Dark Shadows Episode 792 - 7/8/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Quentin breaks into Evan's house and demands that Evan use the hand to fix his face. Evan says he doesn't have the hand. Quentin asks how Evan changed and he says he doesn't know. Quentin begins searching for it, and when Evan tries to stop him, Quentin knocks him out with a candlestick. Quentin finds the box with the hand and opens it up.

A strange man enters and tells Quentin that he'll take the hand. Quentin asks who he is, and the man introduces himself as Aristede. He again asks for the hand, this time saying please. Quentin refuses, and Aristede pulls out a curvy dagger.

He approaches Quentin with the knife, and says he doesn't want to hurt him. Quentin asks why he needs it, and Aristede tells him to give him the hand. Quentin offers to give it to him once he's done with it. Aristede says he'll have to find another way to deal with his difficulty, adding that his mangled-face doesn't suit him.

Aristede puts the knife at his throat, and Quentin places the box on the desk. Aristede picks it up, expresses delight in meeting Quentin, and then leaves, laughing.

Magda is wondering where Quentin is when he comes stumbling up to the old house. She asks where he's been. He says he went to Collinwood, though he didn't know why, and then to Evan Hanley's, where he saw the hand. She asks if he got it, and he tells her that someone took it from him. She asks who, and he says it was a stranger. She assumes it was someone sent by the gypsies. She asks where the man is, and Quentin says he left. She says that he didn't leave, he'll be coming to kill her. She says she's got to run, and Quentin says she'll never escape the young man. She says they would have sent an elder. Quentin says she must help him get the hand back.

He says Angelique owes him a favor. Magda says she could be anywhere on Earth or in Hell. He says they'll summon her. He says Angelique can handle the gypsies and get the hand back. Magda agrees they have no choice, and asks how he'll summon her. He tells Magda to get some black candles. She does, and he turns out the lights. He lights the candles and begins the ritual to summon Angelique.

Evan comes to, and finds Angelique with him, laughing. She says she's there to stay. He discovers the hand is missing. He tells her that he had a fight with Quentin, and she asks what he took from him. He says Quentin took nothing. She talks about returning to Collinwood to stay. She says that he will tell Edward and Trask about her. Evan hesitates, and she threatens him. She presses him on his issue with Quentin.

Quentin continues to summon Angelique, and Magda says she must go before the gypsies arrive. She opens the door and Angelique is outside. She enters, and recognizes Quentin immediately, despite his mangled-face. She says the hand must be quite powerful to have made him look as he does. He asks who told her about the hand, and she says Evan told her everything. She asks to see the hand, and he says he doesn't have it. Magda tells her that someone else took it, and she asks who. He says he'll tell her everything if she promises to help.

Evan calls Edward Collins and tells him that Angelique visited him. He explains that the situation isn't as they thought.

Quentin tells Angelique about the man who took the hand. She tells Magda to leave the room. She then agrees to help Quentin, for a price. She says he's asking a lot of her, and she may ask more of him later. He asks what she wants. She says she'll get the hand and then name her price. She asks him what the man looks like.

Aristede is on the docks, smoking, when Angelique approaches him. She flirts with him. She asks who he is. He says he is just someone waiting—for her.

She says it's lonely being a stranger. She tells him that she's a puppeteer. She says she had a quarrel with a gentleman friend, and came down to the docks to be alone. He says she's not alone now, and moves in to kiss her. She dodges him, and offers to entertain him.

She asks for his handkerchief. She pulls out a puppet that she says is him, and wraps it in the handkerchief. She tells him to turn around and tightens it around his neck. He begins to choke. She tells him to give her the hand before it's too late.

Our thoughts

John: Evan was so upset when Quentin slammed his candlestick on his desk that he passed out! Or at least that's what I assume happened, considering the candlestick was nowhere near striking Evan...

Christine: I wonder why Evan doesn't just use the Hand to help him fix his face and send him on his way. It seems like it would be less trouble.

John: Boy, that Aristede is extremely polite. I think we've just been introduced to the latest great character to arrive in Collinwood. I sure hope Angelique doesn't end up choking him out so quickly!

Christine: Maybe he'll demonstrate why he calls his knife the "Dancing Lady" on her.

John: Actress... puppeteer... prostitute? I think poor Aristede thought Angelique was selling something more than a puppet show when she approached him on the docks!

Christine: Nice to have Angelique back to control and terrorize the men in Collinsport.

Dark Shadows Episode 791 - 7/7/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Mangled-face Quentin comes into Collinwood, unsure of who he is and why he is there. He starts the Victrola, and listens as his theme plays. He begins to recite the lyrics. Judith enters, and screams when she sees the mangled-face man. He tells her that he's Quentin. She says she's afraid, and refuses to believe he's her brother. He tells her the police are after him. She turns to leave, and runs into the ghost of Minerva, poised with a knife and ready to strike! Quentin approaches her and Minerva disappears. He asks what happened to her, and Judith is thrilled that he also saw her. From upstairs, Gregory yells for him to stay away from Judith. Mangled-face Quentin runs off.

Gregory comes downstairs, and Judith says that he also saw Minerva. Trask tries to tell her that Minerva wasn't there. She says the man claimed to be Quentin, and Trask says he was just a prowler. He offers her medicine to feel better and she insists that she's sane. She screams when she turns and sees Minerva sitting in the chair once again. She says that she has come back. Trask tells her that he doesn't see Minerva, but a stranger that claims to see Quentin does. Minerva stands up and Judith says she's coming towards her. Trask asks if she has her knife again, and she says she has her sewing.

Trask asks Judith if she envies Minerva's eternal rest. He suggests that if Judith takes her medicine, she may stop seeing Minerva. Judith drinks the medicine, but says Minerva might still have the knife. There's a knock at the door, and Trask goes to get it, forbidding her to leave. Judith sits opposite a staring Minerva.

Evan tells Trask that wolfman has escaped from jail. He says he thinks he might return to Collinwood. Trask tells him that Judith saw a prowler who told her that he also saw Minerva. Trask asks Evan if he brought the paperwork. Evan hands it to Trask, and asks if it's too early to get her to sign. He says it won't be a problem. He tells him that the prowler told her he was Quentin. Trask tells him that it's time to better his fortune, and Evan corrects him to say 'their' fortune. Evan invites Trask to his home that night, and Trask agrees to come once things are done in Collinwood. Evan says it's hard for him to believe that Judith will believe all the falsehoods Trask is peddling, and Trask assures him that if they tell her so, she'll believe it. They hear her scream.

They enter the drawing room. Judith says Minerva is approaching her with a knife. They say they don't see her. Minerva sits again. Evan asks her if she really believes that she saw her. Judith tells him that Quentin saw her, and Evan says Quentin is away.

Trask tells her that Evan has a paper for her to sign. She says she can't read anything right now, and he tells her there's no need for her to read it. Evan asks her to trust them, and she says she must discuss it with Edward first. They tell her Edward is dead. She says Carl is dead, and they say Edward is dead, and Carl is in Europe. She's baffled. They both tell her to sign the paper. She looks at Minerva and asks what she's waiting for. Trask presses her to sign the paper, which she does. He walks Evan to the door.

Trask asks Evan if he'll start the ceremony soon, and he says he will as soon as he gets home. Holding the newly signed document, Trask declares himself master of Collinwood. Evan reminds him that he will be as long as she remains ill. Trask assures him that she will remain ill for a long, long time.

Trask goes in to see Judith. She tells him that winter comes early, and she doesn't want to play in the snow. She asks Carl not to bury her in the snow. Trask smiles over her.

Evan begins his ceremony. He calls to the spirit of darkness, and permits it to retire.

Trask and Judith are followed by Minerva's ghost. She says Minerva warns her of poison berries. She tells Trask to send her away.

Evan continues the ritual, telling the spirit to be gone.

Judith tells Trask to make Minerva go away, and she disappears. Trask tells Judith to look at him. She looks up to see that Minerva is gone. Trask tells her that he must go, too. She says she doesn't want to be left alone. He tells her she's making it impossible to help her, and soon Minerva will be back, along with Dirk and all the dead.

Evan tells Trask that it is done. Trask confirms that Minerva disappeared while he was there. Evan pulls out a document for Trask to sign, Trask tells him it's too much. Evan suggests that he did his job and did it well. Trask agrees to his terms, stipulating that Evan will continue to help him again when needed. He says they may need to bring Minerva back, as well as Dirk and Rachel.

Mangle-faced Quentin arrives outside of Evan's house.

Trask leaves Evan's house. Quentin sneaks in and demands that Evan use the hand to change him back. Evan says he doesn't have the hand. Quentin begins searching for it, and when Evan tries to stop him, Quentin knocks him out with a candlestick. Quentin finds the box with the hand and opens it up. A strange man enters and tells Quentin that he'll take the hand.

Our thoughts

John: Chroma-key Minerva was oddly frightening, as she seems to be standing perfectly still. Of course when Quentin moves to where she's supposed to be and is suddenly behind her, it takes away from the illusion.

Christine: It also made it more apparent that she was a mini-Minerva version. Evan Hanley really needs to perfect the art of apparition.

John: Quentin, with his disfigured mangled-face, describes the werewolf as a hideous, unnatural being? I think mangled-face needs to take a look in the mirror. The wolf man is downright handsome by comparison!

Christine: It's funny that Quentin has so much disdain for his lycanthropic alter ego when he's not so much a quality guy himself. After all, he attempted to scare his grandma to death, strangled his ex-wife, molested nearly all the females he's come across, and used his nephew in his black magic ceremonies. It may not be the same as running around and tearing innocent victims to shreds during the full moon, but it's not much better.

John: Welcome to Collinwood, Aristede! I thought for sure it was Barnabas coming into Evan's house... and while there is a passing resemblance, I'm guessing he's a gypsy and not a Collins.

Christine: It will be interesting to see who wins the Hand standoff.

Dark Shadows Episode 790 - 7/4/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Judith sees Minerva in the drawing room, but tells Trask that she doesn't. Trask tells her to repeat that she is Mrs. Trask. He sends her up to her room. She asks if he'll be joining her, and he says he has things to do. He asks her if she's afraid, and she says she's not. She looks back at Minerva once more, who looks back at her. She then heads upstairs. Minerva follows her. At the top of the stairs, Judith turns and tells her not to come any closer.

Judith locks herself in her room, but sees Minerva is already inside. Trask surprises her, and Judith tells him that she followed her into her room. She points to her in a rocking chair, and Trask denies anyone is there. He grabs her and forces her near the rocker. She runs from him. He asks why she's making a demon of Minerva. He slaps her, and tells her that's better. He tells her to stop crying and listen to him. He tells her that Edward is disturbed by her recent behavior, and is considering having her institutionalized. She can't believe it. Judith asks Trask to make Minerva stop rocking. He says he can't bear talking to her like this. She begs him not to leave her alone with Minerva, but he does. He locks the door behind him. He tells her that he's going to pray for her.

Magda goes to the Gaol to see mangled-face Quentin. She tells him that Barnabas is coming to get him out. The deputy comes in to see if she's had any luck with the stranger. She says they won't know until later, and leaves.

Judith tells Minerva that she won't get her. Trask returns, and Judith thanks him for praying for her. She tells him that she's rid of her illusion, and that she no longer sees Minerva. He asks if she's sure, and reminds her that she lied to him once before. He says he truly hopes so, but points out this isn't the first time that she was disturbed.

He wonders if something about her reaches out to unnatural creatures. She reminds him that his own daughter was bitten by a vampire. She starts downstairs, and he tells her to stay and rest. He tells her that she could learn to sew. He describes how Minerva used to sew, as she continues to do so in the rocking chair. He leaves Judith in the room with Minerva.

Magda arrives at Collinwood, and tells Trask Judith sent for her. She starts upstairs, and Trask tells her they haven't finished talking. He says she wouldn't want her sister's two children sent away. She asks what he wants her to do. He starts by telling her to address Judith as Mrs. Trask.

A bat flaps outside of the Gaol. Quentin hears a struggle in the lobby, followed by approaching footsteps. The cell door opens, and he is able to escape, past the deputy who has two bloody bite marks on his neck.

Magda arrives in Judith's room. Judith says the ghost of Mrs. Trask vanished minutes ago. She says she was sure Magda would be able to see her. She then notices that Minerva is back in the rocking chair. She asks Magda to confirm that she can see her, and she denies that she can.

Magda comes downstairs and tells Trask that she denied seeing Minerva's ghost.  He tells her that her business is finished. She says she recognizes him for what he is—a swine!

In the middle of the night, mangled-face Quentin arrives at Collinwood. He looks around and wonders why he's there. He plays the record on the Victrola, which is his theme.

Judith hears the music downstairs and goes to investigate.

Quentin listens to his theme, and begins to recite the lyrics. Judith enters, and screams when she sees the mangled-face man. He tells her that he's Quentin. She says she's afraid, and refuses to believe he's her brother. He tells her the police are after him. She turns to leave, and runs into the ghost of Minerva, poised with a knife and ready to strike!

Our thoughts

John: I know that we've come to believe Trask was an abusive guy, but even I must admit to being surprised when he slapped Judith out of the blue. I guess the silver lining is that he appeared to feel better after doing so.

Christine: I wasn't surprised by the slap, since he has a history of slapping women, but I was surprised by the delayed sound of his slap. It's always great to have a villain to hate on the show, and Gregory Trask is one of the most loathsome we've seen yet. Magda is right, he is the lowest! Too bad she didn't have the guts to tell Judith that her husband asked her to deny seeing Minerva, and conspire with her to turn the tables on him.

John: I was a little troubled by Judith today. I would be willing to buy that she developed a comfort level ignoring Minerva's ghost, since she really didn't do anything threatening (until the end of the episode), but then she would seem to revert back to sheer terror at her presence.

Christine: I never enjoy when a storyline requires Joan Bennett to act like a helpless woman. That type of role just doesn't suit her well.

John: Forget what he looks like with the mangled-face—how is it that Judith could not recognize Quentin? I mean, he's as tall as Quentin, he sounds exactly like Quentin, and he dresses in Quentin's only outfit. Even the werewolf doesn't dress in Quentin's clothes!

Christine: And he's reciting the lyrics to his theme song. Perhaps it's another effect of the Hand to make a person unrecognizable despite the fact that they're totally recognizable. As with Evan, Quentin's mangled face deteriorated even more today. So, I guess Hanley is controlling Minerva's apparition after all, because I would expect Minerva's ghost to go after her ex-husband with the knife before Judith or anyone else.

Dark Shadows Episode 789 - 7/3/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

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.

She says he planned it with her husband. Edward comes in just in time to grab the knife from her. Judith asks Edward what's happening, and why Evan is there. Edward says she tried to kill Evan with the letter opener. He offers to call a doctor and she says she's alright. Edward asks Evan to stay as he leads Judith up to her room.

Evan pours himself a drink. Trask arrives and asks Evan where he has been for the past 24 hours. Evan tells him that his wife thinks she's his first wife, and she accused him of being responsible for her death. He says she seems to have recovered, but if she relapses they could be in trouble. Trask says they must put Minerva's ghost to rest. Evan says that even though Minerva is dead, Judith fears her. He adds that if they can bring his first wife back, she can haunt Judith. Evan also confirms that Judith's will now has Trask the master of Collinwood if anything happens to her. Evan says that he wants to be taken care of. Trask says he won't promise anything yet. Evan tells him to come to his house this evening, with a photo of his first wife. He tells him that if all goes according to plan, Judith won't be a problem, and he will be a very rich man.

Edward comes downstairs looking for Hanley. Trask says he left. Edward tells Trask that he wants to have his sister's marriage annulled. Trask tells Edward that he loves his sister, and will do everything in his power to ensure that she is well and happy. He leaves Edward and goes upstairs.

There's a knock at Judith's door, but no one is there when she answers. She closes it and goes to sit down when the knocking resumes. Once again, she opens the door to find no one there. Again, after closing the door the knocking resumes. She asks who it is, and Trask says that it's him. She tells him that she's glad he's home. Trask mentions that Edward is concerned over Judith's state of mind. She says she had a bad dream. Trask tells her that she mustn't be afraid, and she says she won't be as long as he's with her. He tells her he has to make a trip to the school, but will then be back with her.

Evan reviews several books as Trask sits in a chair, brooding. Evan asks him what's wrong. Trask points out that it's obvious he wouldn't be comfortable with this sort of thing. Evan asks for the picture of Minerva, and when Trask does, Evan says they will create a hallucination—a black ghost of Minerva. Evan says that Trask will need to be with Judith at the time, and as Evan sets the photo on fire, the apparition will appear. Evan tells him that he will begin the ritual at 8:30.

Edward comes downstairs as Trask returns to Collinwood. Edward says Judith has calmed down a bit. Trask starts upstairs, but Edward asks to speak to him in the drawing room first.

Evan conjures the false spirit of Minerva, asking it to appear before Judith Collins. He sets the photo on fire.

In Judith's room, the ghost of Minerva appears. Judith screams.

Edward tells Trask the most disturbing thing about Judith's behavior was accusing Evan of Minerva's murder. Judith runs downstairs calling for Gregory. Edward asks her what's wrong. Trask asks to speak to Judith alone, and he takes her into the drawing room. He asks her why she lied to Edward when she said nothing was wrong. She tells him that she saw Minerva's spirit in her room. Trask dismisses it as her imagination. He tells her Minerva would be happy about their union.

He pours her a brandy, and Judith says 'she's' in the room with them. He looks and sees her in a chair, knitting. He tells Judith they're alone in the room. He asks her to look at him. He reminds her of what he said earlier about being afraid. He says she should be thinking about their future, not Minerva. he tells her to turn around and tell him what she sees. She sees Minerva, but tells Trask that she doesn't. Judith asks for the brandy, and downs it.

Trask tells her to repeat that she is Mrs. Trask. He sends her up to her room. She asks if he'll be joining her, and he says he has things to do. He asks her if she's afraid, and she says she's not. She looks back at Minerva once more, who looks back at her. She then heads upstairs. Minerva follows her. At the top of the stairs, Judith turns and tells her not to come any closer.

Our thoughts

John: I thought Edward might raise the stakes in his fight to end Trask's marriage to Judith, but other than suggesting that it should be annulled, he was pretty soft. Of course, if he's working with Evan on the legal side, maybe he thinks he has an airtight case.

Christine: Hopefully the real ghost of Minerva will step in to protect Judith when all is said and done.

John: It is interesting to see Evan and Trask working together. Hard to imagine that relationship working well for either of the two men. I guess as long as they have enough dirt on each other, both will be safe.

Christine: Trask is a wolf in sheep's clothing, which may make him even more foul than Evan, who doesn't pretend to be good. It will be interesting to see who cuts whose throat first, though Evan may have the upper hand with the Hand of Count Petofi.

John: I like the black ghost of Minerva! Like Quentin, the most frightening ghosts on the show aren't the ones with dangling eyeballs - it's those that don't do much—they just stare at you.

Christine: I think the ghost we saw following Judith up the stairs was the real ghost, since the black ghost who appeared in her room was transparent and didn't move. Making eye contact with an unsmiling ghost is quite chilling. Dangling eyeballs aren't necessarily as terrifying, but still appreciated.