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.

Dark Shadows Episode 826 - 8/25/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

In the woods, the gypsy ties up Magda. She says that if he unties her, she has friends that will take him anywhere. He places a gag over her mouth. They hear someone approaching, and a figure holding a lantern comes out into the open. It's King Johnny.

Magda is led through the woods to the Collins family crypt. King Johnny tells her he knows this is where she found Barnabas. She asks if he tortured Sandor to get that information. He says he hated to see him die, and Magda realizes that King Johnny killed him. He says she made him put the knife in his back when she stole the Hand. He leads her into the crypt and says she's going to stand trial right now. He says he will be the judge and prosecutor. He tells her to open the secret door. She does, revealing a table. She asks where the jury is, and he tells her they will be there soon. He mentions several people who will serve on her jury, and she points out that they're all dead. King Johnny calls to the spirits of the dead to join them.

Five ghosts enter the secret room in the mausoleum. King Johnny begins making his case. He says Magda stole the Hand and murdered Julianka. Magda denies it. Then King Johnny says she killed an infant. Magda says she did everything she could to keep the babies alive after Julianka put the curse on her. King Johnny says her final crime was giving him a false hand. He tells the jury the case is closed. Magda asks for Barnabas to testify on her behalf. King Johnny says non-gypsies cannot be called. She says Sandor and Jenny are both dead. He asks which she'd prefer to have testify, and she chooses Sandor.

King Johnny calls Sandor to join them, and he appears in the secret room. Magda asks if he's alright, but he says nothing. Sandor swears to tell the truth. Magda asks Sandor who killed him. Johnny interrupts and says the jury knows she did. She asks who killed Julianka, and Johnny interrupts again. He asks Sandor who wanted Julanka there, and Sandor says Magda. Magda asks him why she wanted Julianka there, to save the children from the curse. Johnny asks Sandor who placed the curse, and Sandor says it was Magda. King Johnny declares the case closed, and sends Sandor back to his grave.

He says it's time to find if she lives or dies. None of the jury speak on Magda's behalf. Istvan gives a thumbs down, and King Johnny tells her that she will die. Johnny says they will play hunt the weasel, and she's the weasel. Istvan lets her go. She asks what kind of trick this is, and he says it's just a game. He explains that if she gets away, she lives, and if they find her, she dies. He tells her to run, and she does.

As Magda makes her way through the woods, King Johnny dispatches the ghosts to capture Magda.

Magda doesn't know which way to go. When confronted by one of the ghosts, she casts a spell to send him back to hell. He screams in pain and disappears.

Her excitement at her success is short lived, as she hears King Johnny say that she got rid of Sergio, but not him. She runs off, and finds herself back by the mausoleum. She finds herself surrounded by ghosts. She says if she knew how they died, she would know how to banish them. They slowly close in on her.

She calls out in the name of the gypsy women who cried for them and their crimes, she sends them back to death. They disappear and she hears King Johnny laugh. He tells her to keep running. She turns and runs, and King Johnny follows her, laughing.

At Widow's Hill, Magda is confronted by the ghost of Sandor. He says he's come to take her back with him. She says he's dead, and Sandor says that's the only place he can hide her. He says they should be together. She sends Sandor's spirit back to the land of the dead as well.

King Johnny approaches her, congratulating her on getting rid of the ghosts. He says she can't get rid of him, and tells her the game is lost.

Our thoughts

John: I guess that ghosts don't count towards the normal cast size per episode! I do think one of the gypsies got dressed in a pirate costume by mistake.

Andreas

Marco

Stefan

Pedor

Sergio

Christine: Are you talking about Stefan? Isn't he a little short for a pirate?

John: It's been a while since we had a coutroom drama episode on the show, and while those had questionable tactics from the prosecution, they weren't nearly as one-sided as King Johnny's Court! I loved when he not only objected to Magda's questions, but began asking his own of her witness!

Christine: We haven't had a kangaroo court with a dead jury since Episode 512!

John: Decent work with the chroma key today - going the extra length to have ghosts walking down the steps into the secret room in the mausoleum, but they didn't quite stick the landing with one of the more common shots, which I like to call the Big Sandor. Even for such a big guy, he just seemed a little too large next to Magda.

Christine: Apparently, his death loomed large over her.

Dark Shadows Episode 825 - 8/22/69

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Magda comes into the drawing room and finds Beth on the floor. She looks around, sees the glasses of brandy and smells one.

Quentin tells Petofi that he has two minutes. He asks if Petofi has had prior dealings with Angelique, reminding him that if he doesn't free Barnabas, she'll tell King Johnny where to find him. Petofi nonchalantly continues smoking. He gets up and pours himself a drink. Quentin tells him he has sixty seconds left. Petofi asks why he needs Barnabas; if he also wants to travel to the future. Quentin says he needs Barnabas to help with his curse. Petofi says he's already dealt with that. Quentin asks why he's afraid of the gypsies. Petofi recalls their taking his hand, and says he hates each generation of them. Quenting counts the final seconds. When the clock chimes he shouts that Quentin can have Barnabas. He gives him the key.

Magda asks if Beth feels better. She says she'd be dead if Magda hadn't come in. She asks what time it is, and sees the clock has stopped. She says that Quentin is depending on her, and may be dead. Magda tells her that she'll find the time. Beth says that if anything has happened to Quentin, she'll kill herself.

Quentin removes the chains from Barnabas' coffin. Petofi leaves, saying he doesn't want Barnabas to witness his humiliation. Quentin opens the coffin and removes the cross.

Magda tells Beth it's five after one. Beth says Quentin is dead, and she must go to King Johnny.

Quentin and Barnabas leave. As they pass Petofi, he says they will meet again soon, and discuss the trip to the future he is so anxious to take. Petofi asks for confirmation that they won't mention him to King Johnny. Quentin gives him his word.

Tate arrives at Petofi's lair. Petofi tells him to come back tomorrow. Tate says it's Petofi's fault that he knows about the woman. Petofi shows him one of his sketches of Amanda that he took from him. Tate tells him to give it to him. Tate threatens him if he ever touches one of his sketches. Tate says the woman did not exist when he created her in a dream. Petofi tells him that she's in the Collinsport Inn. He adds that Aristede saw her first. Tate asks what he knows about her. Petofi says she travels with Tim Shaw, who had his hand for a while, and used it to make a great deal of money. He says the woman is from New York, and Tate surely met her there. Tate says he would have followed her if he had seen her. Petofi says she will do anything Tim asks her to. Tate doesn't believe him.

Beth tells Magda that Charity drugged her, though she wasn't acting like herself. She says she's in love with Quentin, and jealous of her. Magda says she'll find Charity, read her cards, and tell her that she's going to marry Quentin. She'll also tell her that if she hurts Beth, something terrible will happen. She tells Beth to stay, and not take the note to King Johnny. She assures her that Quentin is alright. She leaves Beth's room and is grabbed by Johnny's gypsy.

As Quentin and Barnabas make their way back to Collinwood, he says he hopes Beth didn't go to King Johnny. Barnabas reminds him that he cannot appear and disappear as long as he bears the mark of Count Petofi.

Beth is in the foyer when Quentin returns. She's happy to see him. He says he has Barnabas, and needs to get him to her room without anyone seeing them. He brings Barnabas in. Barnabas stands in the foyer wondering if he'll ever be accepted in the house again.

Beth tells Quentin that Jamison still thinks that he's David. Quentin leaves Barnabas with her and goes to find Magda. Beth apologizes for failing her. He tells her that he blames Petofi, not her. He apologizes for misusing her, and says it won't happen again.

Quentin searches for Magda.

In the woods, the gypsy ties up Magda. She says that if he unties her, she has friends that will take him anywhere. He places a gag over her mouth. They hear someone approaching, and a figure holding a lantern comes out into the open.

Our thoughts

John: I love how Quentin counts down the seconds, as if he could pick up his cell phone to call off Beth (Angelique, as far as Petofi knows). And even after the time has passed (despite his claiming that Angelique would be off one second after the time ran out), he does nothing. You'd think he would pretend to contact Angelique to tell her not to deliver his message. And why wouldn't he think Beth had already done so, when he had given her such explicit instructions...

Christine: That certainly was bothersome. And how is it that Beth did not die from the poisoning?

John: Petofi lost a lot of credibility today. If he really was concerned, he wouldn't have waited until it was too late to call Quentin's bluff. The last minute freak-out was completely out of character.

Christine: Don't blame Petofi. It's Sam Hall's fault. Despite the absolutely ludicrous, nonsensical situations he created today, he still managed to create a lot of suspense with the time ticking down, and pathos, with Barnabas assuring Beth he won't ever nibble her neck, and wondering if he'll ever be accepted at Collinwood with his alternative lifestyle.

John: Well, Charles Tate doesn't disappoint... he's a loser and a would-be stalker. I already feel for Amanda, as I imagine she's got a lot of Tate-torment lined up in her future...

Christine: It's Roger Davis' speciality! What do you suppose is worse, a Trask groping or Tate stalking? I don't think she can hold out much hope that wimpy Tim will be able to protect her from either one.

Dark Shadows Episode 821 - 8/19/69

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King Johnny comes back downstairs, demanding to know who has the Hand. She says she cannot say, and is physically unable. He slaps her across the face, and asks her if she needs more help remembering, and pulls out a knife. She sees the box the Hand was in, which appeared in the room. She tells him it's empty. He open the box, looks inside, and closes it. He tells her to look for herself. She does, and is shocked to see the Hand inside.

Johnny holds Petofi's hand, and then puts it back in the box. He calls Magda a liar and murderer of her own people. She says that she didn't kill Julianka. She asks what's going to happen to her. He tells her he's taking her back to Boston to the tribe, after giving thanks for finding the Hand. He starts to honor the Hand, and Magda goes to sneak out the front door, only to find another gypsy waiting.

He says she's gong to go on trial, as no gypsy had ever used the Hand on another gypsy before. She asks if she can say goodbye to her dead ones, and Johnny refuses, saying she may be saying hello to them quicker than she thinks. They lead her outside. Aristede comes out of the bushes to see them leading her away.

Aristede tells Petofi that all went just as he expected. Petofi says the one thing he fears is that the gypsies will try to use the hand. He praises Tate's work in recreating the hand with the dead one they had exhumed. He tells Aristede to bring him the Collins family history book. He then asks if the gypsies hurt Magda. Aristede says they weren't exactly kind to her.

Aristede hears a sound while in the lair, and calls out asking who's there. A wind blows through, knocking things down and blowing out the candles. Aristede says he's not afraid. Petofi comes in, and he says he thinks he knows what it is. He calls for the alien spirit to depart in peace. The wind dies down, and Petofi says it will trouble them no more. He tells Aristede it's the spirit of the dead man whose hand they borrowed.

Petofi opens Barnabas' coffin, and removes the cross from his chest. He tells him he can move, but not very far. Barnabas asks what has happened. Petofi says Jamison is still ill and possessed by David Collins. Petofi says he is far more interested in getting to the future than he was. Barnabas says he can't help, and Petofi accuses him of lying. Petofi says he is sure the people Barnabas is trying to save are those described in the book. He calls to Aristede, who comes in with lit torches. Petofi says he could burn Collinwood to the ground. He says if Jamison dies tonight, there will be no Roger, Elizabeth or David in 1969. Barnabas tells him that he expected better from him. He calls him incompetent. Aristede asks if he should go to Collinwood. Petofi tells Barnabas to think about it.

Johnny and Magda sit by a fire. He describes the plan for their trip to Boston. They hear the other gypsy, and see their bags have been ransacked.

Barnabas tells Petofi that if he destroys the future of Collinwood, there will be no future for him, and therefore no future for Petofi. Barnabas says he will find a way to be free, and Petofi says not before he finds a way to the future.

Johnny says that nothing was taken. He says he's going to bless the Hand now. He says that too many non-gypsises have been near the Hand. A hand-less ghost appears by the fire. The severed hand appears in his good hand, and he re-attaches it and disappears. Johnny says that the Hand is gone. He asks Magda who that was, suggesting that she swapped the Hand. She denies having done it. He says they're taking her back to Boston, but she runs away. Johnny sends Istvan to find her. He begins searching as she hides in the woods.

Our thoughts

John: Did you notice in the first shot today that Magda's hands looked a little bit like the Hand of Petofi?

Christine: I had not noticed that, but I did notice an undue amount of attention on hands in general.

John: Gotta love a ghost who takes matters into his own hands—literally! While I was amused that Tate was made to use his artistic skills to 'dress' the hand, what exactly is a painter going to do with a real corpse's severed hand to make it look like a gypsy talisman? Paint? Make-up? Mortician's wax? Seems like he might not have been the best choice. It obviously was good enough to fool King Johnny, and even the original owner seemed fine re-connecting it in the new condition it was in...

Christine: Perhaps Tate applied the same nail polish that Magda is wearing that had you seeing a resemblance between the two. Good ol' Abe got a new ring to make up for his inconvenience. We haven't seen the crew take a chance with real fire in quite some time, and thankfully everyone came out unscathed.

John: Sooner or later they're going to have to have Barnabas attempt to go Back to the Future with Petofi, and with nary a DeLorean in sight, he'll have his work cut out for him.

Christine: Henry Baker, who plays King Johnny Romano's mute henchman, Istvan, will meet up with Jonathan Frid again in Oliver Stone's first feature film, Seizure. I enjoyed his laugh when King Johnny told Magda she may be joining her dead relatives soon.

Henry Baker tosses Jonathan Frid in Seizure (1974).