Dark Shadows Episode 366 - 11/20/67

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Vicki is in the woods, outside the old house. She notices that it appears different somehow. She wonders what Barnabas has done to make it look new. Barnabas exits the house, and Vicki speaks to him, but he doesn't recognize her. She accuses him of teasing her. He explains that he's never seen her before in his life. He asks if she's feeling alright, and if she lives around here. She asks why he's dressed the way he is, and he points out that she's dressed oddly. Sarah comes outside and says she must be her new governess. She asks Vicki her name before Barnabas sends her upstairs for her nap.

Vicki asks him if that's Sarah Collins, and Barnabas confirms it. He asks her where she's from, and she tries to convince him that she's not a stranger. She brings up the seance, and all of his relatives. He offers to take her inside to lie down. He asks if she's a governess, and she admits that she is. She mentions living in Collinwood, and he explains that the building is still under construction. Vicki is insistent that she lives there. Barnabas brings her in, and she points out how different the house looks. He brings her upstairs.

Barnabas asks about her belongings. All she has is a book she has been clutching. Barnabas refers to the province of Maine, which Vicki also finds odd. He tells her to rest, and says that he'll send his mother up to see her. After he leaves. Vicki thinks that she must be dreaming.

Sarah comes in, and Vicki asks if she's really Sarah Collins. Sarah says she is, and that they'll be great friends. She shows Vicki a drawing she had made of her governess before running off.

 

Downstairs, Vicki sees someone who looks like Joe, who she hugs and says she's so glad to see. He says he doesn't know who Joe is, but if that's who she wants him to be, he will. She asks if he's playing a joke on her. He says he's not, and asks who she is. He introduces himself as Nathan Forbes, and tries to guess which Collins relative she is. He assumes she's come for the wedding between Barnabas and Josette. He asks her to stop calling him Joe, and he makes a pass at her. She says he's engaged to her best fried. He asks who that is, and she says Maggie Evans. She ends up slapping him, and wondering out loud if not a dream, why doesn't anyone know her.

Just then, Mrs. Collins enters and asks if she's the new governess. Vicki asks if she's not Mrs. Stoddard, and Mrs. Collins asks who that is.  She asks if Vicki's carriage ride from Boston was successful. Vicki says she was in Boston with David a few days ago. Mrs. Collins asks Nathan to read her one of the invitations that have arrived. He reads the invitation to the wedding between Josette and Barnabas in 1795. Vicki is convinced she's dreaming, because Barnabas and Josette never married; Josette married Jeremiah according to the family history books. Mrs. Collins asks her if something is wrong, and suggests that Nathan help her to her room. Barnabas enters, and tells his mother that there was an accident on the road to Collinsport. Three people were killed in the accident, and the governess was missing. Barnabas refers to Victoria Winters, and Mrs. Collins says the governess' name is Phyllis Wick. She asks Vicki what's going on, and Vicki faints.

Our thoughts
                                                               
John: Thank goodness vampire Barnabas didn't restore the Old House to it's prior pink and green glory.

Christine: It certainly is not as gloomy. Perhaps now would be a good time to refer back to Episode 214 when Barnabas first described the house to Vicki:

The foundations were made from rocks left behind by glaciers thousands of years ago. The beams and supports were cut from ancient local forests. The plaster walls were made from crushed clam shells and horsehair. Bricks were imported from Holland. That dusty chandelier brought over from France gleamed with hypnotic brilliance. That faded wallpaper was especially designed by a Belgian artist. The parquet floors were installed by an Italian craftsman. The cornices and moldings were the effort of a Spanish craftsman. It was a house to be envied by a prince. But in spite of all this, the total effort was an agony to man. Men were driven to their limits. What should have been an act and labor of love became a hateful thing. There were the crippled and the dead. Like the pyramids, one could ask: was it worth it?

John: Who brought the felt pens back to the past for Sarah to make her drawing of governess Vicki?

Christine: Perhaps the Collins family of 1967 will have another séance that causes someone else to travel back further into the past with some pens that eventually end up in Sarah's hands. I'm curious about the significant age discrepancy between Barnabas and Sarah, not to mention the little difference in age between he and his mother.

John: This is going to get tricky. For those of you following along at home, the actor/character line-up in the past so far is:

Present Day/1795

• Victoria Winters/Victoria Winters
• Barnabas (vampire)/Barnabas (human)
• Sarah (ghost)/Sarah Collins
• Joe Haskell/Nathan Forbes
• Elizabeth Collins Stoddard/Naomi Collins

 

Christine: Are we to believe that Sarah is somehow responsible for exchanging her governess with Vicki so that Vicki could discover Barnabas' vampire origins, as promised in last week's promo? I love how Joel Crothers seems to relish acting the cad with the character of Nathan Forbes after having to play dull, dependable, nice-guy Joe Haskell for so long. He may be a bit awkward, but his heart is in the right place. Interesting that he says that Vicki bears a resemblance to the Collins family, in an obvious nod to the long forgotten storyline of her origin.