Dark Shadows Episode 1245 4/2/71 - The Finale!

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Morgan goes to the room and unlocks the door. He steps inside holding a gun. The ghost of Brutus appears and says he shall not have them, they are his! 

In the secret room, next to the corpses, Bramwell tells Catherine that it's almost dawn. They embrace. He asks if they ended it. She says Brutus will try something else. Bramwell says that they have defeated him repeatedly, and can do so again. He asks if after this night, she has any doubt that they were meant to be together. He says he has money now, and they will leave Collinwood. 

Brutus appears before them, laughing about their plan, and calls to Amanda. He calls her to him. Bramwell tells him it's over. Brutus calls her and says that all he wants is Amanda's forgiveness. Catherine says yes and approaches him. She asks Brutus if he still loves her, and he says he never stopped loving her. He tells her to come to him and they will be together for all eternity. She tries to go to him, but Bramwell holds her back. Bramwell is mysteriously choked again, and Brutus laughs at him. Catherine comes out of her spell and Brutus says that he must die. They hear a rooster. Brutus tells her to come to him, and she says she ever will. She say s they will bury the bodies in holy ground, and Amanda will finally have peace. She tells him to go from this house and never return again. She says it's done. He asks if she refuses him, and when she says she will never come to him, he says she has won, and disappears.

She tells Bramwell the curse is over, and he says that it's because of their love. He says they must be meant for each other. She says she will leave with him today. She then realizes that Morgan will never let them go. They exit the secret room, and run into Morgan with his gun. He points out that Bramwell has ended the curse, and probably wants some sort of gratitude. He says he's not going to get it, or Catherine, and shoots him at point blank range. 

Catherine consoles Bramwell. She tells Morgan that if he kills Bramwell, he'll have to kill her, too. He picks her up, when Julia and Kendrick come in. Morgan threatens to shoot Catherine if they try to stop him. They run out, and Kendrick follows after them. Bramwell tells Julia that he'll be alright as she helps him out of the room. Kendrick returns and says he lost them. Bramwell tells him that they took a secret passage. Kendrick asks Julia to check on Melanie, and goes in search of Morgan. 

Flora tells Julia that she should be looking for Morgan. She says she could talk to him. Julia asks what she'd say. She says they need to check on Melanie. They go into the tower room and find her asleep. Flora wakes her. Her first words are, "Mama, did something happen to Kendrick?" Flora tells her that she's well now. She asks where Kendrick is, and they say he'll be there soon. She says she never should have married him, and they explain that Bramwell and Catherine stayed in the room, the curse is over, and so is she. She asks if they're okay, and Julia says they left the room sane. Melanie assumes Kendrick left her, and Julia offers to go get him. She asks her mother why he's not there, and she says he'll be happy to see her. She adds that her father would have loved to know that the curse was finally over. Flora says it will never be the same without Justin, without Gabriel, and with Morgan the way he is. Melanie asks her to tell her everything that has happened. 

Julia goes into the drawing room. Kendrick comes through the secret panel. Julia initially thought it was Morgan, but when she sees him, she tells Kendrick that Melanie is alright. He says he heard Catherine and Morgan, and Bramwell is upstairs searching. He goes upstairs to see Melanie.

Bramwell finds Catherine's handkerchief in the secret passages.

Melanie asks her mother if Morgan's madness is real, and not the result of the curse, and she says it is. Melanie says Catherine never intended to hurt Morgan. Kendrick comes in and hugs Melanie. He says he can't stay long. She tells him to be careful, and they kiss.

Morgan and Catherine end up on the roof of Collinwood. He says Bramwell will find them there, and calls to him. He tells Catherine to look down, and ask her to imagine falling to her death. He says her lover is coming. She screams for Bramwell not to come. When he comes out onto the roof, Morgan points out that he has come to watch Catherine die. Bramwell asks Morgan to let him take her place. Morgan says she is going to die first, and then he is going to die. Bramwell apologizes for turning Morgan into who he is now. Morgan says that this is the way it has got to be. Kendrick comes up from behind Morgan. Catherine runs free, and he Kendrick and Bramwell grapple before Morgan falls through the railing. 

Flora is despondent about Morgan. She says it's hard not to blame Catherine and Bramwell. Julia reminds her that they ended the curse. She then says they have to make arrangements for Morgan's funeral.

Melanie tells Kendrick that they can't leave yet. He assures her that Julia can take care of Flora. She agrees to leave with him. They kiss passionately.

Catherine and Bramwell also kiss passionately. He tells her that everything will be alright. She expresses guilt for being responsible for Morgan's death. He tells her that they will leave Collinwood, and they will forget everything that happened there. She says she won't forget — she says she will remember to follow her heart. They kiss again.

Flora tells Bramwell that the family has been split apart in troubled times, and suggests that perhaps now they should stay together if they possibly can. Kendrick comes in and asks if Melanie's ready. They say Harris is bringing her home from the cottage, where she was saying goodbye to Carrie. He tells Flora he appreciates her understanding when Harris and Stokes come in with an unconscious Melanie. He says that he found her lying in the woods. Stokes says she was attacked by a wild animal. They look at her neck — there are two bite marks. They all wonder what could have happened. Stokes says if he didn't know it wasn't possible, he says he'd swear there was a vampire at Collinwood!

We see Bramwell... and then transition to the repainted portrait of Barnabas Collins. Professor(?) Stokes provides a voice-over saying:

There was no vampire loose on the great estate. For the first time at Collinwood, the marks on the neck  were indeed those of an animal. Melanie soon recovered, and went to live in Boston with her beloved Kendrick. There they prospered and had three children. 

Bramwell and Catherine were soon married, and at Flora's insistence, stayed on at Collinwood, where Bramwell assumed control of the Collins' business interests. Their love became a living legend, and for as long as they lived, the Dark Shadows at Collinwood were but a memory of a distant past...

Our thoughts:  

John: You know what they say, sometimes you feel better after throwing up. I was kidding when I suggested that Bramwell and Catherine's love might end the curse. If anyone, I thought it would have been Kendrick and Melanie's love (considering they got their own little Robert Cobert love theme!). After 160 years of blustering about, it's sad to see Brutus fold his hand against this particular pair... But if you think about it, Brutus got both madness and death — in the form of Morgan Collins. So did he really lose? 

Christine: Brutus gave up too easily. It's almost as if he knew it was the last episode and that continuing the curse would be futile. 

                                                                                                                           

John: For the second time, at point-blank range, Morgan was incapable of dealing a lethal blow to Bramwell! And not only is it non-lethal, it's all but forgotten by the end of the episode!

 
Christine: I couldn't figure out why Catherine seemed to be laughing while being dragged off by Morgan. I suppose extreme stress can cause a person to laugh in inappropriate situations. Much like having the giggles during a funeral. 

 

John: I love how they wanted viewers to think that Melanie might be dead in bed this morning.

 

Christine: I love how Kendrick was flossing with Melanie's hair and then smooched it to try and be subtle about pulling it out of his mouth.

 

John: Back to the rooftop precipice from episode 1191, where Daniel made Gabriel (NOT of parallel time) fall to his death! I was kinda hoping Justin might appear to make it more like the last time... 

 

Christine: That was a very satisfying scene. Morgan's fall seemed entirely natural and Kendrick almost going over the edge with him lent some realism to the event. 

John: We can't bring Quentin back for one episode, but we can have Harris the servant show up for the first time ever? Come on!

 

Christine: Quentin was out because of appendicitis and was unable to return. Harris the servant was played by show writer, Gordon Russell, which seemed entirely appropriate. 

 

John: Well, that was something of a surprise to end on. I have to admit, I'm of mixed emotions. I love the fact that it basically ended with Melanie brought in with a vampire bite! And while I welcomed a denouement, they didn't need to so solidly deny the possibility of there being a vampire in parallel time. Worse yet, we are provided with summations on these, to be frank, throwaway parallel time characters. How nice it would have been for them to bring us back to 1971 one last time, and tells us what happened to the characters we actually cared about; those we came to know and love (and hate) over the past five years. 

 

Christine: It is disappointing that the principal characters were left mostly dead with an unresolved storyline, but to try and touch base with them in this final episode would have felt too rushed and may have done a disservice. While it is a little sickening that Catherine and Bramwell's love was legendary and banished the "dark shadows" from Collinwood, in a way it provides some resolution to Barnabas and Angelique's story. The nice thing is, we can go back and revisit those characters we knew from the beginning. I'm ready to start over again with the beginning episodes. How about you? 

 

THAT'S IT! IT'S ALL OVER! OR IS IT???

We've concluded our five year mission, but you haven't heard the last of us...

Dark Shadows Episode 1239 3/25/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Catherine arrives at the old house and finds Bramwell coming down the stairs. She says that Julia told her Daphne had taken a turn for the worse. He tells her that Daphne is dead. He says she died peacefully. Catherine asks why it couldn't be her, saying that she deserved it. She says that the two of them inflicted the will to die upon her. Bramwell tells her that Daphne had a final wish — that she wanted them to be together. Catherine tells him that he's making it worse. She goes up to see Daphne, alone. 

Julia is in the drawing room, agitated. Kendrick and Melanie return and tell her that they were just married. She doesn't say anything. She explains that Daphne took a sudden change for the worse, and she's waiting to get an update. She tells them that they should wait for an update. She then takes the time to congratulate them. She asks if they've made any plans to stay in Collinwood, and he says they plan to stay in Collinwood, at least temporarily. Catherine returns, and Julia asks about Daphne. Catherine tells them that she's dead. Melanie bursts into tears and runs upstairs.

Julia tries to console Catherine. She says that she didn't know Daphne well, but she did pray for her. Ju;ia says she's worried about how Morgan will react. She says he's been particularly bitter towards Bramwell since Daphne fell ill, and with her gone, he will likely see him as competition for Catherine's affection. Catherine says she wouldn't do that. Julia says she's not worried about what Catherine would do, but what Morgan would do. Catherine says she'll tell him to leave Bramwell alone, and runs upstairs to find him. 

Kendrick carries Melanie into their room. He puts her on the bed and kisses her. He acknowledges that she's still upset about Daphne. She laments that death and madness are all that they know in the house.

Bramwell sits staring into the fire. There's a knock at the door, which he ignores. Eventually, Julia lets herself in. He says he assumes she has come as the family spokesperson to offer their condolences. She says she has. He tells her that she's done her job, the ritual is over, and he bids her goodnight. He says he just wants to be left alone. She says she had another reason for coming. She says that after the funeral, it might be wise for him to leave Collinwood. He asks her to explain herself. She says she wants to avoid another incident like the duel. She says that if he stays, Morgan may try something foolish. Bramwell says that if Morgan tries anything, he doesn't stand a chance. He refuses to go. He tells her that no force on earth could drive him away. He says he has longed to return a rich man to see the rest of them rot in hell. He says he has one good reason for staying — Catherine. Julia points out that she's married, and he reminds her that as Daphne knew, there's only one man that can make Catherine happy.

Catherine tells Julia that when she told Morgan about Daphne, he was ready to go to the old house and confront Bramwell. She says she got him to give her his word that he would leave Bramwell alone. Julia says that she hopes Morgan keeps his word, and that Bramwell also stays away. Kendrick comes into the drawing room, and tells Julia he has second thoughts about staying in Collinwood. He says he will take Melanie away as soon as he possibly can.

As Melanie sleeps, the shutters swing open. She asks who's in the room, and hears laughter. She sees and recognizes the ghost of Brutus Collins. She asks why he came to her. He says his curse must be fulfilled. He tells her that she will help him. She begs him to leave her alone. He says that she will be the instrument of his revenge, and calls her Amanda. He says she must do as he tells her. 

Julia asks Kendrick to change his mind. He says he will if that's what Melanie wants, but adds that she must get out of the house. 

Kendrick returns to his room. He finds the bed empty, and Melanie gone. He calls to her. Julia comes upstairs and he tells her Melanie is missing. Melanie appears with a knife. She says she met him before, and he's not a Collins. She says her name is Amanda, and all in the house are destined to die. She attacks, but he's able to get the knife out of her hand. Julia says they must lock her in the tower room for her own safety.

Julia brings Kendrick a drink. She says now he knows why Melanie can never leave the house. He says he agrees, only until the curse is done and finished with. The chandelier starts to swing. He asks what's happening. They hear laughter, and he asks Julia who it is. She tells him it's the ghost of Brutus Collins. Brutus materializes and says that she will not be sane again, until another Collins enters the locked room.

 

Our thoughts:  

John: So do you think there's any chance of both Bramwell and Morgan both surviving through the end of next week? I'm anxious to see if Catherine's pregnancy is even mentioned again, or if that little detail is ignored for the remainder of the series.

 

Christine: Anything goes at this point. I had expected Bramwell to say something about it to Catherine as he was warming her to the idea of honoring Daphne's dying wish. 

                                                                                                                           

John: Boom! Melanie and Kendrick are now married, and living in Collinwood! And now they're moving out. And now she's possessed... It really does seem like they're trying to condense these storylines into the few remaining episodes.

 
Christine: What has Brutus provided his 'servants' to murder the family with? If it's an awl, it doesn't seem to be a very sharp one. And why has the spirit of Amanda decided to be a killer? You'd think she'd want to attack Brutus, if anyone.

 

John: Do they keep family member flashcards somewhere? How is everyone able to recognize Brutus' spirit right away? And I may have said it before, but folks seem awfully chill hanging around ghosts. And what's with Brutus continually moving the goal-post? He wants another family member to go into the room? Why not just require the whole family going into the room. I would say there's no way all of this is resolved within the next week, but as noted above, at the rate the writers are going, they might just manage to cram it all in...

 

Christine: Brutus is really unimaginative though. He's so stuck on the locked room. Where are the zombie pirates to tear the place down? Where are the reanimated dismembered parts of evil people flying through the air and attacking people? Why doesn't he have the corpses of James Forsythe and Amanda rise up to do his evil bidding for him? I have to say, he's a bit more frightening with chunks of his head missing. 

 

Don't you hate it when nobody tells you where the ghost is standing?

 

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Just 6 more episodes to go...

Dark Shadows Episode 1236 3/22/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Julia and Morgan go into the 'curse' room. Neither seem concerned that there are candles burning. Before they go into the next room, he tells her that what's inside isn't very pleasant, and confirms she that wants to go in. She tells him that she does. They go into the next room and Julia is terrified by what she sees. It's the bodies of James Forsythe and Amanda — perfectly preserved and covered in spiderwebs. Morgan tells her not to go in. He says when he touched him, that's when he became possessed. She says they must get a Christian burial. Morgan says that's not in Brutus' plans. The room goes dark, and the door behind them slams shut. He says the door is locked. They pound on it. Julia gasps, saying that one of the bodies is moving. 

Catherine wakes up, terrified. She tells Melanie she's responsible for her being in a coma. She says that in her dream, she couldn't help her. Melanie tells her that Daphne chose who to marry. Catherine says that if that were the worst of it, perhaps she could live with it. Melanie asks her what else she has done to Daphne.

Julia says that she could have sworn one of the bodies moved. She asks Morgan what plans Brutus has for them. She says they'll never be found, and then screams and pounds on the door. Brutus's spirit appears outside the room, laughing.

Melanie tells Catherine that it's best not to think too much. Melanie offers to leave her alone for a few minutes. Catherine falls asleep, and Melanie leaves. 

Gabriel is outside Catherine's room, and after Melanie leaves, he goes in. Catherine wakes to find Gabriel standing over here. She asks what he's doing. He says he's leaving. She gets out of bed and tells him she'll call someone. He says no one must know. She asks what he wants, and he says he wants money. She explains that she doesn't have enough for him to get away from Collinwood. He says if he stays, he'll die. He says that the two of them are the only sane ones. She says the family wants to take care of him, and he says they want to kill him. Or lock him away. He says his mother gave him a book of his father's meditation. He says they want him to be their victim. She says she wants to help him, but she doesn't have any money. He says they taught her to lie. He pulls out his knife and says he has to teach her something. She begs him not to hurt her. She says she's his friend and she wants to help him. She says she doesn't have money, but she can give him jewelry. She offers to trade it for the knife. He lunges at her but she dodges him. He hands her the knife and takes the jewels she offers.

Morgan gets a lamp lit, and Julia says that now they'll be able to see death when he comes to take them. She becomes hysterical, so Morgan slaps her. 

Melanie is walking by when she hears pounding on the door and calls for help. She asks where he is, and he tells her they're behind the iron door. Melanie asks if he's really Morgan. She opens the door and Julia rushes past Morgan and Melanie. They all leave the room without looking back.

Gabriel is about to leave Collinwood when he hears a voice telling him it's not his time to go, and beckoning him to come to the voice. Gabriel walks back upstairs.

Morgan says that have got to do something about Brutus' room. Melanie says that might only make him angrier. 

Gabriel goes to Brutus' room. He doesn't want to go in, but he hears the spirit voice demand it. He goes in and sees a knife on a table. Brutus' spirit appears and tells him to pick it up. He says he doesn't understand. Brutus says he is his servant, and will do as he is commanded. He asks why Gabriel didn't pick up the knife. He says that servants need not understand — only obey. He says Gabriel will do his bidding; killing everyone one-by-one. After giving his orders, he tells Gabriel he must prove himself worthy. Gabriel picks up the knife and says he will be worthy.

Catherine tells Morgan that she gave Morgan the necklace and he went away. She tells Morgan that she wants him to take her away from Collinwood. He agrees, suggesting a trip. She clarifies she wants to leave Collinwood and never come back. He says it's not possible. He tells her that he loves her, and he doesn't think she loves him. She tells him he's talking nonsense. He says that if anything happens to Daphne, Bramwell will be free again, and that's why she wants to leave. She says her fear has nothing to do with Bramwell and Daphne. She says she's afraid of losing him. He tells her that Collinwood is his home. She tells him the house is cursed. He clarifies that the family is cursed, and will be wherever they go, so it does them no good to run away. He asks if she loves him. She says she does. He begs her to stay with him. He says there's no reason for them to eve leave Collinwood.

Melanie tells Julia that after all that has happened, she shouldn't be surprised to see he leave. Julia explains that it's not as simple as that. Melanie says it will be better after she marries Kendrick. Julia says that they all want to help her. Melanie adds that she also wants to keep her confined to the house. She reiterates that she will marry Kendrick. Julia says she'll have a husband, and Kendrick will have a patient, not a wife. Julia encourages her to wait, but she refuses. Julia wishes her all the best, and leaves her alone. Melanie turns and sees Gabriel in the room with her. She's shocked. He asks if she knew all of the secrets in the house. He raises his knife and stabs her.

Our thoughts:  

John: I know I'm not retaining a lot of parallel time details, but hadn't we seen Amanda in skeletal form in the hidden room?

 

Christine: You may be thinking of James Forsythe's sister Sarah's skeleton he dug up in the cottage while possessing Morgan.

                                                                                                                           

John: Is today the day? Have we seen the last slap of Dark Shadows original run? Julia certainly deserved it, so good job, Morgan! That's a hat-trick, having delivered the last three slaps on the show! And each one to a different recipient!

 
Christine: Moreover, is this the last time we'll hear Julia scream hysterically? If not, perhaps there are more slaps to be delivered.

 

John: How exactly did Gabriel recognize Brutus' spirit? It's not like we've seen his portrait anywhere in the house. And do you think we're supposed to believe Melanie is dead after being stabbed in what clearly seems to be her arm?

 

Christine: I assumed Gabriel recognized him because he spent part of the night in the room with him. Perhaps Gabriel needed a little more direction from Brutus as to how to go about killing the family since he's unaware what part of the body he needs to target to achieve a fatal blow. What do you think the chances are that the corpses of James Forsythe and Amanda Collins will rise and start shambling through the halls of Collinwood in search of brains to consume? Justin Collins seems to lack that sort of ingenuity.

Collinsport Slap-Tracker

20 Roger slaps Burke Devlin's drink out of his hand!

93 Roger slaps David!

128 Joe slaps Maggie's butt!

383 Barnabas slaps Jeremiah!

438 Naomi slaps Reverend Trask!

467 Elizabeth slaps Roger!

535 Julia slaps Cassandra!

619 Blair slaps Angelique!

768 Quentin slaps Beth!

790 Trask slaps Judith!

805 Trask slaps Charity!

865 Quentin slaps Aristede!

963 A zombie slaps Julia!

964 Zombies slap Roger and Quentin!

1119 Samantha slaps Gabriel! 

1129 Quentin Slaps Samantha! 

 

1183 Gerard Slaps Samantha!

 

1206 Morgan Slaps Bramwell!

 

1215 Morgan slaps Melanie! 

 

1236 Morgan slaps Julia!

 

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Just 9 more episodes to go...

Dark Shadows Episode 1231 3/15/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Julia hears Morgan calling. She finds him and he says he's Forsythe, and Brutus is here, trying to send him back to the tomb He tells her that she must hear the truth of the curse, and what really happened in 1680. She begs him to tell her. He says that Brutus is here. He shouts that he will tell the truth about the curse. Julia asks how it all began. He explains that he met Brutus in 1677 — introduced by his sister Constance. He says they became business partners, but he found that Brutus was a man of many secrets. 

Brutus puts his papers away, and Forsythe enters. Forsythe says he's there to discuss their partnership. He brings up Brutus' strange fixation on the occult. Brutus says he's only a dabbler. Forsythe gets to the point and suggests that Brutus is getting richer while he's getting poorer. He accuses Brutus of stealing from him, and asks to audit the books. Brutus says the books are in the company office. Forsythe suggests that there is a separate set of books. Brutus tells him they will dissolve their partnership in the morning. Forsythe demands what is coming to him, and Brutus assures him that he will get what is coming to him in due time. 

Amanda walks in as Brutus sends Forsythe on his way, telling his wife that they are ending their partnership. Amanda heads out, claiming she's going out for air. Brutus commands Constance to follow her.

Amanda and Forsythe kiss passionately. She says she had to come to see him, and asks what happened between he and Brutus. He tells her that he knows Brutus is embezzling funds. Amanda suggests they check the books in the secret records room. She tells him that she knows where it is.

Constance eavesdrops as Amanda tells Forsythe where he can find the books. 

Amanda warns Brutus not to be overconfident. He tells her that he's going to take her away from Brutus. They kiss once more. He arranges to meet her in the morning.

Constance tells Brutus that Amanda went to see Forsythe at the cottage, and they are planning to destroy him. 

Forsythe sneaks into Collinwood. Brutus watches him from the shadows as he goes upstairs. Brutus breaks into the secret records room and goes inside. Brutus follows behind him. Inside the secret records room, Forsythe searches for the doctored books. He finds them and says it's worse than he thought. Brutus confronts him. Forsythe says he's going to the authorities. Brutus says he's more ambitious and aggressive than any of his family members. He says that neither his family nor Forsythe will testify against him, and grabbing a stick, he knocks Forsythe out. He says that he left him only one course of action.

Standing over Brutus unconscious body lying on a table, Brutus tells him that he couldn't have known that he would become a victim of his interest in the occult. He adds that an ordinary death would not be good enough for him. He explains that he wants his spirit to be troubled through all eternity. 

Amanda goes to meet Forysthe, and when he doesn't show up, she's sure that something is wrong. She runs into Constance, and asks her where Brutus is. She asks if he still intends to end the partnership with Forsythe. Constance tells her that Forsythe left  town early this morning. Amanda excuses herself to go to her room.

Amanda goes to the secret records room and finds Forsythe, unconscious on the table. Brutus comes out and points out that the lovers are together. She calls Brutus a murderer. He tells her that he's interested in poetic justice. He tells her that she will now be with Forysthe, and they will be together for a very long time. He chokes her, and says that he will put her body beside his, and her spirit will not rest either. 

Constance finds Brutus exiting a door behind his bed. She asks what's behind the door, and he tells her to forget she ever saw it. She says she'll go to find Amanda. He tells her that she left with Forsythe. Constance accuses him of lying to her. She asks what he did to Amanda, and what he did to Forsythe. He tells her to go to her room. She asks if they're behind the door, and before he can stop her, she finds the two dead bodies. 

She leaves the room, and Brutus says they deserved to die for betraying him. He warns her not to turn on him. She says she always sided with him against his enemies, but they were right and he's a monster. She grabs a weapon, but he takes it from her and stabs her. She falls on the bed, and places a curse upon the family and future generations. He says it will bring death and insanity to all that inhabit this room. He explains that it shall not end until someone spends the night in the room and retains their sanity. 

Forsythe finishes telling the story to Julia (including the parts that he was dead during). She realizes that Brutus cursed his own ancestors. Forsythe hears a noise and says Brutus' spirit is back. Brutus ghost materializes, and commands him to return to his tomb. He chokes and collapses. Brutus assures Julia that the curse will go on, and that the truth will not help her.

Our thoughts:  

John: How convenient that James Forsythe happened to look exactly like Morgan, to whom he is not even related.

 

Christine: Well, we don't really know that, do we? Perhaps he fathered a child with Amanda and she passed it off as a Collins. 

                                                                                                                           

John: Oh my, the acting. Brutus comes across like a Shakespearean summer stock reject. Let's just say that Brutus Collins is not the finest performance Louis Edmonds gave in his Dark Shadows tenure and leave it at that. And poor Grayson Hall... I wonder if all the retching today was triggered by her reading the script...

 

Christine: I rather enjoyed his malevolent performance. I think he was doing the best he could with the material he was given. 

 

John: What a sad, rushed and pedestrian explanation about why and how the curse was placed on the family. It wasn't particularly convincing for Brutus to spell it all out, and then explain the 'rules' and manner under which the curse would end... all of which was spoken purely for the viewers at home, since everyone else around him was basically dead!

 

Christine: It was pretty weak, indeed. And if he was going to punish the family for turning on him, he sure picked a weird way to do that. What a nut job! I wonder if this is when they received notice that the show was cancelled and they decided they'd better wrap this bit up quickly and try to bring some sense of closure to the show. The whole episode seemed rushed. 

The Petofi box appears again.

Dark Shadows Episode 1225 3/5/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Forsythe is in the basement of the cottage where he has exhumed a body. A wind blows through the room, and Forsythe say he knows Brutus is there. He demands that he show himself so he can fight him again. He calls for Brutus to show himself, and finds himself face to face with him again. The ghost of Brutus asks if James thinks he can change the things Brutus did. He says he will succeed, and Sarah will get a proper burial. Brutus says she betrayed him and deserved what she got. Forsythe says Brutus is the treacherous one. He says Brutus killed Sarah, just as he killed him and Brutus' wife Amanda. He says he intends to right the wrongs he has done. Brutus warns him to go back to his tomb.

Julia tells Melanie that Morgan has disappeared just like Gabriel did. She says she's concerned about Carrie, who had so many questions about how Morgan was behaving. Julia tells Melanie to be careful when she talks to Carrie, to ensure she doesn't let something slip about the curse. Carrie arrives at the house, crying, saying Morgan returned to the cottage and locked her in her room. She explains she got out through the window. Julia says she'll take her back to the cottage. They open the door and Kendrick is there to see Melanie. Julia tells him she'd like to have a word with him when she returns. He tells her that he'll wait for her. They leave, and Kendrick tells Melanie he wants to tell her something outside, so they aren't overheard. Melanie leaves a note for Quentin on the table.

At the cottage, Julia says she doesn't see anyone. Carrie tells her that he heard him go downstairs. They go into the cellar and find Morgan unconscious on the floor. Carrie asks if he's dead. Julia says he's still breathing. They look around the room, and Carrie says that she can feel angry spirit. Julia invites her to stay with them at Collinwood. A wind passes through as Julia goes to check on Morgan, and Carrie says it's the spirit. They then see the skeleton, and Carrie says they have to get out. Julia tells Carrie to go to Collinwood and send Quentin back. She stays with Morgan.

In the garden, Melanie tells Kendrick she was surprised to see him. He asks her how the Collins family came to adopt her. She says that she found out that her mother was still alive when she was adopted. She says she found a letter, but Julia took it from her. Kendrick asks how Justin Collins found her. She tells him she was six months old, and her father was on the board of directors at the orphanage. He says that it's true he was on the board of directors, but that she was never at the orphanage. He says he searched the records. She asks why he would do that. He says he felt she had doubts about her real parents, and he wanted her to be happy. She's grateful for his concern. Kendrick asks who first told her she was at the orphanage. She thinks it was her father. He wonders if anyone else in the family knew it was a lie. She asks why her father would like about it. She then says that she thinks Julia knows. 

Julia is watching over Forsythe in the Collinwood drawing room when he comes to. He asks if she ever smiles. She says there's nothing in the house to smile about. She says she hoped when he came to that he'd be himself again. He reiterates that he is himself. She asks what he was doing in the cellar of the cottage. He tells her that he's not there to help her. She asks why he hates them so. He says she's a Collins. She suggests that he shouldn't hate them for something that happened 160 years ago. She asks who he dug up in the cellar of the cottage. He says that his concern. She asks why he was unconscious. He refuses to answer. She says he must not go back there. He says he will under one condition: if someone goes to gather up his sister Sarah's skeleton and sees to it that she gets a proper burial. Julia asks how she came to be buried there. He refuses to answer. He tells her that she can ask the spirit of Brutus for the answer, and bids her goodnight.

Kendrick and Melanie return to Collinwood. They kiss goodnight. Melanie goes upstairs, and Kendrick starts to leave. He then turns and sees Julia watching him. She reminds him they were going to talk, and he goes into the drawing room. She tells him that he's been interfering again, putting ridiculous thoughts into Melanie's mind. He suggests that Julia wouldn't like Melanie finding out the truth about her past. He asks why everyone is lying to her about her background and the identity of her real parents. Julia says that no one is lying to her. He calls her a liar, explaining that he's been to the orphanage, and there's no record of Melanie there. He asks her what is it that they don't want Melanie to know. She tells him to leave and never return. She threatens him, and starts to escort him to the door. She sees Melanie coming downstairs, seemingly possessed. She closes the door and says they can talk a little longer. He opens the door and finds Melanie in the foyer. He asks her what's wrong. She barks at him, saying that he's not a Collins, and he doesn't belong there. She says everyone in the house is destined to die. He turns to Julia and demands that she tell him what's wrong with Melanie.

Our thoughts:  

John: I never thought I'd be so disappointed by a ghost's appearance, but Brutus' back and forth with Morgan-possessed-by-Forsythe just came across as belabored exposition setting up more plot-points that aren't going to amount to anything. Perhaps I'm wrong, and this will all get developed in the final few weeks of the show, but past history suggests the writers are far too willing to drag out such storylines, and with the clock ticking, whether they knew it or not, it's hard to believe that all of this 1841 parallel time nonsense will ultimately amount to anything...

 

Christine:  I had to believe that all that wind blowing through the cellar was caused by Brutus' bluster. Apparently, Brutus was a homicidal maniac. What does that have to do with the curse?

                                                                                                                           

John: So Carrie escapes from the cottage where Morgan/Forsythe has locked her up, and Julia's first thought is to drag her back to the cottage?

 
Christine: That's what I thought. At least she suggested that she stay the night at Collinwood after finding the skeletal remains. 

John: Boy, Julia was on a roll today! Did she really think it was going to work when her tone abruptly changed from a veiled death threat to an invitation for Kendrick to stick around for some more idle chit-chat?

 

Christine: That was hilarious! Do you think Melanie is possessed by Amanda, Sarah, or someone else? Any guesses on who her real parents are?