Dark Shadows Before I Die: Episode 46

Roger paces in the drawing room before putting on his coat and prepares to leave the house. Before he gets out the door, the phone rings. It's Burke Devlin. He tells Roger to be at his office at 11pm. He, Roger and Bill have business to settle. After hanging up, he removes his coat and makes a call to Bill Malloy. His housekeeper, Mrs. Johnson, doesn't know when he'll be back. Vicki comes in looking for a drawing of David's in the drawing room. She finds it and tries to impress Roger with it, but he couldn't care less. Roger describes Vicki as Pollyanna. Vicki is interested in having David meet Maggie's father, the artist Sam Evans. Roger isn't thrilled at the idea.

Sam works on a painting when Bill Malloy pounds on the door. Sam lets Bill in, who tells him after 11pm tonight he'll have all the time he wants. Bill says he'll be at the meeting in Roger Collins' office with he, Roger, and Burke Devlin. They're going to clean things up once and for all. Sam says he won't go, and asks Bill to leave. Sam takes a drink and says it's none of his affair. Bill told Burke what Sam said about being the only thing between Roger and a prison sentence. Roger makes it perfectly clear - Sam had better be at Roger's office at 11pm.

Roger tells Vicki Sam drinks too much, and when he does he gets ugly. He suggests there are other artists they could meet. Vicki says only Maggie invited her to dinner. Vicki leaves Roger alone, and he makes a call.

As she's about to go upstairs, there's a knock at the door. It's Bill demanding to see Roger. Vicki asks if Bill knows Sam Evans, and what kind of man he is. Before he can answer, Roger comes out and brings Bill into the drawing room. Bill says it's the end of the road. Roger finally starts to break. Bill said he had to choose between Roger and the Collins family, and he wasn't going to make Liz pay for something Roger did. Roger says Sam won't show up. Then he says Liz will never forgive him. Bill once again offers that Roger can avoid this by calling the police.

Vicki interrupts Roger to ask him about Mr. Evans. She asks Roger if the Sam she saw on the cliff when she first arrived is Sam Evans. Vicki wants to know if Sam Evans knows about her past, and if that's why Roger doesn't want her talking to him. Roger dismisses her, and leaves for his meeting.

At 11pm, Sam arrives at Roger's office. Burke is sitting in the dark. Roger arrives next. There's no sign of Bill.

Our thoughts

John: In the opening, Roger picks up the phone, puts it down, and then it rings. I think he jumped the gun.

Christine: It looked to me like he was going to make a call, as his finger reached toward the dial, then he reconsidered and got his coat on and went to the door to leave, but stopped when the phone rang. He sounds like he wants to cry when asking Burke "My office? Bill Malloy told you to come to my office?"

John: I love how Roger describes David's drawing is Collinwood with all its Dark Shadows. While it took nearly 50 episodes, the show's name has been given a meaning.

Christine: Are you kidding? Where have you been?

Dan Curtis said, "We didn't know what we were gonna call the show....somebody came up with Shadows on the Wall, which was gonna be the title of the show, and I didn't like that title...I gotta come up with a title that makes sense...Dark Shadows--that sounds pretty good to me. Why not?...and then somebody said, well shadows are always dark. I said, not necessarily. There are light shadows as well. Dark Shadows, that kinda says it all! So we named it Dark Shadows."

John: I loved the intensity of the scenes with Bill and Roger. Of course the way this episode ended, I'm a bit concerned that we may have seen the last of Mr. Malloy. The only question being, who did him in. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Perhaps he's just running late... or having car trouble...

Christine: Perhaps Mrs. Johnson made a meal that didn't agree with him. Bill was intense and sweaty in his scenes with everyone, though his interactions with Roger were especially fiery. It was Take #2, so Dan Curtis was probably hot tempered as well, which may have inspired the explosive acting. Both Sam and Roger seem rather desperate to stop Bill. Time is of the essence.