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 157 - 1/31/67

Vicki wakes up in the drawing room speaking of fire, bird and stone. She gets up, smells jasmine, and asks Josette for help. She decides the answers are in the crypt.

Vicki hears a car out front, and answers the door to let Frank in. She says she'll tell him where they're going on the way. Roger finds them, and asks what Frank is doing there, and Vicki says she called him to take her for a drive. Roger explains to Frank what happened to Liz, and tells him that they expect him not to discuss it in town. They leave Roger, and Vicki tells Frank she wants him to take her back to the cemetery, to the crypt.

Frank pounds on the door at the Stockbridge home. Vicki tells Frank she smelled Jasmine and heard Mrs. Stoddard say the words fire, bird and stone. Vicki tries pounding on the door as well, and the caretaker appears behind them. He lets them in, and says they didn't like it; they knocked down all the stones. He also describes how he has all of the burial records for the area. Vicki asks if he has records on any other Murdoch's—possibly Laura Murdoch. He goes back to L. Murdoch Stockbridge, died by fire. He remembers another, but not the last name.

Suddenly, Vicki smells Jasmine. She calls out to Josette, asking for her help, and a book falls from the shelf. Frank picks up the book and reads, "Laura Murdoch Radcliffe," from the page the book fell open to. Vicki notices the date of death is 1867, 100 years after Laura Murdoch Stockbridge. Frank says that Vicki thinks Laura Collins is responsible for what happened to Liz, and something Liz said got her to come back to the cemetery. The caretaker finds a book referencing Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, and there's no ancestry listed. It also lists that she died by fire.

Roger yells at lieutenant Riley for bothering him. He came to inform him that Laura's test results came back confirming she is who she says she is. Vicki and Frank return, and Roger leaves Frank to deal with Riley. Riley tells Frank that if he weren't a sane man, he'd say there were two Laura Collins'. He leaves, and Vicki says there may actually be four Laura Collins'—three of which died by fire.

Our thoughts

John: Vicki almost has two conversations with Josette in this episode. It's clear that Josette is helping her out, but it's still not clear why. Did Josette have a relationship with one of Laura's prior incarnations?

Christine: If you look closely, you can see her moving behind the shelf when she pushes the book off of it.

John: I do like the creepy caretaker. I hope we haven't seen the last of him.

Christine: I suspect we'll encounter him again. He's quite a lovable character.

John: So Vicki has put all the puzzle pieces together, but will she realize that this means Laura is the phoenix of legend? Or will it be written off as a coincidence?

Christine: Vicki says the Laura living now hasn't died by fire, but it seems as though she did in Phoenix. I'm completely confused by that, since Laura keeps saying she's running out of time, which makes it sound like she's coming to the end of a cycle. 

Episode 153 - 1/25/67

Lieutenant Riley arrives at Collinwood with the reports from Phoenix. He provides a record of Laura's blood type, showing it as matching the victim of the fire. He then shares her dental records matching those made by the medical examiner. As a result, the Phoenix police have identified the body as Laura Collins. The lieutenant says he has to follow through on the reports, and needs to talk to Laura. Roger calls the cottage to let her know they're coming to see her.

Frank and Vicki have dinner at The Blue Whale. She begins talking about David, and how she's happy that he's warming up to his mother. Frank asks if she trusts Laura, and Vicki explains that she wants David to be happy.

In Laura's cottage, Roger asks her how it feels to be a dead woman. She's not amused, and he explains the Phoenix police department have confirmed that she died in the fire. Riley shares the dental records and blood type. Roger then asks her a few questions. She confirms Roger wanted to name David, 'Charles Andrew', and correctly names their old address, as well as the name of their family dog. Riley doesn't dispute that the woman in Collinwood is Laura Collins, but he does ask her again if she has any other information that might help them identify the woman in Phoenix. He then asks if she would allow for a physical examination. Laura reluctantly agrees. Liz escorts the lieutenant back to the house, and Roger tells Laura that he and Liz are puzzled, in that they think she knows more about the woman in Phoenix than she's saying. He tells her that if she decides she has more to say, he'll be at the house waiting for her.

Frank drives Vicki back to Collinwood. Vicki falls into a trance, and when Frank snaps her out of it, she says she can smell Jasmine, and she asks him to take the next road. He goes along with her directions, despite Vicki not knowing where she's taking them.

In the drawing room, Liz says she's sure the mysterious things going on all began with Laura's return to Collinwood.

Vicki tells Frank they're almost there, and then commands him to stop. She points out a house, and Frank notices gravestones beyond the house.

Roger says Liz has it in for Laura because she wants David. Liz wants her to leave.

Vicki runs to the door of the house and knocks on it. Frank finally catches up to her. She tells him she's supposed to be here. Frank says it's not a house. He claims it's some sort of chapel, and there won't be anyone here so late at night. Vicki says she hears footsteps. She then says she can feel there's someone behind the door, and the doorknob turns and opens.

Our thoughts

John: So the evidence linking Laura Collins to the body in Phoenix grows stronger, but it's not clear what a physical examination of Laura will prove. That she too matches the dental records?

Christine: She may engage in a fireside meditation that allows her a way out of a physical exam.

John: The sound effects team got to dust off the frog track today.

Christine: It seems as though Josette may have crashed Vicki's date with Frank. I wonder what she wants them to discover.

John: I'm anxious to find out about this new location Vicki has taken us to. Where could it be, and what does it have to do with the Collins family?

Episode 148 - 1/18/67

Frank finds out that the woman who died in the fire in Phoenix may have been murdered. Lieutenant Riley tells him the woman may have been incapacitated before the fire consumed her. Frank says it's absurd that without a motive, or even an identification of the victim, that they could be considering a murder. The lieutenant says that Laura has a history of mental disturbance. They also confirmed the fire started in Laura's kitchen, and that no one can confirm that they saw Laura on any form of transportation leaving when she said she did. They do however, have a witness claiming she saw Laura in Phoenix the day of the fire.

Vicki drops by Burke's apartment to see him. Burke tells Vicki that Laura is a remarkable woman, and she has no reason to distrust her. Vicki says that's the opposite of what he said yesterday. Vicki asked what made him change his mind. Burke says Vicki is the only one who can help Laura. She says she can't make up David's mind for him. Vicki asks Burke how he felt when Laura married Roger. She says that because of the way he feels about Laura, he may not know her as well as he thinks he does. He asks her to do what she can to help Laura, and she says she'll do what she can to help David.

Frank tells the lieutenant he has no basis to charge Laura with anything. He agrees, provided they don't find more evidence. The lieutenant leaves, and Vicki arrives to see Frank. She asks if he learned anything from the lieutenant, and Frank says yes, and he doesn't like the facts.

Burke is on the phone with Logansport when Carolyn arrives to see him. After he gets off the phone, she checks his forehead and says he doesn't look like he has a fever. Burke doesn't understand what she's saying, and she describes that she hasn't seen him since he ran out with Laura's suitcase several days ago. Burke says it's been a long time since he's thrown a young beautiful girl out of his room, but it looks like this is going to be one of those times.

Frank explains that murder is a possibility in the Phoenix case. And that Laura Collins was seen in Phoenix on the day of the fire. Vicki says Laura left five days before the fire, and Frank agrees that's what she said, and asks if that's what really happened.

Carolyn paces in Burke's apartment, and he says that it may be best if they don't see each other for awhile. She asks if it's best for her aunt Laura. She says that maybe her mother and uncle were right—he was using her and now he's found someone else to use. Burke tells her that he doesn't have to explain himself to her. He tells Carolyn to leave Laura out of the discussion. Carolyn tells Burke goodbye and storms out.

Vicki is shocked that Laura could be a murder suspect. She tells Frank that Burke asked her to do everything she could to get David to spend time with his mother. She says she's going to do everything she can to keep Laura away from David.

Our thoughts

John: Carolyn shows up in this episode to remind us that even when not present, she's always jealous. We know from past experience that her last words are almost never that, but now that she's scratched Joe and Burke off her list, who's next. Frank Garner?

Christine: I don't know if she will let go of Burke so easily. I expect her to act really snotty to her aunt in the meantime. That should be fun to watch.

John: So now Laura Collins is a possible suspect in the murder of Laura Collins. Good luck working that one out, locket or no locket.

Christine: It's a confusing situation. It will be interesting to see how that is explained.

John: I don't know if I'm more disappointed that Burke is falling under Laura's spell, or that he's doing so without the same supernatural influence that's infecting everyone else.

Christine: It certainly is disappointing to see Burke act like a lovesick fool. In Episode 86, Burke tells Carolyn he was in love "once," leading us to believe that Laura is his one true love. His days of making kissy-face with Vicki seem to be on hold, and his designs on Carolyn seem to be of no interest while Laura holds sway. It may be the most horrifying thing we've witnessed so far. I have to believe that at least some of it is due to supernatural influence.