Episode 110 - PRE-EMPTED - 11/25/66

There was no episode shot for today, as it was pre-empted for a post-Thanksgiving football game. We'll be back with a new episode review on Monday.

In the meantime, here is an exhibition of portraits we've seen on Dark Shadows. There will be many more portraits to come in the series. Some play an active role, while others are just silent spectators. These are the ones we've seen so far.

Isaac Collins 

Isaac Collins founded the town of Collinsport, the Collins' fishing fleet, and is responsible for the Collins' family fortune. His portrait was shifted around the room quite a bit in the beginning of the series. It may indicate a sense of restlessness over present day events at Collinwood.

 Jeremiah Collins

 

Jeremiah is prominently displayed overlooking the drawing room, which makes his portrait the one most frequently seen. He may have earned this place of honor for having built Collinwood. From the Collins Family History Book Carolyn reads from in Episode 45: "Jeremiah Collins, sixth generation descendant of the founder of Collinsport. In 1830, married Josette la Frenière of Paris, France. The construction of Collinwood, the family mansion, was begun the same year." In Episode 34, we learn that he was drunk more often than sober.

  Benjamin Collins

 

We learned that Benjamin Collins hangs in the foyer in Episode 59. We never seem to get a clear shot of him and he's usually seen at an angle.

Josette Collins

 

Josette's ghost has materialized twice from her portrait after visits from David to the Old House. It could be his conversations with her that helps to release her from it, or there could be some other reason she appears.

Theodore Collins?

This is an unknown ancestor. The DS Wiki states that Theodore's portrait hung in the drawing room. It may be this one or one of the other unidentified portraits. We'll have to wait and see if the identity is revealed later in the series.

   

 

Naomi Collins?

This may be Naomi Collins, since it looks like a woman, who bears some resemblance to Elizabeth. We'll learn later that she was Barnabas' mom.

Joshua Collins?

It's possible this is Joshua Collins because of the sideburns and resemblance to Roger. He was married to Naomi Collins.

Daniel Collins?

This may be Daniel Collins, since he is one of the few ancestors whose name has been mentioned so far.

Fortunately, Collinsport has an artist who's experienced in portraiture, which makes him the go-to guy whenever someone wants a portrait done. As you would expect, Sam Evans will be making more portraits during the series. Here are portraits we've seen by Sam Evans.

 Maggie's Mom

 

Burke #1

Burke #2

Betty Hanscombe

David has also demonstrated a talent for making portraits, and may be Collinsport's up and coming new artist.

David's drawing of Josette Collins.

   

It's possible Dan Curtis had a fixation with portraits that went beyond The Picture of Dorian Gray, a story he made into a movie, which will figure into storylines in Dark Shadows. His TV pilot, A Darkness at Blaisedon, also features a portrait from which a ghost materializes. Picture portraits of victims are collected in Mrs. Allardyce's room in his 1976 film, Burnt Offerings. There is something inherently creepy about portraits of dead people. In the world of Dan Curtis, they are vessels for souls that can be powerful objects. Be sure to keep a close watch on them to see if their eyes follow you.

Episode 27 - 8/2/66

Vicki searches for David. Carolyn comes home and is shocked when Vicki claims he tried to commit murder. She explains she found the valve, and when she went to show Liz, it was gone, and so was David.

In Bangor, Burke meets with Bronson. Burke reminds Bronson that the Collins family can't connect them. Bronson hands over financial papers on the Collins family, including the debt structure.

Vicki and Carolyn search the house for David. Vicki heard a noise behind the locked door. Elizabeth comes out of the closed wing. In Vicki's room, Carolyn uses another key to open Vicki's dresser. Carolyn picks up a copy of the magazine that David had been reading and is shocked to find an article on disassembling a master brake cylinder.

Burke finishes the paperwork, and says that it doesn't go far enough. Bronson explains that they can buy up the notes and call them in. Burke tells Bronson he wants to hit the Collins family so hard they'll wish they never heard of him.  Burke asks about the information on the rival cannery in town, and they discover it's not in the paperwork. It's possible Bronson's secretary mailed it to Devlin. Burke is not happy with the thought of something coming to him that will connect him with Bronson.

Liz calls Roger to tell him David is missing, but does not mention the valve. Carolyn asks why, and Liz says she needs to be sure.

Burke calls the hotel to see if any mail has arrived for him. It hadn't, but the sheriff had served a search warrant. And that a little boy was caught trying to sneak into his room.

Our thoughts

John: I will assume that Carolyn's smiling while describing David tampering with the car was unintentional.

Christine: It's like when Vicki was smiling about David asking if she ever tried to kill someone. It could be one of those times when an actor is trying hard not to smile or giggle when he/she shouldn't be. Liz is so desperate to believe that David is not responsible for attempted patricide that she's willing to act suspicious of Vicki, no matter how unreasonable it is to think Vicki would have tampered with Roger's brakes, or had any reason to want to kill him to begin with.

John: Burke's plans to get back at the Collins family are now pretty clear, although I don't get why he's so worried about anyone finding a link between them. It's not that Bronson is doing anything illegal.

Christine: Perhaps he's trying to keep it under wraps until he's completely screwed over the Collins family, just in case they might be able to do something to prevent him if they knew what he was up to. As he tells Bronson, "when you're planning a surprise party, it spoils the fun if the guests know about it in advance."

John: So David has gone into town, and was caught breaking into Burke's room. The burning question is, did he get a chance to plant the valve before he was caught?

Christine: I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow. They seem to find a way to keep us watching.

You'll be relieved to know Isaac Collins has been located and has found a new home, hanging just to the left of Jeremiah Collins, who remains over the mantle. Nobody moves Jeremiah's portrait around the room. Isaac Collins only established the town of Collinsport, the fishing fleet, and is responsible for the Collins' family fortune, but somehow doesn't merit a permanent hanging place. At any rate, we know he is safe...for now. Let's be vigilant.

This is Barnard Hughes' only appearance as Stuart Bronson. He was a successful character actor and played in such series as The Phil Silvers Show, Route 66, Naked City, All in the Family and The Bob Newhart Show, though John might remember him fondly as Grandpa from The Lost Boys. 

(The man who taught us if you read the TV Guide, you don't need TV! --John)

Read our 60th Anniversary commentary to see what new observations we made: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2026/08/shadows-on-wall-episode-27.html

Episode 36 - 8/15/66

Vicki tells Elizabeth that she has no choice but to leave Collinwood. She says it's primarily because of David. Elizabeth says she's afraid, but for David. She says she doesn't think of Vicki as a stranger anymore. She says she needs people to stand up to David and face his hatred. Vicki asks why Liz wants her to stay,  but she can't answer.

Sam calls for Roger, but hangs up without leaving a message. Roger shows up at the restaurant, and tells Sam never to call him at home, and not to paint Burke Devlin's portrait. Roger says he doesn't trust Sam spending time with Devlin.

Liz explains that with Vicki to help with David, Carolyn can finally leave the house. She pleads for Vicki to stay, and she agrees. David comes forward and says he doesn't want Vicki to stay. Vicki decides to go into town to see a movie while Elizabeth takes David aside for a talk. Liz says she doesn't hate David, but she is very angry with him. Roger arrives and calls him a would be killer.

Sam sketches on a napkin in the diner when Vicki arrives. She was too late to catch the beginning of the movie. Instead she gets to hear Sam ramble on about death.

Roger tells Liz she can do what she wishes with his son. He says while she worries about David, the Collins dynasty might vanish from the face of the earth. Roger storms off, Liz picks up the phone and makes a call to a Ned Calder in Portland.

Our thoughts

John: David shows no signs of easing up, but Liz still manages to convince Vicki to stay.

Christine: Elizabeth tells her if she leaves Collinwood, it will be a house of torment and fear. How could she leave knowing that?

John: Louis Edmonds' tirade is quite the spectacle in this episode. He's certainly more amped up than he was when he first heard Burke Devlin arrived in town.

Christine: And this was before he started tippling. It seems the actors have been directed to take it up a notch. Or it could be all that coffee they drink throughout the day. Why is Roger screaming about the Collins dynasty vanishing? Is he suggesting David will ax murder them all in their beds?

John: Sam sure seems to ramble. I wonder if we'll have a better sense in time if that's because he's supposed to be playing drunk, or...

Christine: As a Collinsport bohemian artist, he is expected to spout rambling nonsensical drivel. He did express one coherent thought about Burke to Roger when he said, "what I did to that boy ten years ago is the shame of my life." What could it possibly be? When will we find out?

John: Is it me, or had Maggie abandoned the diner? Several folks have come and gone in the past few episodes, and she's nowhere to be found. Seems like an awfully long break...

Christine: It does appear to be a self serve diner quite often. Can they not afford to hire the waitress who never has any lines?

Still no sign of Isaac Collins on the wall by the globe lamp. Maybe they loan the portrait out to museums.

In case you were thinking this might be Isaac Collins hanging in the foyer behind Liz, you'll note two white cuffs visible in this portrait, while there is only one in Isaac's portrait. This is also not the portrait of Barnabas Collins.

For all the other times Liz has caught David lurking about it's odd she doesn't catch him eavesdropping this time.

Bandage Watch Day 12. It looks like it's about to fall off. I don't think he's ever changed the bandage.

Interesting camerawork.

What in the world is Sam drawing?

Liz: "The world isn't a very happy place for boys who don't care what people think."

Proof positive of Elizabeth's words.

Read our 60th Anniversary commentary to see what new observations we made: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2026/08/shadows-on-wall-episode-36.html

Episode 22 - 7/26/66

Burke Devlin shows up at the Evans home looking for Sam. Maggie asks if his visit has to do with Roger Collins' accident. He tells her it was no accident—someone tampered with the brakes on his car. Maggie says her dad has been upset since... and trails off.

Sam shows up at the diner and runs into Roger. Roger asks him to stay away. Sam asks if Devlin had anything to do with the accident. He says the two of them are tied together, and he needs to know what happened. Roger tells Sam that he's going to see that Burke is back behind bars. Roger says only the two of them really know what happened 10 years ago.

Burke tells Maggie that he and Sam used to be good friends. He says he wrote to Sam from prison, but Sam never answered. He also says he can't imagine Sam doing anything that would make Burke hate him. Sam begins to get stern with Maggie about sharing personal info about him with Burke. Burke then offers Sam $1000 to paint a portrait of him. He wants one just like the ones up at the Collins house.

Carolyn sees her uncle for the first time since the accident. He takes off the sling and gives it to his 'kitten'. She asks if he's going to have Burke Devlin arrested. He says not only arrested, but indicted and thrown in jail. Carolyn feels responsible if Burke tampered with the car. Roger says it doesn't matter whether he's guilty or not. Carolyn gets upset, and then Roger backpedals and says he's only after justice.

    

Burke sits for Sam so he can complete his initial sketches. Sam asks how he's going to have time to sit for a portrait if he's leaving so soon, and Burke explains there has been a change of plans.

Our thoughts

John: WHAT HAPPENED 10 YEARS AGO! I'll bet its something that would make Burke hate Sam...

Christine: Sam is sure acting that way, isn't he? He really went off on Maggie when he should have been trying to play it cool in front of Burke. I wonder what happened to Maggie's mom.

John: It's funny how when Burke asks if he can get a portrait done, the music stops cold.

Christine: Yes, that was odd the way it cut out. You know what else is strange? The portrait of Isaac Collins has been moved. It used to hang to the left of the window in the drawing room (at least since Episode 3) and now it is hanging over the phone. I want to know why.

John: Is it just me, or does Roger get a better kiss from Carolyn than Joe has thus far? Amazing that Burke has yet to experience that first hand.

Christine: Ew. Here are some screen grabs from today's episode to wash that image of Roger and Carolyn from your mind. Back to the mysterious case of the wandering portrait.

Isaac Collins, who Roger is said to resemble.

Isaac's new location today.

Isaac's location in Episode 17.

Burke admires the portrait of Maggie's mother.

Bestowing the "Badge of Honor."

It's just an innocent peck on the cheek from Uncle Roger

Read our 60th Anniversary commentary to see what new observations we made: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2026/07/shadows-on-wall-episode-22.html

Shadows on the Wall: Episode 26

  

Before continuing, you may enjoy revisiting our original 50th anniversary summary and commentary: https://dsb4idie.blogspot.com/2016/08/episode-26-8166.html

Then & Now

John: David was awfully rough with Vicki. I don't know why she didn't go right to Liz. And then David tells his Aunt that Vicki tried to hurt him. Like she'd believe that. 

Christine: I was wondering who came away from that altercation with more bruises. Vicki did land a good elbow to David's face, so he was not lying when he said she hit him. 

John: The Sheriff is right. Why would Roger think Burke would hang on to the bleeder valve if he was the one to remove it?

Christine: Poor Sheriff Carter was having a bad day, with mustard on his ham and rye, and Roger Collins throwing the weight of the Collins family name around while threatening his job. 

John: It's disappointing that Liz is so blinded by her love of David that she can't fathom Vicki's story is true. As if Vicki had something to gain by making up such a story. If David were sent away, she'd be out of a job.

Christine: David sneaks out of the closed-off wing at the beginning of the episode, though it's unclear how he gained access when we've been led to believe that the door is always locked. If he could slip in and out with Vicki's letter, he could have just as easily hidden the bleeder valve there. 

Shadows on the Wall

John: Do we know who is in the painting we pan past in the hall outside David and Vicki's rooms during Vicki's opening narration?

Christine: I'm assuming you are referring to the painting hanging above the Petofi box and not the one we see briefly after the opening shot of Collinwood, where what appears to be the reflection of the chandelier is visible. We don't know who is in the painting, but let's just say it's Millicent Collins. 

John: I wish we could read the details on the FBI wanted poster in the sheriff's office!

Christine: The sheriff's office has a number of wonderful details to enjoy, and quite a few criminal posters for a town that purportedly doesn't have very serious crimes...for now. I was wondering if the photo hanging on the bulletin board by the water bottle is showcasing the officer of the month. 

Ten years ago, I noted that the portrait of Isaac Collins had gone missing from his usual location, and there was no sign of him in this episode. However, I discovered that he was indeed hanging to the right of the drawing room windows again. I'm beginning to believe that Isaac Collins may be the most important character on the show.

What did you notice during this viewing that you had never noticed before?