as a spirit. He says that Daphne and Gerard will soon be alive.

Julia and Barnabas go to see Quentin. She tells Quentin that they can destroy Gerard's grip on the house if he can get rid of Daphne. He denies knowing Daphne. Barnabas says that the lives of the children are dependent on it. Barnabas tells him that the children have already been possessed. He says that she told him no harm would come to them, giving away that he's spoken to Daphne. He admits having seen her. He says he wants her to be with him. Julia tells him that they've all been under the influence of an external force before. Barnabas pleads with him, for the sake of David and Hallie. Quentin asks Julia if she has Daphne's handkerchief. He asks them to leave him alone, and he promises to do what he can to ensure Daphne never returns.

Hallie has a shawl from Daphne's room. She places it, and he places Gerard's ship, into a pentagram on the floor. He tells her to join him in the pentagram, and she does. He starts an incantation.

In Daphne's room, Quentin prepares to destroy her handkerchief. he holds it over a lit candle, but a wind blows it out. He goes to get a match, and when he returns, the handkerchief is gone.

Tad continues to summon Gerard and Daphne. Something appears in the room, and disappears. Carrie asks if they'll come back now, and he says they'll see very soon.

Quentin lights the candle again. He thinks there must be another way to send Daphne away.

Tad and Carrie come downstairs and go into the drawing room. Hallie hopes that they will find Daphne waiting for them, rather than Gerard. Tad hears something that Carrie cannot. There's a knock on the front door. Tad goes to answer it.

Our thoughts: 

John: Barnabas did a great job in his interrogation of Tad and Carrie. Can you imagine what would have happened had parallel-time Angelique been half as clever when dealing with her false-Hoffman?

Christine: I love how Julia blames Quentin for their failure, when she and Barnabas bear quite a bit of  responsibility for their lack of success. They knew that Quentin would be possessed by Daphne and the children would end up dead, but they still ignored the signs of possession and let the kids run amuck unsupervised while ghosts beckoned to them. These two were a colossal failure on this mission. There's little hope they will be able to save the day at the eleventh hour.

John: Boy, Barnabas was on a tear today, not only did he uncover the possession of the children, he also got Quentin to break after weeks of denials he knew anything about Daphne!

Christine: It's about time!

John: Not really sure what kind of conjuring Tad and Carrie were up to today when trying to get Gerard or Daphne to appear to them. And considering how long Gerard and Daphne have been hanging around Collinwood, it's surprising that they'd need to go to such extreme measures.

Christine: They're not trying to get their ghosts to appear, they are trying to bring them back to life. It's certainly been a while since someone has marked up the floor at Collinwood with a pentagram. It suggests that witches will be making a comeback soon. You may finally get your wish to hear Gerard speak, if we find out tomorrow that he's the one banging on the door.

Dark Shadows Before I Die Catastro-tracker

❎ The picnic

❎ The night of the sun and moon

 ▢ The murder

❎ The unfinished horoscope

❎ The night Carolyn sang her song

 ▢ The destruction of Rose Cottage

Dark Shadows Episode 1097 9/8/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV! 

David and Hallie sit completely still in their chairs of Rose Cottage. Hallie says she's frightened, and David says she mustn't be. The ghosts of Tad and Carrie appear, and sit in the same chairs David and Hallie are sitting in. They say goodbye to David and Hallie.

Tad and Carries assume David and Hallie's bodies. She tells him that Daphne kept her promise. She asks where Daphne and Gerard are. He reminds her that Daphne promised she'd never leave them. He tells her they have to get used to their new existence, and answer to Hallie and David. She says he'll always be Tad to her, but she understands. She tells him how good it is to be alive.

Barnabas says he searched all of Collinwood, and found no trace of them. Julia suggests the children may have been taken off the grounds. Barnabas says their spirits would be confined to Collinwood. She says they don't really know. She says she thinks they were taken to Rose Cottage. She's convinced that it exists. She says it may be known by a different name now than it was 130 years ago.

Quentin arrives at Rose Cottage, searching for David and Hallie. He goes into a room and lights a candle, which is brighter than his flashlight. He assumes he was wrong, as the house appears to be deserted. He pulls out Daphne's drawing of the house, and wonders what her connection to the house was.

Julia reads from a book, possibly holding it upside-down. Barnabas paces in front of her, and says she may be putting too much emphasis on Rose Cottage. She reminds him that the destruction of Rose Cottage is one of the last of the clues.

Carolyn comes in, happy and carefree. Barnabas asks if she knew the children were missing. She says she knows, and that she's not concerned. Barnabas asks if she knows something she's not telling them. She says they're gone. Julia says she thinks they're in danger. Carolyn assures them the children are alive and well, and says that's all she can tell them. She excuses herself and saunters out of the room.

Barnabas asks Julia if she thinks Carolyn knows what she's talking about. Julia says she has no idea. She takes out Julia's horoscope, and notes that today's entry says the night will end in peace. Barnabas doubts it. He asks if she thinks the children have found the playroom. He wonders if they disappeared inside the house. Julia agrees that they can't rule out any possibilities. Barnabas goes to search the West Wing.

Julia hears the door, and Quentin says the children weren't where he thought they might be. She tells him she knows he lied to her earlier. She accuses him of letting Hallie get away from him. She shows him Daphne's handkerchief. She asks if he saw Daphne. He says he's never seen it before. She asks if he recognizes the smell of lilacs, and he says he does. Julia asks if Hallie got away when Daphne distracted him. He denies it.

Barnabas opens the cupboard door in the west wing and enters a linen closet. He steps out and closes the door as Carolyn passes by. He asks what she's doing. She says she has always lived in the west wing, and he tells her that's not true. She asks why he calls her Carolyn when her name is Leticia. He asks her where the children are, and she tells him that it's late, and they would be in bed.

Quentin drinks, wondering what's preventing him from telling Julia the truth. He calls to Daphne and demands that she allow no harm to come to the children.

Barnabas goes to David's room. He finds David asleep in his bed.

Julia tells Quentin that the children are back in the house. She says Barnabas found David asleep in his bed, and she saw Hallie in her room. She says Barnabas is trying to find out where they were.

Barnabas interrogates the kids. He says running away was a drastic response to Julia's suggestion  that they go stay with her uncle. He asks them if Gerard and Daphne had anything to do with their leaving the house. They deny having heard those names before. Barnabas says that their spirits have been felt by many in the house. The children apologize for upsetting everyone. David points out that they're all right.

Carolyn comes in, and tells Barnabas that she assured him the children were well. Barnabas says he's going to talk to Julia about taking them out of Collinwood. After he leaves, he hears Leticia say goodnight to Tad and Carrie, and them say goodnight to her. Barnabas comes back into the room and accuses the children of being possessed.

Our thoughts: 

John: Barnabas, Julia and Quentin all continue to pull in different directions. I wish we had been given a better explanation as to why Quentin cannot tell Julia and Barnabas the truth, as it seems like the only way the writers decided to handle that was to have Quentin keep saying to himself that he can't tell them...

Christine: I believe the explanation given in past episodes is that Daphne has control over him, which keeps him from divulging the truth to Barnabas and Julia.

John: After Tad and Carrie make a big deal about not referring to each other as Tad and Carrie, even on their own, what do they do? And with Barnabas right outside their door? Funny that his shock of their possession doesn't carry over to Carolyn, as well.

Christine: It could be the shock is in realizing their possession indicates that they are one step closer to seeing Collinwood destroyed.

John: I wonder how many days we'll have to wait for this night to end in peace (according to Liz' horoscope)...

Christine: We may well be reminded that Sebastian Shaw was inventing part of her horoscope, knowing that there would be tragedy and keeping it hidden.

Dark Shadows Before I Die Catastro-tracker

❎ The picnic

❎ The night of the sun and moon

 ▢ The murder

❎ The unfinished horoscope

❎ The night Carolyn sang her song

 ▢ The destruction of Rose Cottage

Dark Shadows Episode 1096 9/7/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV! 

David walks into the woods. He says he wants to go back to Collinwood. Gerard stands before him, snarling. David agrees to follow him, and asks where Hallie is.

Back in Collinwood, Julia tells Hallie she must tell her where David is. She says she doesn't know. Julia says that she knows she's frightened. Hallie asks to go to her room, and Julia says she'd be at Gerard and Daphne's mercy there. Hallie says she doesn't know anyone with those names. Julia says she heard her talking to one of them, and asks her what they want she and David to do.

She says she hasn't seen any ghosts. Julia says she never said anything about ghosts. She says there's only one way that she would know. She asks if she wants David to be harmed. Hallie sees the ghost of Daphne watching her out the window. Julia asks her who she saw. Hallie tries to run out of the house, but Julia stops her. She demands that Hallie tell her where David is.

Daphne appears in her room. She opens a drawer and removes a drawing of a building. Quentin walks in and she puts the drawing down. He asks if she knows about David, and if she knew who forced him out of the house. He tells her that he didn't tell anyone about her to protect her because he didn't think anyone was in danger. He says if David is in danger, she has to tell him, but Daphne disappears. He picks up the drawing, which seems familiar to him.

David tells Gerard that he's tired as they walk through the woods. Gerard pulls apart some branches, revealing Rose Cottage. David asks him why he's taking him there.

Julia calls Stokes and tells him David is missing, lured out by Gerard. She says she's bringing Hallie to his house. She leaves Hallie with Quentin and goes upstairs to get her things. Hallie doesn't want to go.

Quentin takes her into he drawing room, where he smells lilacs. Daphne appears. Quentin asks her where David is, and doesn't see as Hallie runs out of the house. Quentin chases her but it's too late. When he returns to the drawing room, Daphne is gone.

Hallie follows Daphne through the woods. Hallie asks if they're going where David is, and Daphne smiles and nods.

Quentin tells Julia that he felt a presence in the house, and the next thing he knew, Hallie was gone. Julia asks if there's anything he's not telling her. He says no, and goes to search for Hallie. After he leaves, Julia picks up a handkerchief and smells lilacs.

In Rose Cottage, David asks Gerard why they've come there. He asks if Hallie will be joining them. He asks if he can sit down, and he does, saying he's tired. He immediately falls asleep.

In the woods, Daphne parts the branches, revealing Rose Cottage to Hallie.

David dreams of he and Hallie entering a familiar room. They see life-size dolls that are crying. They hear voices asking if they are going to die, and realizing that they are, so they can live again. Hallie says she doesn't understand, and David agrees. They turn to leave and are blocked by Daphne, who approaches them, arms outstretched.

David wakes from his dream to see Daphne in front of him with outstretched arms. He tells Hallie something terrible is going to happen, and they need to leave. He says he had a dream about death, and they have to run back to Collinwood. Hallie says it's too late, and that they have to do what they want them to. David agrees.

Quentin searches the woods for David and Hallie. He removes the drawing, and recognizes it as the old Magruder Mansion. He wonders why Daphne had it in her room. He wonders if Daphne and Gerard took the children there.

The children follow Gerard into a room that they recognize from their dream. She says everything is the same but the dolls. David says they don't need the dolls any more. Hallie asks him what's going to happen to them.

Daphne sits them down at the table in the chairs the dolls were sitting in. David tells Hallie that it's too late. Gerard takes David's hand and stares at him, and then does the same with Hallie. Gerard then escorts Daphne out of the room and closes the door. David and Hallie sit completely still in their chairs. Hallie says she's frightened, and David says she mustn't be. The ghosts of Tad and Carrie appear, and sit in the same chairs David and Hallie are sitting in. They say goodbye to David and Hallie.

Our thoughts: 

John: This might just be my favorite episode since we returned to this version of 1970. Should we assume that Tad and Carrie now live in the physical bodies of David and Hallie? At this point, I don't even care. The ghost activity from the silent Gerard and Daphne was top-notch. I can't wait to see what happens when Quentin stumbles into Rose Cottage!

Christine: This was one of the scariest episodes in the series. Kids must have been having nightmares over the crying mannequins, ghosts with outstretched arms, and hapless adults who have failed to protect them.

John: Daphne's smile and nod to Hallie when she asks if she's being taken where David is reminded me of Anthony James' chauffeur from Dan Curtis' feature adaptation of Robert Marasco's Burnt Offerings! Creepy good stuff!

Christine: Daphne's smile is somehow more threatening than Gerard's surly face.

John: Now, as much as I enjoyed the episode, I would be remiss not to point out that this storyline, and the effort to swap Tad and Carrie with David and Hallie, is the writers equivalent of a Rube Goldberg machine. Did they really need so many weeks, six random, unrelated clues, a mysterious house/doll house that coexist, and a stairway through time... all for this? You'd think they could have done all this just as easily in any one of the empty rooms of Collinwood. And yes, we're still waiting to find out just who all these players are... so maybe, just maybe, things will continue to improve from here!

Christine: The point of not fast tracking the possession of the children was to draw out an impending sense of doom. Julia and Barnabas squandered quite a lot of time they were given to prevent the destruction of Collinwood as clues kept getting ticked off the list. We were left watching helplessly as the children were drawn deeper into Gerard and Daphne's web while the folks who should have been more attentive to them, knowing they were doomed to death, allowed them to slip away. Now we are left wondering if it's too late to save Collinwood, and if the last few clues will be fulfilled by the end of the week. It is only Monday after all, and we've said goodbye to David and Hallie, not knowing if we will ever see these characters again.

Dark Shadows Before I Die Catastro-tracker

❎ The picnic

❎ The night of the sun and moon

 ▢ The murder

❎ The unfinished horoscope

❎ The night Carolyn sang her song

 ▢ The destruction of Rose Cottage

Dark Shadows Episode 1095 9/4/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV! 

Carolyn asks her mother to sit down so she can begin her concert. She starts to sing the Pansy Faye song. Julia hears her from upstairs and rushes into the drawing room, screaming for Carolyn to stop. Elizabeth asks her what's the matter. Carolyn asks Julia if she liked her song. Julia says it's too late, and rushes upstairs to check on the children. Carolyn resumes singing, and ultimately collapses.

Just as Julia reaches the top of the stairs, Elizabeth calls to her and she runs back down. She checks Carolyn, who asks what happened. They tell her she fainted, and she asks if she finished her song. Her mother tells her that she did. Carolyn says she won't forget that Julia was rude, and didn't like her song. Julia tries to explain that her singing was one of the clues she and Barnabas brought back from 1995. Carolyn says the clues are ridiculous, and Julia asks why. Hallie and David eavesdrop on them as Julia accuses Carolyn of seeing Gerard. She says he is making her act this way. Elizabeth tells Julia not now, and she goes upstairs to check on the children.

Hallie says it's all beginning just like she knew it would. He asks why Carolyn is Leticia. She asks if he wants Carolyn to live with them in Rose Cottage. Julia walks in and asks how they are. He says they feel terrible. Working on the Middle Ages in the middle of the summer. She asks if they heard the singing downstairs, and they deny it. She leaves them to their studies. Hallie says sometimes she wishes they had told someone, and he says that there may be a way.

Barnabas rises from the basement as Julia arrives at the old house. She tells him that Carolyn has seen Gerard, because tonight she sang her song. She says she checked on the children, and then came to see him. She says that she's convinced Carolyn is possessed, noting that she says she has a second sight. Barnabas asks her the words of the song, and Julia recites, "I want to dance with you..." He asks if she remembers Pansy Faye, and points out that was her song. Julia says Pansy Faye couldn't be alive in 1840. Barnabas says Gerard has made his mistake — he doesn't know that Barnabas was in 1897 and knew Pansy Faye.

Carolyn tells her mother that she feels different now. After Jeb's death, she was inside herself, but now she's changed. Barnabas and Julia arrive. Carolyn says that Julia ran to him and now he's come to question her. He says he thought she took their situation seriously. Carolyn tells her mother to go to David and Hallie. Elizabeth says that once the night is through and nothing has happened, she hopes they'll forget their ridiculous fantasy.

She goes upstairs, and Carolyn says they want to know where and when she met Gerard. Barnabas says he actually wants to know where she found the song she sang. She says she found it in a book. She says she heard Julia mention there was a concert on this day in 1839. Barnabas asks Carolyn if she ever heard of Pansy Faye. She says no, and he says the Carolyn with second sight would. He asks her to demonstrate her talent. She says she doesn't have to prove it. He asks if she's willing to help them, and asks her to see into the past to find where she learned that song. She says she thinks she learned it in another life, and he asks where. Carolyn has a vision of the carousel in the playroom. He says she must take them to the playroom. She says she saw it in her mind, and he asks if that's all. She says she's helped them all she can, and begs them to leave her alone. Barnabas tells Julia they must get David and Hallie out of the house tonight.

David picks up a doll that looks a bit like Barnabas. Hallie asks if they put the doll in Rose Cottage, will Barnabas be able to find the room. He says Carolyn did. Hallie says that Gerard will see to it that no one tells. David says that Barnabas is different. He tells her it's worth a try.

Julia tells Barnabas that Carolyn is calmer. Barnabas tells Elizabeth that Carolyn's condition is proof that something is happening. He asks to bring the children to Stokes' house, and she refuses. Barnabas asks if she's willing to risk the children's lives?

As they approach the playroom, Hallie asks David if Gerard will know they put the doll in Rose Cottage. He says not to talk about it once they're in the room. They enter, and call to Gerard. He doesn't appear. They place the Barnabas doll inside Rose Cottage, and leave the playroom.

Elizabeth says she doesn't know why she brought them to the children's room. The kids aren't there. They come in after the others and David asks if a convention is underway. Elizabeth asks where they've been. Barnabas suddenly feels something. Julia says it's cold. Barnabas notices that Elizabeth feels it, too. The children do not, and Barnabas tells them to go to Hallie's room. He tells Elizabeth they must get the children out of the house.

David tells Hallie he knew something was wrong as soon as he felt Gerard's presence in his room. They return to the playroom and find the Barnabas doll broken on the floor. Hallie says Gerard didn't want Barnabas to be there.

Barnabas tells Julia to bring the children to Stokes. Elizabeth asks him to promise that the children won't be alarmed. He says they'll handle it.

Hallie tells David she doesn't want to be punished, and he tells her to go to her room.

Julia and Barnabas go upstairs to get the children.

In the drawing room, Elizabeth speaks to Gerard, saying she didn't know what to do.

Barnabas goes into David's room and finds it empty.

David comes downstairs, and says yes. He goes out the front door. He asks Gerard if he's going to be punished. He says he must follow, and walks into the woods. 

Our thoughts: 

John: Are Barnabas and Julia keeping their own Catastro-tracker? Surely they know the murder has to take place before bad things will truly happen in Collinwood? Each time one is identified, it's as if they've forgotten that the individual clues don't appear to matter.

Christine: With every clue that gets checked off the list, they know their chances of saving Collinwood are diminished. If the last clue happens before they can stop it, then Collinwood is lost.

John: What dumb luck that Pansy Faye only sang the one song over and over, ensuring that years into the future that would be recognized as her (one and only) calling card. I wonder if Nancy Barrett wanted to sing on the show... though if she did, I can't imagine her only wanting to sing one song, over and over again...

Christine: Well, Quentin had his song, Angelique had her song, and this is the song for Carolyn's incarnations, but my question is, why bring this one back? It had its moment. Why not have Cobert compose an entirely new theme for 1840? Maybe Daphne's song or Gerard's song? I don't relish the thought of having to hear this tune ad nauseam again. The only thing I enjoy about it is how much Nancy Barrett throws herself into it.

John: I could barely recognize the expelled Barnabas doll as the one David had created. So much for his getting back to the playroom. We can only wonder what sort of punishment pirate Gerard has lined up for David!

Christine: At least this doll looked a little bit nicer than the Carolyn/Leticia doll before it was dismantled. I am wondering what the market would be for a whole line of Collins family clothespin dolls. Etsy, here I come!

Dark Shadows Before I Die Catastro-tracker

❎ The picnic

❎ The night of the sun and moon

 ▢ The murder

❎ The unfinished horoscope

❎ The night Carolyn sang her song

 ▢ The destruction of Rose Cottage