Showing posts with label Nicholas Blair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicholas Blair. Show all posts

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Dark Shadows Episode 979 3/26/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!


Blair realizes that if he had all of his powers, there would be no Angelique to taunt him. Jeb arrives at Blair's house with the shadow cut-out. Blair says he hoped they would not meet again. Jeb tells him that they must talk—perhaps for the last time. Jeb says he knows he was wrong to do what he did. Blair tells him that he could have had the world. He asks why Jeb came to see him. Jeb asks for his help with the shadow. Blair says he trusted Jeb once, and it was a mistake.


Jeb says he must have some use for him, and Blair says they might recoup something to his advantage. Blair asks if he will do anything he says, and Jeb asks if the shadow will disappear. Blair says they must move the shadow to someone else, but he has someone in mind. They drink a toast, and Blair asks if he has the paper cut-out, because they have to use it on Angelique. He uses his cigarette case to hypnotize Jeb.


Blair tells Jeb that he underestimated him. He asks if he really thought he would give him a second chance. He says he's not the kind of man who forgives. Jeb places the shadow on Blair's heart and runs out. The shadow attacks Blair as Sky rushes in. Blair is on the ground, wide-eyed and mouth agape.





Roger tells Carolyn that she's changed since she got married, and he asks her what the problem is. She says it's for she and Jeb to solve.


Sky kneels by Blair's unconscious body lying on the couch. Jeb returns and Sky asks him if he had to see that Blair was dead. Sky tells him that he is, but Jeb won't get away with it. He says Blair is not a alive, but he's not human, and he'll be back. Jeb leaves. Sky watches as Blair's astral form leaves his body. It tells Sky that he is all alone now, but he will help him. He says he must revenge him, and Jeb must die. Sky tells Blair he'll do whatever he wants. Blair whispers that he still has some powers, and he will use them.


Jeb makes his way back to Collinwood, wondering if Angelique tricked him. Jeb enters the house and looks around for the shadow. He goes into the drawing room and turns on the light. He calls to Carolyn, and she comes running. He tells her that it's all over, and she hugs him. He says they're free of it. She asks what happened. He says he had to turn the shadow on Blair. She asks if he's dead, and he says he had to. He tells her that it's over now. He says they must leave, and she asks to where. She asks why Blair hated him, and he says there's no point in discussing it. She says they ran away once before, and he tells her that it's different this time. He tells her to go pack her clothes, and they'll leave tomorrow morning. He sends her upstairs to tell her mother.


He sits down and hears Blair's voice tell him that he'll never leave; that the dead will not let him. David comes in and asks Jeb why he's alone. Jeb says he's going to the carriage house. He tells David that he and Carolyn are going on a trip tonight.


Roger returns to the room in the East Wing. He opens the door and sees David talking to the portrait of Angelique. The boy says his name is Daniel, and he asks the portrait when she's coming back. Carolyn comes in and says if she were Quentin, she would lock the room up. He says she's coming back with Quentin, and Carolyn tells him that he'll have a new mother now. He denies that he will. Carolyn closes the door on Roger as he calls to her. He opens the door again and it is once again empty. He realizes that Daniel is the son of Angelique and Quentin. He wonders when they will know what this all means.



David plays solitaire, and Carolyn tells him that he must have heard Jeb wrong, and that they're not planning to leave tonight. David asks her if she's staying away forever, and she says no. He says when he grows up, he's leaving—going where the action is. Roger comes in and tells him to go upstairs to bed. As they go up, Roger tells Carolyn that she can come see him in his room.


Carolyn is asleep in a chair in the drawing room. As she sleeps, she hears a voice calling her name. It tells her that it will end at Widow's Hill. The voice asks her if she'd like to see how it will happen, and she sees Jeb atop Widow's Hill. Sky approaches him, accusing him of killing Blair. Sky attacks him and the wrestle to the edge of Widow's Hill, where Sky throws him over the cliff. Carolyn wakes and gets up. David comes downstairs and asks her where she's going. She runs out saying that she's going to Widow's Hill—the back way. Jeb arrives and asks David where Carolyn is. He tells Jeb that she's gone to Widow's Hill.


Carolyn goes to Widow's Hill looking for Jeb. She instead finds Sky. He tells her that Nicholas didn't want her to see her own death. He grabs her and tells her there's no escape.


Our thoughts

John: Do you think we've seen the last of the dancing dark shadows? It's interesting to note that in killing Blair, the dancing shadow managed to do so whilst basically squeezing out his astral body, like toothpaste out of a tube.


Christine: I just don't understand why it attacked Blair immediately when it's been doing the cha-cha around Jeb for weeks.

John: I heard a little Burnt Offerings in today's score. Once again, Roger takes a break from the main storyline to check in on parallel time. To add to the confusion, David is Daniel in parallel time. I was fine with him being the offspring of Quentin and Angelique, but they at least could have kept his name the same. We also wonder when we'll know what it all means, Roger. Of course we can also wonder what Roger means when he tells David that all the action will be in his bedroom.

Christine: I may have snickered a little over that piece of dialogue. Since Daniel is the offspring of two different parents, it would be an odd coincidence for him to have the same name as his parallel counterpart, just as it is strange for him to have the same appearance, but I guess parallel time works in strange and unexpected ways.

John: I hope we'll get another Philip-over-the-cliff with Sky tomorrow. Of course, there's a good chance he won't screw up, and he'll at least take Jeb with him. That would be appropriate, and provide one more widow for the cliff's namesake.

Christine: Sky turned on Blair in Episode 974, but now he's back to being a staunch Nicholas Blair supporter. I guess with Bruno out of the way, he was happy to be back to being Blair's number one man. Nice psychedelic dream sequence today.


Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Dark Shadows Episode 978 3/25/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Sabrina returns to the cottage. Chris tells her that he was worried. She collapses into a chair and he notices two bloody puncture wounds on her neck. Chris asks her what happened, and offers to get her a doctor. Sabrina tells him that Julia will know what to do. He calls Collinwood and Quentin says she's in town. Chris tells him that something happened to Sabrina, and Quentin tells him that he'll be right down.


Barnabas feels bad about having bitten Sabrina, and decides not to leave the house again until his insane urge ends. He doesn't see Jeb in a chair. When he goes to light a candle, Jeb asks him not to, and points to the shadow on the wall, saying that it will kill him. Barnabas asked who did it, and Jeb explains that it was Angelique.



Blair tells Angelique that she looks charming in black. She asks him if he's in mourning, about Bruno, Megan and Philip. She asks if his master will be disappointed that his plan has collapsed. He assures her that as long as he has a loyal servant, her husband, his plan hasn't collapsed. He tells her that he never even thanked her for her help with Jeb. He says the shadow was a stroke of genius. He says she always knows the perfect revenge. She says that he follows patterns, too. She asks if he'll be recommitted to the underworld. He says that at least now that she's human, she can't go to his master to tell him that he has failed. She assures him that she has her powers, and he says she's right back where she was 200 years ago—loving Barnabas Collins. He assures her that he is not finished yet.


Chris shows Quentin the marks on Sabrina's neck. Chris realizes that Quentin knows what happened to her. Quentin asks how he would know, and Chris says he changed when he mentioned the marks. Quentin asks if Sabrina told him anything. He tells him to wait with her, and as long as he's with her, whatever happened won't happen again.


Jeb tries to convince Barnabas that he loves Carolyn, and asks him to go to Angelique. He tells Jeb that she doesn't grant favors. Quentin arrives to see Barnabas. Barnabas tells Jeb to leave them, and that he'll see Angelique tonight.


He tells Quentin that Angelique has put a curse on Jeb. Quentin tells him that he saw Sabrina. Barnabas says he hates himself, but she came to him and he couldn't stop himself. Quentin asks him to promise him, and Barnabas explains that Julia's injections have failed. He says if he had a gun and silver bullets, he'd ask him to kill him now. Quentin says that he can't just kill Sabrina. He adds that he understands what it's like to be under the power of some force. Barnabas agrees that he must stop, and asks Quentin to stay with him. He says that they must see Angelique, for Carolyn's sake. He says if Quentin stays, it will be less likely that he and Angelique quarrel. He calls to her, asking her to come to him.


Chris goes to call another doctor, and Sabrina tells him not to, saying that Julia is a friend. Chris asks her again what happened to her tonight.


Angelique is pleased that Barnabas is asking for help on Carolyn's behalf, and not his own. She asks why Carolyn should have love. He says that Jeb is not responsible for Sky, and that Blair is. She agrees to meet Jeb, and tells them to bring him to her.


Barnabas takes Quentin to the East Wing. Quentin opens the door and sees the room in parallel time. He see's his photo with David. He tries to enter the room, but is unable. Barnabas tells him to watch and wait. They see Jeb enter the room and look around. He finds an address book and begins to read it. Chris comes in and refers to him as a doctor, asking if he's looking for something. He says he found her address book. He says that before she died, she gave him the name of a chemist in Boston. Chris accuses him of lying. He says no one is to take anything from the room without Julia's permission Jeb gives him back the book and leaves. Chris closes the door. Quentin asks Barnabas what's going on. Barnabas opens the door again on an empty room. Quentin finds it incredible. Barnabas explains that he has just witnessed parallel time.


Angelique meets Jeb in the dark, by the fireplace. She says that Barnabas told her he was in love. He asks her to take the shadow off him, and she says it must kill. She says that she can't take it off him, but he can. She says she must place the paper cut-out on the heart of another. She says she has an enemy—Nicholas Blair—and he knows all about the shadow. He asks her what he needs to do.


Chris tells Sabrina he's going to the hospital to get Julia, and tells her not to let anyone in.

Sabrina comes to see Barnabas. He tells her to leave. She says he needs her, and he begs her to leave him. She tells him that he wants her, and he can't help but bite her again.


Blair realizes that if he had all of his powers, there would be no Angelique to taunt him. Jeb arrives at Blair's house with the shadow cut-out. Blair says he hoped they would not meet again. Jeb tells him that they must talk—perhaps for the last time.


Our thoughts

John: I'm sorry, all Jeb has to do is grab some Elmer's Glue and attach the construction paper cut-out shadow to someone else's heart and he'll be rid of the curse? Talk about a grade school curse!

Christine: It does remind me of Flat Stanley (as well as Flat Zanti). Don't be surprised if you get a Shadow cutout in the mail one of these days. I hope we get to see Jeb chase Nicholas Blair around the house with it as he tries to play pin the Shadow on the bad man.

John: It's amusing that in order to continue to push the parallel time story forward, they take these odd, random asides that are completely separate from the other storylines that are underway. Considering what's going on with Jeb, Angelique, Blair, Barnabas and Sabrina, was today really the right time to force that whole notion on to Quentin?

Christine: Well, they had to stay busy while Angelique had the strange and intimate fireplace chat with Jeb. I noticed that Barnabas chomped down on the other side of Sabrina's neck today. I wonder if it's because she hadn't bothered to clean up his first mess. Will she vamp out with the second bite, or do you think the third time's the charm is still the rule?

John: Parallel Jeb has a very different hairstyle than Leviathan Jeb, and between that and the glasses, he immediately comes across as nerdy Jeb instead of too cool for school Jeb. 

Christine: I love that Jeb is a nerdy doctor in parallel time, however, doesn't it seem to betray his Leviathan origins? Sure, he may have made different choices in parallel time that caused him to geek out, but wouldn't he have to have the same origins in parallel time to exist there?


Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dark Shadows Episode 974 3/19/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Bruno tells Sabrina that there's nothing else to say. She replies that she'll let this speak for her, and pulls out the revolver. He asks what she thinks she's doing. She says she loves Chris, and will not let anyone harm him. She tells Bruno that she's going to kill him.


Sky comes in, startling Sabrina. Bruno takes the gun from her, and Sky grabs a hold of her. Bruno tells her that he admires her, and he's grateful for showing him how much she loves Chris. He says that if he loves her as much, he'll be very useful to them. He tells Sky to take her in the back and stay with her. Sky tells Bruno he doesn't like his attitude. Bruno assures him that Blair will back him before Sky, and he takes her into the back.


Sabrina asks Sky why they're so anxious to hurt Chris. Sky says he doesn't even know who Chris is, and she can ask Blair any questions she has when he arrives.

Blair arrives, and asks Bruno what's going on. He tells Blair that he wants him to meet a woman. Sky asks to talk to Blair, but Bruno says he has to wait.


Bruno tells Blair they have the woman in love with Chris Jennings, the werewolf. Blair tells Bruno that he may have found him a way to redeem himself. He says that he wants to get rid of Jeb. He thinks Carolyn is providing Jeb with a will to live. If anything happens to her, he will lose his will to live. He tells Bruno that they have to get to Jeb before Angelique.


Jeb is in the drawing room when there's a knock on the door. Chris asks if Sabrina is there, and Jeb says he's the only one there. Chris says that Carolyn might know. Jeb says she left with her mother. Chris leaves.


Sabrina tells Sky that his friend Blair left without talking to him. Sky leaves Sabrina alone, and finds Angelique in the next room. He asks what she's doing there. She tells him that she's been keeping a close watch on him. She tells him that he's just Blair's slave. He tells her to shut up, and get off his back. She tells him that he's become thin skinned. She tells him that Blair will do himself in, and then Sky will be all alone, at which point someone will put him out of his misery. She leaves him so he can get back to his important job guarding Sabrina.


Nicholas comes to Collinwood to see Jeb. He turns on the light, and Jeb asks if he's come to help him. Blair tells him the simplest thing for him to do is accept that he is a doomed man. Jeb says that Angelique will not destroy him, and Blair says that he hopes not, because he wants to save the privilege for himself. He turns out the light and bids Jeb goodnight.


Chris is on the phone with Quentin, telling him that he's not going anywhere until he finds Sabrina. He hangs up and there's a knock at the door. It's Sky. He tells Chris that he knows where Sabrina is, and she's in grave danger. He says she's with a man named Bruno. Sky says he's there to help Chris and Sabrina. He shows her Sabrina's compact. He says he had been guarding her for Bruno and Nicholas Blair, but he's tired of them. Chris asks how he can know if it's not a trap. Sky gives him the key to Bruno's. He says if Chris comes at midnight, he'll take care of Bruno so that Chris can rescue Sabrina.


Jeb turns on a light and watches for the dancing shadow man. It appears, he says it's even bigger, and then he turns out the light. He calls to Angelique.


Sky asks Sabrina if they treated her alright while he was gone. She says they haven't done anything. He says that if all goes well, Chris will be there to rescue her at midnight. Bruno eavesdrops outside the door. He opens the door and asks Sky to come out for a minute. Bruno asks Sky where he went earlier. Sky says he went into town to talk to a friend visiting from New York, Bruno reminds Sky that all he's got is Blair and him.


Jeb hears Angelique saying that he can't hide, no matter how hard he tries. She appears in the drawing room with him. She tells him to turn on the light, and he's reluctant. She assures him that as long as she's there, the shadow won't hurt him.


He tells her that he's changed, and he's married to Carolyn now. She says she loved Sky, and she holds him partially responsible. She says she'll deal with Blair next. Jeb asks her to think of Carolyn. She says she identifies with her, and knows how it feels to be unhappy. Angelique turns off the light, and tells him that soon the shadow will be full grown, and overtake him. She tells him that she'll be there when it does.


Chris arrives at Bruno's at midnight. He goes inside, opens a door, and finds Sky tied up in a closet. Bruno bids him a good evening, and tells him that he and Sabrina have been waiting for him. He turns to find Bruno pointing a gun at him.




Our thoughts

John: I enjoyed how Bruno and Sky were both vying for Blair's attention. If Sky had put half that effort into his marriage, he and Angelique would probably be living happily ever after.

Christine: Angelique should be happy that Nicholas helped to expose Sky for the worthless jerk he really is, rather than holding him accountable. Why isn't she doing more to make Sky suffer, as is her typical fashion with men she loves who have wronged her? It wouldn't seem to be satisfying enough for her to simply allow him to self destruct.

John: Didn't it seem too abrupt for Sky to decide to turn on Blair and Bruno? He was so invested in the Leviathans, he was prepared to kill his trophy wife! I look forward to their reunion, although I think the odds of them both walking away from that alive are pretty slim.

Christine: His quick turnaround had me initially thinking he was working with Bruno to lure Chris over there to trap him, just as Chris thought. Perhaps it stung when Angelique called him a lackey, and his feelings were hurt by being treated so dismissively after seemingly being held in high regard by Nicholas.

John: It's particularly apparent when going up against the likes of Blair and Bruno, but Geoffrey Scott (Sky Rumson) was not the most talented actor to appear on the show. When he was just Angelique's jet-setting husband, his aloofness seemed somehow appropriate. But somehow when he's going toe to toe with these other guys, he leaves a bit to be desired.

Christine: Still, you have to appreciate the way he peppers his dialogue with 'man' and 'baby'. It's pretty rare to hear characters use the parlance of the time.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Dark Shadows Episode 966 3/9/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Blair tells Jeb to place the box on the altar, and to take his place beside Carolyn. Blair begins his incantation while Jeb holds Carolyn's hand. Blair tells Jeb to take the scepter and begin the vows.


Jeb takes the scepter from Blair, and then calls out to Barnabas. Barnabas appears and grabs Carolyn and runs off with her. Jeb takes the scepter and smashes the Leviathan box. Blair screams at him, and he and Jeb run away from the altar, which begins to crumble. Jeb clutches his abdomen and falls to the ground, writhing in agony. Blair says the Leviathan cause is dead now thanks to Jeb. Jeb gets up, seemingly fine. Blair tells him that he destroyed his Leviathan form, and his body is just a shell. He says his body should have died, too. Blair asks him how long he thinks his will power can keep his body alive.


Bruno is at the carriage house carving an apple while sitting next to a zombie. He gets up and goes into Jeb's room, where a fire is burning. He tells the zombie to go get a hose, but it devolves into a skeleton. Bruno wonders what's happening, and runs out to find Blair.




Elizabeth comes downstairs as Barnabas brings Carolyn in. He tells her that she is in a trance, and they help her upstairs.


Bruno finds another skeleton in the woods. Blair comes across him and Bruno says that all of their dead have turned into skeletons. Blair tells Bruno that Jeb has destroyed everything.


Barnabas tells Elizabeth that they have been committed to a cause that was false and destructive. She says she doesn't know what he's talking about. He tells her that he's referring to the Leviathans, and she says she doesn't know what he's talking about. Barnabas realizes that what Jeb did released everyone from their spell. Elizabeth asks for an explanation. He says he'll explain everything later, but for now, all that matters is that Carolyn is safe. Carolyn begins to wake, muttering Jeb's name.


Jeb is outside Collinwood, calling to Carolyn and saying that she's the only one who can save him.

Carolyn wakes and asks how she got home. Barnabas tells her that he found her alone in the woods. She gets out of bed and says that she was alone in the carriage house, waiting for Jeb. She says Nicholas Blair arrived. Barnabas tells her that Blair hypnotized her. Barnabas says he'll be back, and leaves. Carolyn goes to call Jeb at the carriage house.


Jeb enters Collinwood, and seeing Barnabas at the top of the stairs, hides in the shadows. After Barnabas leaves, he sneaks upstairs.

Carolyn says there's no answer. Jeb knocks on Carolyn's door and Elizabeth answers it. She asks who let him in, and tells him to let himself out. Jeb says she remembers who he is, but not anything else. Carolyn asks her mother to let him in, and she leaves them alone together.


Jeb tells her he doesn't have much time. He says he has to go away, and he wants her to come with him. She says she wants to be with him, but she doesn't understand why they need to go away. He says if she loves him, she can run away with him. He asks for an answer, and she tells him that if she can't get him to stay with her, then she'll go away with him. They kiss.


Blair sits, looking into the fireplace. Bruno says the room was completely in flames. Blair tells him that it was no ordinary fire. With one blow, Jeb destroyed everything. Bruno asks what will happen to Jeb. Blair says he should have been destroyed. He thinks he's staying alive through sheer force of will. Bruno says he should die for what he did and Blair assures him that he will.


Carolyn writes a letter to her mother, explaining that she's going to marry Jeb and run off with him. She places it in an envelope, and then lies down on her bed. She dreams of Jeb in a suit, and her in a wedding dress. She comes down the main stairs to him. He tells her that everything is ready. She says that soon she'll be Mrs. Jeb Hawkes. They go into the drawing room, where Blair stands with a scepter. She asks why he's there, and Jeb says he's going to perform the ceremony. Blair bids her good evening, and tells her that she looks beautiful. He says they can begin, and Carolyn says they can't begin without her parents. Jeb says her mother doesn't approve and won't be there, and her father is dead. She says she doesn't believe it. Jeb tells her that they will begin the ceremony, and be together very soon.


Blair calls upon the Prince of Darkness. Carolyn is frightened by what Blair is doing. Carolyn says she's too frightened to go through with it. Something changes in the room, and Jeb and Blair look around. The drawing room doors swing open, and Carolyn says it's her father. Barnabas steps in out of the shadows and asks Jeb if he's told her who killed her father. Jeb says he doesn't know. Barnabas says that Jeb killed Paul, and demands that he admits it. Carolyn looks at Jeb and realizes that it's true. She tells Jeb to stay away from her. He grabs her throat.


Carolyn wakes up screaming, clutching her own throat. She gets out of bed and leaves her room.

Carolyn finds Jeb in the carriage house. She tells him that she has changed her mind, and can't go with him. He asks why. She says it's hard to explain, and he tells her to try. He gets angry, and when he grabs her shoulders, she starts screaming.


Our thoughts

John: So the Leviathan threat is gone... Of course it's convenient that Elizabeth (and by extension, Amy and David) have completely forgotten about it, while Bruno, Blair and Barnabas all remain keenly aware of what has happened. You could argue that Blair makes sense, since he seemingly orchestrated the whole thing, but you would expect that anyone brainwashed into becoming a Leviathan would have forgotten about it completely.

Christine: Don't overthink it, let's just be glad the Leviathan threat has passed and that we survived it! You should at least be pleased to have both resident skeletons appear in one episode, with both the wonky and wide-eyed skeletons standing in for zombies. Funny how there were remnants of clothes on the skeleton in the forest but not on Thomas Findley's skeleton at the carriage house. Nice make up on Thomas Findley's bulging eye today, making it look more disgusting than ever for his last appearance.




John: I didn't like the idea of Carolyn ending up with a newly rehabilitated Jeb, so I'm glad that he may have to pay the ultimate price for sliming Paul Stoddard to death. I did find it odd that the writers decided not to pay off on Jeb's painful collapse after the destruction of the altar. Maybe it was just something he ate.

Christine: Don't count on Carolyn to suddenly wise up when it comes to Jeb. If she wouldn't believe Quentin when he told her Jeb killed her father, then why would she believe dream Barnabas? She just can't seem to resist his slimeball charm. With all the screaming going on at the end of the episode, I almost didn't notice the "Property of ABC-TV" showing on the edge of the set.


John: Darn! I was really hoping that we'd get a Paul Stoddard cameo at the dream wedding ceremony. I imagine that it's possible we'll get one last Dennis Patrick cameo, but if not, at least the last glimpse we got was the memorable creepy smile in his coffin...

Christine: I was also hoping for Paul Stoddard to show up in the dream, and it was cruel that they set it up for us to expect it. While it was disappointing that Dennis Patrick didn't get to make his last appearance in person, that smiling still was slightly better than the way he went out the first time, when we only got to see his feet, though he was kind of smiling right before that when Barnabas choked him.

Episode 953

Episode 276

Episode 276