Dark Shadows Episode 953 2/18/70

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Jeb says he doesn't need the room. He says he's in a different form, and he plans to remain in this form. She says he's what's in the room, and Jeb is only what the world sees. He says the world seems to like it fine, and gritting her teeth, Megan says that Carolyn does. She says that if he wants Carolyn, it must be in the way that the Leviathan book demands. Jeb asks if she would be jealous otherwise. He says he's tired of her thinking of him as something she has a special hold over. He tells her that he's different, and things between them are different. He kisses her. Lightning strikes and she asks what he did. The lights go out, the doors swing open, and he says there's someone coming. He calls to them. Megan is terrified, and asks him who he angered.

A man tells Jeb he always goes too far. Jeb tells him to come in, and the man says once he sees him, Jeb will have to follow his orders. He says he has watched their blundering and ineptitudes, and he has come to save the Leviathans. He calls for light, and the light comes on. He introduces himself as Nicholas Blair. He tells Megan to leave him alone with Jeb. She leaves, and he asks Jeb to explain the crimes he has committed. He threatens to change Carolyn's feelings for Jeb.

Carolyn shuts off the lights in the drawing room when she hears someone at the front door. Megan comes in and Carolyn asks her if she feels a presence in the room. Megan tells her that she's just exhausted. Carolyn says she's afraid to go to sleep, or she'll have the dream again of Jeb with blood on his hands. She says each time it goes one step further. She tells Megan she's going to bed.

Jeb says he did what he had to do. Blair says the state will hang Philip, sacrificing one of them. He says every one of Jeb's moves has been unwise, and the most unwise was making Barnabas a vampire. He says that now he's totally useless to them. Jeb says he'll take care of him, and Blair tells him that they must destroy Barnabas. Blair then asks about Jeb's wanting to remain human. He says for a Leviathan, that is his greatest sin. He demands that Jeb give him the box. He says that the resurrection of the Leviathans was his idea. He tells him that if he doesn't give him the box, the next time Carolyn sees him, she will see him as he truly is.

He takes the box into the next room and says that he will consecrate the room so that Jeb can change into who he really is. Jeb agrees. He tells him to wait, and once he's in the room, Jeb rushes to the front door. He opens it to find Blair standing outside. He tells Jeb that he can anticipate his every move. He tells Jeb that his room is now ready for him. Jeb doesn't want to change. Blair tells him that his last endeavor on earth was in Collinwood, and he does not want to fail again. Blair tells Jeb that he can't kill him. Jeb says he may not be able to kill him, but he'll make Blair regret it. Jeb reluctantly returns to his room.

Blair calls Bruno in. Bruno listens at Jeb's door, and says he doesn't hear breathing. Blair says he's sulking. Bruno asks if Jeb knows that it was he who told Blair where he was. They hear breathing behind the door, and Blair tells Bruno that all is well.

Carolyn tosses and turns in bed, and dreams of Jeb with blood on his hands. He laughs. A door swings open and she sees a dead body.

He closes the door. She asks whose body it was, and he tells her that there was no one there. Blood seeps in from under the door and Carolyn screams. He tells her that she saw nothing. She looks around and sees that Jeb is gone.

She opens the door and steps inside. She's in darkness. She finds herself in the cemetery. She approaches a coffin, but can't bring herself to open it. It opens on its own, and she sees that it's empty. She looks to see whose grave it is, and screams when she sees her father's name on the tombstone. Carolyn wakes with a start.

Blair tells Bruno that he disagrees with the sacrifice of Philip, but someone did need to take resposibility for the murders. He says Bruno is to assure that no other murders take place while Philip is in jail. Bruno asks Blair why Collinwood. Blair says he won't tell him, but there is a most important reason. Blair leaves. Bruno hears the breathing stop, and goes into Jeb's room to check on him. The creature appears and Bruno pleads for his life. He says that didn't betray him. He says Jeb can trust him, and he runs out of the room.

Jeb appears at the door in human form and calls to him. Bruno says he was going to kill him, and Jeb says 'it' was. He says he doesn't want to transform into the thing ever again. Bruno says he wants to be like Jeb is in the room. Jeb leaves.

Carolyn calls to her father to speak to her. Jeb arrives and she tells him the dream keeps extending. She tells him that if they go to her father's grave, it will be empty. She asks if there's truth in the dream. Megan comes downstairs and gives Carolyn a sleeping pill. Jeb tells her not to worry, and kisses her. Megan turns away. Jeb whispers to Megan to meet him at Paul Stoddard's grave as soon as Carolyn is asleep.

At the cemetery, Jeb digs up Paul's grave.

Megan tells Carolyn she'll sleep alright now, and won't have any more dreams tonight.

Jeb has exhumed Paul's coffin. Megan tells him that it won't be empty. She tells him that he won't even open it. He opens the lid and sees Paul Stoddard's smiling face staring up at him. Jeb says he's gloating, and he's going to tell her. He says they have to burn it.

Our thoughts

John: WOW! That was perhaps the most terrifying reveal in the history of Dark Shadows! I'm so used to empty coffins, a smiling Paul Stoddard was the last thing I expected to see. Though I must admit that it also reminded me of this scene from Young Frankenstein...

What really sold it was that it was clearly a still shot (they obviously weren't going to bring in Dennis Patrick for an end-of-episode cameo), but that made it all the more creepy in that the smile appeared frozen on his face!

Christine: That was a great moment! So simple and yet so terrifying! He seems to be wrapped in a black shroud, giving the appearance that it's only his head that lies in the coffin, which adds to the creepy effect.

John: But the shocking surprise ending notwithstanding, we must celebrate the return of Nicholas Blair! Or is it some new evil just wearing Nicholas' skin and taking his name? I can't imagine OUR Nicholas Blair being smart enough (or let's face it—strong enough) to not only orchestrate the return of the Leviathans, but to be able to control Jeb's Leviathan creature? No, I think something much bigger must be at play here.

Christine: I imagine his boss, Diabolos, let him return in order to realize his dream to create an evil race of beings on the planet. No doubt he'll also find time to mess with Angelique's plans for romance to get back at her for tattling on him to Diabolos for falling in love with Maggie. Great to have Nicholas Blair back to stir up trouble.

John: I was almost ready to suggest that we needed to start a Carolyn dream-tracker, but the writers were kind enough to spare us to 'previously in Carolyn's dream' sequence this time out, and we were able to cut right to the bloody hands. Of course, despite Quentin having told her that Jeb killed her father, and these repeated dreams, she's still trying to make heads or tails of it all...

Christine: Maybe she'll figure it out the next time she has the dream and it ends with her dad's frozen smiling face, though he may have to hit her over the head with a sign that says, "Jeb killed me!"

Dark Shadows Episode 933 1/21/70

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Quentin picks up two candles and goes to the door. Olivia appears behind him. She reaches out to touch his shoulder, but he turns and tells her to stop. She does, and he says he nearly lost her. He asks if she was told not to touch him and she says no. He tells her that they cannot touch one another, no matter what. She doesn't understand. He tells her that he loves her, and that when it's all over, he's going to hold her tight. He hands her one of the candles.

Megan tells Philip that she called the sheriff. He asks what she found out, and before she can reply, he says, "Nothing!" He goes upstairs. After he's gone, Megan thinks that Paul might be dead, in which case they won't have to worry about him. Philip calls her upstairs.

Stokes tells Paul that he must try to tell him what happened. He assures Paul that he is safe.

Philip tells Megan the room upstairs is empty. It appears Michael broke out a window.

Quentin leads Amanda through a forest. There's a skeleton on a wall. Amanda gets caught in a huge spiderweb and can't get out. She calls Quentin for help. He sees a giant spider approaching her. He tells her to stay still. He picks up a rock and crushes the spider. He breaks her free of the web. He takes off his coat and has her hold one sleeve while he holds the other.

Philip says he's going to get Barnabas. Megan says Barnabas will try to bring him back, and he doesn't want to come back. She says he's gone to find Paul Stoddard. Philip says that will make matters worse. Megan says that they aren't smart enough to find Paul, but he can. She tells Philip that he will not contact Barnabas.

Amanda follows Quentin over some rocks. She stumbles, twisting her ankle, but is able to continue. He assures her that they haven't come all this way to lose each other.

Stokes tells Paul to describe what happened to him as if it happened to someone else. Stokes leaves the room, and Paul gets up and goes to the phone. He dials the police. Stokes interrupts him, saying that he can talk. Stokes runs into the bedroom and closes the door behind him. Stokes tells him that since he can speak, he may be able to help him. Stokes picks up the phone and calls Julia.

Quentin and Amanda arrive at a rope bridge. She tells him they can't cross it. She says it's a trap. Quentin tells her that they can make it the rest of the way. He says if the bridge can hold him, it can hold her. He starts across, and tells her that he'll take her in his arms on the other side. He crosses the bridge.

Julia arrives and Stokes says that maybe she can do something with Paul. She talks to Paul through the door. He tells them to leave her alone. She says they want to help him. He says he will only talk to the police. Julia pucks up the phone and pretends to speak to the police. They hear a racket from behind the door. Paul bursts out of the room, further disheveled.

Quentin makes it across the bridge, and beckons Amanda to do the same. She starts across, and once halfway she looks over the edge.

Stokes comes out of the room and says it's a shambles. Julia asks who else was in the room, and Stokes says there was a smell and some slime. Julia tells Stokes that Paul is dead.

Quentin tells Amanda to look ahead. She starts back the other way, and he calls her to come to him. She does, and as she reaches the edge, she falls, grabbing the top of the rope bridge.

Our thoughts

John: Awesome Skeleton sighting on my birthday! I still can't make sense of where Amanda and Quentin are supposed to be. Are they outdoors? In an underground lair? Purgatory? Perhaps the Bellboy could have come in handy after all, to answer a few of these questions.

Christine: I think they are moving into a land of both shadow and substance. Surely you must have recognized the wonky skull of the skeletal bride from Angelique's Dream Curse, who also once posed as Reverend Trask's skeleton! Now we see where your fascination with skeletons began!

John: Awesome Giant Spider sighting on my birthday! Granted, it was a low-rent Halloween decoration, but at least it looked mildly menacing when onscreen, as opposed to when its shadow appeared, looking more like something cut out of construction paper. I'm curious if the 'rules' of contact are based on skin-to-skin touching, because it sure looked to me like Quentin touched Amanda when breaking her free of the spiderweb.

Christine: It was quite the delightful moment when the spider died with a squeaky whimper and Quentin declared, "Well that takes care of him!"

John: No! Paul Stoddard died on my birthday! Now that's a real bummer. I had high hopes that he was going to play a larger role in the eventual conclusion of the Leviathans storyline. And now we have slime to add to the things left behind when the Michael/Leviathan creature is around. I wonder if Julia might finally let Stokes in on some of what has been going on in Collinwood...

Christine: It certainly is a shame that Paul Stoddard didn't get to help bring down the Leviathan clan and earn back a little respect after attempting to extort Liz, abandoning Carolyn when she was a baby, and ultimately giving her up to the Leviathans.

Dark Shadows Episode 931 1/19/70

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Paul smells something that reminds him of the room upstairs. He hears a breathing outside the door. He thinks it's his imagination, and then realizes it isn't. He thinks the creature is coming for him, and he has nowhere to escape. The noises outside the door grow louder. He picks up a chair to defend himself.

Megan watches from upstairs, smiling.

The door falls open. Paul drops the chair as the creature enters the room. He screams.

Barnabas comes in and tells it to drop him. He tells Paul not to move. The breathing is labored. Barnabas grabs Paul. He tells the creature that it will follow him from the room, and says when it is human it will never do it again. He tells it to forget Paul. He then leads it out of the room. Paul cowers in fear. Barnabas demands that it obey him.

Megan is shocked to see what Barnabas is doing. She hides.

Barnabas leads it to its room, and tells it that it is not to leave. The creature starts to disobey, but Barnabas manages to get it back into the room. He locks the door.

Paul leaves the basement.

Barnabas calls Megan. She asks what he wants. He asks if she heard nothing. She says she heard something and knew it was out, but she was too frightened to do anything. He tells her that she should never have unbolted that door. He says she is to stay there and do nothing until he has taken care of Paul.

Paul comes out of the antique shop and runs into Julia. He's speechless.

Barnabas returns to the basement to find that Paul is gone.

Stokes says Paul's clothes appear to be rotting away. He also comments on the smell. He adds that his arm hairs are singed. Julia tells him that he's in a state of shock. She says with Amy, it was the same way. She had been in the shop, and the next time she saw her at Chris' cottage she was in shock and couldn't speak.

Stokes suggests they call the police and she says they can't. Stokes asks if it's because of Barnabas. Stokes agrees to wait until Paul can speak, and asks Julia what happened with Amy. She says she thought Grant was Quentin, but she didn't have any of the other signs Paul has. Stokes says she may not have gotten as close to whatever Paul experienced.

Julia checks Paul's pulse, and says she needs to get her medical bag from Collinwood. Stokes gets a call that the painting will be complete in a few hours. Julia tells Stokes that he can't leave Paul alone. She says she'll tell Carolyn where he is, and Stokes asks if she should. He reminds her that Carolyn works in the antique shop.

In the antique shop, Megan wonders if they can trust Barnabas.

Olivia is at Collinwood when the phone rings. She answers it. It's Megan calling for Mrs. Stoddard. Olivia apologizes, and says that there's no one there. Megan leaves a message for Elizabeth to call her as soon as she returns. Julia returns, and Olivia tells her that Mr. Best has arrived in Collinsport, and she's sure that he'll come for her in a few hours. Julia tells her to stay in the hotel with Grant and do everything she can to get him to remember her. She says that Mr. Best will be coming for her. Julia says Quentin's portrait won't be ready yet.

Grant tells Olivia that she's changing. Olivia asks him who she is if not Olivia. Grant says he's the man without answers. She says that he must answer at least one. She tells him not to call her Olivia. He says he'd help her if he could. He asks her why she told him they had met before when she first brought him home. He asks where they met, because he too has a feeling they had met before. He asks her to help him.

She kisses him. She asks him if he could look at her that night and tell her that he loved her, and mean it. He asks if that's important, and she says it is. He says it would be easy to lie to her. He asks her how a man without a past knows if he's in love or not. The phone rings. Julia tells Amanda that the painting is ready, and tells her to bring Grant to see it immediately.

Stokes tries unsuccessfully to get Paul to talk.

Julia, Grant and Amanda meet at Osmond's house. They go into a room where Julia says there's a portrait of Quentin by Charles Delaware Tate. Grant asks her if it looks like him. She says she hasn't seen it. She says the professor has removed a landscape painted over it. He asks what secret they know. Julia asks him to look at the portrait. He agrees. Julia uncovers it, and upon seeing it, Amanda screams. She runs out of the room, leaving Quentin to look at it.

Our thoughts

John: No surprise that we once again didn't get a look at (or description of) the evil Leviathan. I did find it funny that the door just fell open, and outward rather than into the room.

Christine: Well, we did find out that the Leviathan kid is a stinky adolescent. The other afghan, last seen covering Michael as he faked his death, has made its way to Stokes' house to comfort Paul Stoddard in his trauma induced stupor. We can only wonder why Maggie's afghan was not employed in this instance.

John: I'm curious if the clues left behind on Paul (the stench, the rotting clothes, and the singed arm hair) will amount to anything to be developed in future episodes, of if it was just the writers being poetic. Sadly, the stench, rotting clothes, and singed arm hairs were all lost on the audience. Paul didn't really appear to be that much different physically than when he arrived at the antique shop.

Christine: I don't think those details were lost on the audience. They weren't lost on me. Some of us are still capable of using our imaginations, as was expected in the olden days.

John: So everybody place your bets... my wife thinks the portrait is of the werewolf. I'm sure it's going to be a Dorian Gray-like portrait of a 100 year-old withered corpse of Quentin...

Christine: I'm with you. If it were the werewolf, Grant would look surprised, but since he appears to be disgusted, I'm guessing it's a grotesque version of Quentin. The pertinent question is whether or not it will get him to remember his identity. Portrait watchers will note a first for the Mustache Man, appearing in two different places in one episode. He can be seen behind Stokes at his domicile, and later at Professor Osmund's place.