Dark Shadows Episode 1204 2/4/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Upstairs, Melanie catches Julia coming out of the locked room with an empty tray. She asks her who's in the room that Julia's bringing the food to. Julia assures her there's no one in the room. Melanie runs past her and goes inside, where she finds Stella tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth. She removes the gag, and Stella asks her for help. Melanie asks Stella why they put her in the room. Stella mentions Justin, and Melanie says he had nothing to do with it. Julia says he did. Stella says he tried to kill her. Julia says she tried to keep the truth from everyone. 

Flora explains to Melanie that she and Julia stopped Justin from killing Stella. She says that if they didn't lock her up, she would have gone to the police. Melanie says she understands, but it's wrong. Julia asks Melanie if she wants the police to come, and she says they can't do anything to her father now that he's dead. Flora points out that she and Julia could get in trouble for kidnapping her. Julia says her brothers will never accept their actions. Melanie says that she understands, but they must have known they couldn't keep Stella locked up. She says her brother was there, and she pledged to help. Flora says they will let her go, sometime after the funeral. Julia is surprised to hear it. Melanie says that after the funeral, they must set her free.

Quentin and Morgan are in the drawing room with their father's coffin. Quentin assures Morgan that Melanie won't try to harm Catherine again. Morgan tells him that she most certainly will. Quentin says that there is a penalty for not having a lottery. He says he really believes if they had gone ahead with the lottery last night, Melanie wouldn't have tried to kill Catherine. They wonder what will happen today, on the day they bury their father. Morgan says that Gabriel is drunk, and in no condition to go to the funeral. They are surprised to see the vase used for the lottery sitting on their father's coffin. Quentin picks it up and reaches inside. He pulls out a letter with a list of names. His, Morgan's Gabriel, Melanie, Flora and Julia. He says it's the list of names to go into the lottery. He tells Morgan to compare the handwriting to Brutus' letter. Morgan tells Quentin that there's going to have to be a lottery. He says they can't tell their mother what happened. Quentin asks if Melanie's attack on Catherine was linked to the ghost, and if so, what will she do next.

Melanie tells Stella, who's still tied to a chair and gagged, that she'll be set free tonight. She tells Stella that her father is dead now, and begs her not to make any more trouble for her mother and Julia. She tells her to think about it. She leaves the room and locks the door behind her. 

Flora tells Quentin she's remembering his father when they first met. Melanie comes in, and when her mother asks why she's not ready for the funeral, she laughs hysterically. Melanie talks to her father through the closed coffin, telling him that they don't realize that the lottery must happen again. She laughs, and say they deserve it. Quentin takes her and asks her to come with him. She tells him that he's the most attractive. Flora starts to cry, and Melanie tells her that tears aren't going to do her any good. Quentin drags her out, and she asks the coffin why Melanie had to go into the locked room. Morgan comes in, and Flora tells him that Melanie has had another attack. He tells her that they have to put her away. Flora tells him never to speak that way again.

Melanie asks Quentin if he thinks locking her in her room will change what's going to happen. He says it's probably best that she not see her father buried, and locks her in the room.

Julia tells Morgan and Flora that the hearse is there. Flora asks about Gabriel, and Julia says he won't be attending the funeral. Flora angrily stomps out of the room.

Quentin speaks about his father at the funeral. After he finishes, they all begin to leave. Morgan stares in shock when he sees the woman in white. 

Melanie asks Quentin whey he locked her in her room. He asks her if she remembers what happened in the drawing room. She describes having a dream, and he tells her that she had an attack. He reminds her that she's had attacks ever since going into the room where their father was. He asks if she remembers the rest home where she stayed after she came out of the room. Quentin says she becomes a different person when the attacks occur. He says that if they can find out who she is when the attacks occur, they may be able to find out something about the curse. She asks Quentin what she's like then, and he says if he could make any sense of it, he wouldn't have told her.

Julia tells Flora that they must do something about Stella. She says she has $5000, and thinks they should offer it to Stella under the condition that she leave Collinsport tonight, and never tell anyone about what happened.

Julia and Flora go into the room and find Stella on the ground dead with a knife sticking in her. Flora assumes that Melanie is responsible. They go to Melanie's room, but it's empty. The door was locked from the outside, but they can't figure out how she got out.

Melanie pounds on the double doors to the cursed room and begs to be let in.

Our thoughts:  

John: What kind of logic has you locking up a girl who was almost killed in your house? It seems like letting Justin kill her wouldn't necessarily have been a bad idea.

 

Christine: You think they would have considered paying her to keep silent instead.

                                                                                                                           

John: Morgan just got through promising Catherine that Melanie wouldn't try to harm her again, and now he's telling Quentin that she most certainly will! Not the best foundation to build a relationship on, Morgan! Of course, you can't believe half of what people tell one another...

 
Christine: That was odd, wasn't it? Perhaps Catherine should reconsider marrying Bramwell.

John: Claiming Gabriel was too drunk to attend his father's funeral was a good way to cover for his having the day off today! And nice use of umbrellas to try and convince us the funeral was more populated. Of course, I was once again disappointed that the woman in white made another non-appearance appearance.

 

Christine: It makes me wonder if they are going to eventually reveal her and have her be somebody we already know. The umbrellas had me thinking of the funeral in House of Dark Shadows. The only thing missing was the rain. 

Dark Shadows Episode 1190 1/15/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

While Gabriel watches parallel time, Stella goes to shut the door, and asks a person Gabriel can't see if they've been hiding behind the door all this time. She then asks why they have a knife in their hand. The door shuts and she screams. Gabriel pounds on the door and tries to get in. The door suddenly opens, and he goes into an empty room.

At the docks, Quentin and Joanna return, telling Daphne that the boat left without them. Leticia says that Julia is with Desmond. Quentin says that he has to go to Collinwood. Joanna says he understand that he's in love with Daphne as much as she's in love with him. He tells her that he has an idea how she can help him. He asks her to go to Gabriel, who might not want Gerard to end up with Daphne. 

Daphne reiterates that she told him everything she knows about the strange room in the East Wing. He says he thinks it's curious that you can live under the same roof with someone and not notice all of their special qualities. He tells her that he can see why Quentin and Gerard were attracted to her. She says that it's a shame what happened to him. He asks what she means. She says that she always thought he was the most misunderstood person in the house. He adds the most underestimated. She says that out of the wheelchair, it's clear how attractive he is. He asks why she never told him that before. She points out that he was a married man. He says he was married to a pig, but she's not alive any more. She says Edith shouldn't have treated him the way she did. 

Rubbing her shoulder, he asks her how she would have treated him. He nuzzles up against her and says he may have changed his plans about her. He says after he gets his money from Gerard, he'll keep her with him, and give her anything she wants. As he turns her face to kiss her, she squirms to get away, and squeals. He realizes that she was lying to him. He tells her that he'll give her one chance to prove that she's nice, or she'll be dead. He gags her and tells her that he'll be back. After he leaves, she shuffles her chair towards a burning candle and starts burning the rope on her wrists.

Joanna returns to Collinwood looking for Daphne. He asks if she heard Quentin escaped from jail. She says Quentin says he may be able to tell her where Daphne is. He asks if she knows where Quentin is, and she says she does, but if he tells anyone, she'll deny it. He says that would give Gerard too much satisfaction. He says he looked like a doomed man, and is out looking for Quentin with the police. Joanna asks Gabriel what he thinks Gerard would have done with Daphne.

Daphne gets out of her restraints, but the door to the room she's in is locked. searches for a way out, and finds a level that opens a secret panel. She grabs a candle and steps inside. 

Joanna asks if Gabriel thinks Gerard would have harmed Daphne. He says he thinks he just didn't want her to see Quentin before he was executed. 

Daphne makes her way through the secret passage.

Joanna asks about the East Wing, reminding him of the sounds she heard. He tells her to check Daphne's bedroom first. She goes upstairs to look for any clues.

Daphne wanders the seemingly endless secret passage, realizing that she's gone in a circle and ended up back where she started.

Gabriel returns to the East Wing and finds Daphne gone. He looks around the room, and notices the lever that opens the secret panel. He steps inside and shuts the door just before Joanna enters the room. She sees the restraints and remnants of food, and realizes that Daphne was being kept in that room. She heads back downstairs.

Gabriel heads into the secret passage.

Daphne hears footsteps and hides in the shadows.

Leticia tells Quentin that Desmond is sleeping. She asks if Joanna has come back. He says she's been gone for three hours, and he's concerned that something happened to her. He says he has to go to Collinwood, and Leticia stops him. She says there are police everywhere looking for him. Leticia tells him that she thinks fate meant for he and Daphne to be together like it meant for she and Desmond to be together.

Joanna searches the East Wing, calling for Daphne. She hears voices, and opens a door. Inside, she sees who she thinks is Gabriel and Leticia. She tries talking to them, and to enter the room, but she can't, and they don't hear her. He calls her Melanie, and she calls him Gabriel. He pours himself a drink. He tells her not to tell his mother. She asks why he doesn't trust her. He says he thinks she'd just as soon slit his throat as look at him. 

She says she's tried so hard to be friends with him. He says friends, but not brother and sister. He points out that he is a Collins, and she was adopted, so she's not. He tells her that maybe someday she'll learn that it's not good to be a Collins. She asks him what happened to Stella, their mother's secretary. He says she left. She asks if she gave any notice, and he tells her it's not healthy to ask questions. He closes the door, and Joanna wonders why he called Leticia Melanie. She realizes that she has to find Daphne.

Daphne finds a door that leads outside. She steps out and is grabbed by Gabriel. 

Our thoughts: 

John: Ewww! I couldn't believe Gabriel was falling for Daphne's obvious ploy! Of course, since he was, you'd think that with her life on the line she could have feigned interest when he leaned in to kiss her...

 

Christine: I think it just goes to show that Gabriel is too detestable for her to pretend to enjoy his lips on her, even to save her own life. 

 

John: An all-time classic Dark Shadows blooper when Gabriel is unable to tie the gag around Daphne's head, and she literally has to bite down on it to keep it in her mouth!

 

Christine: It is always fun to see those scenes from the bloopers reel come up!

John: I know we've discussed this before, but honestly, how extensive do secret passages have to be for people to get lost in them? I'm not quite sure why the secret passages would have a door leading outside... and of course that's exactly where Gabriel would be waiting for her!

 

Christine: The secret passages have a door leading outside to give the inhabitants a way to leave the house without attracting notice, enabling them to have secret trysts or dispose of dead bodies. I love that the Mustache Man made a cobwebby appearance and was the marker for Daphne to realize she was going in circles. 

Dark Shadows Episode 1189 1/14/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Joanna goes into a room, and doesn't see Gabriel hiding in the shadows, prepared to kill her. She leaves. 

Joanna comes downstairs. Gabriel wheels into the foyer and asks if she found her sister. She says she did not, and he tells her that he'll let her know if he sees her. She says she wanted to help Quentin. He asks why, and she says she thinks he would try. He says he's in mourning, having just lost his wife. She asks about the East Wing, asking if anyone goes in there. He says no, and she says she heard someone open a door last night. He says it might have been a ghost. She tells him that she doesn't believe in ghosts, and leaves. 

Quentin tells Joanna he's glad to see her. He says there isn't anything anyone can do for him. He adds that the worst thing is that Desmond is also in jail, and likely to be found guilty as well. Joanna says they can take Desmond with them. She tells him she bought a pistol. She says if he can break out, she will have everything worked out. She says there's a boat they can take to go to England. He asks about Daphne. She says he can decide if he wants to see Daphne when they get to England. She asks why he hesitates, and he says if he does, it will be an admission of guilt, and he's worried about Tad. He tells her that he doesn't know how, but he'll get to the boat. He then asks her to tell Desmond the same. Then she has to go to Collinwood to tell Daphne, or Leticia if she's not there. 

Leticia and Joanna are at the docks, and she's very excited. She suddenly has a feeling that it's not going to work. She says that something is going to happen, and they'll never get on the ship. Joanna tells her not to say that. Leticia says she's not ever going to see Desmond again after tonight. Joanna invites her to join them. She realizes Joanna is going with them, and asks about Daphne. Joanna says that they love Daphne, but Quentin belongs with him. Leticia realizes that she hasn't told Daphne. Joanna reiterates that Desmond wants her to come with them. She doesn't believe it. She says she'll be there when they come, and says she has to run an errand.

Gabriel tells Leticia she doesn't know where Daphne is, and suggests that she may have made an enemy. He points out that Gerard is also missing. He tells her about Daphne's confrontation with Gerard in Edith's room. Leticia points out that Gerard is fond of Daphne, but admits he has a temper. Leticia says they have got to find them. He says he can't help with his legs. 

The clock strikes 11, and Quentin calls the guard, complaining about his stomach. The guard comes into the cell and Quentin knocks him out with a karate-chop to the neck. He takes his keys and leaves. He goes to Desmond and lets him out. The guard wakes and grabs Quentin. They struggle, and in the melee, Desmond is shot. Quentin knocks the guard out again, and helps Desmond out of the jail.

Quentin tends to Desmond, who tells him to go with Joanna. Quentin tells her that they're taking Desmond with them. Desmond calls for Leticia. Leticia arrives and tells Quentin that Gerard has Daphne. She's then upset to see Desmond shot. She tells Quentin that they can't take Desmond. He says he can't go either, because of Daphne. Leticia goes to get Julia to treat Desmond. Quentin tells Desmond that they almost made it. Joanna asks Quentin if he's talking about Daphne. He says he's got to go to Collinwood. Joanna asks if he can forget about Daphne, and he says he can't. He tells her that he realized in jail that he couldn't live without Daphne. Joanna says she understands, but asks him to get on the ship. He tells her he'll take her to the ship. 

Leticia returns to Desmond, and tells him Julia is coming. She asks if his pain is bad. He says no, but she doesn't believe him. He says it's not when he holds her hand, and tells her that she shouldn't be there. He says they could have gone to England together. She didn't realize that he wanted her to come with them. He tells her that he loves her. She tells him that she loves him, too. They kiss.

Gabriel hears his voice in the East Wing. He sees himself in parallel time, talking to Stella. He asks if she likes Brandy, and she tells him she never touches spirits. He asks if his mother laid down the ground rules of the house, and based on her reaction, realizes that she has. Stella asks why she has to lock her door at night. He says that people in the village says they're proud. He warns her that if she stays, she'll end up like them. He tells her that he's going to go pick a lock on the cabinet that holds the brandy. 

Stella goes to shut the door, and asks the person Gabriel can't see if they've been hiding behind the door all this time. She then asks why they have a knife in their hand. The door shuts and she screams. Gabriel pounds on the door and tries to get in.

Our thoughts: 

John: I had to laugh when Gabriel told Joanna that he'd let her know if he sees her wife! Poor Gabriel has wives on the brain!

 

Christine: I had to play that again to make sure I heard him right. Quite the Freudian slip!

 

John: If breaking out of jail were so easy, why hadn't Quentin escaped by now? Of course, if you're not going to use a more debilitating attack, he should have at least a) disarmed the guard and b) locked him in the cell. Clearly he's not an experienced escape artist. It should come as no surprise that they won't all be sailing off to England to live happily ever after. Of course, if they had, I assume that it would have meant those four actors were being written out of the show, and this was their swan song...

 
Christine: It still gives Quentin the opportunity to try and vindicate himself somehow, or at least take care of Gerard while he's out.

John: Gabriel finally got to tune in to parallel time, perhaps just in time to see Stella get her groove back. At least his parallel-time counterpart appears to be yet another unsavory character. We'll see if we find out who her (attempted?) murderer is tomorrow.

 

Christine: I hope it's Julia. Her last parallel counterpart was pretty wicked, so hopefully this one shall be too. It looks like they are already drawing us in to parallel time, wondering why the family has to lock their doors at night, who hides behind doors with knives, and if Gabriel will successfully nab himself some brandy and behave badly.

Dark Shadows Episode 1188 1/13/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Daphne finds Gabriel in the drawing room. She tells him that Edith has been murdered, and she knows who killed her. She says she's going to the police, saying that Gerard killed Edith. She adds that he almost killed her, too. Gabriel tells her that they're safe. He asks for all of the details on what happened. She shows him the cuff link she found in Edith's room with the letter G on it. She says that he can tell the police about the affair and they'll surely arrest him. He points out that the cuff link is his own. Daphne is shocked. He thanks her for bringing it to him, and stands up and walks towards her, telling her that she won't be going to the police. She screams. He grabs her and covers her mouth. He tells her that he can walk, that he killed Edith, and because she knows too much, he's going to have to kill her, too.

Gerard comes to, and finds himself locked in the room. He calls to Daphne.

Gabriel ties Daphne to a chair. He tells her that in addition to Edith, he killed Randall Drew, too. He says it was all part of his plan to get rid of Quentin, and it worked, though not as well as he thought. She asks if he actually thought he would be master of Collinwood. He points out that he tried to get rid of Gerard, but he has more lives than a cat. He adds that he'll see to it that Gerard's time has come. He tells Daphne that since Gerard loves her, he'll use her as a bargaining chip to get everything he wants from him. She says that if he lets her live, she'll go to the police. He assures her that he'll be so far away the police will never find him. She says he can't let Quentin die, and he says it's either Quentin or him. He gags her, and leaves her tied to the chair. He locks the door, leaving Daphne trapped inside.

Gabriel hears voices in the East Wing, and when he swings the door open, he sees who he assumes is Flora. He speaks to her, but she can't hear him. He's unable to enter the room. Mrs. Collins asks Stella if she's happy with her position at Collinwood. Stella tells her that she is. Mrs. Collins asks what made her forget the rules that were outlined to her when she was hired as a secretary. Stella says she thought someone was in trouble. Mrs. Collins reminds her that she is to remain in her room after dinner. Stella says they heard a scream, and it sounded like someone was dying. Mrs. Collins explains that nothing happened out of the ordinary last night, and she mustn't become hysterical any time she hears a strange noise in the night. Stella agrees. Mrs. Collins then closes the door where Gabriel is watching.

Gerard comes downstairs, calling for Daphne. Gabriel rolls in and asks Gerard what's wrong. Gerard says that something terrified Daphne, and she hit him over the head with a candlestick. Gabriel asks him when he got back. Gerard says he got back an hour and a half ago. Gabriel asks if he ran into Edith. Gerard asks why he would be with Edith. Gabriel says he knows what they're up to, and Gerard denies they are up to anything. He offers Gabriel an increase in his allowance if he keeps Edith away from him. He then leaves to look for Daphne at Rose Cottage.

Samantha asks Gabriel where Gerard is. He tells her that Gerard is desperate to find Daphne. She asks why, and he tells her that he doesn't know. Gerard returns and says Daphne wasn't there. Samantha asks bitterly what it's all about. Gerard says he can't say, pointing out that she was upset and hit him over the head with a candlestick. Gabriel suggests that Gerard's rendezvous with Edith might have upset her, and wheels out. Samantha asks Gerard what Gabriel means. Gerard asks if she thinks he'd be interested in Edith. He says she's interested in him, but he has no interest in a woman who acts like a complete and utter fool. 

Gabriel is in the foyer when Joanna arrives to see Daphne. Samantha and Gerard hear her from within the drawing room, and she tells him to get rid of her. Gerard tells her to remain cool and calm. He goes into the foyer. He tells Joanna that Daphne left, and he doesn't know when she'll return. Gerard tells her that she can wait in Daphne's room. Joanna tells Samantha that she knows the sanitarium send her belongings to Collinwood, and she asks Samantha to get them for her at her convenience.

Gerard leads Joanna to Daphne's room, and tells her that he'll be there all night in case there's anything she needs.

Samantha asks Gerard why he let Joanna stay in the house. He advises her not to admit what she did. He assures Samantha that he will protect her. When she says she doesn't believe him, he says that she must. He then asks if she put Tad on a stagecoach to Boston. She says he was upset about his father's conviction, and so she sent him to stay with her family in Boston. He asks if she felt his life was in danger, and she says that he will be back soon. They kiss.

Gabriel tells Daphne that he owes her an apology. He says he just came from the strange room she mentioned. She asks what he saw. He demands that she tell him everything about the room. He asks if Julia and Stokes saw the room change. Daphne tells him that Julia explained that the contents of that room are parallel time. Gabriel asks what that is. She says if he's in the room when it changes, he'll go into another time. She tries to convince him that he can use that room to escape. He says he'll do that after he gets what he wants from Gerard. 

Joanna is walking the halls when she hears Gabriel open a door. She goes into a room, and he hides in the shadows, prepared to kill her...

Our thoughts: 

John: Whenever an evil mastermind tells their potential victim their plans, assuming there's no harm in doing so before they kill them, you can all but bet that their decision is going to come back to haunt them.

 

Christine: Exactly. Especially when they don't kill them right away. Samantha told Gerard that Tad would be coming back soon, but after a little investigation, I see that David Henesy's last appearance was in Episode 1165. It seems he will be safe from Gerard killing him, or else he will be killed offscreen. I wonder if fans at the time knew that he wasn't returning or if they had to read it in Tiger Beat later.

 

John: I thought Joanna agreed not to meet Daphne at the house. What do you think compelled her to show up at Collinwood late in the night? Gerard was awfully accommodating to just let her stay in her sister's room. Of course that's one more thing that will upset Samantha, so perhaps that was his motivation.

 
Christine: I think she showed up just to intimidate Samantha by asking for the return of her belongings.

John: So Daphne is not only a parallel time convert, she's plotting how Gabriel can use it to get away with murder (literally and figuratively). The only thing more surprising is how quickly Gabriel was willing to buy the whole concept of parallel time based solely on Daphne's word.

 

Christine: I actually was surprised she gave up the information so readily and didn't bargain with him to release her if she told him what he wanted to know.

Petofi box sighting.