Dark Shadows Episode 830 - 8/29/69

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Charity runs into Magda in the woods. She asks her for help, saying that Quentin will die in twelve days, on September 10th. Magda asks how she knows, and Charity says she saw it in a vision. Magda says she's crazy. Charity says she has visions all the time, but she only sees death and destruction. Magda takes her back to Collinwood.

Trask returns to Collinwood, and tells Quentin that Judith's condition has improved. Quentin suggests that Trask could put some arsenic in her tea. Quentin tells Trask that Jamison and Edward have returned. Trask is surprised to hear they both recovered, and says he prayed for their recovery. Quentin says he prayed for their deaths, but he won't be the master of Collinwood now. Trasks asks where Jamison is, and Quentin tells him to stay away.

Magda returns with Charity, who is in tears. She runs off and Quentin tells Trask to take her the next time he goes to the sanitarium. He leaves them.

Trask wonders why she is still possessed. Magda says that she should be institutionalized. Trask says Charity wouldn't hurt anyone, and Magda says the woman possessing her would. Magda tells Trask what she said about Quentin, when Charity returns and threatens to kill anyone who comes between her and Quentin. She stomps upstairs, and Trask says that perhaps he should take her to the sanitarium. From the top of the stairs, she tells him he can do so over her dead body.

Charity listens to her music on the Victrola. Magda watches over her as she lies in bed.

Trask tells Quentin he wants to settle the matter between him and his daughter. He asks what his intentions are, and Quentin says he has none. Trask says that young ladies do not act as she has unless encouraged by a man. Quentin says that Charity is Trask's problem, not his.

Magda comes in and tells Trask that Charity wants to see him. He goes up to her room. Quentin calls Magda into the drawing room. He says they need to think of something to do, as there will be a full moon tonight. He says he can't live through it again. She says that Petofi might be able to help him. Quentin says he had a dream of a woman after an attack. Magda tells him that Petofi doesn't hate him, as they are both afflicted by the curse. Quentin says that while Petofi hasn't hurt him specifically, he hasn't helped him either. He tells Magda that there's only one way to prevent him from hurting anyone. He opens the door and finds Trask outside. He asks how long he had been eavesdropping, and Trask denies it. Quentin goes upstairs.

Trask asks Magda to watch over Charity, and to keep her in her room, by force if necessary. She leaves Trask alone in the drawing room. The windows swing open, and the doors swing shut. He hears a voice he thinks is Minerva say, "I have come back to warn him." He begs her to leave him alone. It says the beast that walks like a man is in the house, and he should beware the full moon. The doors to the drawing room swing open again.

Quentin goes to his room and sees a figure in the shadows. She says she will be with him tonight. He begs for mercy, and then sees she is gone. He sits down to write a letter. Magda comes in and asks why he was yelling. He tells her the curse is about to end. He says he's writing a farewell note to Beth. She asks what he's talking about. He tells her there will be no change tonight, because there will be no Quentin. She says if they can get through tonight, they'll have a whole month to cure him.

Trask looks at the clock.

Magda chains Quentin to a post, and says she will watch over him. He asks if she has a pentagram, and she shows him. He tells her to go to his desk and open the drawer. She does. He tells her to take the gun, and explains it contains six silver bullets. He asks her to promise to shoot him if he starts to get away.

Trask comes in, and Quentin yells at him to leave. He tells Quentin that he'll stay. He takes the gun from Magda and says he'll wait for the moon rise to see why Quentin is chained up, and why the gun is loaded with silver bullets.

Our thoughts

John: I wonder where Charity got the record with her theme?

Christine: She probably found it among Carl's effects. I believe Robert Cobert has more in store for us when it comes to variations on Pansy's theme.

John: I couldn't understand why Trask thought the ghost was Minerva, when the voice was so clearly not hers. Of course my assumption was that they didn't bother to get Clarice Blackburn to do it today.

Christine: Yes, that was completely out of whack. I was thinking that since Trask knows the heat is on him for his wife's murder, he readily assumes any haunting would originate from her, despite the obvious difference in voice.  Tessie had the scariest ghost makeup I've seen on the show yet. Enlarge the photo of her above for full effect.

John: Not exactly the most challenging game of CLUE going on, and yet it seems to have stumped Trask. The beast that walks like a man is in the house. I think he can eliminate himself from the running, which leaves Edward, Jamison and Quentin. Hmmm.... who could it be??? Of course, had they just gone to the mausoleum again, they could have avoided all this...

Christine: Can he eliminate himself? Trask is also a beast that walks like a man. It might have been more prudent for Quentin to go to another location rather than chaining himself to a post in the house. I guess that full moon was rising fast.

Countdown to Quentin's death: 12 days

Dark Shadows Episode 829 - 8/28/69

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Jamison tells Angelique that he is someone else, far away. Angelique says he must claim his true identity. He tries to say his name, but cries out and collapses. Angelique declares that she will not let Petofi take Jamison. She kneels at the fireplace and prays to the master of darkness for help with Jamison.

Edward, still possessed, remains locked in his room, when he hears someone outside singing. Outside, Charity, possessed by Pansy Faye, tries the door.

Edward asks who she is, and explains how he's been locked up. He assumes she was sent to give him false hope. She says she was not, and offers to help him get out of the locked room.

Jamison moans, and Angelique checks on him. He recognizes her. She sees that he's himself again, and asks what he remembers. He describes saying goodbye to a man—she realizes that it was Victor Fenn-Gibbon. Jamison describes a memory of a box that had a severed hand, and says he doesn't understand it.

Edward returns to normal, and pounds on the door, demanding to be released. Charity opens the door, still possessed. He asks her what she's doing dressed as she is. He says he thinks she's gone mad. She tells him that one of them has.

Quentin comes to Angelique, and she tells him Jamison is himself again. Jamison asks Quentin why he's trying to kill David Collins. Quentin asks if he knows who David is. Jamison says it's someone Quentin is trying to kill. Quentin says he's not trying to kill anyone. Edward comes in, and Quentin realizes that he's come out of his spell, too. Quentin explains that he and Jamison were possessed by Petofi, and proves that Edward has lost a month with no recollection.

Edward asks to be alone with Jamison. Neither has a memory of what happened. Edward promises him that nothing like it will happen again. He says they will either resume their normal lives, or leave Collinwood forever.

Quentin and Angelique meet in the drawing room. Charity eavesdrops on them from the hall. Angelique says that since Edward and Jamison are back to normal, it's time to seal their agreement. He reluctantly agrees. She says they are to be married within the month.

Charity is shocked, saying the two will never be married. She runs off and Edward comes in. He excuses Angelique, and asks Quentin why he wasn't possessed. Quentin tells Edward that Victor Fenn-Gibbon was actually Count Petofi, the one responsible for their possession. Edward says the two of them must put the house in order. He asks if Barnabas has been apprehended. Quentin says Petofi and Trask are the most important threats. Edward says Barnabas will come first, and pledges to drive a stake through his heart.

Charity comes in to see Quentin, telling him that he'll never marry Angelique because he doesn't love her. She says she's seen the way he's been looking at her. He assures Charity that he's going to marry Angelique. She's surprised. She tells him that she won't let him. She grabs a knife and attacks him.

Edward returns in time to help wrestle the knife away. Quentin explains her behavior is also Petofi's doing. Edward tells Quentin to leave her alone with him. Charity says they need to worry about the 10th of September. She describes a vision of the house. She hears Quentin's music, and sees Angelique arrive. Angelique finds the portrait of Quentin, with blood dripping from it.

The blood trails upstairs and through the house. Angelique follows it to the tower room, where she finds Quentin lying on the floor, dead with a wound matching the one in the painting. Charity screams that she's seen Quentin's death, and runs out of the room.

Our thoughts

John: Interesting date check in this episode—noting today's date as the 28th. A first for the series, I think. Considering how a week's worth of episodes can often take place in a single day or two, it's interesting to  hear the events of the last month be described as taking a month.

Christine: Perhaps the full moon will only happen once a month from now on.

John: I love how Quentin avoids spilling his drink while fending off Charity's attack with one hand. I was going to say good thing Edward showed up, but he fell down almost as soon as he got involved in the struggle, anyway.

Christine: Give Edward more credit than that! He didn't fall, he was bending down to retrieve the knife. He looked to where it fell and had it in his hands when he got up. He probably shouldn't have laid it on the table within her reach, however.

John: I wonder how many viewers believed that they would see Quentin's death come as predicted on September 10th. Should we start a countdown clock?

Christine: I'm not sure this whole synchronized time will hold up when it comes to Quentin's death, though I think we should start a countdown clock anyway, even if it means we end up counting the days past his death date if it doesn't come as expected. It will be interesting to see if Pans-ity has truly foreseen Quentin's death, or just the aftermath of an altercation between him and Tate, armed with his paints.

Dark Shadows Episode 828 - 8/27/69

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King Johnny prepares to cut off Petofi's hand when he is knifed in the back by Aristede. King Johnny falls to the ground, and Aristede unties Petofi. He tells Aristede that Barnabas betrayed him, and they must deal with him once they're through dealing with the gypsy. Petofi tells King Johnny that he will kill all gypsies that cross his path. King Johnny tells him that nine days after his spirit leaves the Earth, he will pass on his power to the next gypsy who will have the power to kill him. King Johnny tells Aristede that he too will be cursed. Petofi tells Aristede to grab a shovel, and they'll bury him immediately.

Quentin watches over Jamison as he sleeps. He opens his eyes, and Quentin calls him David. He asks how they met. David mentions the telephone that Quentin used to tell he and Amy what he wanted. He says when they went into the sealed room and found a skeleton next to a roll-top desk. Quentin realizes the skeleton must be his. David says he saw him, and he looked like him. Quentin understands that he was a ghost in 1969. David falls asleep again, and Angelique appears. She looks down at David and he opens his eyes again. He calls her Cassandra, and says he didn't know she was back. Quentin is surprised to find that Angelique will be present in 1969 as well. She tells Quentin that she will try to remove the spells from Jamison and Edward, if he agrees to marry her.

In the woods, Petfoi tells Aristede to start digging. Aristede complains about being tired after carrying King Johnny all the way. 

Quentin agrees to Angelique's terms. She sends him upstairs so she can be alone with Jamison.

Aristede finishes burying King Johnny. Petofi seems ill at ease, and says that something is working against his spells. He tells Aristede that he is going to Collinwood, and sends him back to the mill to destroy the scimitar that the gypsies would use to cut off his hand.

Angelique works to free Jamison of his possession by David.

Petofi arrives at Collinwood and tells Quentin that Angelique must stop immediately.

Angelique continues to work on Jamison. She stops when she senses Petofi's presence.

Petofi tells Quentin that he should join him in his pursuit towards pure evil. Angelique comes in, and Petofi tells her that she will not attempt to change his spells on Collinwood. She tells him that she won't be spoken to in this manner, and that she will continue to do as she chooses. She goes back to Jamison, and Petofi tells Quentin that he is not responsible for what happens to anyone if they interfere with his plans.

Jamison moans about the telephone while Angelique watches over him. She asks him who he is, and he says he is David Collins. She presses him and he says he's not sure who he is.

Aristede searches for the scimitar. When Petofi returns, he asks for certain candles. Aristede tells him that the scimitar is gone. Petofi tells him to get the things he requested.

Angelique asks Jamison who he is. He says he is someone else, far away. Angelique says he must claim his true identity. He starts to say his name, but cries out and collapses.

Our thoughts

John: After so much buildup, is anyone else disappointed that Aristede didn't use the dancing girl to kill King Johnny?

Christine: I wouldn't think it would be an effective throwing knife, but he could have finished him off with it before he had the chance to be cursed by him.

John: Look! Maggie's afghan is covering Jamison! Is this its first appearance in 1897?

Christine: Definitely not! It has been a well traveled afghan in 1897. Here are some of the places it has made an appearance during this time period:

Hanging over the couch in Tate's studio in Episode 818.

Draped around the base of Lenore's bassinet in Episode 810.

Laid out on Charity's bed in Episode 783.

Previously seen on Tim Shaw's bed in Episode 772.

Found on the floor in Beth's room after Werewolf Quentin did his thing in Episode 765.

Angelique wraps Jamison up with it while he's delirious in Episode 758.

John: So we're supposed to believe that Petofi is stronger than Angelique? Obviously we've got far more history with her witchiness, and plenty of examples of her power. After Petofi's recent breakdown due to his fear of the gypsies, it's hard for me to accept him as an all-powerful warlock. He and Aristede have both swung from boastful tough guys to whiners... to the point where it's just getting silly to see them posturing against their adversaries.

Christine: We're supposed to believe that Petofi thinks he's stronger than Angelique. Every sorcerer has a weakness to be exploited, though they all seem to have the power of invincibility, which enables them to resurrect themselves from certain death. It will still be interesting to see the two take hit points using spells against one another, and it's possible the gypsy power within the hidden scimitar could tip the balance in favor of Angelique.

Dark Shadows Episode 827 - 8/26/69

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On Widow's Hill Magda begs that Sandor's spirit be guided back to death. He disappears. King Johnny approaches and tells her she can't send him away. He tells her that the game is over, and that she lost. He gives her the choice of his knife, or the rocks at the base of the cliff. Barnabas appears and tells Johnny to let Magda go. He sends his gypsy to kill Barnabas, but he cannot. Barnabas looks at the gypsy and tells him to go. Johnny tries to take the spell off as his gypsy steps over the cliff.

Barnabas tells Johnny to let Magda go, or he will suffer the same fate. King Johnny pulls out a cross. Barnabas tells Johnny that he knows who has the hand of Count Petofi, but he won't tell him until he frees Magda. He asks Barnabas what's in it for him. Barnabas says that the man's powers are getting in his way, and removing those powers is more important than their having the hand back. KIng Johnny lowers the cross.

Magda ensures the old house is empty, and opens the door for Barnabas and King Johnny. Johnny asks who has the Hand, and Barnabas tells him that Count Petofi has the Hand once more. Barnabas adds that Petofi's crest was on Julianka's forehead when Barnabas found her. King Johnny tells Barnabas that Petofi is no threat to him, and asks where he can find him. Barnabas says he will tell him as long as Johnny uses the hand to remove the curse on Quentin. King Johnny is reluctant, but agrees. He says he must start something, but then he will be back.

Barnabas awaits King Johnny's return. He asks Magda if she told him where he could find Petofi. She reiterates that she could not while under his spell. There's a knock at the door and Magda answers it. King Johnny returns in a fancy cape. Johnny tells Barnabas to have Quentin at the house by dawn, and he will cure him. Barnabas provides Petofi's location. Johnny draws the scimitar which previously removed Petofi's hand. He says this time that it will be used for more than just removing his hand. Magda wonders if Petofi has left.

King Johnny arrives at Petofi's lair and finds it empty. He sees the open history of the Collins family, and picks it up. Petofi appears and clutches his throat, but Johnny wrestles his hand away.

Petofi raises a knife, but Johnny tells him to put it down. Petfoi laments that he was so close to escaping. Johnny describes how he is the one gypsy in the world who Petofi has no power over. Petofi tries to bribe Johnny. Johnny says he wouldn't trade the hand for all the treasures in the world.

Petofi says he's planning to go into the future with his friend, Barnabas. Johnny laughs, and tells him that Barnabas is the one who told him where to find Petofi. Petofi begs for mercy, and Johnny says he will show him the same mercy Petofi showed to gypsies. Johnny draws his scimitar.  He says that unlike before, after he cuts off his hand, he's going to take Petofi's life.

Magda wonders what's taking Johnny so long. Barnabas tells her to get Quentin and bring him to the old house.

Petofi again tries to bribe Johnny, but it's no use. Johnny raises the scimitar into the air.

Our thoughts

John: Poor gypsy extra never got any lines (the old 'removed tongue' trick) and today he finds himself walked off the cliff at Widow's Hill!

Christine: Too bad King Johnny didn't whip out his cross pendant a little sooner to save poor Istvan, though I have to believe more damage was done to the cliff than the man when this guy dropped. If Adam could survive the fall, Istvan surely could as well. At least he got to do the fall from the cliff scream and wasn't relegated to the Wilhelm scream.

John: King Johnny finally got the news that Count Petofi was back in town. It's about darned time! Let's see that hand lopped off, pronto!

Christine: I love how he put on his finest royal cape just to go about the business of removing Petofi's hand. You'd think he'd be worried about the blood spatter on that robin's egg blue lining.

John: I'm glad to see King Johnny and Barnabas forming an alliance to bring about the end of Count Petofi. We'll see if Johnny succeeds in his plan to remove Petofi's hand.

Christine: I'm betting the Dancing Lady will intervene between the golden scimitar and hand of Petofi, which will be quite a disappointment if it does, since I was so looking forward to dangling veins and extruding bones. On an interesting side note, the pilot for the supernatural series, Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon was broadcast on ABC on this date. With Lela Swift directing, Dan Curtis and Sam Hall writing, Robert Cobert supplying the music cues, and appearances by Thayer David and somewhat by Louis Edmonds (he mostly appears as a portrait), it's definitely got a Dark Shadows vibe. You can stream it on Amazon Prime video, if you'd like to augment your 50th anniversary viewing experience.