Dark Shadows: The Revival - Episode 4 (1/18/91)

My name is Victoria Winters. Storm winds lash the Great House of Collinwood and all within it. For a secret has been uncovered. A secret as ancient as the house itself. A secret that on this night will turn friend against friend, and death will claim one of them. 

Julia speaks to the sheriff on the phone, saying that Michael was there earlier but she didn't see him. She asks to go along with him to see that he's alright and says she'll meet him downstairs in twenty minutes. 

They arrive at Woodard's house and the sheriff notes that his car is there. They ring the bell as the storm rages. Woodard answers the door and invites them in. The sheriff tells him he was worried since he couldn't reach him for hours. He asks him what he found since he's been burning up the wires trying to get in touch with him all night. Woodard says he thought he found information in a personal diary that would lead to the killer. The sheriff asks whose diary it was but he won't say. Patterson says he told Deputy Harker that he had photographed information that would lead to the killer and doesn't understand why he doesn't want to talk about it. He asks if he developed the film and Woodard says he hasn't. The sheriff asks for the film, saying he'll develop it. As he goes to leave with Julia to get the film developed, Woodard calls his name, and when he turns around, Woodard bares his fangs and grabs him. 

The sheriff shoots at him several times, but Woodard continues to advance on him. As he goes to bite the sheriff, Julia grabs a spear from the wall and stakes Woodard from behind, but it does not pierce him thoroughly and he turns to bite Julia. Patterson grabs him and pushes the stake through him, and he falls to the ground dead. 

Patterson and Julia arrive at the station and Deputy Jonathan Harker informs them that the body has been taken to the hospital. He notes the sheriff covered in blood and says it must have been pretty bad. Patterson hands him the film and tells him to have it developed right away. He also asks him to get rid of his bloody raincoat. He offers Julia a cup of coffee, and then changes his offer to a good, stiff drink. 

Deputy Harker tells the sheriff he needs to come back to the darkroom. Julia sits nervously clutching her drink. The sheriff comes back out and hands her a folder, telling her to take a look as she'll find them very interesting. She looks inside the folder and finds photos of blank pages. He says the film was exposed and that there's no image on the negative either. 

Roger goes to Elizabeth, who appears distraught, and asks if she's alright. She says she feels as though a dark cloud has descended over Collinwood. She says she's glad he's there, as well as Carolyn and David. 

As Barnabas rolls up his sleeve, he tells Julia he would have killed Woodard, but he chose eternal life instead. He says it was for the best and she asks how the horrible death of an innocent person could be for the best. He responds it is best when it provides for the continuing life of two others. She forcefully jabs him with an injection. 

He says he's not without sympathy for her feelings, knowing he was her friend, but that he did not kill him. She notes that he should be safe now, unless there are any more killings. He asks about the cure and if there has been a setback. She said he should be able to enjoy limited amounts of time in the sunlight. He says he shares her guilt about what happened, but that she should share his hopes for the future. He retrieves Josette's music box, saying he gave it to someone he loved 200 years ago. He says he looks forward to giving it to the woman who will take her place some day. He smiles at her.

David is playing with a soldier set, telling revolutionary war stories with it. He is surprised to see a soldier move on its own and realizes Sarah is there. They argue about whether the past was better than the present. She said the past was happier, at least for a while. 

Vicki hears the conversation as she walks by and enters the room. She asks where he got the soldier set, as they seem very old. He says it's 200 years old and that Sarah gave them to her. She asks if he gives things to Sarah and he lists all the things he's given her. She suggests they exchange gifts some day.

As she leaves his room, she sees a little girl standing in front of the window who beckons to her. She follows her down the hall and sees her walk through a door. She runs to the door, which is covered in cobwebs, and realizes it's locked. She finds a key on the floor and is able to open the door with it. She sees her disappear into the room and runs after her. She enters a room filled with cobwebs and finds Sarah sitting at a desk reading. She asks if she's Sarah and introduces herself as a friend of David's. Sarah says she knows. Vicki asks if she lives there and she says yes. Sarah tells her she's in the library and that she's reading about her big brother, Barnabas. She hands her the book and she opens it to see "The Diary of Sarah Collins, 1787" written inside. David comes up behind her and asks if she believes him now. He asks what she gave her and she says it's her diary. He says she's trying to tell her something, and that someone in the house is going to get hurt. She says they should make an agreement that if either of them sees her again, they should tell each other so they can figure out what she's trying to tell them. He says nobody else should know, especially Barnabas. She asks why and he says he already told her that Barnabas is evil. 

Vicki is wandering through the cemetery and discovers Sarah's grave. 

She walks along the beach with Barnabas, arm in arm, saying two centuries of Collins children must have splashed in the waves there. She suggests that some of their spirits may come to play. She says she has something she wants to give him and hands him Sarah's diary. He asks where she got it and she says she found it. He grabs her and asks where. She says he's hurting her and he apologizes. She doesn't understand why he's so upset. He asks again where she found it and she tells him she found it in a dusty old library in the West Wing. He thanks her for the wonderful gift. She says he told her a lot about Josette and Barnabas but never mentioned that she married someone else. He tells her she married his younger brother, Jeremiah. She said she was surprised to read it in the family history and wondered what happened because she thought she loved Barnabas. He tells her she did love him. 

Up on the cliff, Sarah watches them. 

Barnabas reads from Sarah's diary while Willie listens. He reads her account of a time he took her to the fair, noting how he became sad when they returned home. He tells Willie that words can't describe how much he loved her. Willie asks why she was so little when she died. Barnabas tells him she became very ill but he was unable to save her. Willie asks if he thinks David's been telling the truth about seeing Sarah, and Barnabas says yes, because he has also seen her. 

He says Victoria said she found the diary in the West Wing, but he believes that Sarah led her to it, because there's something she's trying to tell him. He finds a slip of folded paper stuck in the journal and Willie watches over his shoulder as he opens it to reveal a picture of a woman. 

Barnabas crumples the picture and throws it into the fire, which suddenly flares up and a woman's apparition comes screaming and howling towards them from the flames. Willie hides behind Barnabas and after it disappears asks what that was. Barnabas appears stunned and says her name is Angelique, the true curse of his existence. He says she is a force so evil and so powerful that even now she reaches across the centuries to destroy him. 

Vicki is trying to teach David math, but he is looking into his desk and not paying attention. She asks if he has another awful spider in his desk, but when he lifts the lid, she finds a painting. She says it's pretty and asks where he got it. He tells her he got it in a room where he's not supposed to go. She says she won't tell his father but they should put it back. 

 

He leads her up the stairs and unlocks a door, as she remarks she probably shouldn't tell his father about the keys he has too. They enter a room strewn with paints and artist's tools. She asks whose room it is, but he doesn't answer. She looks through a series of paintings stacked against the wall. David says they shouldn't be there. She asks who painted them. She finds a painting of a nude woman from behind and asks David if he knows who it is. Roger enters and asks what they're doing there and how they got in. Vicki lies and says it wasn't locked and it was her idea. He says she has no reason to be in there and David runs out. She apologizes and starts to say she was admiring the paintings, but he interrupts and reminds her she was hired to teach his son and not to break into areas of the house that don't concern her. He tells her to go downstairs. Before she leaves, he tells her the room and everything in it doesn't exist anymore.

Maggie is working on a sculpture in her studio when Roger comes in and starts kissing her. 

David looks through drawers in his father's room and removes a handkerchief. He takes some of his pipe cleaners and puts them in a plastic bag and then removes some hair from a hair brush. 

Roger is sweaty and laying on Maggie's bed with his shirt open, stroking her leg while Maggie has a smoke. He asks how long she'll continue to put up with him and she says as long as it takes. Maggie asks what happens when she comes back, and he says he doesn't believe that will happen. She said he never wants to listen to what she has to say about Laura, and insists she's not like other people and never was. 

David sets an effigy on fire and Roger begins screaming and clutching his belly. Maggie screams and cries, asking what's wrong while David watches his creation burn. Maggie appears to look up as though she sees him through the flames, and he appears transfixed. Vicki enters, shouting his name and throws a blanket over the burning figure. Roger's screams subside and he asks what was happening to him. 

 

Vicki tells Elizabeth that once she put out the fire, he seemed to snap out of it. Elizabeth asks what he was trying to do, Vicki says she doesn't think he knew what he was doing. Elizabeth tells Vicki he was asked to leave the town school because he started a fire and nearly burned it down. Mrs. Johnson comes in and tells Vicki that Maggie is on the phone for her.

Vicki meets Maggie at an outdoor cafe, and Maggie says she must wonder what's so urgent. She tells her she needs to be very careful with David, and goes on to say that he tried to kill his father. Vicki asks what she's talking about. Maggie says she must have heard that she has certain abilities and can see things. Vicki says that Carolyn mentioned it. She tells her she saw David burning the doll and also saw her put out the fire. She says she was with Roger and it almost killed him. She explains that they're having an affair and Vicki says it's not her business. Maggie agrees, but she says she doesn't want anything to happen to Roger and she's the only one she can turn to. Vicki doesn't understand and Maggie explains that David is being controlled by his mother. Vicki says his mother is in an institution in England. Maggie says that she knows about her relationship with Roger and is trying to punish her and kill him. She says she's evil and has powers she knows how to use. She tells her she's a witch, whether she believes her or not, and reiterates that she needs to watch David very, very carefully. 

Barnabas tells Willie to put a vase of flowers on the mantel. He picks up Sarah's diary and asks what it's doing there since he put it in his desk. Willie doesn't know what it's doing there either and asks if he's sure he didn't put it there, which says he is. 

He says Miss Winters will be there soon and asks if the wine is chilled. Suddenly, the windows burst open and a gust of wind blows into the room as the flames in the fireplace flare up.

Willie closes the window and calls Barnabas over to look at the journal as writing begins to appear as though written by an unseen hand. It says, " Oh, my brother, you must stop your plans for the young girl with dark hair or else she and you are in terrible danger." 

Willie asks what it means and Barnabas says it means nothing. Willie says it's a message from Sarah to stay away from Vicki. Barnabas gets angry and tells him never to mention Sarah's name. He says he doesn't mean any harm but he's scared for Vicki and doesn't want anything to happen to him either. Barnabas apologizes and says he knows he means well but that nothing is going to happen to him and he won't allow anything to happen to Miss Winters. He asks if Angelique is going to try and hurt him, but Barnabas doesn't know. He says soon he will be like other men and this time when his Josette comes to him, it will be different. He tells Willie he's a loyal friend and he won't forget that. Willie says there's nothing he wouldn't do for him. He asks him to put the diary back in the desk. 

Willie puts the diary on the desk and after he leaves it flips open to show a picture of Angelique. 

Our thoughts:

Christine: This was certainly an eventful episode! It was somewhat difficult to believe that Woodard would choose eternal life over death, but it made for a great opening scene! 

John: I'm frankly amazed that Julia and the Sheriff survived the encounter! Not because Woodard was a vampire, but because of how they nearly killed each other attempting to vanquish him! First, the Sheriff unloads his revolver at Woodard, with Julia standing right behind him! Julia somehow avoids getting shot, but gets payback when she attempts to run Woodard through while he's basically lying atop the Sheriff! Of course, their combined hijinks allow us to forget the small detail of Barnabas breaking his months-long blood fast...

Christine: I'm not entirely sure what message Sarah is trying to send to Vicki, or how Angelique inserted herself into her diary, but I look forward to seeing what happens when she finally shows up. 

John: Yeah, I didn't really understand where the color illustration of Angelique was supposed to have come from. The first time we see it, it's folded up and tucked under the cover, but after Barnabas throws it in the fire, it's back in the diary unfolded and apparently on its own page. But I'm willing to forgive them thanks to what it ultimately spawned. Angelique's spirit coming out of the fireplace was a pretty amazing — we've certainly come a long way from the chroma-key effects of the original series. That particular visual effect holds up 30-years on, which is a pretty impressive feat!

Christine: In case one witch weren't enough, David's mom, Laura, is also a witch and is able to work spells through him. That should make for some interesting episodes to come. 

John: I was actually disappointed when Laura was described as a witch, particularly in the episode in which Angelique, the true witch-queen of Collinwood, makes her debut. I thought they were setting Laura up as a Phoenix once again by having David burning the Roger voodoo doll (not to mention almost burning down the school!). Had the show continued past the first season, we can only assume Laura's return would eventually take center stage...