Dark Shadows Episode 637 - 12/3/68

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Jeff is pacing in the drawing room when Vicki comes in and tells him Mrs. Stoddard will be down shortly. He tells her that he doesn't exist in the present, and if she marries him, it will be like marrying a corpse. She reminds him that his love for her allowed him to keep his vow to follow her through time. He says that he's still a suspect in Eve's murder, and she explains that Roger already told the police that he was with Jeff, giving him an alibi. Liz comes downstairs, and Vicki says she needs Liz to be a witness at their wedding. Liz tells her it's 3am. Vicki says they've already contacted a justice of the peace. Liz says she'll do anything for Vicki, and goes upstairs to get dressed.

The justice of the peace carries out the ceremony. Peter has a brief 1795 flashback, and comes out of it just in time to say, "I do." The justice of the peace declares them married. Liz congratulates them, but looks concerned.

Jeff and Vicki arrive at the Collinsport Inn with a bottle of booze. Jeff pops open the bottle of champagne and they toast. Jeff seems troubled by the storm, and Vicki tries to convince him that it's too late for anything to happen to them. They kiss.

Barnabas and Julia arrive at Collinwood. Barnabas wonders what happened to Adam. He says if his wound isn't treated soon, she knows what will happen. He'll need a coffin at the ready. Julia points out there's a threat other than Adam—Angelique. She says she doesn't have a daytime protector, so they can stake her. Barnabas tries to suggest that he doesn't remember where her coffin was. Mrs. Stoddard comes in, seeming upset. They ask her what's wrong, and she says it's Vicki. She left them in town after they got married an hour ago.

Julia comes downstairs and finds Barnabas in the drawing room. She points out that he didn't get any rest. He asks her why Vicki married Jeff, and Julia reminds him that they were in love. With a resigned sigh, Barnabas suggests they leave to get a hammer and stake.

Julia and Barnabas come downstairs at Blair's house, where a coffin sits. There's also a broken mirror, but they don't know why. Barnabas lifts the coffin lid and it is empty. He thinks something has happened to her, but he doesn't know what.

Jeff admires an engraved watch that Vicki gave him. He says he doesn't have anything for her. Vicki says his love is enough, and they kiss again. They reminisce about first meeting in 1795. Jeff gets excitable, and suddenly thinks he's being drawn back into the past. She tells him to hold her and resist it. He tells her there's nothing he can do to stop it. She picks up the phone to call Professor Stokes. As she watches, Jeff says he loves her and disappears.

Our thoughts

John: I would have suggested to Jeff that he might try a little harder to sell himself to Vicki, but I can't argue with his description that marrying him would be like marrying a corpse.

Christine: I had to laugh when he said that. Now that Vicki is taken, the path is clear for Julia. She and Barnabas have created two lives together, they enjoy going out staking vampires together, and she's always hanging out at his place. When will Barnabas realize that Julia is the one he truly loves?

John: Do you think they marketed this as the most anti-climactic wedding in the history of daytime television?

Christine: You didn't find it romantic that he brought her to the Collinsport Inn for their first night together with a bottle of champagne wrapped in aluminum foil? The way he popped the cork was somewhat suggestive, but the spit swapping was probably a little too much for the youngsters viewing. You could almost hear the collective "Ewww!" No, wait. That was me.

John: I was pleasantly surprised to hear Adam's name come up. I wonder how many more times that will happen before he's forgotten completely. And where's Angelique hiding these days, if not in her coffin? I have no doubt that we haven't seen the last of her.

Christine: I'm guessing that Diabolos granted her wish and she's no longer sleeping in coffins. It was funny the way Barnabas asked Liz if anything was wrong after she dropped her coat on the ground at the foot of the stairs. I guess Liz really was upset. I'm impressed that she could pull together a fancy updo and makeup at three in the morning for an impromptu wedding. I wonder why Roger wasn't invited after doing Jeff Clark the favor of providing him an alibi earlier in the afternoon. Maybe he just didn't want to get out of bed.

Christine: Will Jeff Clark/Peter Bradford's disappearing act be the last straw that drives Vicki over the edge of Widows' Hill? Maybe he chewed one too many herb leaves at Stokes' house yesterday.

Dark Shadows Episode 636 - 12/2/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Adam spins dials, and then goes to Eve's skeleton. He tells Vicki that Barnabas will suffer. Barnabas comes downstairs with a gun drawn on Adam, and tells him to turn off the machine. Adam says if he dies, Barnabas will revert to what he was. Barnabas says he's lying. Julia says Adam must have heard Lang's tape. Adam says he doesn't know what Barnabas is, but he knows he doesn't want him to die. Adam tells him to watch what happens to Vicki when he pulls the switch, and when he starts to do it, Barnabas shoots him in the back.

Julia turns off the switch and offers to help Adam, who runs upstairs. Barnabas checks on Vicki. Julia says she'll be fine, but tells him that Adam will get away. He demands that she check on Vicki rather than worry about Adam. She checks her pulse and says it's slow, but she'll be fine. He says they have to get her back to Collinwood. She asks if she should then find Willie to bring a coffin into the room for him at sunrise? Or should they go searching for Adam? He tells her that he made his decision when he fired the shot, and tells her to help him with Vicki.

Adam breaks into Stokes' house. The phone rings and he picks it up. He hears Jeff Clark on the other end, but doesn't respond to him. He hangs up, and grabs a letter opener when he hears a door shut. Stokes enters, and he sees Adam needs help. He tries to call for help, and Adam stops him, telling him not to call Julia. Stokes calls a friend and asks him to come treat a gunshot wound discretely. Stokes explains that he'll help him whether he likes it or not. He helps Adam to his room.

Julia watches over Vicki in her bedroom when Barnabas enters. Julia asks if he told Carolyn that he shot Adam. He says he did as Vicki wakes, asking where Adam is. She begs for Barnabas to stay with her until morning. Julia says that he can't, but she will.

Stokes has fixed Adam up with another shirt. He apologizes for failing to finish teaching Adam. They talk about love, and Adam says he'll never have it.

Jeff Clark arrives at Stokes' house, and Adam tells him not to let him in. Stokes sends Adam to his bedroom, and lets Jeff in. He shows Jeff some herbs, and tries to dissuade him from taking them. Jeff says that he now knows he was once Peter Bradford, but he needs to know more about how he came forward in time. Jeff eats a leaf and Stokes tells him he needs to follow a ritual. He explains when and how Jeff should eat the leaves, and then begins an incantation to allow Jeff to see his past. Stokes questions Jeff about his past, and hears details of Peter Bradford's life. He explains he came forward in time to see Vicki. He then says he's going back, and tries to stop it, saying he needs to see her again. He calls to Vicki.

Vicki hears Jeff's call and gets up and runs out of her room.

Jeff pictures the noose ready for Vicki. He begs for a chance to talk to her when she runs into the room. Jeff doesn't see her. Vicki tries to get his attention, telling him his love brought him to her, and her love will keep him with her. She screams at him to say he'll stay. He gets up and says he will, kissing her. She says they'll be married tonight.

Our thoughts

John: It's funny how the lab switch also controls the music that's playing. As soon as Julia flips the switch, Bob Cobert's music ends abruptly with the lab sound effects.

Christine: That was pretty amusing.

John: A new outfit for Adam! And all it took was getting shot. Sadly, this was the last we'll see of Adam. Frankly, I think he deserved a bigger exit than Stokes sending him to his room.

Christine: I agree it was not a satisfying way to exit a character we've spent 78 episodes getting to know, and seems problematic with his fate still connected to Barnabas' affliction. If Stokes should send him away for cosmetic surgery and he dies on the operating table, could Barnabas be caught out of the coffin at an inopportune time?

John: I guess they didn't want to spend as much time or effort to send Jeff back in time as they did for Eve. Of course today's episode felt like it was designed to tie up a bunch of loose ends so they could move forward with new storylines.

Christine: I thought it was interesting to find out that Professor Stokes is not only a purveyor of rare herbs, but is also on a first name basis with a surgeon who specializes in treating bullet wounds discreetly. I wonder what other rackets he's involved in. It was quite a dramatic ending with Jeff Clark taking his first magic carpet ride as Vicki shows up in her granny nightgown to bring him down. It inspired him to clutch her head instead of his own for a change. How did Jeff Clark get out of jail anyway? Did he escape or was he cleared of charges?

Dark Shadows Episode 627 - 11/19/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Jeff tells Vicki to go back to Collinwood. He opens a closet door and closes it, disturbed by what he saw. Vicki opens the door and sees Eve's body lying on the floor, dead. Jeff checks her vitals and then closes her eyes. Vicki asks if she's dead, and he says she is.

He has Vicki sit down. She asks who the woman is, and he tells her it's Eve. Vicki asks if it's the woman he told her about earlier and he confirms that she is. She then asks if he did it, and he says he didn't. She says they have to call the police, and he says he needs time to think. He says they'll think he's guilty or insane. She tells him that waiting will only make him appear more suspicious. He tells her to go back to Collinwood and she refuses. He picks up the phone and asks the operator to connect him to the police.

Adam wanders through the woods, forlorn. He regrets killing Eve. He realizes he can't go back to Blair's house. He doesn't know what to do.

He sees Angelique, and she offers to help him. She says she knows that he killed Eve. He tells her he doesn't want her help. She explains that she's the only one that can help him. She says he was right to kill Eve, who was evil. She adds that Blair knew she was secretly seeing Jeff. Angelique quickly fills in Adam on how Blair brought back Danielle Roget to provide the life force for Eve. She says he's only a slave to Blair, and neither of them can escape him unless they work together. She tells him she needs his help to dispose of Blair. He will think that Jeff killed Eve. She tells him to go home, and pretend to be shocked when he hears that Eve is dead.

Someone watches Joe from outside his hospital room window. Joe sees his cousin Tom Jennings and yells that he's dead. The man explains that he's not Tom, he's Chris Jennings.

He asks Joe how Tom died. Joe says he doesn't know. Chris asks about the animal-like wound on his neck. Chris says he got a list of names from the sheriff to investigate, including Jeff Clark and Nicholas Blair. Joe asks Chris if he's seen his sister, Molly. Chris says he hasn't. Joe explains that she fell to pieces when Tom died, and now she's in Windcliff, thanks to Dr. Hoffman.

Julia walks in and screams when she sees Tom. Joe explains that the man is Chris, not Tom. He says he'd like to talk to Julia and offers to drive her back to Collinwood. She agrees, and asks to speak to Joe alone. She asks Joe why he didn't tell her Tom had a brother. Joe explains that Chris was hard to get a hold of. Years ago he changed, and disappeared from Collinsport altogether. Julia asks what he's doing in town, and he tells her Chris is here to investigate Tom's death. He tells her to try and convince him to leave town. Chris watches them from outside the window.

Back at Collinwood, Chris asks if he can ask Julia a few more questions. She invites him in, and asks how well she knew Tom. She says she hardly knew him, and Chris asks why she would react so strongly if she didn't know him that well. She explains she had heard about his unusual wound, and was able to examine him. She says it appeared to be an animal bite. He asks what kind of animal, and she says she doesn't know. Julia asks Chris why it took him two months to come out to investigate Tom's death. She asks if he came for a different reason. He mentions his sister. She says that she's at her hospital, Windcliff, and it would be good to have her brother close. He says that the life he leads is all wrong for her. Julia asks him what kind of life he leads. He says he moves around a lot. She asks if that means he doesn't have or want any responsibilities. He says he'll see his sister later and storms out.

Vicki bursts in, asking for Roger. She tells Julia that she needs Roger to post bail for Jeff. She explains that there was a woman found dead in his apartment named Eve. She goes up to find Roger, and Julia leaves the house.

Angelique approaches her coffin, and thinks that if she succeeds tonight, Blair will be returned to darkness, and the master may lift her curse. She summons a great evil, and is surrounded by fire. She begs not to be destroyed, but screams in agony.

Our thoughts

John: Sure, Jeff. It's going to serve you better to spend some time thinking about what to do before calling the police to report a dead woman's body in your closet. I do think it would be quite humorous for Jeff to be tried and convicted for a murder he didn't commit, just as Peter had been a few hundred years ago.

Christine: It looks like that's the way it's going to go. Of course Vicki is going to stand by her man, even though he's screaming at her to leave one minute and embracing her the next, which seems to be the kind of future she'll have with Jeff Clark, if he's not sent to the electric chair first.

John: Wow, we were treated to a classic soap-trope today... the mysterious arrival of a previously unmentioned twin of a now-dead character! Who is this Chris Jennings, and what new excitement will he bring to Collinsport? I did enjoy Tom, so I have high hopes for Chris!

Christine: How nice that they let us believe he was Tom Jennings back from the dead through the commercial break. He has the same penchant for melodrama that his brother did. This mysterious twin likes to spend time in the mountains and is always on the go. He also has no qualms about staring in at people through windows. I guess that makes him a peeping Chris. 

John: Why would the master lift Angelique's curse if she gets rid of Blair? And what exactly was she trying to summon? Whatever it was, I have to give them credit for today's visual effect. Her burning in the fire was one of the nicer chroma-key effects we've seen.

Christine: I thought she was summoning Satan, though it appears her conjuring backfired. I guess she forgot she's no longer a witch. I was wondering how she knew that Adam killed Eve. Was she spying on him through the magic mirror, or was Eve the one she had her eye on? It's kind of a weird thing for her to be doing either way.

Dark Shadows Episode 626 - 11/18/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Liz helps Vicki out of her wedding dress.

Jeff is about to open Peter Bradford's coffin when Roger shows up in the cemetery. Roger threatens to call the police, and Jeff asks if there's a law against opening your own coffin. He says he intends to find out if he came from the past. He pries the lid of the coffin open, and finds it empty.

Roger says it doesn't mean anything after 200 years. Jeff asks Roger to touch him to see if he's real. Roger says he's being irrational. He says the body could have been stolen. Jeff believes he is Peter Bradford, and Roger asks if he believes it, then Vicki will, too. Jeff says he's going to Collinwood to tell Vicki. Roger asks him not to. Jeff flips out and stumbles away.

Vicki packs up her wedding dress, and wonders why Roger hasn't come back. She says he must have found Jeff at the cemetery. Liz reminds her that he didn't want her to go. Vicki looks at the Collins family history, and wonders who the woman Eve was who returned it to her. She points out Trask's annotations to Liz, that she says were made in 1795. Liz suggests that she lie down to rest, and offers to check and see if Roger has returned.

Vicki reads about her hanging, and flashes back to 1795. Peter tells her he will always love her. He promises to travel through time to find her. Roger and Liz come in, and she asks where Jeff is. Roger says he left him in the cemetery. Vicki says she wants to see him. She says she must go to him.

Eve goes to Jeff's apartment looking for him. The door opens, but no one enters. She calls to Jeff saying she'll make it all right when Adam enters. She tells him not to touch her. Adam realizes this is who she has been cheating on him with. He asks her if she lied to him yesterday about loving him, and she admits that she did. She says she has always hated him, and can't stand him. Adam asks why she hates him. She calls him ugly, scarred, and pasted together. Adam grabs her and they struggle in the darkness of Jeff's apartment. She screams, and Adam stands up over her lifeless body.

Jeff returns home, seemingly back to normal. He takes a suitcase out and begins to pack. There's a knock at his door, and Vicki calls to him. He reluctantly lets her in. She asks him where he's going, and sees classified ads for New York. She asks what he's going to do, and he asks if she wants to track the ghost who breathes? He points out that he was always Peter Bradford to her anyway. He says he won't accept it, but realizes he has no choice. She says he also doesn't have a choice about her. He says he never wants to see her again, and she refuses to accept that. She says they can still get married tonight. He tells her not to make the impossible seem possible. He asks her how long he has before he has to go back to the grave. She says she doesn't care. He says he might leave with no warning. He tells her that he's not real. He tells her to go back to Collinwood.

He opens a closet door and closes it, disturbed by what he saw. Vicki opens the door and sees Eve's body lying on the floor, dead.

Our thoughts

John: It's always fun to see folks knock over tombstones as they run around the cemetery! Jeff was not the first nor do I expect he will be the last.

Christine: I couldn't understand why he was opening the coffin back up again. Just to make sure it was still empty? Or for the dramatic effect of slamming the lid down and running away willy-nilly?

John: Why does Jeff have brand new, unused shirts in his drawers? To make packing easier? I think the writers have worked themselves into a box with Jeff/Peter. With the realization of who he might truly be, why would that change his feelings about Vicki, or wanting to be with her. Particularly since he is now the man she always wanted to be with!

Christine: Yeah, what happened to the guy who was so determined to find Vicki that he traveled through time and death to reach her? Now he's upset about it. Right. Incidentally, I think the brand new shirts are a bachelor's trick. When you don't have any clean shirts, you just open up a new package.

John: I'm not going to miss Eve. But this should make for some interesting drama between Nicholas, Adam and Angelique. Not to mention Vicki and Jeff, who should have to notify the authorities about  her body.

Christine: I was kind of hoping Adam would stick around to finish off Jeff too, though I suspect he left Eve's body in his closet so the murder could be pinned on him. I thought it was funny that Roger actually reached out and touched Jeff Clark's arm in the cemetery. What a touching moment.

"Touch me, Mr. Collins. Touch me."