Dark Shadows Episode 490 - 5/10/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Julia sleeps in Lang's office to avoid seeing Mrs. Johnson. She experiences a re-run of her curse dream. After seeing the skeletal bride again, she bolts awake and calls for Barnabas. She tells Barnabas she had the dream again. He says she'll keep having the dream until she tells Mrs. Johnson. She says she must tell Mrs. Johnson before she loses her mind. Barnabas tells her they must proceed with the experiment. She asks if Cassandra knows about the experiment, and he says it doesn't matter—it's his only chance.

There's a knock at the door, and she's concerned it's Mrs. Johnson like in the dream. He answers it and it is Mrs. Johnson. She says she doesn't know why she's there. Barnabas tells her to go back to Collinwood, but Julia says to let her come in. She tells Barnabas she must tell her to free her mind. Barnabas gives in, and Julia tells Mrs. Johnson that she wants her to try and stay awake as long as possible, as she's going to have a terrifying dream when she does sleep. Mrs. Johnson says she never dreams, and she was just telling Roger's wife that today.

Julia finishes reviewing Lang's paperwork, free of the dream curse. There's another knock at the door. Barnabas sends her upstairs to the lab, and answers the door. It's Vicki. She asks about his note, which she describes as vague and sad. She says it seemed like he was saying goodbye to her forever. He says that even though he will be gone, he will still be very near her.

He says she may feel his presence through his cousin. He adds that his cousin will grow fond of Vicki very quickly. He then says he has business dealings in England, and that loving him would have been the greatest mistake of her life. They say farewell and Vicki leaves. After she's gone, he has a pained look.

Adam and Barnabas are lying on operating tables in the lab as Julia prepares for the experiment. She says this may be the last time she sees Barnabas as he is now, and he encourages her to begin.

She throws two nasty looking switches and electricity pulses through the lab. An oscilloscope and neon sign are amongst the odd equipment churning away.

Barnabas tells her it must be working, as he feels life slipping away. Julia is frantic as several small explosions go off in the lab.

She shuts down the machines, and goes to Barnabas. His eyes open and she's thrilled he's still alive. He asks what happened and she says she had to stop. He asks to get up, and says they will try again. He sends her downstairs to review the journals and find out what she did wrong. She leaves and he gets up and walks to Adam's body, telling him he wanted him to be looking down on his lifeless shell. He begs for him to live, and as Adam's eyes open. Barnabas realizes that they are both alive.

Our thoughts

John: Wouldn't Barnabas realize that Mrs. Johnson still has to have the dream - giving them at least the night to finish the experiment?

Christine: Barnabas is just a little overanxious to assume a young, hot, stud's body so he can finally win over Vicki Winters. 

John: When Vicki appeared at Lang's, did anyone else think that Mrs. Johnson may have already had the dream and passed it on to her?

Christine: That's an interesting prospect, but I don't think there was time for Mrs. Johnson to have the dream and pass it on to Vicki in the time it took her to arrive at Lang's. Perhaps we'll see Mrs. Johnson dreaming away in the next episode.

John: Shouldn't someone have told Barnabas that he wasn't going to have his soul transferred into Adam's body, and that only his curse would be shifted to it? Lang knew this for a while, and Julia knew it. She just doesn't know they both need to survive for things to stay that way. And even if it did work the way he planned, wouldn't everyone in Collinwood remember that he previously said there were no other surviving relatives?

Christine: I'm not sure that Julia knew that Lang was intending on having Adam only assume Barnabas' curse and not his life force. It's on the tape recorder, but not in his notes. Hopefully, Julia will feel like listening to classical music soon and find out. We are treated to more artistic camera angles in the lab today, as well as some impressive high tech equipment.

Dark Shadows Before I Die Round Robin Nightmare tracker:

1. Wide-eyed skull
2. Guillotine
3. Lang's Headless creation
4. Skeletal bride