Dark Shadows Episode 788 - 7/2/69

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In the Collinsport Gaol, Edward watches the werewolf change into a man with a mangled face. He doesn't recognize him as Quentin, and demands that the man tell him who he is. Mangled-face Quentin is unable to speak.

Magda arrives at the Gaol, and says she doesn't understand. Edward says that she knows who the creature is, and she says she is not. He asks why she's there if she doesn't know who the man is. Edward says that if the man could speak, he's sure he could tell him something about her. Edward says it's just a question of time before he finds and destroys Barnabas. He suggests that she should consider helping him. He tells her that he'll be at Collinwood, and starts to leave. When she stays, he says he assumes her curiosity is not yet satisfied. He tells her to pass on to the creature that his days are numbered.

She asks Quentin if he understands what happened. He says that nine gypsies took him to the Forest of Oshden. She says he's different because of the hand, and his secret is still safe because Edward didn't recognize him. Quentin speaks of nine gypsies, and Magda realizes that Quentin doesn't understand what's going on. She goes to find Barnabas.

Edward describes to Judith how the werewolf changed into a grotesque man at dawn. She doesn't seem impressed, and tells him she doesn't want to discuss it. He asks if she's having second thoughts about her ridiculous marriage. She tells him that even if it fails, it will be no more ridiculous than his. She tells him she had a dream that she doesn't want to discuss with him.

He leaves to his study. Judith wonders why she dreamed of Minerva Trask, and why she kept warning her of danger and the Queen of Spades. She turns away from a desk, and when she looks back, her playing cards are laid out. She screams and Edward comes running. She flips the top card, revealing a Queen of Spades. She says she's calling, and wants her to go to her. As she leaves, Edward asks her where she's going. She ignores him and walks out the front door. He calls after her.

Judith stands at Minerva's grave, and asks why she called her. Edward appears and asks her what she's doing. Judith says that Minerva is here now. Edward says her dream a manifestation of her guilt for marrying Trask so soon after his wife died. He tells her to return to Collinwood with him, and she tells him to leave her. He tries to get her to come with him, and she tells him to call her Mrs. Trask. He gives up, leaving her. She says she now knows what must be done.

Edward returns to Collinwood and finds Magda looking for Beth. He walks past her and enters the drawing room. He calls Evan, and asks him to come as quickly as he can. Evan says he can't break free. Edward tells him that if he doesn't come, he will find another lawyer in the morning.

Evan looks at his mangled face in the mirror.

Edward leaves the drawing room and asks why Magda is looking for Beth. She makes up an excuse, and he asks if she's considered doing what he asked. Judith enters and asks who Magda is, and what she's doing there. Magda asks if she's joking, and Judith says she runs a very proper school. She tells Edward to send her away. Magda asks what happened to her. Judith says to get her daughter, and when Edward calls her Judith again, she says her name is Minerva, but they can call her Mrs. Trask.

Evan arrives at Collinwood, and Magda is shocked to see his face is no longer mangled. She leaves him with Edward. He describes the dream Judith had to Evan, and says that now she is convinced she is Mrs. Trask.  Edward says that if Judith is out of her mind, than Evan is responsible to ensure that they are protected from Trask taking over control of the house. He goes to take him in to see Judith, and Evan asks to see her alone. Edward says he'll be in his study when he's finished.

After Edward is gone, Magda comes out and asks how his face was restored. He says that he'll never tell her. She says she needs to know for Quentin, describing how he's in jail with a mangled face. She says they must help him before he is recognized. Evan says he has not intention to have any further involvement with Quentin, and he has no desire to help her.

Judith is playing cards when Evan enters. She tells him that he's the one. Evan doesn't understand. She picks up a knife. She tells him that he made Tim poison her. She approaches him, knife raised, poised to strike.

Our thoughts

John: How did I not see this coming! The face mangling powers of the Hand have struck again! While not quite as nice as Evan's droopy eyeball, mangled-face Quentin is still pretty cool.

Christine: Quentin's disfigurement seems to be in the style of Josette's cliff battered face. Really, though, he's not so disfigured that his brother should be unable to recognize his suit and telltale mutton chops.

Episode 430

John: Ah, another Collinwood matriarch thinking she's someone else. Interesting to see how things continue to reverberate through time.

Christine: Judith doesn't just think she's Minerva, but is possessed by her, which is confirmed by her knowledge of the part Evan played in bringing about her death, though I get what you're saying, since Liz also had the experience of being possessed by Naomi, and knew of Barnabas being a vampire.

John: In a surprising double-whammy, Evan arrives at Collinwood, eyeballs in place in his skull, face sans-mangling. If we hadn't seen a still-mangled Evan when Edward called him, I would have assumed that the magic hand transferred the face-mangling from Evan to Quentin. I somehow doubt that Evan suddenly figured things out on his own, which means he likely had help. And there's only one other person in and around Collinwood who might have such restorative powers—Angelique. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Christine: Hmm. That's an interesting theory. I agree that he probably didn't figure out how to cure himself on his own, but Angelique wouldn't help Evan unless it somehow served to either hurt Barnabas or make him love her, and I don't see how helping him would do either of those things.

Have we seen this cemetery shot before or is it new?

The gravestone engraving business continues to flourish in Collinsport.

Nice of Judith to display this card for us all to see.

Whoops! Someone confused characters in the end credits today.

Dark Shadows Episode 787 - 7/1/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

The werewolf is locked in a jail cell.  He's surprisingly calm.

Edward receives a phone call from the sheriff, looking for Reverend Trask. Edward says that he's busy, and asks if there's a message. He's told that the werewolf has been captured and is locked in a cell. Edward tells the officer that he's on his way.

Edward stops at the old house. He tells Magda that he can't believe she's still at the old house after helping Barnabas. He says they have Barnabas on the run, and they will find him soon. He shows off his cross and gun loaded with silver bullets.

He mentions that one supernatural creature has been found and Barnabas will be next. He accuses her of knowing about the wolf man as well. He mentions the word lyncanthrope, and she denies knowing what it means. He says that in the morning, the wolf will return to a man, and Edward will be there to see who it is. He orders her to leave Collinwood by morning. She asks if he wants the word out that a Collins family member is a vampire. She then tells him that Trask has already invited them to say. Edward says he will deal with Trask once he's done with the werewolf.

He storms out and Barnabas appears. He asks Magda for an update. She tells him that Quentin begged her to use the hand on him during the transformation. He asks what happened, and she says it had no effect at all. Barnabas asks how she knows, and she says he turned, ran out, and was subsequently captured by the police. She tells him that he's in the Collinsport jail. Barnabas asks her to get the hand before someone else gets ahold of it. She says it's gone. Barnabas says that Evan was still in the house, and goes looking for him. He can't find him. He tells Magda to get the hand back from Evan.

Mangled-face Evan stares in the mirror. He opens the box with the hand, and says that if the hand can do this to him, it must be able to undo it. He picks up a knife to stab the hand, and then puts it back down. He flips through books, searching for answers.

There's a knock at his door. He hides the hand and asks who it is. It's Magda. He lets her in. She says he got his faculties back, and he points out his face is not. She says she's there for the hand. He denies having it. She says she can help him, and he blames her for what happened to him. She tells him the hand has a mind of its own. She tells him that he was greedy, and the hand stopped him.

He tells her that if she restores his face, he will give her the hand. She says she needs the hand in order to help him. He tells her he'll try himself. She says he will fail. He tells her that if he does, he will seek her out and choke her to death. He tells her to leave. She tells him that he will soon change his mind. He returns to the staring in the mirror.

A bat arrives at the Collinsport jail. Barnabas appears before the officer. He grabs him by the throat and says he will not harm him unless he refuses to cooperate. He tells him to look into his eyes, and do exactly as he's told. Barnabas adds that he will forget him as soon as he's gone. He gets the keys and goes to the cell.

He starts to unlock the cell and hears Edward's voice. He returns to the office. Edward is shocked to see him, and brandishes the cross. Barnabas hides behind the officer. Edward asks if Barnabas is there to save the creature. He explains that he is there on behalf of the family's future. Barnabas says he wishes there was a way he could help Edward understand. He disappears.

Edward asks if the officer is all right. He says he doesn't remember Edward coming in. Edward says he'll stay with him until dawn to see what happens to the creature when the sun rises. Edward tells him the creature is a supernatural being that will revert to a man at dawn. The only question being who he is.

Barnabas says that they have failed. He points out that Edward will soon know Quentin's secret, and the events of the future will be changed accordingly. Magda asks if he should return to his own time before Edward finds out about Quentin. Barnabas tells her time is running out, and leaves to return to the cave.

The werewolf reaches out to Edward through the bars. Edward tells the werewolf that the sun will soon be up, and he will know who he is.

Our thoughts

John: I do love how mangled-face Evan thinks that one of his books might include a user's manual for the hand. I must admit, I love how he can carry on a conversation with one eyeball popped out of its socket. As Magda says, at least he's got his faculties!

Christine: There must be some cumulative effect of the Hand, because he looks much worse (or better, depending on your viewpoint) than he did in Episode 785.

John: Anyone else notice that Edward entered the police station with his gun drawn? Talk about white privilege.

Christine: Someone is doing a really good business on those long chained crosses, though. Word apparently hasn't gotten out about the pentagram yet.

John: I think it's pretty clear that the hand has made Quentin's werewolf curse 'permanent' - at least for now. Of course, will Edward no longer think the werewolf is a supernatural creature if he doesn't revert to a man? In which case he's what, an advanced canine that happens to be a snappy dresser?

Christine: Really, I can't figure out how he doesn't recognize his own brother's clothes. Plus, he already knows what a wolf Quentin is to begin with, so the identity of the wolf man shouldn't be such a mystery to him. It will be interesting to see if Barnabas heads back to 1969 tomorrow to see what changes he's wrought. If so, will he be able to circle back to correct his mistakes?

Dark Shadows Episode 786 - 6/30/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Quentin says if the hand could do what it did to Evan, he doesn't want to have anything to do with it. He begins convulsing as the transformation takes effect. Magda says it isn't too late to use the hand, and Quentin says it won't help. Magda says it can't be any worse, and asks if he wants her to try. He tells her to try. She recites an incantation to remove the curse, and places the hand on Quentin's heart. He tells her it isn't helping and he tells her to take it away. She says she can't control it, as the hand grows to be larger than Quentin and appears to pinch him.

It disappears, and Quentin tells her the pain has stopped. She says that it helped, and he tells her the pain always stops right before the transformation. She holds a pentagram towards him as he transforms into a werewolf. She uses the pentagram to force him out of the old house.

Trask brings Charity to Collinwood, and tells her that it's her new home. She says she will not question her father's judgment, though she is concerned about the school. He says his marriage to Judith contains certain burdens, such as managing the great estate. She realizes that means he can no longer run the school. He adds that her mother wanted her to be a Collins. He says there is still one eligible bachelor in the family, Quentin. He says that under her influence, Quentin might just change his ways.

There's a knock at the door and Magda enters to see Beth. Trask says she will see no one without his permission. He says that as master of Collinwood, one of his concerns includes her. Charity steps out to say a prayer at her mother's grave as Trask leads Magda into the drawing room. He gives her 24 hours to get off the estate, or she will be forcibly removed. She tells him that he shouldn't threaten people from a position of weakness. He says he can prove she worked with Barnabas, and she reminds him that she sold Tim the deadly nightshade that killed his wife.

She says the sheriff knows he made an alibi for Tim. She asks if Trask understands her, and he says he does. She tells him that she and Sandor will stay, and that she will speak to Beth now. He tells her to speak to whoever she likes, and then get out of the house.

Charity is on her way to her mother's grave when she hears a rustling and growling. The werewolf approaches and she screams. He chases her through the woods.

Magda tells Trask Beth wasn't in her room. They hear Charity screaming, and she runs into the house. She tells them there's a beast in the woods. Trask says it must be the creature who attacked Judith. Magda takes her up to her room as Trask goes to call the sheriff.

Charity asks Magda about Quentin. She says he doesn't seem to spend a lot of time in the house. She asks what happened to his wife, and Magda says that she's dead. She pulls out her Tarot cards and asks Charity if she'd like her to read her future. Charity agrees, and Magda lays out the cards. The first card is the sign of Force to represent Charity, a good card. She then reveals the Moon, saying it's a bad card representing a secret revealed. Next up is the Lovers, a card of marriage, though she says it's inverted, which could mean separation or infidelity. Next are the Tower of Destruction and the Hanged Man, both inverted. Charity asks what it all means, and Magda tells her there will be a man in her life who is evil. She warns that Charity will be attracted to him.

Trask is with a deputy, setting a trap for the werewolf. They hear a howling in the distance.

Magda comes downstairs as Trask returns. He suggests that she be careful making her way to the old house, as the sheriff has set several bear traps. She seems concerned, and he asks if she knows of the beast, as she knew of the vampire. She tells him his daughter needs him more than she does, and leaves.

Charity sleeps, and dreams. Quentin's music plays.He sits in a chair next to the Victrola. She asks if it's him, and he says he's been waiting for her. She approaches and he stands up. She tells him that she missed him, and she doesn't want him to go away again. He tells her their destinies are entwined by a strange wheel of fortune. He says many things frighten him, the moon most of all. She asks why, and he tells her it's a secret that no one must know. She asks what the music means to him, and he says it frees his soul and allows him to dream.

She hears the music with his lyrical accompaniment. As the song ends, he kisses her. He tells her to go upstairs and wait for him.

He sits back in his chair, and as she goes, she hears a growling. She asks him what it is, and he tells her that he only hears his music. She says it's the animal that attacked her in the woods, and the werewolf appears behind Quentin's chair. She begs for Quentin to help her, and screams as the werewolf approaches. Quentin tells her the wheel of fortune spins, and she mustn't be afraid. She wakes from her dream.

The werewolf attacks the deputy placing traps, and steps right into one. He howls in agony.

Our thoughts

John: Okay, I get that they couldn't find a stuntman as tall as David Selby, but they could have done a better job matching the wardrobe between Quentin and the werewolf. It's silly when the transformation includes the color of his clothes...

Christine: I had to go back and look since I honestly didn't notice while watching the episode, but in looking at the screenshots, it's easy to see the differences in height and clothing.

John: Trask spent a few moments staring at Barnabas' portrait, which got me thinking. Wouldn't you remove the portrait of a vampire family member from the foyer of your house?

Christine: Only if you didn't like vampires or your vampire cousin wasn't a central character. I was surprised Trask let Charity go visit her mom's grave at night considering that he knew she was recently a vampire victim. How did he know Barnabas wouldn't give her another little nip on the neck at the graveyard? Little did he know she'd run afoul of one of Collinsport's other supernatural creatures. Trask stabbing the Bible may have been a clue that he was also responsible for the knife Liz found in the Bible in Episode 785, and possibly the childish drawing as well. I love how Magda basically called him out for killing his wife.

John: We finally get the version of Quentin's theme with 'lyrics'! I never expected to hear that on the show. It's worth noting that the recording of Quentin's Theme by The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde peaked at #13 on the Billboard charts on August 2nd, 1969.



Christine: Quentin's theme with David Selby's voiceover is Cobert's Cue 294, which can be found on Disc 6 of The Complete Dark Shadows Soundtrack Music Collection. It's interesting to see the other singles on the Billboard Chart that week to get some context. I am really surprised Magda's tarot reading not only didn't turn Charity off Quentin, but inspired a fantasy/dream. What a great Monday episode! Here are the lyrics to Quentin's theme so you can sing along with your Charles Randolph Grean Sounde record:

Shadows of the night,

falling silently,

echo of the past,

calling you to me.

Haunting memory,

veiled in misty glow.

Phantom melody,

playing soft and low.

In this world that we know now,

life is here,

then gone.

But somewhere in the afterglow,

love lives on and on.

Dreams of long ago,

meet in rendezvous.

Shadows of the night,

calling me to you.

Calling me to you. 

Magda's tarot reading

"The Force" aka Strength

The Moon

The Lovers, inverted. The Tower and The Hanged Man were also inverted but not shown.