Dark Shadows Episode 675 - 1/24/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

A body lies in the Collinsport morgue. Carolyn is brought in to identify it, and she confirms that it is Donna. She tells the Sheriff that Donna left with Chris.

Carolyn tells the Sheriff that it could have been the same animal that attacked her. Carolyn explains that Donna had never been to Collinsport before, and she didn't know anyone but her. The Sheriff asks who Chris is, and she explains it's Chris Jennings, who offered to drive her to Bangor.

The phone is off the hook at the cottage, with it still a mess from the night before. Chris returns, his shirt bloody, and closes the blinds. He doesn't remember what happened. He straightens up the place and changes into a clean shirt.

He finds Donna's purse on the ground. He puts it on the table and there's a knock at the door. It's Carolyn. She tells him that Donna is dead, and asks him what happened. There's another knock on the door, and she tells him it's the police. The Sheriff tells Chris he'd like to ask him some questions. He comes in and is surprised to see Carolyn. Chris sends her back to Collinwood.

The Sheriff asks what she told him, and he says she said Donna was dead. He sees the purse on the table and places a newspaper over it. The Sheriff asks if he drove her to Bangor. Chris explains that he told her she could borrow the car. The Sheriff asks if he brought Donna back to the cottage. Chris says he left her at Collinwood. The Sheriff asks where he was last night, and Chris says he spent the night alone. The Sheriff asks if he can see the rest of the house. Chris asks him if he has a warrant. The Sheriff says he can get one, and tells Chris to come with him to town.

Julia tells Barnabas she feels responsible for Donna's death. He says that wherever Chris and Donna went was Donna's fault. Carolyn comes in and tells them Chris is being taken to jail. She says he's innocent. Barnabas says that they checked the cottage last night and Chris wasn't there. She denies that he was involved. Barnabas asks her how much she likes Chris, and she says she does. She asks what they know about him, and Julia says they don't know any more than she does. Carolyn goes to call their lawyer to help. After she's gone, Barnabas tells Julia they have to go to Chris' house to remove any incriminating evidence.

In the cottage, Barnabas tells Julia they are looking for signs of guilt. He says Chris' clothes are probably still there. Julia walks around the table where a newspaper does a poor job of hiding Donna's purse. After several minutes she picks up the paper out of boredom to read it, and uncovers Donna's purse. She calls Barnabas, who comes in with his bloody shirt. Julia says they must take them to the Sheriff. He asks if she's aware there will be another full moon tonight. She says he'll change while being questioned. Barnabas says he hasn't decided what to do yet.

The Sheriff questions Chris, who can't come up with a convincing story. The Sheriff offers to let Chris think about his story for a while. Chris asks what time it is, and he tells him it's 4:30.

Julia tells Barnabas that he's mad. They leave with the evidence proving Chris' guilt.

Chris stresses out in the interrogation room. He calls for the Sheriff, saying he remembers the whole story. He's on the phone with Barnabas. After he gets off the call, he tells Chris he's lucky he was with Barnabas, who explained that he blacked out from drinking. He lets him go.

Chris returns home to find Barnabas waiting for him. Chris says he doesn't know why Barnabas helped him, but he says he's got to leave. Barnabas says that when they leave, they'll leave together. Chris says Barnabas doesn't understand, and he assures him that he does. He tells Chris that he is innocent. He explains that he knows he's not only Chris Jennings, but also the werewolf.

Our thoughts

John: For as many people who have died in Collinsport, today was our first visit to the morgue. Of course, if they have no idea who the body is, why would they randomly bring in Carolyn to identify her? Because she's the ranking Collins' in town while Roger is traveling?

Christine: It is the first time visiting the Collinsport morgue, though we did get to see the morgue in Phoenix back in Episode 174, which was far superior to the one we saw today. That was way back when Sheriff Patterson was posing as Lt. Dan Riley. The reason given for having Carolyn identify the body was because it was found in the woods near Collinwood.

John: Damn, Barnabas! Victim blaming? And then he has Julia help him cover up for a murderer?

Christine: It is hard to determine how Barnabas aims to help Chris, though it's clear that he empathizes with him since he knows what it's like to be a remorseful monster. Remember when you thought you saw the most ridiculous newspaper headline in Episode 319? I think today's MYSTERY MURDER headline may top it. It's not surprising that the subheadline continues to be POLICE BAFFLED.

Episode 319

John: Chris is one lucky SOB. Despite being guilty, with no alibi nor ability to come up with a plausible explanation as to where he was, the Sheriff lets him go. Collinsport's finest could stand to learn some new interrogation techniques, like taking a liar down when you've got him on the ropes, or not giving him time to fabricate a story, or worse yet, not taking the word of someone who has had his own share of allegations of misconduct... Poor Sheriff Patterson. Just wants an easy job until he reaches retirement.

Christine: He may have taken an early retirement, unless he was fired for gross incompetence, since this is the last time we'll see him on the show. I enjoyed his parting advice to Chris: "Look, next time drink a lot of milk before an evening like that, it lines the stomach. It works, I can tell you."

Intriguing focus on the water bottle in the Sheriff's office. 

Chris breaks the bulbs in the lamp when he slams it on the table.

Chris rips off another shirt.

Dark Shadows Episode 658 - 1/1/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Julia calls Chris to let him know that the Sheriff picked up Joe and has him locked up. She says Joe keeps talking about him, and he may be the only one who can calm him down.

Julia goes in to see Joe. He tells her they have to find Chris, and they have to get Amy out of Collinwood so she never sees it. They don't know what he's referring to. He adds that everyone is in danger. He asks where Maggie is, and when Julia says she's in Collinwood, he tells her he'll take her away, too. Joe asks Julia why she stopped him from taking Amy away. She says that Amy didn't want to go. Joe pictures the werewolf, and screams that he knows who it is.

Chris arrives and the Sheriff lets him in. Julia asks Chris to try and talk to Joe. He approaches and Joe threatens to kill him. Julia gives Joe a sedative, and he cries that he can't take the dreams.

Outside the cell, the Sheriff asks Chris if he knows what happened to Joe. He says it appears that Joe saw something so frightening that it sent him off the deep end. He asks what Joe meant when he said he still had the gun. Chris says he doesn't know why Joe would be saying that.

Joe dreams about watching Chris transform into a werewolf. In the dream, he shoots the werewolf several times, and says that he must protect Amy.

He runs to Collinwood only to find the werewolf there. He runs into Julia who approaches him with a syringe. He tells her that the monster Chris becomes wants to kill them.

He runs away from her and finds himself in the Collins family crypt in Eagle Hill Cemetery. Inside, he discovers Chris, laughing at him. Joe asks him how he got there. He says he just saw him change in his room. He then says he saw Chris at Collinwood, and Chris tells him he hasn't been to Collinwood in a long time.

Joe asks Chris if he remembers giving him a gun and asking him to shoot him. Chris says that never happened, and Joe begins to doubt himself, thinking it was a nightmare. Joe tells him he was attacked by an animal that walked like a man at Maggie's. Chris tells him that he's the same that he ever was. Joe then asks him what he's doing in the mausoleum in the middle of the night. Chris tells him that he's always out at night. Joe says he wasn't last night. Then Chris tells him it's a case of mistaken identity. He says he's not Chris, he's Tom. Joe says that he's dead, and Tom tells him that he's not dead at night—only during the day. He bares his fangs and Joe runs outside, into the arms of the werewolf. He screams as the vampire and werewolf descend on him.

Joe screams, wearing s strait jacket. Julia tells the Sheriff that she'll take Joe to Windcliff in the morning. Chris offers to stay with Joe until it's time for him to go. Julia tells Chris that there's nothing he could have done.

Our thoughts

John: Is it me, or has the Collinsport jail not changed much in 200 years?

Christine: I wouldn't expect the brick or the bars to change too much, but you'd think that the striped bedspread that Peter Bradford spent his last days on would be gone by now.

Episode 623

John: Wow. This was one of the longest nightmare/dream sequences we've had in a single episode. And it brought out the Jennings Brothers! It sure is a shame that Tom's not really around to join up with his brother in a familial Monster Squad!

Christine: It was one of the best dreams yet! I was not expecting Tom Jennings, and loved the way he revealed himself. It is too bad that he was dispatched by Barnabas. He was such a fun vampire to have around. Let's hope he'll show up in more dreams in the future.

John: I guess it's a good thing they put the strait-jacket on Joe while he was sleeping, though it probably contributed to his nightmare.

Christine: Where did they get the straight-jacket anyway? Do they keep one on hand at the jail, or does Julia have one in her little black bag for emergencies? Sadly, Joe is going to Windcliff for an indefinite stay, and this is the last time we'll see him on the show.

More amazing stunt work by Alex Stevens, with great lighting to accentuate the action.

Dark Shadows Episode 615 - 11/1/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

The sheriff speaks to Mrs. Johnson about Joe Haskell. She says she went to the old house to check on Barnabas.

Julia comes downstairs and hears Mrs. Johnson describe Joe's attempt to strangle Barnabas.

The sheriff sees Julia outside and she asks if Barnabas is okay. He asks to speak to her after he finishes with Mrs. Johnson. He tells Julia that he thinks she knows why Joe did it. He asks her why Joe thinks Barnabas is trying to kill him. Julia says there's no reason for him to believe this. The sheriff asks if Joe's medicine was poisoned, and she says that it was. He asks who could have done it, and she says, she, Barnabas, Willie or Maggie. The sheriff points out that Barnabas was giving him a dose of medicine when she noticed something was wrong. She says they were all responsible for taking care of Joe. She then adds that Joe is disturbed. He says he intends to find out, and tells her to let Barnabas know that he has many questions to ask him.

Barnabas denies knowing about the poison, and says no one can prove otherwise. Julia tells him that the sheriff is coming to question him about it, and suggests that he call a lawyer. Barnabas asks what will happen if the police ask about the marks on Joe's neck, and how he got them. Julia indicates that if they help find the vampire, that would be a good thing. Barnabas expresses concern that it may lead to the discovery of his vampire past. He asks Julia to go to the hospital and drug Joe so he can't say any more. She asks Barnabas why he's protecting the vampire, and Barnabas denies that he is.

Mrs. Johnson apologizes to Barnabas for possibly getting him into trouble. She says she didn't call the police, but she did tell the truth that he asked her not to call the police. He says he was just trying to protect Joe. He sees the sheriff pull up. Mrs. Johnson leaves, and he invites the sheriff in.

Barnabas says he hopes they will give Joe the care he needs. The sheriff asks why Joe was there. Barnabas explains that he found him in the woods, injured. The sheriff asks what happened to him, and Barnabas suggests that Joe might have attempted suicide. The sheriff asks if he didn't bring him to the hospital out of concern that the police would be called. Barnabas says it was for Joe's own good, and he was trying to protect him. He says that under the circumstances, the fewer people that knew, the better.

The sheriff brings up Joe's attempt on his life. Barnabas says Mrs. Johnson may have exaggerated the story. The sheriff points out that Joe corroborates the story, and adds that he says he will try again. He asks Barnabas if he had shown interest in Maggie Evans, which he denies, or any other woman, to which Barnabas remains speechless.

Angelique rises from her coffin.

Barnabas denies that he and Joe ever quarreled over any woman. The sheriff asks about Joe's doctored medicine. Barnabas gives it to him. He says that after they have it tested, he will have more questions for him.

Angelique calls to Barnabas, demanding that he come to her.

Dogs howl in the distance. Barnabas starts to leave. The sheriff asks where he's going.

Angelique continues to demand that Barnabas come to her.

Barnabas says no, and the sheriff asks what he's saying. He is noticeably flustered, and asks if they can discuss questions later. The sheriff asks him what's making him feel that way.

Patterson finds Julia in the woods. They hear dogs howling. The sheriff says that Barnabas was acting strangely, as if he was having an attack. It was as if the howling of the dogs changed him.

Barnabas sits in the old house, saying that he will not go to Angelique. He hears her laughter and she appears to him. She calls him to come to her.

She asks if he gave Joe the medicine, and if he's dead. He tells her that Julia stopped him, and Joe is still alive in the hospital. She tells him that he must not disappoint her. She bites his neck.

Julia approaches the old house.

Angelique reminds Barnabas that he is hers, and will soon be with her forever. Julia enters and finds him weak in his chair. He tells her to stay away. She sees the bloody marks on his neck.

Our thoughts

John: Looks like we lost a bit of footage when the new Sheriff Patterson was interviewing Mrs. Johnson. Has it just been too long since he's been up at Collinwood, or does he have a newfound interest in investigating crimes? The sheriff Patterson of old never seemed that intent on getting to the bottom of things.

Christine: Is this the fourth Sheriff Patterson? I may have lost count. I thought it was odd that he was hanging out in the drawing room by himself behind closed doors before stepping out to call Mrs. Johnson in from the foyer.

John: So did Julia finally get it when talking to Patterson in the woods? Barnabas' behavior these past few days, and now his change when the dogs are howling? Wake up, Julia!

Christine: Let's hope she finally got it after seeing the bite marks on his neck. Wait until she finds out that his wife is the one responsible.

John: I don't really understand the vampire powers employed in the show. Barnabas had to bat around to get from one place to the next. Angelique always seems to be a chroma-key effect away from showing up anywhere at any time.

Christine: These are next generation vampires that have evolved from Barnabas' old school style of squeaky bat vampirism, though why does she spend all that time calling him when she could just pop in? Mrs. Johnson wins the award for best quote of the day:

"I've always prided myself on not saying too much."  -Mrs. Johnson

Dark Shadows Episode 532/533 - 7/10/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Vicki comes out of her room and finds Maggie awake and worried about Joe. She realizes something is wrong with Vicki, who tells her she had the dream last night. She says it ended with Barnabas dead, attacked by some wild animal. She's afraid that she'll tell Barnabas the dream, and then he'll die. Maggie tells her just not to tell Barnabas. Vicki asks her to remember how she felt until she told someone about the dream.

The phone rings, and it's word that Joe has been in an accident. Maggie rushes out, saying Willie and Barnabas found Joe in the woods, and he's at the hospital. She asks her to wait, as she doesn't want to be left in the house alone.

There's a knock at the door of Collinwood, and Blair answers it to find Barnabas. He says he's there to see Cassandra. Blair says she's still sleeping, and Barnabas asks him to wake her. Blair goes upstairs to do that.

Maggie and Vicki arrive at the hospital, and are excited to find that Joe is conscious. He says he owes his life to Barnabas. There's a knock at the door and the sheriff enters. He asks Joe what happened.

Joe says Stokes wouldn't let him search the house for Adam. He says Adam appeared, and wouldn't let Joe call the authorities. He ran into the woods, and when Joe caught him, Adam knocked him out. Maggie asks the sheriff if he's going to talk to Stokes, and he says yes, the professor is in bad trouble.

Blair brings Cassandra downstairs to see Barnabas. He says he needs to see her alone, and she asks her brother to excuse them.

She asks what he wants to say. He tells her that he realizes that she has won again. He calls her Angelique, and says there's no need to play the game any longer. She denies that's who she is, and he says he will indulge her by calling her Cassandra Collins. She goes to leave, and he says she'll regret it if she does. He asks her not to interrupt him, and then he will leave quietly. He says that Vicki has had the dream, but her strength of character will not allow her to share it with him, causing her to suffer. He says he will not allow that to happen, and so he will submit to Cassandra's desires. If she stops Vicki's suffering, he promises to love her and be faithful for all time.

He tells her she can find him at the old house when she makes her decision. He leaves, and she wonders if he could truly love her.

Maggie enters Collinwood while Vicki waits by the door. She checks the foyer and drawing room, and tells her she can come in. Blair enters the foyer and is surprised to see Vicki. She excuses herself and goes upstairs. Blair eyes Maggie, and introduces himself as Cassandra's brother. He says Cassandra mentioned her, but she wasn't as he expected. He says she's far more beautiful than he could have imagined. She explains she needs to return to the hospital, and he offers to drive her.

In the hospital, the sheriff is in the hall when Maggie returns. He tells her Stokes corroborated Joe's story, but denies knowing Adam. Stokes says Adam begged for food, he fed him, and that was the extent of his knowledge. He tells Maggie that he needs to find the person or persons who have been protecting Adam.

Cassandra is admiring Barnabas' portrait when Blair returns. He asks if she knows Vicki has returned, and she says yes, but she may not need to talk to her. She tells him that Barnabas came to her admitting defeat. He promised to love her, and she believed he was sincere. Blair says he helped her return for only one reason—revenge. He barks at her that an alliance between she and Barnabas is out of the question. He tells her to go upstairs and have a chat with Vicki, as Vicki comes downstairs.

Cassandra mentions Barnabas had been there earlier, looking for her. Vicki calls her an evil, selfish and wicked liar. She says it's not going to work; that her dream is not going to work. She says she'll die before she tells Barnabas, and leaves the room.

Blair returns and says he likes her. Cassandra says she won't go to Barnabas, and Blair says they'll bring Barnabas to her. He tells Cassandra to write a letter to Barnabas in Vicki's handwriting.

Our thoughts

John: I realize it has been 200 years, but doesn't Barnabas remember that there's no appeasing Angelique? Hell, he was already married to her once...

Christine: Yes, but while he was married to her he hung Josette's portrait over the mantle, then planned to betray Angelique by running off with Josette, and when she tried to stop him by stabbing Sarah's doll with pins, he shot her. So, really she should be the one to remember that he's not very good at keeping his promise to be faithful.

John: I don't know what's creepier. Blair's hitting on Maggie, or her being impressed by his creepy comments?

Christine: Was she impressed or was she uncomfortable? I couldn't help thinking of this scene:

John: Go Vicki! No more pussy-footing around with Cassandra. I wish Roger or Liz had been there to see Cassandra put in her place. Of course, I was a little surprised Blair wasn't more upset with her at that point. Her inability to close the deal has been getting to him.

Christine: Is it Cassandra's lack of motivation to follow through on her revenge plot that bugs him, or the fact that she's swooning over Barnabas again, which makes her act foolish? What's up with the characters peeking through the partially opened drawing room doors today?

Dark Shadows Before I Die Round Robin Nightmare tracker (bold appearing in this episode):

1. Wide-eyed skull
2. Guillotine
3. Lang's Headless creation
4. Skeletal bride 
5. Educational Bat-footage
6. Giant spider-web 
7. Mounted wolf's head 
8. Carolyn's tombstone 
9. Maggie with Sam's coffin 
10. Blazing sunshine and a tour of the old house