Dark Shadows Episode 1109 9/24/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV! 

Following the sound of a heartbeat, Barnabas and Julia go into the room with Quentin's portrait. Julia says that he's still alive. Barnabas says he's either been taken prisoner and is close to death — or Gerard has buried him alive! Julia asks him what they should do. Carrie gasps, and they turn to see she and Tad standing in the door. Tad says all is happening as it did before, first Gerard killed Quentin, and then they died. Barnabas asks the children if they know where Quentin was buried in 1840. Tad tells Carrie it's their only chance. He tells Barnabas that Quentin was buried in an unmarked grave, near an area in the cemetery that was fenced off.

Quentin lies unhappily in his grave.

Daphne places flowers on the unmarked grave, and hears Barnabas and Julia approaching. She leaves before they arrive. Julia finds the flowers on the fresh grave. Barnabas says Quentin must be buried there. Daphne watches from the shadows.

Barnabas digs while Julia stands and watches.

Tad tells Carrie that Gerard will be mad when he finds out they told them where Quentin's grave is. Gerard appears in the room, and beckons them to follow him.

Barnabas opens the coffin, and they find Quentin inside, still alive.

Gerard brings the children to see Daphne in the tower room. They ask Daphne what's going to happen, but she doesn't speak to them. Gerard takes out a box, and Daphne says she has clothes for them to change into. She then begs Gerard to spare the children and take her instead. He gives her the box of clothes. Daphne tells the children to change into the clothes. Gerard leaves them and closes and locks the door.

Quentin says he had the memory of Gerard from 1840, waving a green flag three times. He says that led to the destruction of Collinwood. He asks Julia where the children are. She says they're at the old house, and he says they aren't there anymore.

Gerard stands inside the playroom, admiring the charred wreckage of the Rose Cottage doll house.

Quentin, Barnabas and Julia arrive in the West Wing. He tells them he has to open the door in order to get to the playroom. He does, and they go inside. The children are not there.  They leave, and Gerard steps out of the shadows.

Quentin calls to Tad and Carrie. Barnabas and Julia call them as well. Daphne tells the children to remain still. Quentin, Barnabas and Julia come in and see them. Daphne is glad to see Quentin is safe. He says he must stay with the children, and sends Daphne with Barnabas and Julia. 

After they leave, he calls to Gerard and says that he's there. He says he'll force him out. He takes the children to the window, and tells them to look to the sky. He seeks the guidance of a star. He says that David and Hallie are the ancestral twins of Tad and Carrie, and through the light of the star will they be restored to their bodies. Tad says he can feel it happening. Carrie says that perhaps it's better this way. Gerard appears in the room. Quentin tells him that he lost. Gerard scowls, and grabs Quentin's throat. He leads him to the window and tosses him aside. He grabs the green flag and waves it three times.

In the cemetery, zombie pirates burst forth from the earth.

Quentin is alone in the room when Barnabas and Julia return. He says he failed. The children are gone, and he failed to stop Gerard. They tell him that Daphne got away from them. Quentin says they must find Daphne and the children, it's their last chance.

Daphne runs into the playroom where she finds Tad and Carrie. Gerard appears and she screams for him to leave them alone.

Downstairs, six pirate zombies enter Collinwood.  

Quentin calls to Daphne. He enters the playroom and finds the children, unconscious. He hears Daphne moan, and she apologizes to him. Daphne asks him why Gerard had to destroy Rose Cottage, and then dies in his arms.

In the foyer, zombies trash Collinwood. Julia and Barnabas see them from the top of the stairs, and the zombies run after them.

Zombies invade the second floor, and the house catches fire.

Quentin cradles Daphne's body. He lays her down and leaves the playroom.

Barnabas barricades the door to the west wing. Quentin comes out and tells him and Julia that Daphne and the children are dead. He tells them to escape the house while they have time, and walks away. Zombies break through the door and grab Barnabas. Julia opens a door and sees the stairway has re-appeared. Barnabas tells her to go, promising to follow her. She runs up he stairs. Barnabas breaks away from the zombies, but when he arrives at the door, the staircase is gone.

Julia exits the staircase.  She sees Carrie, alive, wearing period clothes. Julia realizes that she's in 1840 Collinwood. 

Our thoughts: 

John: Quentin sure bounced back quickly for someone who had been buried alive, even if for only a few hours and not the days that have passed for us.

Christine: Perhaps that is the result of having a portrait that gives him immortality. 

John: Was there not enough money in the make-up budget to cover zombie hands? Interesting that the zombies toggled between old-school Romero ghouls and contemporary running zombies when the need arose. And pretty funny when someone threw a drape over one of their heads! All told, the zombies coming through the door and grabbing Barnabas was pretty cool.

Christine: Some comic relief was desperately needed after seeing two children lying dead on the floor, with one of them being a main character present since the inception of the series. Pretty shocking! If that draped zombie looked familiar, it was because he also played the zombie known as Emory Pace, resurrected by Jeb in Episode 963. I was just happy to see that someone thought to replace Benjamin's portrait with a tapestry to protect it from zombie mayhem! 

John: Okay, from this vantage point I think it's safe to call BS on Carolyn's clues about the destruction of Collinwood. None of it really meant anything. There was no real significance. It was just a variety of of odds and ends strung together, like plot points in Lost. The appearance of depth through complexity, when it's now pretty clear that it's unlikely there was any real plan. And they dropped the ball on the murder. Daphne's death could hardly be classified as such, and the timing had her die after Gerard had already set in motion the destruction of Collinwood. So, on the bright side, some fun creepy stuff in 1970 Collinwood, but at the end of the day, it was all a rather laborious setup to get us back into 1840. At least we got to go out with zombies.

Christine: Think of the children! What about the children?! It makes sense that Carolyn's clues were meaningless. She was probably still possessed by Leticia in 1995 and was just messing with Barnabas and Julia. 

John: Could this be the end? Or perhaps the more important question, should this have been the end? Hopefully the final 200+ episodes will prove to be worth our while, and will justify all the time and energy spent setting things up following the return from parallel time, first to the future (1995), and then back to the present (1970).

Christine: The only question in my mind is whether or not Barnabas is getting eaten by pirate zombies! This episode is really pretty traumatic with the kids dying and the Collinwood we have come to know and love over the past four years left in ruins. While it may be a disappointing turn of events, it's hard not to admire the writers' willingness to take big risks, and I think you'll find that what's to come will be worth your while. Buckle up! It's going to be a bumpy ride!

They're coming to get you, Barnabas!

Dark Shadows Before I Die Catastro-tracker

❎ The picnic

❎ The night of the sun and moon

❎ The murder

❎ The unfinished horoscope

❎ The night Carolyn sang her song

❎ The destruction of Rose Cottage

More gravestones for the collection I will invariably compile some day.