Barnabas is leaving Collinwood when Judith stops him. She asks if he can help with Jamison, because of his knowledge of the family history. She says Jamison is upset about someone named David Collins. Barnabas asks what happened. She says Jamison woke up from a dream, screaming, "David Collins is dead." Judith asks Barnabas who David Collins in, since he's not written about in the family history. She assumes he must have been hidden for a reason. Barnabas assures her that David is none of the things she is imagining. He says he needs to speak to Jamison, and asks her to get him. She does, and Quentin enters the drawing room, surprised to see Barnabas.
He points out that Barnabas was going to go to the old house to send Magda to Boston. He says something came up with Jamison. Quentin says he seems to make everything about the family his business, and he doesn't know how they've managed for so long without Barnabas watching over them. He suggests that Barnabas is watching them through a microscope. Quentin says that he has a close relationship with Jamison, and he can deal with whatever is upsetting him. Barnabas tells him that helping Jamison will help Quentin. Quentin asks about the other people who will benefit if Barnabas helps him. Barnabas says that Jamison is one, but the others are names he wouldn't recognize. Quentin says he wants to know more about Barnabas, since he is supposed to trust his life to him.
Judith brings Jamison in, and Barnabas asks to speak to him alone. Quentin refuses to leave, and Judith tells him to leave. He does, and Barnabas is left alone with Jamison. He asks him about his dream.
Jamison describes being in the basement of the old house. He says he saw Barnabas at a table with his eyes closed, and is unable to wake him up.
He then hears Carolyn saying it's ridiculous having a party for him. Roger says it's David's birthday, and Carolyn says birthdays are for people who get older. Roger says he'll be pleased with her present, a puppet. She says it's not for him, it's to keep her company when David's gone.
Roger says he mustn't know, and Carolyn says he'll have to find out sometime. Elizabeth brings David downstairs and sits him at the table. They all sing happy birthday to him, and he thanks them.
Carolyn tells him that's four birthdays in one. Roger tells her to be quiet. David says he can't cut the cake until Barnabas and Quentin arrive. Carolyn says Barnabas can't come, and when David asks if he'll make it to their next birthday, they all go silent. When he asks about Quentin, they ask who he means. When he clarifies Quentin Collins, Elizabeth tells Roger to look him up. Roger flips through the oversize family history and finds no listing for him.
Carolyn uses her puppet to say she's starving to death. Roger tells her to stop. David appears confused, but then is pleased to see Quentin. No one else can see Quentin's ghost. Carolyn says that someone else isn't going to be there much longer, too. David asks Quentin to sit by him, and he does. Carolyn lights the candles and asks him to blow them out. He says it will be too cold if it does. David says he's frightened. He makes a wish and blows out his candles. After doing so, everyone has disappeared.
Quentin tells him he's not alone. He says he'll never leave him, even when his life is over. David says he's not going to die for a very long time, and Quentin explains that David is dying. He asks David why the others didn't see him. He points out that he's dead, and that David will be, soon. David says he doesn't want to die. Quentin assures him it will be over before he knows it. Quentin adds that he'll be with him. Quentin says he didn't want to die, either, but three things happened that he could have changed, had he only known what they meant when they were happening. First was the discovery of a silver bullet in Collinwood. Then there was the murder of someone who could have helped him. Finally, the one person he loved turned against him.
David says he's frightened. Quentin suggests that they eat his cake. He serves a piece to David. David tries to eat it, but finds it to be fake. Carolyn's puppet sings happy birthday to him.
Jamison tells Barnabas that after the singing ended, David Collins was dead. Barnabas asks if that's all there was to the dream. David says yes, and then adds that everyone other than Quentin was dressed strangely. Jamison asks why Quentin was dead in his dream. Barnabas says he can understand some of it, and Jamison says he thinks he can understand all of it.
Charity visits Judith, speaking about the animal attacks while Quentin fixes himself a drink. Judith says she will offer a large reward to whoever kills the animal. She also offers to set up a scholarship under Dorcas' name. Quentin angrily tells them to stop. He reminds them they're speaking of an animal.
Barnabas comes in and asks to speak to Judith. Quentin says he wants to hear what Barnabas has to say. Barnabas says that David Collins is someone Jamison has created as a way of coping with issues troubling him, including his fear of death, following what happened with his mother. Roger enters and shows a silver bullet he found on the path to the house. Barnabas recalls what Jamison said in his dream about the silver bullet found in Collinwood.
Our thoughts
John: Holy cow. It feels like the writers crammed two weeks worth of exposition into today's episode.
Christine: Doubling the usual number of characters for an episode certainly helped.
John: While it was interesting to flash forward, the story was such a muddled mess - and surreal, thanks to Carolyn's looney-puppet, it's a wonder Jamison was able to make sense of it at all. It was nice to see the return of silent ghost Quentin, if only briefly. Although the laying out of important details was done in such a ham-fisted fashion, it kind of ruins the suspense. We quickly got the silver bullet. Should we start placing bets on the person who could have helped Quentin who gets murdered? For what it's worth, my money is on Magda! Of course, now that Barnabas knows, perhaps he'll change this alternate future...
Christine: It was a Dark Shadows dream, after all, so it should be surreal and muddled. I was initially thinking Barnabas might be the one to die, but Magda does seem the more likely victim. If true, it will be difficult for Barnabas to prevent that from happening since she's away in Boston. His only hope is to keep Quentin's one love from turning on him. The question is whether the only one he loves is Beth or Jamison. Also, Carolyn should really consider a career as a puppeteer.
John: Wouldn't you think Jamison would point out that David looks exactly like him?
Christine: That should have been the most frightening aspect of the dream for him.
1 comment:
That dream sequence just may be my favorite segment of the entire series! Carolyn is especially creepy, but then puppets like that have always freaked me out a bit. This episode as a whole really worked for me and I think it's the strongest one in awhile.
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