Dark Shadows Episode 938 1/28/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Julia tells Barnabas that she has to talk to him. He tries to avoid her, but she tells him she opened Michael's grave and found an empty coffin. She asks if that means anything to him, and he says it means nothing. She says she pronounced him dead two weeks ago, but it was clearly faked. She says she doesn't know how, but she knows why, and demands that he tell her everything. He agrees to tell her the whole story, and asks her to come with him to the old house.

Barnabas starts with the fire at Tate's studio. He says he went looking for Quentin's portrait, and found Petofi's glasses, and thought he might be dead. Tate showed up and blamed him for destroying his studio. He tells Barnabas to leave or he will kill him. Barnabas says he's there to find out if Petofi died in the fire. Barnabas asks if he thinks the fire also consumed Blackwood. Tate says he doesn't know, and he says he doesn't care. Barnabas asks him about the portrait of Quentin, and asks if it was there. Tate tells him that he did steal the portrait of Quentin, and now it won't do him any good because it was there. Barnabas realizes that the curse will return to Quentin.

Barnabas tells Julia that Tate agreed to paint another portrait of Quentin that night, but he lied. Julia says that she was with Tate when he died a few nights ago, a victim of Chris Jennings as the werewolf. She adds that Quentin's portrait hadn't burned in the fire. She has it. She tells him she got it from Angelique. She adds that Angelique is happily married and has given up her powers. Barnabas continues his tale, saying Kitty went to the old house to plead with the portrait of Josette to release her from its spell. He found her, and they agreed to marry that night.

In the old house Kitty thinks about how long she has known Barnabas, and wonders what's taking him so long. She decides that she must find something more suitable to wear, and she finds one of Josette's dresses. She realizes that the dress will make her Josette forever, and she casts it aside.

Barnabas hears Josette calling for him, and rushes back to the old house.

Kitty is wearing the wedding dress, and is slowly pulled into the portrait of Josette. Barnabas reaches for her as she was almost gone. He tells Julia that the power of the portrait was too great. He grabbed on to her, and followed her to wherever fate would lead them. He then realized he was being taken back to an earlier time, when Josette was to die on Widow's Hill. He says he got to the hill in time and saved her. They arranged to leave that night.

Barnabas found himself lost in the woods, where he stumbles across an altar that hadn't been there previously.

He tells Julia that is when he met Oberon of the Leviathans. He says a second figure closed in on him and subdued him. He awoke later, and Oberon explained to him what had happened.

Barnabas wakes, and Oberon says that since he has mastered travel through time, he will allow the Leviathans to live again. He says they are almost extinct, but there will be a resurgence when a new leader marries a human and brings forth a new breed. He tells Barnabas that he will not see Josette again until he helps them. He must take their seed to the future and nurture it. He says that if Barnabas disobeys, Josette will die, he will never see her again, and he will be forced to live as a creature of the night.

Oberon tells him that Josette is safe as long as he serves them. He gives Barnabas the Leviathan box, and tells him he will follow the rules of the great book. He will guide and teach the child, and preside over the wedding ceremony. He says he must never question or doubt him. Barnabas agrees. Oberon reminds him that there is a terrible penalty for disobedience, and while he will forget what that is, he will regret the day they remind him.

Barnabas tells Julia that they then treated him as there leader. Julia asks about the box he brought back, that sounded like someone was breathing. Barnabas says it took form when the Todd's opened the box. Julia realizes the baby in the antique shop originated in the Leviathan box, and the different names were only to explain the rapid growth. She realizes it's upstairs in the antique shop. Julia asked about its form—the form that killed Paul Stoddard and the Sheriff. Barnabas says it's hideous. He says it's currently in the form of Jeb, and it has resisted his control.

Julia asks if they could have lied to him about Josette. He says yes, but he defied them once before, when they wanted him to kill Julia. They made him a vampire for one night. She mentions that she's still alive, and he says he found that killing is forbidden in their book. He says they can control people through dreams, but they weren't able to control Julia, but they do have David, Amy and Elizabeth. Barnabas says Carolyn is in danger, as the Leviathans granted Paul wealth and power 20 years ago in exchange for his most valuable possession–Carolyn. To recreate the Leviathan race, there is to be a ceremonial marriage between Jeb and Carolyn. Carolyn would be transformed into a creature like Jeb. Julia says they can't let it happen, but Barnabas says he doesn't know how to stop it. He says Jeb has plans to destroy her and Maggie and Amy. Barnabas says that Jeb can create an army of the dead.

At Sheriff Davenport's grave, the earth trembles and a hand breaks free, clutching at the sky.

Our thoughts

John: Holy exposition, Batman! How long have we waited for all the info Barnabas lays out for Julia in one sitting! Nice to finally have some loose ends tied up. Was I asleep at the wheel when they announced Barnabas was only a part-time vampire? We almost need a vampire tracking symbol to keep tabs on whether he's human or the undead.

Christine: It might have been nice if Oberon had explained the Leviathan plan a little more clearly back in Episode 886, which could have saved us all a lot of confusion. Barnabas is not a part time vampire, but if you refer to Episode 915, you'll remember that Adlar the Leviathan showed up in a dream after Barnabas refused to kill Julia, to remind him what it was like to be a vampire, informing him that it would become permanent if he continued to disobey.

John: Interesting that they left the possible return of Petofi up in the air... Do you think the Leviathans actually have Josette stashed away somewhere? Not that I see any potential for a happy ending there.

Christine: We saw Josette collapse and appear to die after taking poison in Episode 886. There is a possibility the Leviathans resurrected her and took her to an underground lair, though I don't see why they would bother when they could just tell Barnabas they had her, and that, in addition to the vampire threat, was enough to keep him in check.

John: Zombie action! Does the return of Sheriff Davenport also signal a possible return of Paul Stoddard! Let's hope so!

Christine: It was about time we got around to the zombie genre! You may be interested to know that the zombie hand is credited to George DiCenzo, who you may remember from Back to the Future, as well as numerous TV appearances. This is where he got his start. Incidentally, I had to laugh at Sheriff Davenport's gravestone. Did nobody know the poor guy's first name, or did his name inspire his occupation?

Dark Shadows Episode 884 - 11/13/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Barnabas examines the burnt remains of Tate's studio. He finds a watch that belonged to Petofi and Blackwood's chain. He then finds Petofi's glasses outside, and when he stands up, a hand clutches his shoulder. It's Tate.

He blames Barnabas for destroying his studio and his work. Barnabas apologizes, but says he can't go until he knows Petofi is truly gone. Barnabas asks him if the portrait of Quentin was there. Tate admits to having stolen it, and says it was in the studio. Barnabas realizes what that means for Quentin, and tells Tate he must paint another portrait of Quentin. Tate says Quentin isn't his favorite person, but he asks if 10pm that night works for Barnabas.

Trask is down to his last candle. He recalls putting students in a dark room where they would be afraid. He screams to be let out.

The phone rings, and it's Judith. He tells her that murder is evil, and she tells him that he shouldn't have killed Minerva. He says he didn't kill anyone. He tells her he's cold and hungry, and he doesn't deserve this.

She tells him to check behind the drapes, and bids him goodbye. He checks behind the drapes and finds the portrait of Amanda, which he proceeds to smash.

Quentin finds Amanda in New York and he says they can't be together until he finds a portrait. She thinks he's making an excuse not to stay with her. He says he will hurt her more if he stays.

Kitty brings her bags downstairs, when Judith finds her in the foyer. She tells her she's leaving Collinwood forever. She explains that she hasn't told Edward, and she doesn't plan to. She says she's suffering from a condition and he's better off without her. She takes off her ring and gives it to Judith.

Judith goes to the carriage house to arrange for someone to take her to the station. Kitty tells the portrait of Barnabas that she's leaving, and begins to hear the music box play.

Judith writes a letter to Tim, telling him her plan is coming along. She says she wants him to remove the bricks and panel the anteroom so it it sealed off forever.

Kitty is in the old house, where she tells the portrait of Josette that she's leaving. She says she has to forget Josette. The music box plays again. The portrait of Josette speaks to her, telling her that she must forget Kitty. Barnabas comes in and tells her not to run away. He says he wouldn't do anything to harm her. Kitty says he has to let her go. Barnabas asks her to marry him. She says she understands what she must do, and agrees to marry him. Barnabas says he'll arrange it for this evening.

Trask watches his last candle burn out. He asks Minerva to come to him. The phone rings again, and Judith asks if he misses her. She tells him there's something in the top right drawer of the desk.  He checks the desk drawer and finds a gun,

Judith sees Kitty's luggage is still in the foyer, yet there's no sign of Kitty. Barnabas arrives and tells Judith that he knows where Kitty is, and she has agreed to marry him. He says that after the ceremony, he'll come to tell Edward, and then they will leave Collinwood

Kitty continues to be conflicted.

Barnabas returns to Tate's studio, and finds a note. It says it was time for Tate to move on.

Judith calls Trask but there's no answer. It appears that he shot himself.

Kitty opens a trunk and finds Josette's wedding dress. She says she can't put it on because she'll become Josette forever.

Barnabas works his way through the woods when he hears the voice of Kitty telling him to hurry.

Kitty is now wearing Josette's wedding dress, and slowly being pulled into her portrait. Barnabas arrives just in time to reach for her hand before she is completely absorbed into the painting.

Our thoughts

John: So did the fire actually claim any victims (other than Tate's belongings). I'm willing to accept that Blackwood might have disappeared without a trace, but there would definitely be bits of Petofi left had he died in the fire.

Christine: All other loose ends seem to be getting tied up, so why would they leave us hanging on this one? Could it mean we'll encounter Andreas Petofi when we return to present day Collinwood?

John: After the whole trip to NY, Quentin meets up with Amanda just in time to let her know that he won't be staying with her. Were the writers honestly not thinking about where they were taking the story?

Christine: It seems like the writers just found out that our time in 1897 is coming to a close, and they needed to wrap things up quickly.

John: In a mere matter of minutes, Kitty goes from turning down Edward's marriage proposal (without even telling him) to accepting Barnabas's. Something tells me it won't be a match made in Heaven.

Christine: That really didn't make any sense at all, since Kitty was definitely not into Barnabas. It looks to me like he'll have to marry the portrait. The best part of this episode was Judith tormenting the whimpering Trask, and seeing him end up in the chair where David and Amy will later find what they believe to be Quentin's skeleton in Episode 645. Of course, it doesn't explain why the skeleton is wearing a vest, rather than Trask's black robes when they discover him, or why Quentin's ghost was tormenting them in the first place. Perhaps it will all be revealed when we return to 1969.

Dark Shadows Episode 874 - 10/30/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

(For the duration of the Petofi/Quentin mind-swap, Count Petofi occupying Quentin as played by David Selby will be referred to as Petofi-Q, and Quentin in Petofi's body as played by Thayer David will be referred to as Count Quentin).

Petofi-Q reminds Barnabas that he has the powers of his hand. He threatens to use it on Barnabas unless he tells him where the portrait of Quentin is.

Kitty asks Count Quentin for help. She says she knows his hand has powers. He used it to make her husband say things she had never known. She begs him to help her. She offers her jewelry, and refuses to leave without his help.

Petofi-Q tells Barnabas his time is up. Barnabas says he doesn't know where the portrait is. Petofi-Q raises his hand and first threatens death, and then decides to revert Barnabas to his vampire curse. He puts his hand to Barnabas' head, but nothing happens. Barnabas asks him what happened to his power.

Count Quentin asks for Kitty to be able to see who she really is, and touches her face with his withered hand. She says that Barnabas is right, and she is Josette DuPres, but also Kitty Soames.

She says she first came to Collinwood in 1795 to marry Barnabas. She says she brought her servant Angelique. She wonders what she's doing there. Count Quentin says many inexplicable things are happening tonight. He tells Kitty to stay, and he leaves.

Barnabas points out how embarrassed Petofi-Q must be. Petofi-Q says it must be because Barnabas is not human. He says he will find other ways to defeat him if not with his hand. Barnabas walks out on him.

Kitty wonders how she can go back to Collinwood knowing what she knows now. She wonders how she can end it, and picks up a knife. She struggles and then puts it back down. She runs out of the Mill.

Count Quentin arrives at Collinwood to see Barnabas. He finds Charity and tells her that he must see him. She takes him into the drawing room and says that she knows that he's Quentin. She hugs him, and says she's going to tell everyone. He tells her not to, saying that something has happened and he needs to talk to Barnabas first. Barnabas enters, and Count Quentin asks her to excuse them. Barnabas says Petofi has lost the portrait and the power of his hand. Count Quentin says he has the power. He starts to tell Barnabas how Kitty came to the Mill looking for help.

In the old house, Kitty goes to Josette's room.

Barnabas says he must go to find Kitty. He tells Count Quentin to hide at the rectory.

Beth asks Petofi-Q what's wrong. He once again blames her for bringing him back from the future, and tells her to get out of his room. He wonders if the trip through time caused him to lose his power. He decides to try the hand again on Charity, who he used it to possess her with Pansy.

Charity tells Petofi-Q that she'll scream as he drags her into his room. He says he's going to do them both a favor. He tells her to look at his hand. She does, and says she knows that he has evil in his hand. He calls her Charity, and says she will forget the memories of Pansy Faye. He touches her cheek.

Kitty hears someone calling her. It's Josette, telling her not to despair, and not to fight. She says she means her no harm, and asks her to let her live through her.

Petofi-Q tells Charity she can leave, and she asks, in Pansy's voice, what he's trying to do to her. He says it cannot be. He rushes out of the room.

Beth comes in and asks where he went. Charity says he's in the wrong body. She says she thinks she's got Quentin, but it's Count Petofi in his body. Beth doesn't believe her. She admits that he has done some strange things recently.

Barnabas finds Kitty at the old house. He tells her not to be afraid. He promises that she will become happy if she becomes Josette. She says something terrible would happen. She says he didn't fall in love with a portrait, and he admits that he fell in love with a woman. She points out that was 100 years ago. Kitty bounces back and forth between herself and Josette. She screams that she can't bear it. He says that he won't let her go. He holds her, and they kiss.

At the Mill, Petofi-Q wonders where Quentin is, and if the power has gone to his hand or simply disappeared. Beth finds him and tells him there's nothing to worry about Count Petofi any more. She says the gypsies are about to catch up with him again. Petofi-Q asks who told her that. She says they arrived at Collinwood, and he says he has to leave. She asks if he's afraid, and Petofi-Q denies that he is. He tells her to look at him but she refuses. He asks if something is making her feel different towards him. He says he'll see her back at Collinwood, and leaves. She realizes that he is Petofi.

Our thoughts

John: I was really hoping that Barnabas would have had more fun with Petofi-Q once it was clear that he no longer wielded the power of the hand. But we all know Barnabas. When there's a version of Josette around, nothing else matters...

Christine: I was hoping Count Quentin would try out his newfound power on his nemesis, but I guess he doesn't want to risk damaging his own pretty face. Lady Hampshire is going to get some sort of psychic whiplash the way she careens back and forth between Kitty and Josette.

John: I love when Charity describes looking into Count Quentin's eyes... while he's wearing glasses  so dark that you can't see them!

Christine: I was sort of hoping there'd be a little juice left in Petofi-Q's hand to bring Charity back, but I suppose I'd miss Pansy Faye if that happened, especially now that she's working to serve justice to Trask and Petofi.

John: Petofi's plan has all but unraveled. But it won't be satisfying if he remains stuck in his own time while in his own body... if the gypsies don't get a chance to exact their revenge, I'll be disappointed.

Christine: I assumed the story about the gypsies was concocted by Pansity as a way for Beth to find out that Petofi is occupying Quentin's body, though I imagine the gypsies will catch up to Petofi some time soon.