Dark Shadows Episode 330 - 9/29/67

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David stares at the portrait of Barnabas. Liz walks up and asks what he's doing. David explains that Barnabas' eyes are following him. He tells her that he's afraid of his cousin because he wants David to die. Liz asks why he would think that. David says that Barnabas has a secret he's hiding that he's afraid David will find out. He says there's something in the basement of the old house that Barnabas doesn't want anyone to find out. He tells her that Sarah appeared to him last night and warned him to stay away from the old house. Roger walks in on him and tells David he's heard enough. He sends David to his room under threat of spanking him. David goes upstairs and Liz asks Roger to go into the drawing room. Liz tells Roger that punishing David isn't the answer. In the foyer, David sneaks back downstairs and goes outside.

Outside the old house, as the sun sets, David opens a window and sneaks in. He finds his way to a locked door when a hand grasps him from behind. It's Julia. She says he had better leave before Barnabas comes home. He asks her why the basement door is locked. She grabs his arm and tells him he has to leave now.

Roger plays the piano when Liz comes in to say David is not in his room. Roger is angry that he probably went to the old house. Julia and David arrive, and Julia confirms he was at the old house. Roger says he's going to get a spanking, and Liz sends him upstairs. Julia asks them to keep David away from the old house. Roger says that David thinks Barnabas wants him to die. He says his ghost friend Sarah has told him that Barnabas is hiding something downstairs. She suggests they not mention David's snooping to Barnabas. Roger says he doesn't know what to do with David. Julia says if he keeps him away from the old house, everything will be all right.

In his room, David wonders why Barnabas has the basement door locked.

Julia finishes giving Barnabas his treatment. He asks why she's ill at ease. She says it's not important. She tells him Willie was shipped to a home for the criminally insane. Barnabas points out that one threat remains—David. She says he's not a threat, but admits she wasn't able to hypnotize him. Barnabas says he's got a way of dealing with David. No one will believe a word that he says.

Roger comes upstairs and David asks if he's going to get a spanking. Roger says he just wants to understand him. Roger asks why he continually disobeys him. David says he had to, because Sarah had warned him about Barnabas. David says he found the basement door locked, which means he's hiding something. Roger asks him to promise he'll stay away from the old house and David agrees.

Roger leaves and a bat flies in to David's room. It attacks him and he screams for help.

Our thoughts

John: I guess David didn't think through what might have happened if Barnabas had caught him sneaking into the old house.

Christine: One moment he's terrified to go there, and the next he's ignoring Sarah's warning and sneaking over to look for the coffin right before dusk. That didn't make much sense. It seems that Julia is spending her days at the Old House to protect Barnabas while Willie is at an extended stay at the crazy house.

John: Who believes that David will keep his promise about staying away from the Old House?

Christine: Who believes he'll try harder to obey Roger?

John: I guess the recently acquired Blue Screen really did eat up the effects budget, leaving approximately 39 cents for a drug store rubber Bat—one of the finest out of Hong Kong. Bad enough to have to rely on a rubber bat on a string, but they really should have avoided the shadow of the stick showing up on screen.

Christine: Apparently you did not watch end credits today to see that this was no ordinary dime store rubber bat, but a bat created by famed puppeteer, Bil Baird, who made the marionettes and performed "The Lonely Goatherd" sequence in the Sound of Music. It was recently sold at auction this past June. Perhaps we can blame the poor quality of the video and terrible sound effect for your misjudgment of this lovable bat. Just look at those sweet, glowing, sequined eyes. What a great way to end the week with Barnabas transforming himself into a bat for the first time, removing any lingering doubt David may have had about what he truly is. I loved the way he tormented him, battering him with his wings, and making it appear as though he might bite him.

High on a hill was a lonely vampire
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo
Loud was the voice of the lonely vampire
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

John: Well, now that I have a chance to see the craftsmanship up close and personal, I'm impressed that they managed to make that thing look good enough to be confused with a much more detailed and frightening rubber bat like those I grew up with.

Dark Shadows Episode 329 - 9/28/67

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Barnabas asks Sam to let him know if he can do anything for him or Maggie. There's a knock at the door, and the sheriff says that must be his deputy. It is—and he says Willie is coming out of his coma. The sheriff asks Sam if he wants to join him, and he says he's going to go back to Maggie. Barnabas asks if he can tag along, and the sheriff allows it. He says he wants to hear Willie explain what happened, as he's sure he's innocent.

Woodard tells Julia Willie's heartbeat is almost back to normal. He says the transfusion must have done the trick. He says he's sorry he had to give him a sedative, as now he'll be out for several hours. Woodard tells Julia he thinks the sheriff is right—he doesn't think Willie abducted Maggie. He asks Julia to watch Willie while he steps out for a minute. Julia thinks to herself that if Willie talks, he'll expose Barnabas AND her. She'll never practice medicine again. She thinks it would be so easy to silence Willie permanently. She reaches down to the needle in his arm, and stops when Woodard comes back in. She makes an excuse that he was starting to move.

The sheriff and Barnabas arrive at the hospital, and the sheriff asks Barnabas to wait outside. Barnabas says that he might get more information if he allows Willie to speak to him first. The sheriff says that's not possible. He says that no one will talk to Willie before he does.

The sheriff enters Willie's room. Woodard says Willie is doing much better, but he'll be unconscious for a few hours. He says he'll wait. He asks Julia what she's doing there, calling her doctor. Woodard explains that he told the sheriff the truth about her. He also tells the sheriff that she's been helping him. The sheriff points out that he found a ring in Willie's room. Julia says Barnabas must be upset, and the sheriff explains that he is, and that he's waiting outside, upset that he couldn't come in to see Willie.

Barnabas paces in the hospital when Julia comes out. She says that Willie is under sedation. He says that she must see to it that Willie is silenced. She says she couldn't kill him.

The sheriff and Woodard watch over Willie.

Julia and Barnabas wait in the hospital lobby.

Willie starts to stir and moan. Woodard points out that Willie's coming out of it. Willie says everything hurts. Willie doesn't recognize Dr. Woodard. He reiterates that everything hurts. The sheriff asks why he was trying to get into Maggie Evans' bedroom last night. Willie asks them not to hurt them. He then asks if it's dark outside. He says he's afraid of the night. The sheriff shows Willie the ring and asks him to identify it. Willie says it's his ring. The sheriff tells him he stole it from Maggie Evans. Willie repeats her name, and then says he's afraid, and he knows why.

Barnabas points out that the sun will rise in half an hour. Julia tells him not to panic.

The sheriff and Woodard come out. They say they know the truth about Willie. He's hopelessly insane. Woodard says his mind snapped. They said he kept saying he was afraid of a voice from a grave. Julia asks if the case is closed. She asks what will happen to him, and Woodard says he'll probably be committed. Barnabas asks to see him, and he and Julia go into his room.

Willie doesn't recognize Barnabas. He asks if he's a doctor, and Barnabas says that he is.

Our thoughts

John: Dana Elcar is back! I thought for sure we were losing him, but it appears his replacement was just called in for yesterday's episode.

Christine: Strangely, he is not back. Today is Dana Elcar's last appearance as Sheriff Patterson. Vince O'Brien will return to the role in Episode 503. It must have been filmed out of sequence, which is a weird thing to do when you're introducing a new actor. I wish we still had the opening slates.

John: Smoking in Barnabas' house was bad, but what the hell was Julia thinking smoking in Willie's hospital room?

Christine: Barnabas did tell her to kill him. I wonder if Willie has acquired the ability to heal rapidly as a result of being bitten by Barnabas.

John: It's a bit of a cop-out to have Willie wake up with no memory of who everyone is. I don't know why Woodard didn't just tell Julia he'd end up at Windcliff under her care. I can't imagine it will last long, but I was hoping the writers might have come up with something fresher than amnesia.

Christine: Perhaps Willie is faking amnesia/insanity to save himself. I'm surprised Barnabas didn't give himself away by having such a loud conversation with Julia in the waiting room about being discovered for what he is. I hope we'll get to see him grab Willie's IV bottle and chug it in tomorrow's episode, but I guess that's too much to hope for.

Hey, Kool-Aid!

Dark Shadows Episode 328 - 9/27/67

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Dr. Woodard monitors Willie, lying in a bed with a plastic cover.

Julia arrives at the old house and tells Barnabas that Willie is still in a coma, but will likely die soon. Barnabas is not satisfied, and once again he declares Willie must die. Now. Tonight. Julia tries to explain that Willie is guarded day and night. He should let him die quietly. Barnabas says he's going to the hospital and she says he can't—the sheriff is coming to examine Willie's room. Julia tells him that if she can convince the sheriff that Willie kidnapped Maggie, there would be no doubt he was responsible. He says they will find something very incriminating.

The sheriff is with Woodard in the hospital. Woodard says there's a slim chance he'll come out of it. The sheriff says he has a sixth sense that Willie is not the one who kidnapped Maggie. He thinks Willie will be able to tell them who is, if he lives.

Barnabas prepares to plant Maggie's ring in Willie's room. He decides to hide it in a candlestick. He tells Julia to go to the hospital and make sure that Willie doesn't recover. She asks if he's asking her to kill Willie. He explains he's not asking her. She says she couldn't kill him, and he tells her that she surely knows of ways that would not be detected.

Sam stops in to see Willie, and asks if they think he'll pull out of it. He tells the sheriff that he doesn't think Willie is guilty. Woodard says the sheriff was just saying the same thing. The sheriff asks where Willie could have hidden her? He couldn't have kept her at the old house without Barnabas Collins knowing. He says he plans to go out to the old house to check out Willie's room. Sam asks to join him, and they head out.

There's a knock at the door of the old house, and Barnabas comes downstairs. He lets the sheriff and Sam Evans in. They go up to Willie's room. In his room, Barnabas offers to light a few candles. Sam asks if Willie went out much at night. Barnabas says that he did, and he didn't inquire into his personal life. Sam says they can't figure out where he would have kept her if he had kidnapped Maggie. Sam joins the sheriff in searching Willie's room. He picks up the candlestick with the ring hidden in it and sets it back down. Before they leave, Barnabas clumsily knocks over the candlestick and then digs the ring out—surprised to find it. Sam identifies it as Maggie's, and the sheriff declares it's just the evidence they were looking for as Barnabas can't contain a smile.

Julia checks in with Dr. Woodard to see how Willie is doing. Julia offers to relieve Woodard when Willie groans. He says he's coming  out of the coma and goes to call the sheriff. Julia stands over Willie, looking at the IV going into his arm.

Barnabas says he can hardly believe that Willie must be guilty. Sam says he shouldn't blame himself. There's another knock at the door, and the sheriff says that must be his deputy. It is—and he says Willie is coming out of his coma.

Our thoughts

John: There's a new sheriff in town. Well, a new actor playing the sheriff, anyway. I'm gonna miss Dana Elcar.

Christine: The new sheriff seems just as willing to allow civilians to assist him in a search as the old one was. Dana Elcar was admired well enough to make it necessary for Bob Lloyd to announce that Vince O'Brien had taken his place. If the new sheriff looks familiar, it's because he also appeared as Lt. Dan Riley, investigating the Laura Murdoch Collins case. Incidentally, this week marks the last time we'll get to enjoy Bob Lloyd informing us that Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production, with Episode 330 being his last.

John: No wonder everyone thinks Willie is going to die. How could anyone survive in critical condition in their low-budget hospital set?

Christine: I think that's what hospitals actually looked like back then. It's a wonder anyone survived. It was interesting that Barnabas told Julia that as long as Willie is alive, his "entire career is threatened." Is vampirism a career?

John: Isn't it rude for Sam to start smoking in Barnabas' house? It's like they wanted to fill Willie's bedroom with smoke for effect.

Christine: It's 1967. People smoked as much as they wanted wherever they wanted. I'm surprised Sam didn't light up in Willie's hospital room.

John: Barnabas is counting on Julia to take Willie out, but I don't think she has what it takes to do it.

Dark Shadows Episode 327 - 9/26/67

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Julia pulls out her medallion, and David tells her that she's the one he saw in his dream. He tells her he doesn't want to look at it, and runs into the foyer calling for Vicki. Julia approaches him with the medallion. Vicki and Liz come in, and Liz asks Julia for an explanation as David runs upstairs to his room. Julia says she was trying to get him to relax when he saw the medallion and freaked out. Vicki describes how it must have triggered the memory from his nightmare. Vicki looks at the medallion, and points out that she showed it to her before, at Maggie's house. She goes upstairs to be with David, and Julia apologizes to Liz for not being able to help David.

David looks into his crystal ball when Vicki comes in. He tells her he's looking for Sarah. Vicki tells him that what happened downstairs was just a strange coincidence. He says it's not. He says that she was the woman in his dream, and he doesn't want her to come near him any more. He says he knows where to find Sarah. She refuses to let him out. He promises that if she lets him go, he'll tell her what he and Sarah talk about. Vicki gives him an hour.

Burke points out to Vicki that it's the second time in a week David had a dream of Barnabas. She mentions that he also saw Julia in his dream. Burke points out that for a historian, Julia always seems to be involved in completely unrelated activities. He asks to speak to David, and is upset when Vicki says that she let him go out on his own. Burke says he wants to talk to David, so he goes out looking for him.

David calls to Sarah in the woods, and she appears to him. She says he saw her in his crystal ball and knew where to find her. He asks her about his dream. He says she told him she was born in Collinsport, and died when she was 10. Burke approaches, calling for David. He asks Sarah to stay there while he sends Burke away.

David finds Burke, but sees that Sarah is gone. Burke says she couldn't have gone far, and David says she's gone. Burke asks about his dream. David tells him that he saw a coffin open up and Barnabas got out. He says Sarah was with him. Burke asks how Sarah could know what happened in his dream. David explains that Sarah is a ghost. Burke says that he just heard them talking. David asks if he saw Sarah when he got closer. Burke admits that he did not, and David tells him that she disappeared.

Burke comes downstairs and tells Liz and Vicki that David's still upset that he made Sarah go away. Burke says David believes Sarah is a ghost. Vicki isn't so quick to dismiss the supernatural. Liz asks if she's serious. She explains what Sarah has done with David and Maggie. Vicki tells Burke that if he's so sure, she wants him to use his investigators to research and produce Sarah to prove she's not a ghost.

Sarah appears in David's bedroom and wakes him up. She asks what his other questions were. He asks where she took him in his dream—the room with the coffin. She says she doesn't want him to go there again. David then says it reminds him of the cellar in the old house. Sarah tells him the old house is not safe. David asks her if Willie kidnapped Maggie. She says he only went to Maggie's to warn her. He says she's got to tell him about the room, and she reminds him not to go near the old house before disappearing.

Our thoughts

John: Sad to see that David is right for a change, and Vicki doesn't believe him.

Christine: I can't believe she'd let him go roaming outside by himself after what happened the last time he did that.

John: Did Burke really need to go back through the door so we'd know he had been up in David's room? I couldn't make out what the director told him, but that appears to be the case.

Christine: Now Burke is suggesting that Julia has a "mad crush" on Barnabas, though I don't understand why he followed up by saying "there have been more imperfect combinations," when Barnabas and Julia seem very well suited to one another.

John: So we finally got an official ghost-effect of Sarah, just in case any viewers at home were, like Burke, unwilling to believe David.

Christine: She lacks so many ghostly qualities that it may take some convincing at this point.

Dark Shadows Episode 326 - 9/25/67

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In a dream, David is with Sarah, and she leads him to the basement of the old house, where Barnabas rises from a coffin. Sarah says this is who she came to find, and Barnabas is pleased to see his sister. As he approaches her, David tells her to look out. Barnabas then approaches him, raising his cane to strike him.

David wakes up screaming for help. Vicki comes in and he tells her that he saw Barnabas rise out of a coffin to get Sarah, and then he turned to get him. He tells her that cousin Barnabas is dead, and Sarah is dead, too—a ghost. He also mentions seeing a lady in the shadows who shined a piece of jewelry at him. David says he'll prove it's real by finding Sarah in the woods tomorrow.

Julia is reading a book in the old house when Barnabas returns home. He tells her to put the book away, as they have things to talk about. He says he had a revealing talk with David, and then a trip to the hospital. He says Willie clings to life with a leech-like persistence. He mentions that Willie is still a threat, and she assures him that he will die. He decides that he'll have to kill Willie, and Julia explains that if something happens to Willie, it will be clear that he was not the one responsible for Maggie's abduction. Barnabas bemoans all the threats facing him—Willie, Maggie, and David. Julia suggests that she could hypnotize David as she did Maggie. She brandishes her hypnotic medallion.

In the main house, Julia comes downstairs and hears Vicki telling Liz about David's dream, and his declaration that Barnabas is dead. She joins them in the drawing room and asks about David. Liz explains that he had a nightmare last night, and Julia says she's concerned about his irrational behavior. She asks Liz if she could have a private talk with David. She claims to have experience with Child psychology. Liz calls her a woman of many talents. She agrees, and says she'll check with David. After she's gone, she asks Vicki for details on David's dream.

David is drawing when. Liz comes in and asks if he'll talk to Julia about what's troubling him. He agrees. She asks what he was drawing, and he shows her a picture of a coffin and a tombstone with Barnabas' name on it.

David joins Julia in the drawing room. He comes in and she shuts the door behind him. She asks him about his bad dream. She asks if he saw Barnabas come out of a coffin. He says yes, and she asks where it was. He says it looked familiar, but he's not sure where he was. She asks why he thinks Barnabas was in a coffin. He says he doesn't know. She asks if Sarah told him why, and he says no, he tried to protect her. She says she's going to show him something that will make him more comfortable, and she pulls out her medallion. He tells her that she's the one he saw in his dream. He tells her he doesn't want to look at it, and runs into the foyer calling for Vicki.

Our thoughts

John: It's pretty funny just how worked up Barnabas gets about Willie taking too long to die. We get some great lines as he complains to Julia.

Christine: I like how Julia was kicking back reading medical journals at the Old House while he comes home whining about his crummy day. They act like a married couple already. I especially enjoyed when Barnabas told Julia, "Well, children aren't the easiest subjects. Their attention span leaves something to be desired."

John: I kept waiting for Barnabas to declare that Willie, Maggie and David must die—tonight!

Christine: Willie, Maggie, David, Burke, Cersei, The Hound...  I'm a little disappointed in David's artwork. He just didn't seem to put much effort into it. I would have expected a scary vampire with dripping fangs coming out of that coffin he drew. Vicki should spend more time instructing him in the fine arts, and work more on cultivating his creativity.

John: Julia's plan backfires, thanks to David's precognition via his dream. How is she going to keep Barnabas from killing David now?

Christine: Things are really heating up on Dark Shadows. The big V on the wall behind the coffin in David's dream is the closest we've come to having Barnabas called out as a vampire.