Episode 209 - 4/14/67

Willie admires the portrait of Barnabas, and is frightened by the sound of a heart beating until Jason enters the room. He asks if Jason heard it, but Jason doesn't know what he's referring to. He tells Willie he's letting the old house get to him. He takes him into the drawing room and says that Liz is getting him $500 to leave today. Willie pours himself a drink. Jason tells Willie he can go to the tropics, and he'll join him soon. Willie says he'll go in a couple of days. Jason wants to know what Willie has planned. He tells Willie to forget about the family jewelry, and Willie says he's taking his advice, and not steal anything that can be traced.

Vicki walks in, and Jason suggests Willie go upstairs to pack his things. He starts to move towards Vicki, and Jason shoves him out of the room. Vicki asks if Willie is leaving, and Jason says possibly tonight. She asks if Jason is leaving, too, and he explains he might stay on for some time. He asks if his staying is causing her any trouble. She says no, and then he apologizes again for Willie. Jason explains that Willie needs family, and he's like a father figure to him. Jason explains that they both think fondly of Liz, so there's no reason they can't be friends.

Willie examines the book of portraits when Mrs. Johnson comes in. He tells her he's reading up on the Collins family. She says he's not the reading type. He discusses the stories of Naomi Collins being buried with jewels. She says she thinks the dead should rest—up on Eagle's Hill. She then mentions the rest of the family are buried in the family cemetery.

Willie explores the cemetery, walking amongst the tombstones with a flashlight. The caretaker finds Willie, and he asks where he can find Naomi Collins grave. The caretaker says there's no grave—she's buried in the family tomb. He's reluctant to tell Willie where it is. He says there are legends of an evil force there. He says he won't go near there himself. Willie asks about the legend of her being buried with her jewels, and then asks where he can find the tomb. The caretaker points out the tomb, telling Willie never to go there at night. Willie assures him that he'll come back in the morning.

Jason asks Mrs. Johnson if she's seen Willie. She explains he took off in a hurry. She says he should tell Willie to clean up after himself. He left out the books on the Collins family rather than put them back on the shelf. She tells Jason about the legend of Naomi Collins and her being buried with her jewels. Jason thinks Willie's fascination is very odd.

Willie finds his way to the Collins' family tomb. He rattles they locked door and the caretaker stops him, reminding him of the monstrous evil. Willie hears the heart beating again, but the caretaker does not. Willie reluctantly leaves, followed by the caretaker, and we hear the heartbeat from beyond the door of the crypt.

Our thoughts

John: Willie is certainly transparent in his activities, and yet not even Jason seems to have figured out that he's going for the family jewels buried with the dead family members.

Christine: Willie has got the family history confused when he tells Mrs. Johnson that Naomi got jewels from pirates, when it was Abigail who the pirates favored with sparkly treasures, according to David. That could prove to be a problem when he goes digging up graves.

John: Nice to see our old friend the creepy caretaker again! And to know that he's familiar with the monstrous evil lurking within that's only a threat at night.

Christine: He is the Caretaker. He takes care of the dead. He is fantastic! Joshua Collins built the tomb and had it sealed upon his death. I wonder why...

John: And here we are, on the cusp of the arrival of Barnabas Collins. Starting next week, we'll arrive at what was the common starting point for syndication and the initial video releases of Dark Shadows. I'm quite pleased to report that the first 209 episodes did not disappoint. They were far more engaging than I expected, and I look forward to the continuing story threads alongside the arrival of our distant relative from England.

Christine: I'm glad to finally see the series in order from the beginning. There's a great deal of history that lends a depth to the characters and gives you a different perspective on events to come. This family went through quite a bit of turmoil before Barnabas showed up. I'm excited to revisit the episodes that I haven't seen in over a decade.

FYI-The portrait of Isaac Collins now hangs over the fireplace in the study.