Episode 180 - 3/3/67

Guthrie apologizes, and offers to put the coffin back. The caretaker tells them to let her rest for another day. Joe then smells flowers; Frank asks if it's Jasmine, which Guthrie equates with Josette. The coffin then opens revealing that it is empty. The caretaker says that the body should be in there. Joe asks if the body could have disintegrated after 200 years, and Guthrie says there would have been some remains in the coffin. He says that Josette wanted them to see inside the coffin. The caretaker kneels at the vault and says she couldn't find rest or peace.

Guthrie asks about Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. The caretaker says it's outside by a maple tree past his shed. The caretaker leaves, and Frank says he knows what Guthrie is thinking. He tells him that he's with them. They begin to leave, and the caretaker asks if they're going to the other grave. He says they must be careful; the dead don't like to be disturbed. They promise to come back to re-inter the coffin.

In the graveyard, Frank, Joe and Guthrie look for the grave. Joe finds it, and says, "now what." He explains they need to dig up the grave and open the coffin. Joe goes to look for shovels, and Frank asks his friend what he expects to find. Guthrie confirms that he expects to find nothing.

The caretaker laments that the men left him alone. He says he'd prefer the company of the living. He says he could have told them things about Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. He recounts how she died by fire, and says there was something else he can't remember. He finds his record book on Radciffe's and opens it.

Joe returns with shovels, and he and Frank get working on the grave. Joe stops and asks if they heard something. The others didn't hear anything.

The caretaker finds the record about Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. He mentions the boy, and turns to see Laura Collins. She says she's looking for Guthrie. He says there were three men, one was named Garner. He asks if they are her friends. Laura sees the open coffin and reaches inside. The caretaker says they came to disturb the dead. He says the coffin was opened and Laura Murdoch Stockbridge was gone. She asks what they wanted, and he says they said they were helping the living. She asks if they said where they were going, and he said they were going to the grave of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. She asked if they were coming back, and he says yes. She says that in that case, she'll wait. She asks what he was saying he found when she came in. He offers to show her the records of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, and she takes the book.

The three men stand around the coffin which they have dug up. Joe confirms it has never been opened. The start to open the coffin.

The caretaker says he'll show her friends the Radcliffe records when they return. He says it's strange how two women with the same maiden name died the same way, 100 years apart. Laura tells him that she's not afraid of fire. She speaks of its beauty.

At the grave site, they manage to pry the coffin open. It's also empty.

Laura continues to speak to the caretaker, captivating him. He says he feels strange, and looks up and finds her gone.

The men finish re-interring the Radcliffe coffin. Guthrie then says they need to put the other coffin back.

Back in the crypt, Guthrie apologizes for taking so long. The caretaker says that they just left. Guthrie says they were gone for at least two hours, and asks the caretaker what happened after they left.

He leaves to go rest, and Frank finds the record book open. There's a Collinsport Courier newspaper article in the book, but the ink for a portion of an article is missing. Guthrie says that couldn't happen in a closed book. It would require exposure to light—or a fire.

Our thoughts

John: Wow! One minute Frank is laying down the law, the next he's digging up a coffin!

Christine: He and Joe both seemed to get over their reluctance to break the law pretty quickly.

John: Anyone else think that the crypt, and the caretaker with it, were going up in smoke before this episode was over? Surely Laura now knows that the Hardy Boys (Guthrie, Joe and Frank) are on to her!

Christine: She's probably banking on them not being able to do anything about it. They can't really go to the police and say she's a phoenix, after all.

John: So now WE know there's some precedent relating a child to Laura's prior incarnations, but it looks like our merry band of grave robbers will have to hit the Collinsport Library to find a copy of the disappearing newspaper article.

"I never minded waiting, either. The living all have to wait...for death." -Eagle Hill Cemetery Caretaker

"There's great sadness in fire too, because every fire must die. But the beautiful part is, that another will be kindled, in another place, in another time." -Laura Murdoch Phoenix

Episode 179 - 3/2/67

As Joe and Guthrie attempt to break their way into the crypt, the door opens mysteriously. Joe's reluctant to enter, thinking someone is inside. Guthrie says there's no one inside, and Joe says that's even worse. The two men enter, and the door creaks shut behind them.

Inside the crypt, Guthrie searches for Laura Murdoch's vault. Joe says he's scared, and Guthrie indicates that he is, too. They find the vault, and Joe says he's concerned about being respectful of the dead. Guthrie suggests that he is, and that he's also respectful of the living. They get to work on the vault.

Back at Collinwood, Frank asks Carolyn where Guthrie is. She feigns ignorance. He's concerned that Guthrie might go to far; by breaking the law. He asks Carolyn if he went to the cemetery to find the crypt. She breaks down and says he went with Joe to open the grave of Laura Murdoch Stockbridge.

The two men work at the vault with no luck. They try and pry the vault open with a crowbar, and eventually get the nameplate off, exposing the coffin.

They drag it out and put it on a small table.

They begin work on opening the coffin that is nailed shut when they are interrupted by the caretaker.

He tells them they are fortunate he stopped them just in time. Guthrie says that Vicki Winters told them about him. The caretaker says yes, she's here, but her name it not Winters. He finds a vault and Guthrie tries to explain that Vicki was alive. The caretaker says they were ALL alive. The caretaker asks if he knows who the people are? He says the violence that killed them might be freed if they open the coffin. Guthrie says that he's willing to accept the consequences. The caretaker says he is their guardian, for which they are grateful. He tells them that they can open the coffin after he is dead.

Frank Garner shows up, and apologizes to the caretaker. Frank asks if Guthrie and Joe are aware they can go to jail for this. Guthrie tells him that they don't have time to go through the appropriate legal channels. Guthrie apologizes to the caretaker, and offers to replace the coffin and vault. The caretaker says to let her rest where she is for a while. Joe suddenly smells flowers. Frank asks if it's Jasmine, and Joe says he doesn't know what Jasmine smells like. The others can't smell it, but Guthrie suggests it could be Josette. Suddenly, the coffin opens on its own. The caretaker asks the coffin to rest, but Guthrie peers in and finds that the coffin is empty.

Our thoughts

John: Did Guthrie put in contacts before their grave-digging expedition, or did he think he'd be better off if he couldn't see?

Christine: If the phoenix manages to be reincarnated again, I wonder if she'll reconsider using the name Laura Murdoch. It might be prudent to change it.

John: The crowbar won't open the vault, but it almost took down the entire set wall... and then they put a 200 year-old coffin on what appears to be a tea cart?

Christine: It's obviously a strong little piece of furniture. I wonder if it would have prompted a second take if the thing had toppled, or if we would have had the pleasure of seeing the actors deal with it.

John: The caretaker once again steals the show. I'm going to miss him when he's gone. They should have hired him to come work at Collinwood.

Christine: I expect we'll encounter him again, watching over other crypts at Eagle Hill Cemetery. I also expect we'll see this moonlit sky shot from the opening again.

Episode 174 - 2/23/67

Frank tells Dr. Guthrie that he came by to hear the tape. Guthrie plays the tape for him and all they hear is fire. He says the voices are gone, and in their place, it's the crackling of flames. Guthrie explains that any force powerful enough to do the things that have gone on in Collinwood would have no trouble replacing the audio on his recording. Frank suggests that fire once again seems to point to Laura Collins, and then mentions the Phoenix case is closing today. Guthrie is upset they can close the case without having answers. Frank asks him if he's confident Laura is behind the strange occurrences at Collinwood, and Guthrie confirms that he is. He says she may be so unwittingly, but she does seem to be involved.

Frank starts to tell him news of Liz from Boston as Carolyn walks in. He says she's better, but then backs off from that and says very slightly improved. Her pulse and temperature are closer to normal, but she's still catatonic. Carolyn wants to visit her mother, but Dr. Guthrie suggests that it might be best that she not visit her yet. He says he's confident that the source of her illness is in Collinwood.

Joe arrives with some papers for Frank to sign, and Carolyn explains he and Dr. Guthrie are walking the grounds. She invites him into the drawing room, and asks how he's been. He says he's been fine, and asks how her Mom is doing. She explains they won't let her see her mother. She says without her mother she has no one to turn to. Joe explains that he's her friend, and she can turn to him. She tells him it never occurred to her that she would need him and he wouldn't be around. He clarifies that he's only offering friendship, and then he gives her a big hug and tells her to have a good cry.

In Phoenix, the papers are signed closing out the case of Laura Collins' dead doppleganger. The Lieutenant starts to leave, but he's told that he has to sign an affidavit in the morgue before the body is released for burial.

Carolyn tells Joe that she's sure Laura is responsible for all of the bad things that have been happening—including her mother's illness. Joe says he's heard that Guthrie is really a cop, investigating the body in Phoenix.

In the morgue, the Lieutenant gets a call from Frank Garner. He confirms the papers have just been signed, closing the case.

Frank tells Carolyn, Joe and Guthrie that the case in Phoenix is closed.

Back in the Phoenix morgue, there's a sign on a locker drawer that reads, Laura Murdoch Collins. One Lieutenant points out that they haven't changed it to 'identity unknown'. The locker is opened, and the drawer slid out showing that the body is gone.

Our thoughts

John: So Frank and Guthrie seem to agree that Laura is the source of the trouble at Collinwood, but don't know what to do with that information. If they had only thought to call in an exorcist.

Christine: Truly, knowing you're dealing with the first malicious supernatural entity on Dark Shadows is one thing, but determining what to do about it is quite another. Mrs. Johnson may be the one who holds the key--just put out the fire at the cottage. Laura seemed to freak out about that in Episode 172.

John: It's hard to believe that Carolyn and Joe had an adult conversation for the first time in the history of the show. Maybe, just maybe, she's turning a corner in her mother's absence.

Christine: The only other person Carolyn has had a close relationship with for any length of time, aside from Liz, is Joe. She's bound to misconstrue his caring hug as potential for reconciliation, despite what he has to say about Maggie, especially when she's feeling lonely without her mother.

John: I knew there was no way they built a morgue set just so they could show the Phoenix police answering a telephone call. The disappearance of Laura's charred remains is an interesting new twist that I hope they'll explain in the legend of the phoenix. Of course, I would have loved to hear the reaction of housewives across America if they had pulled open the drawer to expose an extra-crispy corpse back in 1967...

Christine: That is a pretty awesome morgue set, complete with echoing voices and everything! The only thing lacking was a corpse with a toe tag on the exam table. A charred corpse in the drawer would have also been nice. I'm still trying to figure out how her body could be charred in Phoenix and fresh in Collinsport at the same time. Isn't the phoenix supposed to rise from the ashes? Also, if she just burned up in Phoenix and is newly reborn, then why does she keep saying she's running out of time?

This is the only time we'll see Lt. Costa (background), but actor John Harkins will reappear as several different characters in a few more years.

If it weren't for the cactus, we might not know we were in Phoenix.

So this is Phoenix?

Episode 169 - 2/16/67

Dr. Guthrie returns to Collinwood, and lets Carolyn know that Laura refused his invitation to participate in the seance. He says that since she's hostile towards what he's trying to do, it might be best for her not to be there.

Carolyn is skeptical of a seance, and asks if Guthrie has had success before. He says he's had evidence of communication with the dead, and asks her to trust him. He explains he'll do everything in his power to help her mother. Vicki comes downstairs and tells them that the storm outside is keeping David awake. Guthrie says he's planning to start the seance once David is asleep.

There's a knock at the door, and Vicki is surprised that Frank has arrived. He says Roger called him to come. Roger enters and escorts Frank to his study for a private conversation.

Roger tells Frank he's not satisfied with how he's handling the divorce. He wants him to resolve it faster. Roger offers Frank a drink, and asks Frank about his legal rights to the house and the cannery. With Liz incapacitated, he asks who has the right to take her place and make decisions. Frank explains that her next of kin, Carolyn does. Roger says he thinks it should be a more responsible member of the family, and Frank confirms that Liz has a will that states that. Roger asks if there's anything he can do to fight it, and Frank says no. Roger then brings up Dr. Guthrie, and asks if Frank knew he was planning a seance. Franks says that while Guthrie's methods may be strange, he has complete confidence in him. Roger says he doesn't think Frank is telling him everything he knows, but that he'll find out about Guthrie, and deal with him in his own way.

Carolyn and Vicki nervously await the seance. Carolyn tells Vicki that despite all the things she's said about David, she'll miss him if he leaves. Vicki consoles her as she expresses worry for her mother. Frank comes in, and Carolyn tells him she wants him to book her a flight to Boston to see her mother tomorrow. He sits her down, and tells her that he's seen her mother. He says she's the same, and that the doctors say that a visit from the family wouldn't help right now. She screams at him that he knows her mother is going to die. She calls Guthrie a quack as he enters. He asks if she'd like to call it off, and she says yes, as it wouldn't do any good since she's never going to see her mother alive again.

Vicki comes downstairs after helping Carolyn to bed, and asks Frank what the doctors really said. He says that they aren't holding out much hope for her. Vicki asks Guthrie if he'll still do the seance, and he says only if Carolyn wants to. She comes downstairs and apologizes to him. She says she wants to proceed with the seance. Carolyn asks Frank if he'll join them, and Guthrie suggests they limit it to the members of the family. Frank says good night to Vicki, who goes upstairs with Carolyn.

Guthrie tells Frank that Mrs. Stoddard's life may hang in the balance, and he thinks the seance is worth trying. He also says that if they succeed, they may unleash a force that they may not be able to control.

Our thoughts

John: We've been living in this house for 9 months and only today find out that Roger has s study between the front door and the drawing room? And Liz has a study, too... somewhere in the house.

Christine: Collinwood has many rooms we have yet to discover. Considering the number of liquor bottles, you'd think he'd spend more time in his study than in the drawing room.

John: If Carolyn truly believes that her mother is going to die, wouldn't a seance be a good opportunity to speak with her one last time? I'm wondering if that's what turned her around.

Christine: I don't think she can communicate from beyond the grave until she's there. I suspect Carolyn realized that trying to do something was better than nothing. Also, it would be kind of mean to get us all excited about a seance and then just drop it.

John: I'm hoping that Frank's not attending the seance tomorrow leaves room in the revolving cast list for a ghost or two to appear!

Christine: It's great weather for a seance with lots of dark shadowy lighting to get us in the spirit!