Dark Shadows Episode 997 4/21/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV.com!

Buffie explains to Quentin that a man came in and started a fight. She explains how the man made a mess and then returned with a check signed by Cyrus. Quentin thanks her, and bids her goodnight. After he leaves, Yaeger enters and reminds her that she wasn't supposed to mention where the check came from.

He says he'll have to teach her, and begins choking her. She screams. He asks why she he should let go of her. He does, and then holds her arm behind her back to teach her a lesson. He lets her go, and he tells her that her tears are pretty. She says he's insane. He assures her that he's not, but that he is able to get what he wants from people. He says he wants to give her the finest things. He tells her that he'll give her anything. She says he doesn't know her at all. He says he's not angry that she's fighting him. She tells him to leave and never come back. He says he'll be back, and she won't be able to wait to see him.

Quentin asks Sabrina when Cyrus left. She explains it was a few days ago. He says that he saw a check Cyrus wrote yesterday. He gave it to a man who used it in payment at the Eagle. She says she balanced his checkbook yesterday, and notices that two checks are missing. She says that last week she saw an IOU made out to Cyrus by John Yaeger, and old friend who only came to see him when he needed money. She wonders if something has happened to Cyrus. She says he didn't call her last night, and Yaeger must have taken him somewhere.

Buffie is in her apartment when someone tries the door. It's Mrs. Duvall, her landlord there for the rent. She gives it to her, and says she has to go to work. Her landlord thanks her, saying she's getting more money for the four unfurnished rooms than ever before, and it's all thanks to her. Buffie doesn't understand what she's saying. Yaeger comes in and tells her that he's the new renter.

He takes a painting off the wall and says it's ugly. Buffie says that it's hers. She then asks Mrs. Duvall for her rent check back. Yaeger asks Mrs. Duvall to run up to his rooms and clean them. She leaves, and Buffie tries to leave. Yaeger grabs Buffie and sits her down. He says she wants excitement. She doesn't understand him.

The phone rings and she answers it. It's Quentin. She says she can't talk now, and will call him back later. He asks her if she's seen the man from last night, and she says she hopes she never sees him again. Quentin says he's worried about Cyrus. She says that she can't help him and hangs up. She tells Yaeger that she hates him, and he tells her that she won't feel that way for long.

Sabrina tells Quentin that she would know if he was staying someplace new, and she confirmed he didn't arrange to stay in his normal place. Quentin says at least two people know where he is, and he'll find at least one of them.

Steve, the guy from the Eagle, goes to Buffie's and finds her packing. She says she has $13 to her name, and can't really go anywhere. He asks if the guy from the bar has been bothering her again. She tells him to stay away from her, and not to get beat up for her anymore. He reluctantly leaves.

Steve leaves the house, and Yaeger comes out of the shadows and follows him.

Steve is on the docks when Yaeger confronts him. He extends the knife in his cane, but Steve knocks it away. They fight, and Yaeger overtakes him. Steve calls for help, and they hear the whistle of a constable in the distance.

Quentin tells Buffie that he knows she saw Yaeger again. She denies it at first, but then admits it. Quentin says he's convinced he kidnapped Cyrus. She says he couldn't have, or he wouldn't be bothering her like he does.

Sabrina closes up the lab and goes upstairs. Whistles are heard outside, and Yaeger enters. He says he needs the antidote to be Cyrus again before the police arrive. Quentin comes in and introduces himself to Yaeger, who is opening the safe. He asks him where Cyrus is, and what he's done with him. Yaeger says that Cyrus can explain everything. Quentin doesn't believe him, and asks where Cyrus is. He says he's going to keep asking until he has an answer, or until Cyrus walks down the stairs.

Our thoughts

John: I doubt that the writers have thought of one yet, but I'm curious about Buffie's background, and what led to her leaving the Collins' employ. We know that in the other side of parallel time, Quentin and Beth were canoodling... so it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to imagine a past illicit relationship between parallel-Quentin and Buffie.

Christine: They do seem to have more than a passing familiarity with one another. Afghan watchers should note its appearance on Buffie's bed in this episode.

John: Why exactly did Buffie ask for her rent check back? Was she planning to skip town rather than stay in the house with Yaeger? And wouldn't Yaeger taking up residence suggest that he's planning on taking on the gig full time, and retiring Cyrus Longworth?

Christine: I tend to think he's setting up his own place to avoid having to explain to anyone why he is hanging out at the lab during Yaeger time while Cyrus is absent, and also so he can be closer to Buffie in order to abuse her more frequently. While he may be able to keep himself going on the "Do Not Touch" potion for some time, eventually it will run out and he will need Cyrus to make him more, assuming he needs to keep taking it to retain his current persona.

John: So with the police hot on his tail, it sure seems like Yaeger only has a few options: let Quentin in on his secret, or take him out.

Christine: It's possible he could knock him out, swill some potion, and be back to being Cyrus before Quentin returns to consciousness. I have not seen Dan Curtis' The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was a made for TV movie released two years before the story made its way to Dark Shadows, but this may be a good time to check it out. It is streaming on Prime for anyone else who'd like to see how it compares.


Second Down for the Count:
Barnabas was chained in his coffin 15 episodes ago.

Dark Shadows Episode 996 4/20/70

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV.com!

Cyrus returns to the lab and pours himself a glass of his concoction. He raises the drink to his lips and downs it. He drops the glass and chokes. He stumbles around the lab and groans before changing into a dark-haird man with a moustache: John Yaeger! He gets up, examines his hairy hands, and says he remembers who he is.

He knocks things around the lab, asking where Cyrus is now, mocking his desire to rid man of evil. He gets a key and opens the bureau to look at himself in the mirror. He jokes that human kindness doesn't flow through his veins. He grabs a suit and says it's too bad they never caught the man who broke into the clothing store. He welcomes himself back, and says this night belongs to him.

Trask locks the door at Collinwood when Alexis comes downstairs and asks him who he is. He explains that he's the butler, and he has been away. She apologizes, and asks if he knows who she is. He says he knows that she is Alexis, Angelique's twin sister. She asks about Quentin, and he tells her that he took Amy to stay at the old house with Carolyn and Will. She asks him why he locked the door if Quentin is coming right back. She says she wants to know what led to Quentin taking Amy out of the house in the middle of the night. He tells her they all need to leave the house. There's a knock at the door, and she asks him to get it. He says he can't. She demands that he open it, saying it's Quentin. He opens it, and it is in fact Quentin, who comes in and picks up the phone to call Cyrus.

Yaeger hears the phone ring and wonders who's calling Cyrus. He doesn't answer. He's dressed in a suit. He opens a safe and looks inside to find a jar of Cyrus' concoction. He says there's something else, and then picks up a cane from which he can extend a knife blade from the end. He goes out.

A waitress, Buffie Harrington, tells a man in the Eagle that she won't go out with him. He continues to puts his moves on her, and she says she has to work. Yaeger comes in and tells the man that he'll do what the lady asks, without being forced. She tells Yaeger that she doesn't want any trouble like the last time.

Yaeger throws the man through a table. A fight ensues as the waitress screams. She threatens to call the police. Yaeger throws the man out of the bar, and goes back inside. He apologizes to the waitress. She says he's no different than the other man, and shows him the mess he made. He tells her he'll be back with a big check, and she says she'll be there cleaning up the mess.

Quentin describes to Trask what happened in the drawing room—with Bruno's bloody music showing up and disappearing. He asks Trask to tell him everything he knows. He points out that Trask disappeared the way Dameon disappeared. He asks him what Bruno knows about Dameon's murder. Trask denies knowing anything. Quentin asks him why he ran to Bruno's cottage as soon as he heard Dameon's name. He demands that Trask tell him what he knows about Dameon's murder. He asks if Angelique was involved, and why Dameon led Amy to the basement. Trask tells him that he has no answers. Quentin says he's going to see Cyrus to get to the bottom of this, and tells Trask to stay put.

Yaeger returns to the Eagle with a check, which he gives to the waitress. She points out that it's signed by Cyrus, and that she knows who he is. She explains that she used to work for the Collins family, and she knew him. Yaeger suggests that she not imply that he's a liar or forger. He says she had better not mention who delivered the check, as Cyrus won't want his name mixed up in the events of that night.

Yaeger runs into the man from the bar on the dock, and proceeds to beat him with his cane. Quentin arrives and Yaeger runs off. Quentin helps the man up, and they go into the Eagle.

Quentin and the man come into the bar. He tells Quentin that she knows who the man is. The man leaves to go find the man who attacked him. Quentin asks her who it was, and she says the man has only been in a few times. She says that she knows someone who does know the man's name. She explains how the man made a mess and then returned with a check signed by Cyrus. Quentin thanks her, and bids her goodnight.

After he leaves, Yaeger enters and reminds her that she wasn't supposed to mention where the check came from. He says he'll have to teach her, and begins choking her.

Our thoughts

John: If not for his voice, I could have been fooled that the same actor who had played Jeb and Cyrus was also John Yaeger. But the voice definitely gives him away, and his make-up is certainly accentuated under magnification in Cyrus' lab!

Christine: The transformation would have been much more effective had he changed his voice or style of speaking for the character of John Yaeger. He ended up sounding like Jeb with a bad nose job and terrible wig. I love how Cyrus labeled his Dr. Jekyll potion bottle with "Do not touch!"

John: It's almost funny that Yaeger seems to go to the Eagle with the intent of starting a fight. Of course it's not exactly the trait of a man with no 'human kindness flowing through his veins' to immediately apologize and return with a check to pay for the damages. Of course then he returns to theoretically kill Buffie. If only Cyrus could see that his experiment isn't as completely evil as his hypothesis would suggest.

Christine: I don't think he offered to pay for damages out of kindness, though his motivation for doing it is not very clear. I suspect he did it because he enjoyed the idea of having good guy Cyrus pay for damage he caused. John Yaeger's nose did not seem to come through the fight so well.

John: I'm very interested in Trask. Unlike his predecessors across time, he seems like a nice guy, but he's clearly got a shady past. If he's been a butler in Collinwood, how could Quentin NOT be aware of it?

Christine: I am not getting the impression that he's a nice guy, though in comparison to other Trasks we've met, he's certainly much more mild mannered. I wonder now if Quentin was feeling the walls in the basement, after Amy told him Dameon led her there, because he was looking to see if there was some place the body could have been hidden.


Second Down for the Count:
Barnabas was chained in his coffin 14 episodes ago.

Another day, another coffin shot.