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.

Dark Shadows Episode 896 - 12/2/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Megan returns to the antique store and tells Carolyn that someone is coming to kill her. Carolyn tries to talk sense into her, but Megan runs upstairs. The door opens, and Carolyn turns to see someone enter the store.

It's Julia. Carolyn is upset, noting that Philip has been gone and Megan thinks someone is trying to kill her. Julia sees the box and asks Carolyn where it came from. She says she doesn't know. She then tells Julia that the baby is very sick. Julia sees the child and says he has a peculiar birthmark. Megan runs downstairs and takes the baby before Julia can examine it. She says they're going away. Carolyn reminds her that she can't leave before Philip returns. Megan regains her composure and says Philip will be back when he's ready. She takes the baby upstairs.

Carolyn asks Julia if she knows what's the matter with Megan. She says that Megan is terrified of something. It could be the result of overwork, or the responsibility of taking care of the baby. Julia picks up the box, and says she saw it at Barnabas' house. Carolyn says Barnabas has sold them lots of things.

Amy is playing with a baby doll when David comes into the drawing room and locks the door. She says she knows what he's doing. He's surprised to see her. She asks why he lied to Carolyn about the book. He says when he found out is was valuable, he couldn't give it back, so he's going to burn it. Amy tells him that will make things worse. She asks him to give her the book, and they fight over it. The book falls open to a page with the snake logo seen on the altar. David is transfixed by it. Amy says it's wrong to burn it, and he says that he won't. He tells her to stand guard at the door so he can read the book. She does as he asks, and he sits down and begins reading from the book.

Megan comes downstairs and tells Carolyn she took a nap. She apologizes for her rudeness earlier. Someone phones about the Tate painting, and Carolyn invites them to come to Collinwood to see Julia about it.

Julia asks David to take a note to Barnabas, and he says that he can't help her. He leaves, saying he has something to do. She looks at her note, which says someone is coming to Collinwood, and it may be Quentin.

Julia returns to Collinwood and hears Carolyn talking to someone in the drawing room about her Charles Tate painting. Julia barges in and is surprised to see that 'Corey' is a woman. She recognizes her as Amanda from the past. Carolyn says she didn't realize that it was Olivia Corey. Olivia explains that she doesn't let on who she is in a business transaction, as the price always goes up if they know who she is in advance.

Julia says that she won't be interested in her Tate, as it's not a portrait. She tells Carolyn that many of Tate's portraits resemble Olivia. Olivia says that she is vain, and asks to see the painting. Julia tells her it's a landscape, and shows it to her. She adds that it's not for sale. She's upset, and asks Carolyn to call her a cab.

Julia tells her that she's seen her on stage, and she didn't realize her resemblance to Amanda Harris. Olivia tells her that Amanda Harris is her grandmother. Julia asks who her grandfather was, and she says his name was Langley. She says that she's surprised that Julia knew the name of the woman in Tate's paintings. Julia says she must have read it somewhere. Olivia examines the Collins family portraits, and says that she'd love to see more family portraits from the time. Julia says she'll be upset that there are no portraits of Quentin. Olivia says she doesn't know who that is, and when Carolyn comes in to say her cab has arrived, she tells Julia that perhaps they can learn a great deal about art from one another.

David approaches the altar is the woods, and says that he is one of them now. The altar opens before him, and he steps down into it. The altar closes shut behind him.

Our thoughts

John: Are we sure that Megan isn't related to Quentin's ex-wife? Like her, she's pretty manic, and doesn't do well with children.

Christine: She sure sounded and acted a lot like Jenny Collins. I liked Megan better when she wasn't all screamy and overdramatic. I wonder if we'll get to see the Leviathan spawn and its interesting birthmark soon. It's rather fitting that the young tyke's cradle is shaped like a coffin.

John: I thought it was great how Julia got right up in Amanda/Olivia's grill and didn't play games with her. She made it very clear that she knows just who she is, and just what she's after. In time, we'll see if she's right. But wouldn't it be even creepier to find out that she hasn't lived the past 100 years, but has had a female child with Quentin who grew up to marry, and she did the same, and so on...

Christine: That. Is. So. Gross. I guess it's not without precedent, since Laura Collins went on to marry and have a child with her grandson, Roger.

John: Nice use of stock lightning footage at the end of the episode. I'm not sure where it originated, but it reminded me of the opening of Creature Features (for those of us who grew up in the Bay Area). Sure enough, it matches!

Christine: I was thinking the lightning footage was from Frankenstein when it appeared in Episode 889, though after seeing this intro, it may have been what I was really remembering, which still may have been taken from Frankenstein. Such fond memories. How has David suddenly become a Leviathan after looking at the Naga symbol in the Leviathan book? How come Amy didn't become a Leviathan? It looks like David is going to come out the other side of that stone, though maybe I'll try harder to use my imagination and believe that it's a gateway to Leviathanland.

David's reading from the Leviathan text:

And then those who have been hidden so long shall rise and show themselves, and the others will know their time is ended. And the time of the people of the Leviathan will begin. 

Dark Shadows Episode 288 - 8/2/67

David finds Vicki daydreaming in the drawing room. He said it was like she was someone else, and it frightened him. She says she knows he likes to imagine scary things, but he shouldn't try to scare her. Julia enters, and Vicki introduces David to her. He offers to tell her about his ancestors. Julia asks about private printed histories, and Vicki goes to get them.

David quizzes her to see if he'll be included, and asks if she'd like to see their family album. He pulls the book out and they start flipping through it. They arrive at Sarah Collins, and David is surprised he hasn't heard of her. He does say she looks just like a girl he plays with sometimes near the old house. He says that's the only place he's ever seen her. And that her name is Sarah, too. Julia finds it a curious coincidence. David asks Julia if she thinks Sarah is a ghost.

Vicki returns and discourages David from talking about ghosts. Vicki gives Julia the books she was asking about. Julia shows Vicki the portrait of Sarah Collins. She says it looked like a sketch she saw when they were investigating Maggie Evans disappearance, though she explains that won't mean anything to Julia. She tells Julia she has a date and has to leave, and before she does, she asks Vicki about the restoration of the old house. She says that there are no mirrors in the old house where she thought they would have been historically. Vicki says the only mirror she found in the old house is in Josette's room. Julia asks if she can borrow a book so she can show Barnabas some of the portraits.

At The Blue Whale, Vicki and Burke talk about Julia. He says he's never heard of her, and says he wishes she wasn't involved in her. He says Josette has become a reality to her, and the other night she saw a little girl at the top of the stairs. He asks why she would further feed her imagination with the history of the Collins family. She explains that it happened again. She says she woke up the other night and heard a little girl singing. When she lit a candle the room was empty. She says maybe it was spending the night in Josette's room. Burke is surprised to hear she spent the night in the house with Willie and Barnabas, and asks her to promise she won't go back there again. She refuses. She says she feels safe there, as if she belongs there. Burke isn't happy to hear it it.

Julia arrives at the old house with the book of portraits. Barnabas says he didn't expect to see her so soon. She asks if she can show him a family album. He asks why, and she says she was hoping to get some answers. He initially says no, and then agrees to give her a few minutes of his time. She opens the book to the portrait of his namesake. She points out the uncanny resemblance they share. He takes the book as she talks through the people in portraits, leading up to Sarah. While he looks at the book, she opens a compact and looks into the mirror, noticing that Barnabas cannot be seen. He asks what she's doing, and she says she's just checking her make-up. She apologizes for wasting his time, and leaves. Barnabas has a concerned look on his face after she's gone.

Back at the main house, Julia returns the book saying she learned a great deal in her visit with Barnabas—everything that she needed to know.

Our thoughts

John: How does Julia already know so much Collins family history? Again, she's really done a deep dive in search of information to help her treat Maggie...

Christine: She's certainly thorough. Burke has become quite unpleasant with his permanent scowl. He really needs to lighten up a little, though Vicki didn't appear to have any trouble standing up to his bossy demand that she promise never to return to the Old House.

John: How is it that a) opening up the book of family history in the middle gets right to the people Julia is interested in, and b) David is so familiar with the book, and yet does not know about Sarah Collins....

Christine: It looked like it was bookmarked. I also don't understand how David didn't know about Sarah or never saw her picture in the family album before. Are we supposed to think that her page mysteriously appeared where it did not exist before? After he recognized her as his new playmate, it's odd that he didn't consider that his friend might be the ghost of Sarah Collins.

John: I guess I was wrong. Julia had already pegged Barnabas as a vampire, and proved it using the old 'take a look at these family portraits while I get a glimpse of you in the mirror' trick. So now that she knows, what is she going to do? And more importantly, does this bring an abrupt end to Vicki's research project?

Christine: It seems Dr. Hoffman is getting some inspiration from Van Helsing. This is a momentous occasion to have someone who is not a victim discover that Barnabas is a vampire. It's odd that she didn't seem alarmed by her discovery and was almost gleeful about it when she returned to Collinwood.

Dark Shadows Episode 499 - 5/23/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Sam ages the portrait of Angelique. Her face is wrinkled; her hair long and gray.

In a hooded cloak in the garden at Collinwood, Cassandra pleads that she must find the portrait. She begs for it to speak to her.

Tony arrives and finds Cassandra in the garden, standing in the shadows in the black cloak. She screams in pain and says she needs his help. He asks to see her and she tells him to use his cigarette lighter. She pulls back her hood, and her face and hair match the revised portrait.

She tells Tony to look into the flame and pledge to help her. He says he'll do as she asks. She says she must find and get the portrait back tonight. She says someone is aging the portrait, and in turn, causing her to age. She says she needs him to find the artist who would be doing the painting for the Collins family.

He says there are two possibilities. Amos Parkes, an old friend of the family, and Sam Evans, father of Maggie. She recalls that Maggie looks like Josette. Tony says Sam did a portrait of Barnabas, and Cassandra realizes that he must be the one. Carolyn interrupts them.

Cassandra is hidden in her cloak and hood, and Tony explains it's not what Carolyn thinks. She says she saw his car pull up, and thought he was coming to see her. When he got out and moved towards the garden, she came to investigate. Tony asks Cassandra to vouch for him. Cassandra says she's already judged them. She says she'll let her uncle judge her. She asks if everything is so innocent, why is she hiding in a cloak in the shadows.

Sam continues to age the painting.

Cassandra screams in pain. Carolyn asks her what's wrong. Cassandra tells her to leave her alone, and runs off. Carolyn tells her not to go after her, and he says she needs help. She suggests that Roger can take care of her, and if he walks out on her now, he'll never see her again. He pauses, and then agrees to stay with her. She asks why he met Cassandra in the garden, and he says she asked him to. She asks if it's the first time they met, and he tells her it's been going on for about a month. She asks if he's in love with Cassandra, and he says no. She asks if he's doing it out of hatred for Roger. He says he can't explain, and she'll need to take his word for that. He tells Carolyn he cares about her.

Tony warns Carolyn to stay away from Cassandra, as she has strange power over him. Carolyn tells him that he's either crazy, or has lost all sense of self respect, and storms off.

Sam continues working on the portrait, aging it further as lightning strikes outside the window. In the darkness, Cassandra peers into the window and sees the portrait.

There's a knock at the door, and Sam opens the door to woman hidden in a black cloak with a hood over her face. She steps in and he tells her that he's very busy. She removes the hood and asks if she recognizes her face. He does, and doesn't understand.

She tells him that she's come for her portrait. He says it has another owner, and she says it's Barnabas Collins. He tells her to settle the issue with him, and asks her to leave. She says that she has nothing against him personally, and will give him one more chance to give him the picture. Before leaving, she tells him to try and return to his work, and just try to finish the picture.

When he returns to the painting, his eyesight worsens, with everything around him becoming blurry, and ultimately fading to black. He screams out that he can't see anything. He hears the door open, and while asking who it is, Cassandra sneaks in and takes the painting. As she leaves with the portrait, Sam trips over the entry step and screams out that he's blind.

Our thoughts

John: Some nice new portraits for your paintings of Collinwood pages! Didn't see Dick Smith's name in the credits for make-up, and as this isn't quite as impressive as the aged Barnabas look, I think it's probably not the maestro's handiwork.

Christine: Angelique's portrait first materialized at the Old House, so the original painting is found in the gallery of Old House Portraits, though now that Sam Evans has transformed it, the revised portrait will be added to the Works of Sam Evans. It really turned out to be a stunning piece of work in the end. I sure would love to find out who painted the portraits for the show and what happened to them. Ancient Angelique and Zombie Josette are my two favorite portraits on the show so far.

John: Why didn't Cassangelique just take the painting from Sam when she first walked in? Seems like she thrives on the added drama of having to threaten and ultimately curse folks to get what she wants.

Christine: Yes, she does like to punish people for not doing as she demands, though I think she was unable to take the portrait when she first walked in because she was too decrepit to wrest it away from Sam.

John: Sam looks different without his beard. It certainly makes him look younger. Of course it's a good thing he shaved, as with the sudden onset blindness curse, he may not be able to shave for a while. Poor guy can't seem to catch a break. First time we've seen him in ages (since we learned the cause of Dr. Woodard's death!), and after signing up to do some shady work for a quick buck, he finds himself blind.

Christine: He may have some trouble affixing his Rip Taylor mustache. It was an odd choice for Angelique to don such a short cloak, especially since her legs have not aged as rapidly as the rest of her.

Dark Shadows Before I Die Round Robin Nightmare tracker:

1. Wide-eyed skull
2. Guillotine
3. Lang's Headless creation
4. Skeletal bride 
5. Educational Bat-footage
6. Giant spider-web