Dark Shadows Episode 658 - 1/1/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Julia calls Chris to let him know that the Sheriff picked up Joe and has him locked up. She says Joe keeps talking about him, and he may be the only one who can calm him down.

Julia goes in to see Joe. He tells her they have to find Chris, and they have to get Amy out of Collinwood so she never sees it. They don't know what he's referring to. He adds that everyone is in danger. He asks where Maggie is, and when Julia says she's in Collinwood, he tells her he'll take her away, too. Joe asks Julia why she stopped him from taking Amy away. She says that Amy didn't want to go. Joe pictures the werewolf, and screams that he knows who it is.

Chris arrives and the Sheriff lets him in. Julia asks Chris to try and talk to Joe. He approaches and Joe threatens to kill him. Julia gives Joe a sedative, and he cries that he can't take the dreams.

Outside the cell, the Sheriff asks Chris if he knows what happened to Joe. He says it appears that Joe saw something so frightening that it sent him off the deep end. He asks what Joe meant when he said he still had the gun. Chris says he doesn't know why Joe would be saying that.

Joe dreams about watching Chris transform into a werewolf. In the dream, he shoots the werewolf several times, and says that he must protect Amy.

He runs to Collinwood only to find the werewolf there. He runs into Julia who approaches him with a syringe. He tells her that the monster Chris becomes wants to kill them.

He runs away from her and finds himself in the Collins family crypt in Eagle Hill Cemetery. Inside, he discovers Chris, laughing at him. Joe asks him how he got there. He says he just saw him change in his room. He then says he saw Chris at Collinwood, and Chris tells him he hasn't been to Collinwood in a long time.

Joe asks Chris if he remembers giving him a gun and asking him to shoot him. Chris says that never happened, and Joe begins to doubt himself, thinking it was a nightmare. Joe tells him he was attacked by an animal that walked like a man at Maggie's. Chris tells him that he's the same that he ever was. Joe then asks him what he's doing in the mausoleum in the middle of the night. Chris tells him that he's always out at night. Joe says he wasn't last night. Then Chris tells him it's a case of mistaken identity. He says he's not Chris, he's Tom. Joe says that he's dead, and Tom tells him that he's not dead at night—only during the day. He bares his fangs and Joe runs outside, into the arms of the werewolf. He screams as the vampire and werewolf descend on him.

Joe screams, wearing s strait jacket. Julia tells the Sheriff that she'll take Joe to Windcliff in the morning. Chris offers to stay with Joe until it's time for him to go. Julia tells Chris that there's nothing he could have done.

Our thoughts

John: Is it me, or has the Collinsport jail not changed much in 200 years?

Christine: I wouldn't expect the brick or the bars to change too much, but you'd think that the striped bedspread that Peter Bradford spent his last days on would be gone by now.

Episode 623

John: Wow. This was one of the longest nightmare/dream sequences we've had in a single episode. And it brought out the Jennings Brothers! It sure is a shame that Tom's not really around to join up with his brother in a familial Monster Squad!

Christine: It was one of the best dreams yet! I was not expecting Tom Jennings, and loved the way he revealed himself. It is too bad that he was dispatched by Barnabas. He was such a fun vampire to have around. Let's hope he'll show up in more dreams in the future.

John: I guess it's a good thing they put the strait-jacket on Joe while he was sleeping, though it probably contributed to his nightmare.

Christine: Where did they get the straight-jacket anyway? Do they keep one on hand at the jail, or does Julia have one in her little black bag for emergencies? Sadly, Joe is going to Windcliff for an indefinite stay, and this is the last time we'll see him on the show.

More amazing stunt work by Alex Stevens, with great lighting to accentuate the action.

Dark Shadows Episode 655 - 12/27/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Carolyn asks Julia why no one called for her when Vicki disappeared. She then asks about her mother, and Julia says that Liz thinks she's going to die. While they talk, Joe sneaks into Collinwood. Julia tells Carolyn that they don't know why her mother is regressing. As they go upstairs, Joe comes out of the kitchen and starts upstairs.

Liz is sleeping when Carolyn checks on her. Julia offers to help Carolyn unpack. After they leave, Liz starts to stir, and has a nightmare. She finds Amy in the woods. She asks Liz if she heard the voice calling her to the woods, too. They then hear laughter in the woods. Liz then sees Cassandra. She tells Amy to go to the house, and Cassandra says she can't, until she lets her. Cassandra sends Amy away, and she goes. Cassandra tells Liz that she's beginning to think of death again. Liz tells her not to come closer. Cassandra reaches out to her and says when she touches her, she'll appear to be dead. She comes closer and Liz screams in terror.

Carolyn comes running to her mother. She and Julia find her. She says she had a terrible nightmare, and can't go to sleep again or she will come back again. Julia asks who, and Liz can't remember.

Joe sneaks into Amy's room. He says, "Tom, Chris, and you..." and approaches her as she sleeps. He then says he's got to save her. He grabs a suitcase and starts to fill it. The noise wakes up Amy. He tells her to be quiet, and that they are leaving. She asks if he's taking her to Chris and he pauses before saying they're going far away. He tells her she's not going to be like either Tom or Chris. Amy says she doesn't want to go, and he yells at her, telling her not to cry. He tells her not to be afraid. She says she doesn't want to go with him. He grabs her and then apologizes. He then shakes her and tells her she's never going to find out.

Julia offers Liz a sedative, and she refuses. She asks Carolyn to check on Amy.

Joe carries Amy downstairs with his hand over her mouth.

Carolyn finds Amy's bed empty. Julia comes in and she tells her that Amy has run away. Julia finds a suitcase open with clothes, and says she hasn't run away. She suggests she might be with David. She tells Carolyn to go lie to her mother, telling her Amy is asleep. She then says to meet her downstairs.

Amy struggles as Joe takes her through the woods.

Carolyn lies and tells her mother that Amy is sleeping. Liz asks Carolyn to read to her. Carolyn says she needs to do something first, and leaves the room. Liz gets out of bed.

In the drawing room, Julia calls for Amy. Carolyn comes downstairs. Julia tells her to wake Mrs. Johnson and Harry, and have him look outside for Amy.

Liz checks Amy's room and finds it empty. She then hears Cassandra, who steps out of the shadows. She approaches Liz, arm outstretched.

Amy tells Joe to let her down. He tells her it's for her own good. He lets her down, and tells her to be quiet. He says that 'he' knows he has her. As soon as she has a chance, Amy runs away from Joe.

Julia tries to reach Chris Jennings. She asks if a little girl is waiting outside his apartment. She then hangs up and calls the police when Amy bursts in. Joe follows and tells Julia that Amy is coming with him. She runs upstairs. Julia asks Joe what he's doing. Joe mumbles about the animal. He says he's the only one who knows. Julia tells her whatever attacked him is no threat to Amy. Joe is hysterical, saying Julia doesn't know. She slaps him. Upstairs, Carolyn screams. Julia runs upstairs to check on her.

Carolyn kneels over Liz' body in Amy's room. Julia comes in, and Carolyn says she found her like this. Julia checks her pulse, and tells Carolyn that her mother is dead. Meanwhile, Liz tries to move to show them that she's not dead.

Our thoughts

John: What the hell? Rock-a-bye-baby by way of kazoo? That was one of the weirdest dream sequences we've had, including all of the 'Let's Make a Deal' door surprises during the dream curse!

Christine: I don't know if that was a very bad dream or just terrible side effects from all the pills Julia has been feeding her, which might explain the undulating Amy effect.

John: We finally have confirmation that Cassangelique hasn't been vanquished. Who knows where she's been all this time, but she's finally delivered on her promise of 'killing' Liz. Of course, Roger's out of town, and they never did build her special tomb... so I guess buried alive it will be!

Christine: You'd think Julia might remember Liz sitting up after she declared her dead back in Episode 604 and be a little more hesitant to certify her death this time around. Hopefully Liz had time to make provisions in her will for her special tomb.

John: Joe's nuts. But it's not clear what he perceives to be threatening Amy. Does he think she's got the wolf gene? Or that she'll be a target of Chris? Sure, Tom was a vampire, through no fault of his own. And while we don't yet know what caused Chris' affliction, we can assume it's not genetic. I think poor old Joe's just lost his marbles. And we never did find out how he survived yesterday's second attack, unless the gunshots (which appeared to be ineffective) actually worked at bringing down the wolfman...

Christine: Chris did say that Joe would never be the same after seeing him go through the change. It's possible there is some predisposition for the supernatural that's shared among the siblings. Amy's already shown an affinity for helping evil spirits to commit murder, so Joe is right to suspect that she needs to be removed from Collinwood.

Dark Shadows Episode 654 - 12/26/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

The werewolf snoops around outside the window of the Evans' cottage. Joe enters and as he begins to collect the things Maggie requested, he hears a growling outside, and the werewolf jumps through the window.

It proceeds to attack him. It throws him around the cottage, but Joe fights him off, smacking him with a stool.

Joe grabs a pair of scissors, and after stabbing the wolfman a few times, it retreats—jumping out the window and running away.

Maggie tells Barnabas that Joe should be back by now. She calls the cottage.

Joe examines a piece of cloth when the phone rings. He gets up and answers it, only to pass out before he's able to speak.

Maggie tells Barnabas that someone picked up the phone, but nobody answered. She keeps calling for Joe into the phone. Barnabas says he'll check in on him.

Joe is lying on the floor, bloody and beaten, when Barnabas arrives. Joe starts to get up. Barnabas looks around at the mess and asks him what happened.

Maggie paces nervously, and Julia tells her not to worry. Julia fills Maggie in on Liz' fixation that she'll be buried alive. Maggie asks Julia if she thinks she'll be able to handle David. Julia says she will, but asks if she'll really enjoy being a governess. Julia goes upstairs to check on Liz. Barnabas brings in Joe, and Maggie calls for Julia and runs upstairs. Joe describes being attacked by a wolf that walked like a man, and Barnabas explains it must be the same creature that Liz saw.

The wolfman stumbles into Chris' apartment and passes out.

Julia attends to Joe's wounds. She says she hopes he feels like talking to the police tonight, and he asks who called them. She assumes it was Barnabas, and asks why she doesn't want the police involved. Joe says he stabbed the wolf with scissors. He says he'll talk to the police tomorrow. He gets up to go home, and Barnabas suggests he stay at Collinwood. Julia gives him some painkillers. Maggie checks on Joe, and apologizes for sending him to the cottage. She asks him about the piece of cloth he's clinging to, and he says it's nothing.

Chris wakes up the following morning and notices the bed is not made. He picks up the phone and calls Joe. There's no answer. He wonders if Joe is out. He looks in the mirror and sees his shirt is torn. He takes it off and there's no wound underneath.

Maggie and Julia straighten up things around the cottage. Julia wonders what kind of animal it could have been.

Chris is in the foyer at Collinwood when Maggie returns home. She tells him she's the new governess at Collinwood. He says he hasn't been able to find Joe and she says she should have told him. He grabs her and asks what happened.

Joe pounds on the door of Chris' apartment.

Maggie tells Chris that Joe wouldn't call the police. The clock chimes at 5:30, and Chris says he's got to get out of there. Julia comes in and he says her sleeping pills weren't strong enough.

Joe lets himself in to Chris' apartment. He finds Chris' shirt, matching the torn swatch of cloth he has. Chris returns, and Joe asks him what it means. Chris tells him to get out. Joe demands that he answer him. He tells Joe the moon is rising, and he has to get out now. Joe says that whatever happens, he's going to be in the room when it does. Chris starts to groan, saying it's going to happen. He tells Joe he doesn't want him to see it. Chris finally tells him to stay and watch, and says after he sees he'll never be the same again. Chris screams in agony. Joe watches in disbelief. Chris tells him to go to the drawer. He finds a gun. Chris tells him that it's loaded, and he wants him to do what he was unable to do himself. Chris transforms into a werewolf before Joe's very eyes. Joe can't believe it, but he unloads the pistol into the werewolf. It seemingly has no effect, as the werewolf approaches him.

Our thoughts

John: What happened to Amy? She was going to wait up until Joe returned because she was so concerned for his safety, and then she took the day off?

Christine: Maggie must be a stricter governess than Vicki, insisting that Amy go to bed and stay there. Even David hasn't been seen since Maggie's become the new governess.

John: Why wouldn't Chris be in any pain from last night's scissor-stabbing? Or have any trace of the wound outside the torn shirt? I guess whatever happens to a werewolf stays with the werewolf. And wouldn't Chris have thought to load his gun with silver bullets?

Christine: It seems odd that he wouldn't know about the silver bullet rule when he seems to be aware of the significance of the pentagram appearing on his victims. Perhaps the scissors didn't leave a mark because they weren't made of silver.

John: Well, we certainly can't complain about a lack of werewolf action in today's episode. The fight in the Evans' cottage was pretty epic, and things are setup for a rematch. Will Friday bring an end to Joe Haskell, once and for all?

Christine: It was odd that Joe was so easily convinced to pick up the pistol and point it at Chris before he even knew what was about to happen to him.

Dark Shadows Episode 652 - 12/24/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Barnabas helps Liz back into Collinwood. He tells Amy to wait downstairs while he helps Liz to her room. Amy goes out on the front step and looks up at the full moon.

In his room, Chris Jennings, transformed to a werewolf, sleeps in his bed.

Barnabas helps Liz into her room. He tells her Julia will give her a sedative. She refuses to take it; afraid that she'll never wake up. She goes to the window and says she can hear the widows wailing. She tells Barnabas that she won't be there much longer, and she's concerned that someone needs to take care of the children. She says they need a new governess. Barnabas says finding someone will take time, and Liz suggests Maggie Evans. She tells Barnabas to call her now, because tomorrow may be too late. He agrees, and says he'll get Julia to sit with her.

Barnabas finds Amy on the porch, and asks her to join him in the drawing room. She asks if he's going to scold her, and he asks her to promise that she won't do it again. He asks her why she's crying, and she says she's afraid of the moon but she doesn't know why.

The werewolf opens his eyes and strips his bed before leaving his room.

Joe stops by to talk to Maggie. She tells him the past is dead, and she's not angry with him. He tells her that he's leaving Collinsport, and wanted to leave as friends. Maggie receives a call from Barnabas, asking her to come see Liz tonight. Barnabas tells Maggie that Vicki is gone.

At Collinwood, Barnabas explains to Joe and Maggie how he and Liz saw Vicki disappear. Joe offers to wait downstairs while Maggie goes to meet with Liz. Amy comes in and asks to speak with Joe while they go upstairs. She tells Joe she's glad he's there and not in town. He tells her he saw Chris, and he'll be here tomorrow to visit her. Amy sees the pentagram on Joe's face again. She tells him, and Joe says she must be imagining it. She asks him to stay at Collinwood tonight so he'll be safe. He asks what she means, and Amy tells him that she thinks something might happen to him if he goes back into town tonight.

Liz offers Maggie the job as governess, and she agrees. Liz asks her to start immediately. She says she'll ask Joe to take her back to the cottage to pick up a few things. She goes downstairs and Liz tells Barnabas that she feels better, and will be able to sleep now.

Maggie comes downstairs and asks Joe for help. She explains that she's going to replace Vicki. Joe offers to go into town for her. Amy asks him not to. Joe tells her that she's stayed up past her bedtime. Maggie gives Joe a list, and he says he'll be back in an hour. Amy reluctantly tells him goodnight and he leaves. Maggie notices that Amy is troubled. She offers to take her upstairs to bed, and Amy asks if she can stay up until Joe is back. She says she has a feeling he's in danger. Maggie promises that nothing is going to happen to Joe.

The werewolf snoops around outside the window of the Evans' cottage. Joe enters and as he begins to collect the things Maggie requested, he hears a growling outside, and the werewolf jumps through the window. It proceeds to attack him.

Our thoughts

John: You know times are tough when residents of Collinwood don't even attempt to hide their family secrets. I was surprised that Barnabas told Maggie and Joe about Vicki's (literal) disappearance. I guess the only thing more surprising was how they didn't seem particularly surprised.

Christine: Well, if they could believe she traveled back in time to begin with, then they could believe she could do it again.

John: We already knew that the staff at Collinwood have flexible hours, considering that we rarely see them, but now we are all but assured that the pay rates are better than anywhere else in Collinsport. Why else would Maggie—with no hesitation—take a job on a moment's notice for which she clearly has no qualifications for...

Christine: It could be that Sam's inheritance has run out. I wonder if this means Barnabas will transfer his affections back to Maggie.

John: Well, I was concerned that we'd be stuck with the tale of the sleeping werewolf. I now understand why they hired a different actor to play the wolf—and invested in a bunch of breakaway glass. Funny how he knows how to use the door in his own apartment. And don't blink or you'll miss the werewolf face-plant as he tries to bound over the banister to get to Joe!

Christine: And right after he executed a perfect jump through the window, landing on his feet. Can't win 'em all. What's up with him hooking his claws into Joe's face? Joel Crothers sounds genuinely frightened.