Dark Shadows Before I Die: Dark Shadows Episode 487

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Julia chain-smokes in the drawing room, prepared for Mrs. Johnson to appear so she can tell her about the dream. She wonders if she'll be able to stop herself from telling her, ending Angelique's dream curse, when there's a knock at the door. She's pleased that it's Vicki and not Mrs. Johnson.

Vicki notices the ashtray full of cigarette butts. Julia says they're hers; that smoking calms her nerves. Julia asks her if Professor Stokes is an expert on the occult, and she says that he is a strange man. Julia leaves abruptly to go see him.

On her way out, she passes Jeff Clark, who she doesn't even acknowledge. He tells Vicki that he has moved into the Evans cottage. She invites him into the drawing room for coffee. He asks if he did something to upset Julia. She says that she was acting strangely, perhaps due to the death of Dr. Lang. Jeff is surprised to hear the news. Vicki is surprised that Jeff seems pleased. He tells her that he has the keys to his house, so he can break in to get files on who he is and what he's done. He runs out on Vicki, who is left bewildered.

Julia visits Professor Stokes. He asks who she is, and she says Vicki recommended him. She says she thinks she's one of several victims of a curse. She says she has experienced a dream that has been passed on from one person to the next, and each person passes it on to the next, with the dream going one step further each time. Stokes finds it interesting. He says it's called a dream curse. He says it ends in a sudden death. He asks her to describe it to him. She mentions how Mrs. Johnson was in her dream, and he asks if she thinks Mrs. Johnson is the target of the curse. She says she is not. He says she must care a great deal about the person she's trying to save. She agrees, saying she doesn't know if she can save him.

Barnabas wonders where Julia is. He knows that time is running out for them to complete the experiment. Jeff shows up, and Barnabas asks what he's doing. He asks for a few minutes alone in Lang's office, and Barnabas refuses. Jeff attempts to break the lock on a cabinet, and Barnabas orders him to stop. He tells Barnabas that the only way to get him out is to throw him out. Barnabas admits he's too weak to fight, and asks what he's looking for. Jeff says he's looking for Lang's file on him, because he withheld information about him. Jeff admits to being in a mental institution with amnesia.

Barnabas asks if he thinks he'll find something in Lang's files, and Jeff does. He smiles as he reads the document. Barnabas asks if it was good news, and Jeff says it is. Barnabas asks if he plans to share it with Vicki, and suggests that he leave her alone. He says he's fond of Vicki, and Jeff says he is, too. Barnabas says he's unstable, and Vicki deserves more than his pretty face. Jeff claims he's jealous. He says he knows Vicki chose not to marry Barnabas. Barnabas threatens to tell Vicki that Jeff was involved in Lang's experiments, and Jeff counters with an offer to do the same. Barnabas tells him to leave, and he does.

Jeff swings Vicki around, and then tells her that Lang's file said he had no homicidal tendencies! Vicki doesn't get it, and Jeff explains that Lang told him he might have committed murder. Jeff explains he was blackmailing him to get his help. Vicki asks for what, and he dodges the question. They kiss.

Barnabas gets another injection from Julia, and he says they must move forward with the experiment. She says she's not ready. Barnabas resolves himself that the experiment is destined to fail, and he will once again revert to being a vampire.

Our thoughts

John: At least Professor Stokes announces that he's hostile to strangers before treating Julia so rudely. Their meeting seems to end abruptly, without resolution. Did she describe the dream to him? Everyone else seems to have been tormented until they told it to the next person in the chain, and Julia seems fine (well, as fine as Julia can be). Will Stokes be thrust into the middle of the curse? Or is it once again on hold until she connects with Mrs. Johnson?

Christine: I don't think she's fine. She said she wanted to tell the dream to Mrs. Johnson so badly that she felt as though she might go mad. She may be able to hold off a few days before she finally has to give in, which means this dream curse could take a few weeks to finally run its course.

John: Could they not find the sound effects of a clock ticking? Today it sounded more like the balls on a Newton's Cradle...

Christine: It could have been a metronome. More fun with mirrors in today's episode, with Professor Stokes' convex mirror adding a dreamlike quality to Julia's visit.

John: Poor Adam's body continues to rot away. Thankfully we're on soap-opera time, as that 48 hours would otherwise already be up!

Christine: I had to laugh when Barnabas told Jeff Clark that all he has to offer Vicki is his handsome face. It's so true!