Monday, November 26, 2018

Dark Shadows Episode 631 - 11/25/68

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Blair pulls a coffin out of the ground and opens it up. Tom Jennings' staked body lies within. Blair removes the bloody stake, and demands that he rise. Tom sits up, and goes to attack Blair. Blair explains that he is his master, and Tom will do as he says.


Vicki is in bed when Tom Jennings crawls through her bedroom window. He approaches with bared fangs and she screams when she sees him. She gets up and runs from him, passing out. Before he can bite her, Barnabas arrives and sees Tom, who flees out the window.



Blair waits in his drawing room, getting up to look out the window. There's a knock at the door and it's Chris Jennings. He explains that he's Tom's brother and would like to talk. He asks Blair about Tom working for him the night he was attacked. Chris asks if there was something menacing him that night, as he's trying to determine if he was murdered. Outside the window, Tom watches. Chris asks Blair what he does, and he tells him he's retired. Chris is distracted, saying he thought he saw someone outside the window. Blair explains that he would like to retire, and bids Chris goodnight.



Vicki wakes up to see Barnabas sitting by her side. She says she recognized Tom Jennings was there earlier, but he's dead. She says that dead people can't come back. Barnabas explains that his kind can. He tells her that a few people in the world suffer the curse of the living dead. They feed on the blood of others. He tells her they are called vampires. She seems willing to believe him. She asks if Blair could be responsible for making Tom a vampire? If so, she says that Blair may have sent Tom to kill her. She explains that she went to Blair when she found out Maggie planned to marry him. She says she told Blair that if he tried to go through with it, she'd tell Maggie everything she knows. Barnabas tells her he doesn't want her to have anything more to do with this. He promises her that Maggie will be safe.


Blair lets Harry in, and asks for details. Harry says he watched as they took the body and buried it at Collinsport cemetery. He sends Harry downstairs to collect a shovel when there's a knock at the door. Barnabas comes in and tells Blair that he had better cancel his arrangements. He tells him that his scheme to kill Vicki has failed. Blair pleads ignorance. Barnabas says that in order for the experiment to resume, Blair must swear that Vicki is safe. Blair guarantees her safety, and asks if that is all.


Barnabas adds one more condition. He says it would be insane for him to let Maggie marry him, and tells him to stay away from her. Blair asks what will happen if he refuses, and Barnabas says Eve will never live again. Blair says he wants Eve to be brought to life. Barnabas gets him to agree that he will stay away from Maggie and Vicki, and he is to destroy Tom Jennings. Blair reluctantly agrees, and Barnabas confirms they will be ready to begin the experiment at sundown tomorrow.


He yells for Harry to come upstairs, and he does. He says he's trying to decide whether to go to the graveyard, or deal with Tom Jennings. He decides they will go to the graveyard and dig up Eve's grave. Harry looks troubled. Blair tells him he's in trouble if he doesn't get the body out of the grave, which means Harry will be in trouble, too. He promises that after tonight, Harry will never see him again.


Blair and Harry walk to the cemetery. Barnabas is in the woods, watching from a distance. Tom Jennings is also lurking in the woods.

Blair and Harry arrive at the grave. Harry begins digging.

Barnabas sneaks into Blair's house. Tom Jennings sneaks in after him.

The coffin in on the surface. Harry opens it to show Blair the contents. Satisfied, he tells him they are bringing it to the old house.


Barnabas finds Tom's coffin in the basement. He starts upstairs to wait for him. He looks outside when Tom attacks him from behind. Barnabas grabs two candlesticks and makes a cross to fend him off. Barnabas apologizes to Tom, but says he must. Barnabas forces him to look out the window, and Tom disappears.




Our thoughts

John: What's with Tom the vampire bobble-head when he sneaks up on Vicki?


Christine: Tom's an animal! His bloodlust has him all aquiver. Tom really seemed to enjoy being a vampire, unlike the rest of the vampires on the show. He will be missed.

John: Blair is really up against a wall, and not liking it. Of course broken promises flow freely around Collinsport, so I don't know that I believe he'll be so quick to leave Maggie alone...


Christine: Barnabas should know better. Once he's got Eve, he'll have Maggie as well.

John: Barnabas must have recently watched Horror of Dracula, using the candlesticks to form a cross a la Peter Cushing. Unfortunately, Tom's demise isn't in quite as grand a fashion as Christopher Lee's.



Christine: That was a nice homage. Tom died as he lived, with a flair for melodrama. It's interesting to see Barnabas explain about vampires to Vicki after feeding off her himself at one time. How is it that Julia and Willie remember being victims of a vampire, but Carolyn and Vicki do not?

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