Dark Shadows Episode 295 - 8/11/67

Maggie stumbles into The Blue Whale. Vicki spots her first and tells Burke. While they stand, Barnabas remains seated. Maggie says no several times before fainting.

Burke holds Maggie while Vicki tries to speak to her. Barnabas says a terrible hoax has been perpetrated on all of them. Vicki notices she's coming around. She tells her she's all right, and Maggie asks who she is. Vicki asks if she recognizes her, and Maggie says she knows the name. Maggie asks where the little girl is, and Barnabas offers to go look for her. Vicki assures Maggie that she's safe. Maggie says she was in a place with doctors. Burke asks how she got there, and Maggie says the little girl brought her. Barnabas returns and says there's no one outside. Maggie explains that she's always disappearing. As Maggie drones on, Barnabas suggests that someone notify Sam. Burke offers to take Maggie to the doctor, and Barnabas agrees to get Sam and bring her there. Maggie stares at Barnabas and says she knows his face from somewhere. Vicki tells her that she knows all of them.

Woodard gives Maggie some pills and asks if she recognizes him. She says she's seen him somewhere before. She asks if she'll ever get her memory back. Burke asks to speak with Woodard privately.

Burke brings up that Woodard knew Vicki was alive all along. He explains that he did, as did Sam and Joe. He explains there was a great deal wrong with her when they found her, and they needed to treat her. Woodard says he hopes she'll remember who her kidnapper was before he comes for her again.

Maggie and Vicki continue to talk. She says she thinks she knows Vicki really well. She asks Vicki what happened to her. She asks who everyone is protecting her from, and Vicki says they're hoping she'll be able to tell them. Maggie says she was in a special room, with a special scent and special music.

At the main house, Dr. Hoffman is coming downstairs when Barnabas arrives to speak to her. He takes her to the drawing room and shuts the door. He tells her that she has betrayed him. Maggie Evans is in Collinsport. She got out of the safe place she was hidden in. Hoffman asks if her memory was back. He says it's coming back slowly. She asks if Maggie saw him, and he says there was a brief recognition. He tells her that she lied about offering him security, and that he may have to deal with Maggie himself. She begs him not to. He adds that she will go first. The phone rings, and it's Doctor Woodard. She asks him if she's said anything, and confirms she hasn't said anything specific about what happened to her. She tells him that no one must question her, and she wants everyone cleared out of his office when she arrives, so they won't see her coming and going. She hangs up and tells Barnabas everything is under control. She says when she's through with Maggie, there's no risk of her ever remembering what happened to her.

Woodard tells Maggie that Dr. Hoffman is coming. Maggie says she remembers her, but doesn't understand her at all. Maggie says she remembers that her father is Sam Evans. She remembers their house by the water, and a big window where her father paints. She remembers more and more. She says she remembers being a prisoner in an old house, with a man who hates her. She can't make out his face at first, and as she's about to say who, Hoffman enters and tells her not to say another word.

Maggie tells Dr. Hoffman she remembers everything. Woodard points out that she was about to identify the man who kidnapped her. Hoffman admonishes him for questioning her. She tells Maggie to do exactly as she tells her. She then asks Woodard to leave them, and he reluctantly agrees. When they're alone, she asks Maggie what she remembers. Maggie says she remembers everything. A cemetery, being out in a coffin, and being locked in a room by Barnabas Collins. She says it was horrible—that he's a creature from the world of the dead. Hoffman tells her that she believes her, and says she needs to bring her back to normalcy. She hypnotizes Maggie with a necklace she's wearing.

Woodard is outside his office when Hoffman invites him back in. Maggie explains that she remembers everything. He asks her what happened to her, and she says she remembers going to bed not feeling well, and the next thing she knew she was in his office. Woodard looks at Hoffman who dismisses him.

Our thoughts

John: Holy gothic color, Batman! I think I'm really going to miss the gravitas that the black and white presentation gave the show, since the color palette seems to be deeply entrenched in the late 60s-early 70s greens and oranges. Being shot on video, the color has not aged as well as the bright and clear pastels of Batman, which was shot on film.

Christine: The B&W format is ideal for enhancing the dark shadows and providing a gothic feel. While it's a difficult transition to make, we'll soon be used to the tacky 60s color scheme. It will lend another scary element to the show.

John: I do love the soap opera cliche of Maggie remembering everything, including her kidnapper, right as Hoffman bursts in and stops her. It's almost like that moment in Twin Peaks where Dale Cooper tells the sheriff he found out the identity of Laura's killer in a dream, and that it could wait until morning, only to have forgotten by the morning.

Christine: That was fun to see how close Barnabas came to being outed. Julia's success at wiping Maggie's memory will surely build up his level of trust for her.

John: You would think this would be the last straw for Dr. Woodard. There can be no doubt that Hoffman is responsible for Maggie's convenient forgetting about what happened to her. Will he mention this to anyone else?

Christine: We've seen how Julia handles Dr. Dave. He'll threaten and bluster, but won't be able to do anything about his suspicions without any absolute proof. It's good to have Maggie Evans back in Collinsport, and she seems happier than she's been in a long time, so Dr. Hoffman will be able to claim her work a success.

Dark Shadows Episode 294 - 8/10/67

Maggie is begging for someone to help her.

Sarah appears and says she'll help her get home. Sarah looks around and says she doesn't like the room they're in. She tells Maggie she made a new friend, David. Maggie asks how Sarah will help her get home. Maggie tells her where to find the key to unlock the door. Sarah says she'll help her, as long as she does exactly what she's told.

Sarah tells Maggie to call the nurse. Maggie does, and the nurse opens the door to find Sarah sitting on the bed singing London Bridge. While distracted, Maggie sneaks out and closes the door behind her. The nurse tries to get out, and when she turns around she sees that Sarah is gone.

Barnabas, Vicki and Burke admire the old house Vicki saw.

Burke says he didn't see the no trespassing sign, and Barnabas points it out. Burke is surprised that Barnabas can see it so far away and in the dark.

Barnabas distributes candles so they can see as they explore the house. Vicki wants to explore everything, including the attic. Burke tells her they should be cautious, and Barnabas suggests that the house appears to be in fine shape. Barnabas offers to explore the house on their behalf. He goes upstairs, and Burke tells Vicki that the house could lead to a very rosy future.

Sarah and Maggie walk through the woods. Maggie asks Sarah how she got out, and Sarah says it was the same way she got in. They sing London Bridge as they walk through the woods.

Burke suggests they should head back, and tells Vicki to call Barnabas.  She calls to him, but there's no answer. Burke comments on how chilly the house is. Vicki say she thinks Barnabas likes the house more than Burke does. Burke suggests they can leave Barnabas to find his own way home. Barnabas comes downstairs and gives Vicki an embroidered handkerchief he found.

Barnabas, Burke and Vicki arrive at The Blue Whale. Barnabas offers to get them drinks. She thanks Burke for coming with her to the house. They discuss her fascination with the past. Barnabas returns with their drinks.

Vicki says she thinks that may be the only house she could be happy in for the rest of her life. Vicki sees Maggie enter the bar, and is speechless. Burke asks what's wrong, and she says it's Maggie Evans. Maggie slowly walks in, and while Barnabas ignores her, she faints, falling to the floor.

Our thoughts

John: Sarah sneaks Maggie out, and in no time at all she's walked all the way from Windcliff to The Blue Whale. Isn't that hundreds of miles?

Christine: Sarah seems to have suddenly become very resourceful. Perhaps she flagged down a ride and helped her hitch her way back to Collinsport.

John: Does Burke honestly think he has a chance with Vicki? She seems far too captivated by Barnabas.

Christine: Now that we've seen the house Vicki is in love with, I'm wondering what about it fascinates her. It looks like a murder house to me.

John: Barnabas is rather rude as he refuses to look at Maggie after she enters the bar. You'd think that a dead girl walking into a bar would attract everyone's attention.

Christine: Things look bad for Barnabas. The onlookers appear to be too stunned to notice his unusual reaction, though we'll see how it all works out tomorrow.

Dark Shadows Episode 293 - 8/9/67

Barnabas closes his coffin as Willie comes downstairs.

He tells Barnabas that Dr. Hoffman was there during the day. Barnabas tells him that he's going to Collinwood that evening. Willie is concerned about Vicki, and Barnabas says he has no plans to harm her. He also tells Willie to keep an eye on Dr. Hoffman.

Vicki and Burke have coffee in the drawing room. They talk about the house Vicki saw, and she describes seeing a three-masted schooner. Burke says there hasn't been such a ship in years, and she says if he doesn't believe her, she'll have to make up a better story next time. Burke offers to drive her over to the house that night. She says they shouldn't go now and there's a knock on the front door.

Barnabas comes in, and Burke says they're just leaving to look at a house Vicki found. Barnabas comments that the house is empty. Burke asks how he would know. Barnabas expresses interest in seeing it, and Vicki invites him to join them. She suggests that they go there on a picnic with David tomorrow. Barnabas says it would be reckless to go in broad daylight, since there's no trespassing. Burke again asks how Barnabas would know. Vicki agrees with Barnabas, and goes to get dressed to go over. She starts upstairs to check on David, and Barnabas asks if he's okay. She says he's upset that a friend of his didn't join them for dinner.

Burke and Barnabas wait for Vicki. Barnabas comments on how he likes the old houses around here, and how Burke does not. Burke is impatient, and Barnabas says that men should be prepared to wait an eternity for a beautiful woman. Barnabas comments on how Burke has traveled. He says that no one seems to know very much about Burke. He also says he'd like to see what Burke has seen. Burke turns the tables and says no one seems to know much about him. Burke presses him about his history in England. Barnabas asks if Burke knows much about England. Burke asks if he had any friends in England, and Barnabas says he didn't have friends there. Barnabas says he lived a solitary life with his cousin on the outskirts of London. Burke asks for his cousin's name, and Barnabas stumbles before saying his cousin was Nile Bradford.

Vicki comes downstairs and Barnabas comments how lovely she is, and that she was worth the wait.

Our thoughts

John: Barnabas points out that Willie is concerned about how he treats Vicki, but could care less about what happens to Hoffman. Nice double standard, Loomis!

Christine: You may remember that Willie once had a special interest in Vicki:

John: Vicki is obviously not in tune with Burke's signals when she invites Barnabas to join them at the house. As Barnabas seems to be very aware of the property, one must wonder if the house Vicki is in love with is part of his plans to win her over.

Christine: Vicki is not in tune with socially correct behavior, however, Burke is being such a sourpuss that it's easy to understand why she might like to have the very genteel Barnabas around. If it weren't for the kidnapping and forcing women to dress like his dead girlfriend, Barnabas might be quite a catch.

John: Great back and forth between Burke and Barnabas. Of course just when Burke had him on the ropes, Vicki came downstairs to save Barnabas from having to keep answering Burke's questions.

Christine: Barnabas has been so busy looking for a lady to play Josette that he hasn't spent enough time coming up with a convincing backstory about his life in England. He should anticipate that Burke will be getting his investigators on him soon if he continues to crash his dates with Vicki.

Dark Shadows Episode 292 - 8/8/67

Dr. Hoffman is at the old house when Dr. Woodard stops in to check on her. He asks what she's doing there, and says without more information, he's going to take Maggie away from her. She tells him that's too dangerous, and he says he won't leave until she tells him why. She says it's too dangerous for Maggie to go out into the world. She tells him that the work she's doing in Collinwood is the only thing that can help her. He explains that Sam and Joe are demanding to know what's going on, with Dr. Hoffman in Collinwood while Maggie is back at Windcliff. She tells Woodard that Maggie came face to face with the supernatural. She says she's going to make a breakthrough having to do with life and death, and the doctors involved will go down in history. She lets on that she'll need his help, but that for now he needs to keep Sam and Joe at bay. He asks her if there's something at Collinwood relating to Maggie and what happened to her. She says she doesn't want to tell him before she can protect him from it.

David finds Sarah in the woods, crying. She tells him she lost something. He asks what, and she says her friend, Maggie. He asks if she means Maggie Evans, and explains that they won't find her, because she's dead. Sarah laughs, and says she isn't dead. David is adamant that she's wrong. Sarah says she'd know if Maggie were dead. David invites her back to the house to play, and she says she's not welcome most places.

Burke Devlin arrives at the main house and meets Julia. He asks her about her work, and why she's investigating the Collins family. She says that her goal is to point out how far back the Collins family goes. He wants to know what she's looking for. She jokingly describes wanting jewels buried in the basement. Vicki storms in from outside and says something wonderful happened. She said she's in love. She found a house down the road on the coast. She says it's her dream house. Burke says he'd like to see it.

David arrives at the house with Sarah. Vicki comes out, and when David says he brought a friend home for dinner. Vicki asks where she is, and David turns around to see she's gone. Vicki says she may have gone home. David says he felt bad that she was crying about Maggie, who she thinks is alive.

Dr. Hoffman is startled by this, and asks if David has any other friends. He goes upstairs, and Julia tells Vicki that she wouldn't recommend encouraging him. Vicki finds Sarah's bonnet on the floor, surprising Julia.

Our thoughts

John: If I were Woodard, I'd definitely think Hoffman was a quack. I can't believe he's allowing her to continue on her wayward path.

Christine: Dr. Woodard is a bit of a quack himself, though it does beg the question of what sort of hold she has over him. Is it just the power of her personality or is there some unrequited love?

John: Burke starts to give Julia the third-degree until Vicki comes in talking about the house she found. That scene felt oddly out of place. Is this the launching point of a new story arc for Vicki?

Christine: Burke's become rather nosy and overbearing. What business is it of his what Julia is doing at Collinwood?

John: Why would Julia be surprised to hear David talk about Sarah, considering she knows about her from Maggie, and must be aware of her relationship to Barnabas?

Christine: It's possible she's alarmed that Sarah may have special knowledge about what went down between Maggie and Barnabas, and may tell David all about it. 

John: Also, today we wish a very Happy Birthday to Christine!

Dark Shadows Episode 291 - 8/7/67

Barnabas approaches Julia Hoffman's bed when she walks out of the shadows and bids him a good evening. She tells him that she's been waiting for this meeting for a long time, because she knows what he is. He asks what she means, and she tells him that he's the one and only Barnabas Collins. She tells him that she saw him in his coffin. He tells her that puts her in an awkward position. He tells her that he is going to kill her, and she tells him she's a doctor, and that she can help him. He tells her there's no other way of life for him. She says that 130 years ago that may have been true, but she says now is different. She describes her interest in extending life, and that he is the only one who spans two worlds from dead to living. He asks what she would do. She describes his need for blood, and how she would change his needs. He tells her he's intrigued.

Barnabas and Julia enter the old house. He explains that her room was not the place for them to have a discussion. He asks if the others know who she is. Barnabas asks if anyone else knows who she is. She tells him that Dr. Woodard knows, but he doesn't know about her work. Willie enters, and Barnabas tells him that Dr. Hoffman will be spending some time there, and that she knows everything. He tells Willie that she believes she can cure his condition. Barnabas explains that Willie will help her, at first by setting up a room downstairs for her to work.

At the Collinsport Hospital, Sam and Joe wait for Dr. Woodard. As Woodard comes out of the delivery room after delivering twins, Sam asks for an update on Dr. Hoffman. Sam says they found out she's staying at Collinwood disguised as a researcher. He wants to know how that's going to help Maggie. Woodard explains that he doesn't understand what she's doing. Sam says he doesn't know how much longer he can go on pretending Maggie is dead. Sam threatens to bust things wide open if they don't get some answers from Dr. Hoffman.

Willie comes upstairs and tells Barnabas that Julia picked out a room downstairs. He asks Barnabas if he can trust her. Barnabas tells him that he's going to kill Dr. Hoffman. He says that was his plan all along. Willie asks if she could really cure him. Barnabas asks if he truly believes that. He tells Willie that he will never be free of him. Barnabas points out that she was able to discover the truth about him, and predict his coming to her room. He's interested in her theory, but he doesn't trust her entirely. As he starts downstairs to kill her, she comes upstairs with a list of things she needs. Barnabas passes it off to Willie to take care of.

After Willie goes downstairs, she tells Barnabas that she won't be able to begin for a few days. She starts to leave, and he tells her that she cannot return. He tells her that he cannot trust her. She tells him she's the one person he can trust. She says if she dies, everything about him will be known. He says she's bluffing, and she says to try him and see. He chokes her and she says Maggie Evans will tell.

He says she's dead. and Julia says she's well hidden. While she's suffering from amnesia, she'll eventually come out of it. She explains that while under her care, Maggie can be controlled. If he destroys her, he destroys himself.

Our thoughts

John: I love this Julia/Barnabas dynamic! Somehow she manages to survive a close quarters confrontation with our vampire pal.

Christine: Barnabas brings up a good point when he says that she assumed he would want to be cured. She took a big risk in thinking he didn't enjoy being a bloodsucker. Her theory that his constant need to replenish his blood supply can be cured by introducing "a new plasma" that will fix the imbalance in his system that causes him to lose more blood cells than can be replaced is rather novel, even if it is unable to stand up to scientific scrutiny.

John: I'm wondering if Julia is destined to shack up in the old house. While that would seem odd, it almost makes sense that if she's doing research, that she stay closer to the Collins' family historian that is Barnabas.

Christine: So, Maggie Evans is destined not to remember her stay as Josette at the Old House, so long as Julia remains alive. It's a brilliant plan to keep Barnabas from killing her, unless he finds Maggie and kills them both.

John: It's clear Willie would feel much better if Barnabas were cured of his vampirism, so I'm guessing he's going to be a key ally of Dr. Hoffman. If she lives long enough!

Christine: Barnabas says Willie will be with him for the rest of his days. In that case, he really should get him to do something about the flies in the Old House.

"My existence may not have been what it should be, but at least I have permanence." -Barnabas

Unsuccessful attempt at catching the pesky fly.