Dark Shadows Episode 340 - 10/13/67

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Julia gets the strong box and notices that it has been pried open. Barnabas asks about the notebook, and she confirms that it is gone. Barnabas says Woodard knows what he is, and must be eliminated immediately. Julia says murder isn't the answer. He tells her that she's going to help him come up with a way of killing Woodard that will look like an accident. She says she can't, and he tells her that she must. She says she can't be an accessory to a murder. Barnabas says she already is. He tells her that Woodard will endure more pain than any human has known before he dies. She begs him not to kill him that way. He tells her he's giving her no choice. She says he could be injected with a drug that would appear to be a heart attack. Barnabas says she's at last proving to be of some use to him.

Woodard arrives at his office and locks the door behind him. He pulls the window shade and sits down to read Julia's notebook. When he's about halfway through it, there's a knock at his door. He asks who it is, and it's Sam Evans. He says Dave was supposed to come by and see Maggie. He asks him for the prescription for Maggie's sleeping pills. Woodard asks if it can wait, and then agrees to do it. He's noticeably jittery, and Sam asks why. He says it's a special night, but he can't say why. He gives him the prescription, and asks him to leave. After Sam's gone, he resumes reading Julia's notes.

Julia fills a hypodermic needle with a blue fluid.

She attempts to give it to Barnabas, and he tells her to keep it. He tells her that she's going to administer the injection. She says she'll never agree to murdering him. Barnabas tells her to consider it as sparing him. He says Woodard is a threat to them both. Barnabas tells her that if she won't do it, he'll silence Woodard in his own way. She suggests that she could talk to Woodard to see if she can convince him to cooperate with her on her experiments, out of fear of being killed by Barnabas.

Woodard closes the notebook and picks up the phone. He calls the sheriff's office, and tells them to notify the sheriff he'll be there in fifteen minutes to see him. He opens the door and Julia enters. He says he doesn't have time to talk to her. He shows her the notebook and says he knows everything.

She asks him what he's going to do. He says he's going straight to the police, and she tells him no. She says she's making a contribution to science. He says she was willing to sacrifice others—Maggie, Willie... He says there's no excuse for what she's done. She says if he goes to the police, Barnabas will kill him. He says he intends to stop him. She says he won't make it to the sheriff's office. He says he doesn't need to, and picks up the phone. Before he can call anyone, a bat appears outside his window. Suddenly, Barnabas materializes in his office.

Our thoughts
                                                                
John: How is it that I was surprised when Barnabas declared that Woodard must be eliminated—IMMEDIATELY!

Christine: Apparently, when you've lived more than 150 years, time takes on a different meaning.

John: Nice to see Julia suddenly develop a conscience. Of course it's too late for her.

Christine: Barnabas is really working her over, giving her the choice to administer a painless death, or be responsible for Woodard enduring certain agony before he's killed. She did not seem to realize until Barnabas pointed it out that she shares the responsibility for any act of violence he commits since she's helped him and protected him.

John: Really? Give Woodard a chance to join up or be destroyed by Barnabas? Wouldn't that encourage him to try and destroy Barnabas first? Sure enough, they trot out the blue screen to allow Barnabas to appear in the room with Woodard. Of course, the fact that he hasn't killed him yet means my prediction was off by at least a day...

Christine: Well, the blue screen allowed mini-Barnabas to appear with parts of his head missing. Again the opening narration promises that it's to be "a night of violence and sudden death." Eventually it will happen, though this night could last a whole week the way it's going.