Dark Shadows: The Wrap-Up

Looking back on 1225 episodes (1245 numbered episodes with 20 pre-emptions), there's a lot to unpack.

We've done our best to sift through the remains of Collinwood and identify some of our favorite bits over the last five years!

How we Rate the Storylines 

 

Victoria's Arrival     Episodes 1 to 6
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ****

The Revenge of Burke Devlin     Episodes 1 to 201
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

The Murder of Bill Malloy     Episodes 46 to 126
John's rating: ****
Christine's rating: ****

Laura the Phoenix     Episodes 123 to 191
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

The Blackmailing of Elizabeth     Episodes 193 to 275
John's rating:****
Christine's rating: ****

The Introduction of Barnabas     Episodes 202 to 220
John's rating: ****
Christine's rating: ****

The Kidnapping of Maggie     Episodes 221 to 261
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

The Introduction of Julia     Episodes 265 to 365
John's rating: ****
Christine's rating: ****

1795 Flashback and Barnabas' Curse     Episodes 365 to 461
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ****

The Dream Curse     Episodes 461 to 536
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

The Creation of Adam and Eve     Episodes 486 to 626
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: **

The Werewolf and the Ghost of Quentin     Episodes 627 to 700
John's rating: ****
Christine's rating: ***

Return to 1795 Flashback     Episodes 657 to 667
John's rating: **
Christine's rating: **

1897 Flashback     Episodes 700 to 884
John's rating: **
Christine's rating: ***

The Leviathans     Episodes 885 to 980
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: **

Quentin and Amanda     Episodes 904 to 934
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

1970 Parallel Time     Episodes 980 to 1060
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

1995     Episodes 1061 to 1070
John's rating: **
Christine's rating: ***

The Ghosts of Daphne and Gerard     Episodes 1070 to 1109
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

1840 Flashback     Episodes 1110 to 1198
John's rating: ***
Christine's rating: ***

1841 Parallel Time     Episodes 1186 to 1245
John's rating: *
Christine's rating:  **

Best Actor

John's Pick: Louis Edmonds

Christine's Pick: John Karlen, Thayer David (TIE)

 

Best Supporting Actor 

 John's Pick: Dennis Patrick (Jason McGuire/Paul Stoddard), Mitchell Ryan (the original Burke Devlin) (TIE)

Christine's Pick: John Lasell (Dr. Peter Guthrie)

Best Actress

 John's Pick: Kathryn Leigh Scott

Christine's Pick: Joan Bennett, Grayson Hall (TIE)

Best Supporting Actress

 John's Pick: Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris aka Olivia Corey)

Christine's Pick: Clarice Blackburn (Mrs. Johnson, Abigail Collins, Minerva Trask)

Best Villain

 John's Pick: Nicholas Blair

Christine's Pick: Reverend Trask

Best Surprise Appearance

John's Pick and Christine's Pick: Abe Vigoda (Ezra Braithwaite)

Best Babe

John's Pick: Julianka

Christine's Pick: Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott (TIE)

Best Hunk

John's Pick: Sky Rumson

Christine's Pick: Burke Devlin

Best 'Dead'

John's Pick: Bill Malloy

Christine's Pick: Gabriel Collins

Honorable Mention: Paul Stoddard

Best Monster

John's Pick: The Werewolf, John Yaeger (TIE)

Christine's Pick: Vampire Tom Jennings (he had such joie de mort)

Scariest Ghost

John's Pick: The Ghost of Quentin

 

Christine's Pick: The Ghost of Bill Malloy

Best Portrait

John's Pick: Barnabas Collins (the original) and Crusty Quentin by Charles Delaware Tate (TIE)

Christine's Pick: Josette's transformed portrait

Best Seance

John and Christine's Pick: 

Episode 365: Roger conducts; Liz, Julia, Vicki, Carolyn, Barnabas participate; Sarah Collins speaks through Vicki after Carolyn pretends Sarah is speaking through her; Vicki is transferred to 1795; held in the drawing room at Collinwood 

Best Slap

John's Pick: Julia slaps Cassandra

Christine's Pick: Naomi slaps Reverend Trask

Best Bat

John and Christine's Pick: bat by Bil Baird (was there any other choice?)

Best Bar

John and Christine's Pick: The Blue Whale (best tunes on the jukebox)

Best Skeleton

John's Pick: The Wide-Eyed Skeleton from the dream curse

Christine's Pick: Wanda Paisley's Skeleton

 Honorable Mention: Fanged Skull from Charity Trask's Dream

 Best Dream Sequence

John's Pick: Maggie's Dream where she sees herself as a skeleton

Christine's Pick: David's dream of Vampire Barnabas

Most Over the Top Performance

John and Christine's Pick: Addison Powell as Dr. Eric Lang

Best Love Interest

 John's Pick: Quentin and Amanda

Christine's Pick: Barnabas and Julia

Bob Cobert's Best Tune

John and Christine's Pick: Josette's Music Box Theme

Special Achievement

John's Pick: Diabolos

Christine's Pick: Buzz Hackett

Most Grotesque Severed Part

John and Christine's Pick: Hand of Petofi chopped in half (so much inexplicable bone!)

 

Most Horrifying Make-Up Mistakes

Jeremiah's eyeball popping ghost

Quentin's Petofi cursed face

Evan Hanley's Petofi cursed face

Josette's over-the-cliff-face

 

Wildest Wardrobe

Maggie's quilted pants

Sebastian Shaw's Groovy Threads

Maggie's couch upholstery dress, Angelique's psychedelic outfit, and Roger's ascot

Monster Most Missing in Action

A Mummy

Christine's Closing Thoughts

I have a hard time picking best of anything in the lists above, because I think what makes this show timeless and endearing was the family atmosphere and the talented work of the entire cast that brought it together. Through ups and downs and crazy, convoluted storylines, they played their parts with the utmost seriousness and made us believe they were entirely different characters whenever they took on new roles. It was their joy in working together that made this show so fun to watch. So, while I have made the difficult choice of considering who was best at their part, owing mostly to the range and versatility demonstrated, I recognize the greatness of the whole cast in making this show the phenomenon that it is in creating characters that are likable and memorable. What brought it all together was Dan Curtis and his reverence for the Universal Monsters of his childhood that made the show entirely appealing for those of us who remain kids at heart. After spending every day for five years with these fine actors, it is hard not to feel a connection, and easy to understand why the show lives on.

John's Closing Thoughts

Christine is right. While it was fun reviewing past history to pull out some favorites, there's no way that a show of this scope can be boiled down to a handful of performances. We could have done superlatives for each time period (or band)... and many familiar names would have popped up along the way. And while I regularly chided the writers for making things up along the way, or ret-conning the Collins family history, it was all in the spirit of fun. Had they known where they were going when they had started, they probably never would have lasted as long as they did. They dipped their toes into every gothic tradition and horror trope imaginable (okay, except for the Mummy, which they surely would have gotten to eventually if the show had stayed on the air). Also worthy of pointing out was the fantastic score by Robert Cobert, which somehow manages to stay fresh and effective no matter how many times you hear a familiar needle-drop (and those of you who have traveled the road will know exactly what I mean when I say my wife and I would find ourselves anticipating some of the familiar musical cues at the sound of the first note). Dan Curtis went on to do several more amazing things after Dark Shadows (The Night Stalker films, Burnt Offerings), but I can't imagine any of that would have been possible without the foundation of this show. Looking back on the past five years, I'm pleased to report that even with the closing whimper 1841 Parallel Time, I have no regrets, and a greater fondness for Dark Shadows than I had when we started.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

 

Over the past five years we've talked about what we would do once we reached the end of the original series run. We had discussed covering the revival series, and ultimately decided against it. But as we got closer to the end, the idea came back up... and revisiting the revival from the fresh perspective of having just watched the entire original series made more sense. And since 2021 was the 30th anniversary of the short-lived show, what better time to do it. So, starting this Friday, April 9th... we'll be back with the first of our weekly installments looking at the Dark Shadows revival series!

 

Finally, before we close out the original series, we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have visited the site over the past five years. We truly appreciate it! As for those of you who have taken the time to share your comments, we want to thank you for your contributions.

 

To that end, special shout-outs to DSB4IDIE regulars Paul Haney, Grant, Dave Dykema, Jeff Baker, and Thingmaker, who kept popping up to remind us that we weren't on this long, strange trip alone!

 

Thanks also to SecondComingofBast, Kenn and D.Wor, Martin Parsons, Ksweatman, Sgspires68, John W, J, RJM, Gene Philips, Stephen Robinson, HGN 2001, Gem, Karen Van Hoek, Kevin Shelton, Gary, Matilda W, Scott Nesmith, Joey, Prisoner of the Night, JohnR.442, dave, davey wavey, John C, jaytf25, Andy Decker, Cathy, Billy Martin, Robert Sharp, Maureen, GoldUsher, Chase, Acilius, Billy, Los Thunderlads, Annette, William, Pamela Jaye, Rocksister, Unknown (you know who you all are!) and Rick! And anyone else that we may have inadvertently missed!

Dark Shadows Episode 1245 4/2/71 - The Finale!

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Morgan goes to the room and unlocks the door. He steps inside holding a gun. The ghost of Brutus appears and says he shall not have them, they are his! 

In the secret room, next to the corpses, Bramwell tells Catherine that it's almost dawn. They embrace. He asks if they ended it. She says Brutus will try something else. Bramwell says that they have defeated him repeatedly, and can do so again. He asks if after this night, she has any doubt that they were meant to be together. He says he has money now, and they will leave Collinwood. 

Brutus appears before them, laughing about their plan, and calls to Amanda. He calls her to him. Bramwell tells him it's over. Brutus calls her and says that all he wants is Amanda's forgiveness. Catherine says yes and approaches him. She asks Brutus if he still loves her, and he says he never stopped loving her. He tells her to come to him and they will be together for all eternity. She tries to go to him, but Bramwell holds her back. Bramwell is mysteriously choked again, and Brutus laughs at him. Catherine comes out of her spell and Brutus says that he must die. They hear a rooster. Brutus tells her to come to him, and she says she ever will. She say s they will bury the bodies in holy ground, and Amanda will finally have peace. She tells him to go from this house and never return again. She says it's done. He asks if she refuses him, and when she says she will never come to him, he says she has won, and disappears.

She tells Bramwell the curse is over, and he says that it's because of their love. He says they must be meant for each other. She says she will leave with him today. She then realizes that Morgan will never let them go. They exit the secret room, and run into Morgan with his gun. He points out that Bramwell has ended the curse, and probably wants some sort of gratitude. He says he's not going to get it, or Catherine, and shoots him at point blank range. 

Catherine consoles Bramwell. She tells Morgan that if he kills Bramwell, he'll have to kill her, too. He picks her up, when Julia and Kendrick come in. Morgan threatens to shoot Catherine if they try to stop him. They run out, and Kendrick follows after them. Bramwell tells Julia that he'll be alright as she helps him out of the room. Kendrick returns and says he lost them. Bramwell tells him that they took a secret passage. Kendrick asks Julia to check on Melanie, and goes in search of Morgan. 

Flora tells Julia that she should be looking for Morgan. She says she could talk to him. Julia asks what she'd say. She says they need to check on Melanie. They go into the tower room and find her asleep. Flora wakes her. Her first words are, "Mama, did something happen to Kendrick?" Flora tells her that she's well now. She asks where Kendrick is, and they say he'll be there soon. She says she never should have married him, and they explain that Bramwell and Catherine stayed in the room, the curse is over, and so is she. She asks if they're okay, and Julia says they left the room sane. Melanie assumes Kendrick left her, and Julia offers to go get him. She asks her mother why he's not there, and she says he'll be happy to see her. She adds that her father would have loved to know that the curse was finally over. Flora says it will never be the same without Justin, without Gabriel, and with Morgan the way he is. Melanie asks her to tell her everything that has happened. 

Julia goes into the drawing room. Kendrick comes through the secret panel. Julia initially thought it was Morgan, but when she sees him, she tells Kendrick that Melanie is alright. He says he heard Catherine and Morgan, and Bramwell is upstairs searching. He goes upstairs to see Melanie.

Bramwell finds Catherine's handkerchief in the secret passages.

Melanie asks her mother if Morgan's madness is real, and not the result of the curse, and she says it is. Melanie says Catherine never intended to hurt Morgan. Kendrick comes in and hugs Melanie. He says he can't stay long. She tells him to be careful, and they kiss.

Morgan and Catherine end up on the roof of Collinwood. He says Bramwell will find them there, and calls to him. He tells Catherine to look down, and ask her to imagine falling to her death. He says her lover is coming. She screams for Bramwell not to come. When he comes out onto the roof, Morgan points out that he has come to watch Catherine die. Bramwell asks Morgan to let him take her place. Morgan says she is going to die first, and then he is going to die. Bramwell apologizes for turning Morgan into who he is now. Morgan says that this is the way it has got to be. Kendrick comes up from behind Morgan. Catherine runs free, and he Kendrick and Bramwell grapple before Morgan falls through the railing. 

Flora is despondent about Morgan. She says it's hard not to blame Catherine and Bramwell. Julia reminds her that they ended the curse. She then says they have to make arrangements for Morgan's funeral.

Melanie tells Kendrick that they can't leave yet. He assures her that Julia can take care of Flora. She agrees to leave with him. They kiss passionately.

Catherine and Bramwell also kiss passionately. He tells her that everything will be alright. She expresses guilt for being responsible for Morgan's death. He tells her that they will leave Collinwood, and they will forget everything that happened there. She says she won't forget — she says she will remember to follow her heart. They kiss again.

Flora tells Bramwell that the family has been split apart in troubled times, and suggests that perhaps now they should stay together if they possibly can. Kendrick comes in and asks if Melanie's ready. They say Harris is bringing her home from the cottage, where she was saying goodbye to Carrie. He tells Flora he appreciates her understanding when Harris and Stokes come in with an unconscious Melanie. He says that he found her lying in the woods. Stokes says she was attacked by a wild animal. They look at her neck — there are two bite marks. They all wonder what could have happened. Stokes says if he didn't know it wasn't possible, he says he'd swear there was a vampire at Collinwood!

We see Bramwell... and then transition to the repainted portrait of Barnabas Collins. Professor(?) Stokes provides a voice-over saying:

There was no vampire loose on the great estate. For the first time at Collinwood, the marks on the neck  were indeed those of an animal. Melanie soon recovered, and went to live in Boston with her beloved Kendrick. There they prospered and had three children. 

Bramwell and Catherine were soon married, and at Flora's insistence, stayed on at Collinwood, where Bramwell assumed control of the Collins' business interests. Their love became a living legend, and for as long as they lived, the Dark Shadows at Collinwood were but a memory of a distant past...

Our thoughts:  

John: You know what they say, sometimes you feel better after throwing up. I was kidding when I suggested that Bramwell and Catherine's love might end the curse. If anyone, I thought it would have been Kendrick and Melanie's love (considering they got their own little Robert Cobert love theme!). After 160 years of blustering about, it's sad to see Brutus fold his hand against this particular pair... But if you think about it, Brutus got both madness and death — in the form of Morgan Collins. So did he really lose? 

Christine: Brutus gave up too easily. It's almost as if he knew it was the last episode and that continuing the curse would be futile. 

                                                                                                                           

John: For the second time, at point-blank range, Morgan was incapable of dealing a lethal blow to Bramwell! And not only is it non-lethal, it's all but forgotten by the end of the episode!

 
Christine: I couldn't figure out why Catherine seemed to be laughing while being dragged off by Morgan. I suppose extreme stress can cause a person to laugh in inappropriate situations. Much like having the giggles during a funeral. 

 

John: I love how they wanted viewers to think that Melanie might be dead in bed this morning.

 

Christine: I love how Kendrick was flossing with Melanie's hair and then smooched it to try and be subtle about pulling it out of his mouth.

 

John: Back to the rooftop precipice from episode 1191, where Daniel made Gabriel (NOT of parallel time) fall to his death! I was kinda hoping Justin might appear to make it more like the last time... 

 

Christine: That was a very satisfying scene. Morgan's fall seemed entirely natural and Kendrick almost going over the edge with him lent some realism to the event. 

John: We can't bring Quentin back for one episode, but we can have Harris the servant show up for the first time ever? Come on!

 

Christine: Quentin was out because of appendicitis and was unable to return. Harris the servant was played by show writer, Gordon Russell, which seemed entirely appropriate. 

 

John: Well, that was something of a surprise to end on. I have to admit, I'm of mixed emotions. I love the fact that it basically ended with Melanie brought in with a vampire bite! And while I welcomed a denouement, they didn't need to so solidly deny the possibility of there being a vampire in parallel time. Worse yet, we are provided with summations on these, to be frank, throwaway parallel time characters. How nice it would have been for them to bring us back to 1971 one last time, and tells us what happened to the characters we actually cared about; those we came to know and love (and hate) over the past five years. 

 

Christine: It is disappointing that the principal characters were left mostly dead with an unresolved storyline, but to try and touch base with them in this final episode would have felt too rushed and may have done a disservice. While it is a little sickening that Catherine and Bramwell's love was legendary and banished the "dark shadows" from Collinwood, in a way it provides some resolution to Barnabas and Angelique's story. The nice thing is, we can go back and revisit those characters we knew from the beginning. I'm ready to start over again with the beginning episodes. How about you? 

 

THAT'S IT! IT'S ALL OVER! OR IS IT???

We've concluded our five year mission, but you haven't heard the last of us...

Dark Shadows Episode 1244 4/1/71

You can stream today's episode free on TubiTV 

Morgan and Catherine go to the locked room. He gets the key. She thanks him, and he tells her not to. She says he won't regret it, and he replies that he's sure he won't. He opens the door, pushes her in, and locks it behind her. He says that now she and Bramwell are together, and he hopes that they rot together like James Forsythe and Amanda. She says he tricked her, and he admits that he did. She tells him that she would rather die with Bramwell than live with him one more day. He tells her that she'll get her wish, and says goodbye before walking away. 

Bramwell comes out of the secret room and is shocked to see Catherine. She runs to him and they embrace. He asks how she got in the room. She says Morgan tricked her into thinking he was going to let him out. They kiss, and he says they've got to find a way to get her out.

Kendrick comes downstairs and sits in the drawing room next to Julia. He says there's no change in Melanie. Julia says if there is a change, it won't be until tomorrow morning. He says he wanted to fight this thing, and now someone else is doing it for him. She tells Kendrick the curse has been going on for 160 years, and it will never end. She says she wishes she knew how to kill the ghost of Brutus Collins. Kendrick asks her if they get Carrie to hold a seance to call upon Brutus. 

Morgan comes in and says the curse is stronger than all of them put together. He and Kendrick argue until Julia interrupts them and asks about Catherine. He says they talked, and he assumes she's fine. Julia asks what he means, and he says that Catherine has left Collinwood forever. Julia asks him what he means. He says that they talked, and they each made their decision. Julia asks if she left without saying goodbye. Morgan seems surprised that she didn't say goodbye. Julia asks to speak to them alone, but Kendrick points out that he's a member of the family, and he would like to stay. Julia explains that it's important that she talk to Morgan alone. Kendrick agrees, and leaves. 

Julia asks Morgan if Catherine is going to have Bramwell's child, and then says he doesn't need to answer. She tells him she's terribly sorry. She asks how he found out. He describes following her when she met Bramwell in the gazebo. They talked about their child. He says he knew what he had to do. He says he wanted his revenge in the form of poetic justice. Julia says that's the way the curse started — when Brutus locked the wife of a Collins lover... she then realizes that he lied when he said Catherine was gone. She accuses him of doing what Brutus did, locking her in the room with Bramwell. 

Bramwell says he's going to try to break down the door. He says their child must live. He sits her down and throws a chair at the door.  The chandeliers start to rattle. He runs to Catherine, and she asks why he keeps calling her that name, adding that her name is Amanda. She stands up. Bramwell tells her to fight it. She says there's only one way for them to have peace. He tells her not to believe it. She says he must kill her, and then kill himself. And if he won't, she will. She grabs a knife. He  points out that it wasn't there before. He grabs the knife and tells her that she is not Amanda, she is Catherine. She snaps out of it, and he calls out to Brutus that she is his, and he will not take her from him. 

Morgan says he doesn't see the difference it makes in where Catherine has gone. Julia reminds her that he loved Catherine once. She begs him for the key. He says he does not have it, and if he did, he wouldn't give it to her. He says he's going for a stroll and bids her goodnight. After he leaves, Kendrick comes in and asks her what's wrong. She tells him that Morgan has locked Catherine in the room and tells him to come with her. 

Bramwell tells Catherine that she's not Amanda. She says she knows. He tells her not to let her guard down. She says she didn't feel anything but drowsy. He says that no matter what happens, they must remain Catherine and Bramwell. The chandeliers shake again, and he says Brutus is with them. He calls for Brutus to show himself and fight him. Bramwell grabs his throat and says that he's choking him, and that he can't breathe. Catherine tells Bramwell to fight him. Bramwell continues to choke himself until he stops, and says that he failed to follow his own advice. He says that Brutus will try once more before the night is over. 

Julia and Kendrick search Morgan's room for the key. Morgan appears and is offended that they searched his room. He tells them to get out. Julia says that her suspicions are justified. She says Catherine wouldn't leave without her clothing and jewelry. She says he locked her in the room and he lets out a maniacal laugh. He admits that he locked her in the room with her lover, and thinks they might stay there beyond the morning. Julia says it must be opened in the morning. Morgan says there are no more rules; he has taken over as master of Collinwood. Julia tells him that he's lost his mind. He tells her that he has regained his senses. He says that he has sympathy for Brutus; but he got his revenge, and now he's getting his, again laughing maniacally.

Kendrick and Julia are in the drawing room when he tells her there's just 15 more minutes. Morgan comes in and says that he's going to open the room. Julia says they'll come with him and he refuses. Kendrick demands that he's coming with him. Morgan says that he's the one who knows where the key is, so he goes alone, or not at all. Kendrick tells him to go. Morgan says that if he's followed, there may be trouble, and lets out another maniacal laugh. He leaves, and Julia tells Kendrick that in his current state, Morgan frightens her. 

Morgan goes to the room and unlocks the door. He's got a gun. Outside the door, he says he can't lose. It's either death or insanity, and if they have somehow defied the odds against him, he's prepared to use the gun.

Our thoughts:  

John: So much for Julia's theory about having to touch the corpses to be possessed!  I love how Bramwell is now an expert on the room phenomena, and how he knew Brutus had one more opportunity to fight him. I'm not sure if my favorite bit was his getting hit by the chair he threw at the door, or his self-strangulation courtesy the unseen ghost of Brutus. Actually, the self-strangulation was worth the price of admission!

 

Christine: At least you have not had to go vomit yet over Bramwell and Catherine's love for one another overcoming all odds.  

                                                                                                                           

John: No sooner that I praise Julia for being shrewd about picking up on the paternity of Catherine's baby, now she can't tell if Morgan really locked her in the room with Bramwell, or if she left of her own accord without telling anyone? On the bright side, At least there's little point in starting a Morgan's Maniacal Laugh tracker... let's just say he was quite the April Fool today...

 

Christine: He does not have a convincing maniacal laugh, but his sweating bullets outside the locked room sure made him seem like he was going over the edge.

 

John: I'm sure we'll see Melanie tomorrow, but where the hell are Quentin and Flora? Do they realize that everything has gone to hell in a hand-basket, and the end is upon us??? I'm not expecting much in the way of other curtain calls, but it will be somewhat disappointing NOT to see the primary members of the family one last time...

 

Christine: Well, we know Quentin is down for the count, but I think we can expect to see some of the folks who have been around for the long haul. 

 

 

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

This is it! Only 1 more episode to go...