Dark Shadows Episode 776 - 6/16/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Dirk returns to the abandoned basement. He tells Rachel he's waiting for Laura to come back. Rachel points out that she's dead, and Dirk says there are people with powers to restore life. Dirk is upset thinking about Laura. He hears a rooster, and realizes that Barnabas has failed. He says he warned him to have her there by dawn, and he'll be sorry he's failed. Dirk opens his coffin. He gets inside and closes the lid.

Rachel hears someone enter the basement, and is surprised to see Judith. She apologizes to Rachel, and then points a gun at her. She tells Rachel that it has to be done. Rachel pleads with her to put the gun down.

Outside the abandoned house, Tim hears gunfire. He goes into the basement and finds Judith. He asks her what all the shooting was. He sees Rachel on the floor, bleeding. Judith explains that she had no choice. Rachel asks Tim if she's going to be all right, and he says she will.

Edward explains that he was all over the house at once. Trask says that he could do nothing against the creature of darkness. Edward wonders who he is and what he wants. Trask offers him a drink to calm him. The phone rings, and Edward answers it. It's the sheriff calling to tell him that the woods have been searched without finding his sister or her abductor. Edward says everyone is confused except Barnabas, who is sure it's Dirk. Trask says he does not trust or like Barnabas, and he doesn't believe that Dirk is responsible. He adds that he is sure Barnabas knows where Tim and Rachel are, and likely is involved in Judith's disappearance.

Judith enters, still in a trance, with the gun in her hand. Edward asks what she has done, and takes the gun from her. He sees that three shots have been fired. Judith says that it had to be done. She adds that she did what he told her to do. Trask assumes she's referring to the vampire. She retires to the drawing room to sit. Trask tells Edward that she's possessed by a will stronger than her own. Edward wonders about the three bullets. Trask says he will seek divine guidance against the evil possessing her and the entire house.

Edward takes Judith upstairs, and leaves Trask alone in the drawing room. He calls for the help of the Lord to drive the demon out of Judith.

Tim brings Rachel to the old house, calling for Barnabas. Rachel says, "it's gone." Tim says that's good, and Rachel says it's bad. Tim continues to call out to Barnabas. There's no answer, so Tim says he'll go to town to get a doctor. Rachel tells him that if he goes into town they'll catch him. He assures her that he'll be fine. She says that if they catch him, they'll kill him, and begs him to stay with her. She asks if he remembers when they were kids, and the sea shanties they would sing quietly so that Trask couldn't hear them.

Edward watches over Judith as she sleeps. As she sleeps, she hears Dirk's voice, calling to her, beckoning her to find him where he lies waiting. Judith gets up and Edward asks her where she's going. In a trance, she walks out of the room. Edward realizes that she'll lead him to the vampire, just like Barnabas said.

Rachel tells Tim a secret—that her father is coming back to take her home. She says he mustn't tell Trask, and then passes out.

Judith returns to the cellar of the abandoned house. Edward follows her in. She says she has come as she was commanded to. Edward tells her to stand away from the coffin, and asks if it's where he hides during the day. Edward tells her to get out of the way. Judith pounds on the coffin and tells Dirk to wake up before he destroys him. Edward opens the coffin and sees Dirk inside. He closes it again. He realizes that it's almost night, and picks up a rock. He then searches for a stake. He leaves the cellar.

Edward returns with a stake. He opens the coffin, and prepares to drive the stake through Dirk's heart. Dirk reaches up to grab him, but Edward is able to drive the stake into his chest, killing him.

Our thoughts

John: Surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle used to say. Did anyone actually believe that Judith was going to shoot Rachel? I honestly did not see that coming.

Christine: I certainly was surprised to see her bloody chest, and even more surprised that Tim kept saying she was going to be all right. I would expect that to be a fatal wound.

John: Vampire Dirk continues to get some creepy sequences, giving Vampire Tom a run for his undead money. From the evil dreams to his dramatic death scene, it would appear that Roger Davis found his calling playing a vampire. As it's only Tuesday, I was not surprised when he appeared to stop Edward before he drove in the stake, and as a result, I was shocked when Edward was able to complete his gruesome task!

Christine: Vampire Tom is still my favorite, but Roger Davis played well as a vampire. He was quite menacing when calling for Judith, and had a nice bloody, gurgling death scene.

John: To be fair, Edward should have been prepared to kill the vampire when he followed Judith to Dirk, but he still deserves kudos for delivering the best vampire staking on the show to date.

Christine: I agree with that assessment. His look of horror when he held the rock and stake conveyed that he didn't want to do it, but knew he would have to. Judith turned out to be an ineffectual vampire servant, and it might have been nice if she'd gotten in the way a bit more, but I still enjoyed it the way it played out.

Dark Shadows Episode 775 - 6/13/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Rachel enters the basement of the abandoned house, looking for Tim. She finds the coffin, and wonders why it's there. She sees a lit candle, and is sure Tim had been there. She decides to wait for him. She opens the coffin and finds it empty. As she waits, someone enters. She calls to Tim, but is surprised to see that it's Dirk. He says that Tim can't see her now. Rachel asks what happened. He says she shouldn't have come. He says he's not going to hurt her. She tells him to stay away, and he bites her.

Barnabas arrives at the main house to see Edward. Edward asks where Barnabas has been. He says he's been searching for Dirk. Edward asks if Barnabas thinks he's dead. He says he is convinced that a vampire or some supernatural creature is running loose around the estate. He says a vampire's attack will result in a radical personality change in the victim, turning them into a walking dead person. He opens the door to the drawing room to show him Judith, with two marks on her neck. She says hello to Barnabas. Barnabas asks Edward if he found what he wants to know.

Edward closes the door. Barnabas asks if Edward no longer suspects him of being a vampire, and he apologizes. He says Judith went to see Barnabas at the old house, and Trask brought her back to the main house in this condition. Barnabas says the creature must be found and destroyed. He says that Judith may be able to help them, and offers to help take her to her room.

Dirk tells Rachel there's no longer anything to be frightened about. She asks about Tim, and Dirk tells her not to worry about Tim, and that she's going to help him now.

Judith is asleep in bed as Barnabas and Edward stand over her. Barnabas tells Edward to watch over her, in case the vampire doesn't lure her away. He says he won't be able to stop her, but she may lead him to Dirk's coffin. In the meantime, Barnabas leaves to continue the search for Dirk.

Edward watches over Judtih. He hears a door, and goes to investigate. He calls for whoever it was to answer him, but no one does. He hears more noises, goes into the hall and demands an answer. He goes downstairs and finds the front doors open. He closes them. He checks the drawing room, and also finds it empty. He goes back upstairs, and is grabbed from behind by Dirk, who knocks him out. The front doors shut on their own.

Dirk stands over Judith. He says there's something she must do. He says she can't tell anyone that she's seen him. She says that she will leave the house at dawn, and gives her a gun to use if necessary.

Edward comes to at the top of the stairs. He goes to check on Judith.

Dirk asks Judith if she's ready to do as he asked, and she says yes. He disappears as Edward comes running. She hides the gun under her pillow. He asks her who was in the room, and she denies anyone was there. He pleads with her to tell him who was there, but she says it was only the two of them.

Barnabas loads a gun with two silver bullets, and places it on the mantle. Dirk appears behind him. He says he wants to make Barnabas a proposition. Barnabas says he's not interested, until Dirk explains he has Rachel as a prisoner. Dirk tells him he wants Barnabas to get Laura back. Barnabas says he can't. Dirk says he'll find a way if he ever wants to see Rachel again. Barnabas assures him that Laura is dead. Dirk gives him until dawn, and then Rachel will die. Barnabas grabs for the gun, and Dirk says that by the time he finds Rachel, she'll be dead.

Edward enters Judith's room and tells her it will be light in another hour. He is shocked to see her bed is empty.

Dirk returns to the abandoned basement. He tells Rachel he's waiting for Laura to come back. Rachel points out that she's dead, and Dirk says there are people with powers over death. Dirk is upset thinking about Laura. He hears a rooster, and realizes that Barnabas has failed. He says he warned him to be there by dawn, and he'll be sorry.

Dirk opens his coffin. He gets inside and closes the lid. Rachel hears someone enter the basement, and is surprised to see Judith. She apologizes to Rachel, and points her gun at her.

Our thoughts

John: Damn, vampire-Dirk is working overtime! Three necks in one night? That's a new Dark Shadows record!

Christine: You've got to hand it to him. He's got at least two servants working for him, which gives him a significant advantage over Barnabas. It's questionable whether or not Tim is also a servant or if he did him in, as we haven't seen him since Dirk showed him his fangs.

John: I wonder if Edward read up on vampires in the books in the drawing room? He's become quite the expert in no time at all. Fortunately, it hasn't allowed him to figure out that his cousin is also a vampire!

Christine: Surely he must have noticed that Barnabas is never out and about during the day.

John: If Dirk only gives Barnabas a couple of hours to do the impossible, why not just shoot the bastard? If anything, with Dirk dead, she should be free of his spell. Wouldn't you think Barnabas would know this?

Christine: I was thinking the same thing, but you know the romantic vampire couldn't take a chance, believing that Dirk may have locked his sweetheart away somewhere where she might starve to death before he could find her. I was surprised that Dirk's motivation was to get Barnabas to restore Laura rather than expose him as the town vampire for the sake of revenge. Becoming a crazy vampire makes him even scarier than the unstable human he was, which was pretty frightening already.

Dark Shadows Episode 774 - 6/12/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Tim sneaks into the basement of the abandoned house. He lights a candle and looks around. He sees a coffin in he basement. He opens it up and looks inside to find it empty.

Dirk returns to the abandoned house and enters the basement. Tim is surprised to see Dirk, and Dirk asks Tim what he's doing there. He assumes the Collins' sent Tim to find him. Tim is confused, and asks if Dirk is okay. Dirk says he's alright, but Tim shouldn't have come there. He explains he was hiding there, and Tim says he won't tell anyone. Dirk adds that Tim won't be leaving. He points out that Tim obviously saw the coffin, which isn't empty during the day. Tim asks what's in it during the day, and Dirk says that he is. He tells Tim that he will find out his secret soon enough, and he approaches him with bared fangs.

Trask tells Rachel it will be easier if she tells him everything. She says she can't tell him what she doesn't know. He says that his wife is dead, poisoned in a plan by Rachel and Tim. She says that's a lie. Trask demands to know where Tim is. She says she doesn't know, and that she wouldn't tell him if she did. He asks if she'd rather be questioned by the police, and she says that she would. He tells her that she has always occupied a special place in his thoughts, so he's going to allow her to prove her innocence. He says that she cannot leave under any circumstance. If she leaves, he will assume it is to help Tim, in which case he will have her arrested as an accomplice to murder.

Judith arrives at the school, and asks Trask if there's anything she can do for him. He thanks her for expressing condolences. Trask tells her that his wife was his reason for being. Judith puts her hand on his arm and says that she would want him to go on. He describes his wife as the lifeblood of the institution, and Judith reminds him that the school still has him. Judith suggests that he get some rest, and he says he can't until her murderer is brought to justice. Judith asks if he's been caught yet. Trask says that he thinks Rachel knows where Tim is hiding. Judith offers to speak to Rachel. Trask goes to get her.

Rachel makes her way through the woods.

Trask returns and says Rachel is gone, surely off to find Tim. He says that they must be planning to leave Collinsport, but they'll need the help of someone in Collinsport. He asks if anyone in Collinwood might help them, and Judith says Barnabas might. She says she'll go to him and explain what happened, so that he won't help Tim or Rachel. She leaves, and Trask calls Evan. He tells him that everything is going smoothly. Trask thanks Evan for his service, and says that his secret vice will remain a secret.

Judith arrives at the old house and lets herself in. She calls for Barnabas. Dirk comes out, and she asks where he's been. Dirk reminds her that she dismissed him. She demands to know what he told Jamison. He says knowing might damage the Collins family name. She gives him 24 hours to leave the estate, or she'll call the police. He says she won't get a chance to do that. He says that a lot has changed in the last few days. He grabs her, and she tells him to get out of her way. She says he doesn't boss him around any more. He tells her that they are about to change roles. He will be the master, and she will be his servant. She tells him to let her leave, and he can have all the time he needs. He leans in to bite her neck.

Rachel returns to the old house. She looks in the window, sees Judith, and leaves.

Judith sits in a chair, blood dripping from her neck wound.

Trask arrives, saying he came to offer his assistance. He asks if she spoke to Barnabas, and notices that there's a change in her behavior. He asks her what happened. He offers to summon a doctor when he sees the marks on her neck. He asks again what happened, noting that he found similar marks on Charity's neck. She says she can't tell because she's afraid. He says he must find who's responsible, as he's already suffered one loss, and doesn't want to lose her, too.

Judith asks him to take her back to Collinwood. He realized that when he came in, she mentioned Dirk's name. He asks what kind of inhuman animal Dirk is.

Rachel enters the basement of the abandoned house, and finds a coffin. She wonders why it's there. She sees a lit candle, and is sure Tim had been there. She decides to wait for him. She opens the coffin and finds it empty. As she waits, Dirk enters.

Our thoughts

John: Ah, the old empty coffin tease... How many times will we be burned by that cliffhanger?

Christine: Twice in today's episode! I thought Rachel was going to find Tim lounging in there at the end of the episode. I guess we should have started an empty coffin tracker long ago.

John: Dirk was at his creep best today. He actually seemed somewhat restrained in his performance, which made it much more effective. The extra eye make-up didn't hurt.

Christine: I feel somewhat disappointed that he was not his usual over the top self. Like Vampire Tom, he also seems to enjoy the undead lifestyle, biting everyone within fang's reach so far.

John: Ewww! Poor Judith! Do you suppose cozying up to the Collins' matriarch was Trask's plan all along when he coordinated with Evan to have his wife taken out? Of course, being the next Mrs. Trask would still be preferable to being one of Dirk's vampire brides!

Christine: I think both options are equally disagreeable. It is possible Trask got rid of Minerva to set himself up with Judith. If so, it will be interesting to see how long he'll spend in mourning before he puts the moves on her. If that doesn't work out, he may also be setting himself up to blackmail Rachel into a relationship in order to protect Tim. Or maybe he plans to do both.

Dark Shadows Episode 770 - 6/6/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Jamison finds the coffin in the cellar of the old house, and says that what Dirk said is true. He starts to lift the lid, when he hears a noise upstairs.

Barnabas sits Dirk into a chair in the old house, blood dripping from his neck wounds.

Jamison hides in the cellar.

Barnabas tells Dirk hes going to sit in the chair until Barnabas tells him to move. Dirk asks him if he's going to kill him, and Barnabas says that for now he's of more use to him alive than dead. He wants Dirk to undo the damage he's done by finding Jamison and telling him that everything he said to him was a lie.

Jamison comes out of hiding in the basement.

Barnabas tells Dirk that he has no will of his own, and will only do his bidding from now on. Dirk suggests that Jamison may have told someone of Barnabas' secret. Barnabas says that if he did, he will kill Dirk.

Making his way up the stairs, Jamison trips. He hides behind the cellar door, and when Barnabas heads downstairs, he sneaks out.

In the cellar, Barnabas asks who's there. He walks around and finds no one. He heads back upstairs.

Dirk tries to get comfortable. Barnabas comes in and tells him that he will go where Barnabas wants. He opens the secret panel behind the bookcase and puts Dirk inside.

Jamison arrives home looking for his father. Beth says he's in Collinsport. David asks if he can call him. Beth takes him by the arm, but Jamison pulls away and says he will wait all night so he can speak with his father.

Beth tells Jamison that his father will not just be angry with him, but with her as well. She asks him if he was frightened by what he saw outside. He says he can only tell his father. Jamison goes upstairs, and Beth leaves the house.

Barnabas checks on Dirk. Dirk moans, saying that something is wrong. There's a knock on the door. He leaves the secret room to answer it.

Beth enters and says Jamison returned to Collinwood, and that she thinks he believes whatever Dirk told him. She asks if Dirk is under his control, and Barnabas says that he went too far with Dirk. Beth asks if he'll die, and Barnabas confirms it. He tells her not to grieve for him, as he nearly destroyed everyone at Collinwood. She asks what Barnabas is going to do. He tells her he cannot afford to alienate Jamison, as he's important to him. She asks why, and he says she couldn't understand. She asks if he's going to let Jamison tell Edward everything, and he assures her he will be prepared to deal with Edward.

Edward returns to Collinwood. Jamison runs to him and says he waited up because he needs to talk to him. Edward asks what has frightened him. Jamison says that his cousin Barnabas has a secret. Edward asks what it is, and Jamison says that he is a vampire. Edward is not impressed. Jamison says he found a coffin in the cellar of the old house. Edward says that he blames the fool Dirk for leading him astray. Jamison tells his father that he can go to the old house and see for himself. He agrees, and says he will go after taking Jamison upstairs.

Barnabas tells Edward that he's shocked that he would give credence to Dirk's story. Edward says that Jamison was truly frightened. He says he wants to give Jamison the benefit of the doubt, and asks to see the cellar of the old house. He adds that Jamison says he was there earlier this evening, and saw a coffin. Barnabas asks if he requires more than his word, and Edward insists. Barnabas takes him downstairs to the cellar of the old house. No coffin is present. Edward says he doesn't understand what has happened. Barnabas suggests that Dirk was trying to get revenge on the family for being dismissed. Edward says he doesn't think the stories are as wild as Barnabas thinks they are. Barnabas asks if he truly believes there is a vampire in Collinsport. Edward says that after what happened with Laura, he is not so quick to dismiss the supernatural. He points out the several people around town have had marks that could be from a vampire. He says he plans to find Dirk and ask him what excatly he told Jamison.

Edward leaves the old house, and Beth comes downstairs. Barnabas comes upstairs and says that he's safe for now, but Edward is investigating whether there might be a vampire. Barnabas says that Edward needs a vampire, and he will give him one. He says he will turn Dirk to a vampire, and ensure that Edward finds and destroys him. He asks Beth to stay with Dirk until he turns, and opens the secret panel. Dirk is nowhere to be found.

Our thoughts

John: Was this the first time we've seen a bloody neck wound? And on a man, no less?

Christine: It's definitely not the first bloody neck wound, nor the first on a man, though this is the first one perpetrated by a man on another man. So now we know that Barnabas and Dirk have been intimate.

Barnabas got a bloody bite from a bat after the dream curse in Episode 536. 

Angelique puts the bite on Joe Haskell in Episode 562.

John: Interesting that Edward has an open mind now when it comes to the supernatural. And also that he was so quick to start putting the other clues that might corroborate the presence of a vampire in Collinsport.

Christine: I think we heard the word vampire more today than we have in the whole series up to this point.

John: So let me get this straight. Barnabas was going to turn Dirk into a vampire, and then leave Beth with him to be there when he turns? So she can be his lunch? Fortunately, the supernatural events took so much of her focus that Beth didn't ask about the secret room Barnabas introduced her to.

Christine: He no longer needs Beth now that he's got Dirk for a vampire servant. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten how ineffective she was at protecting him while he slept recently.