Dark Shadows Episode 297 - 8/15/67

Sam serves Joe a cup of coffee after a long night watching over Maggie. He expresses concern that whoever abducted Maggie might try again. Sam wonders if it would be better to move away from Collinsport. Joe's not thrilled by the idea, but says it might be a good idea. Maggie comes out of her room and asks if they've been up all night. They say they've been talking. She mentions going to see if she could get her old job back. Sam tells her they were thinking it might be good to take a trip. Maggie says she's not afraid, and she plans to pick up her life where she left off.

Maggie examines the doll in her room. She picks up a book from her night table and sits down to read. Suddenly, Sarah appears in the doorway. Maggie invites her in. She asks if Maggie is feeling better, saying she was worried about her. She says she missed her. Maggie asks why. Sarah says she's her very best friend. Maggie asks if she's new to the neighborhood, and asks her name. Sarah says she lives in a big house, and asks if Maggie remembers her. She asks her to play, and Maggie agrees. They play catch, and Sarah sings London Bridge. Maggie joins in, and says she hasn't sung it in a long time. Sarah says they used to sing it together. Maggie asks if she knows what happened to her. Sarah is upset that Maggie doesn't remember her—just like everyone else. She says she wants her doll, since only her doll remembers her. Maggie gives her the doll on her bed, and Sarah runs out.

Maggie looks at her father's sketch of Sarah, and asks him who she is. He says he has no idea. He checked around, and no one knew her. Maggie says Sarah knows something about her. She asks her father to find her, and he tells her he'll try. She goes to her room and there's a knock at the door. It's Barnabas, checking in on Maggie. He's pleased to hear she's doing well. He asks Sam if Maggie has any idea what happened to her. Sam explains she can't remember anything after she disappeared. Barnabas asks if she remembers anyone involved, and Sam says regretfully not. Sam says they are concerned that whoever abducted her may come back. Barnabas asks to see her. Sam calls to her, and she comes out of her room. She greets him and invites him to sit down. Sam asks Barnabas if he can keep Maggie company while he delivers a painting. He promises to take very good care of her.

Barnabas asks Maggie about her memory. She says they've asked her everything, including why she went to Eagle Hill Cemetery. She has no idea what she'd be doing up there. Barnabas asks her if she thinks she'd recognize her kidnapper if she saw him. She says she hopes so. Maggie tells him about the strange girl who visited him today. She said she had spent time with her, playing games and singing London Bridge. Barnabas asks how old she was. Maggie says 8 or 9, and she wore an old style dress. Barnabas asks if she knows her name. When she says Sarah, he bolts up. Maggie says she thinks Sarah knows something about what happened to her. Barnabas says that the man responsible for abducting her may be apprehended.

That night, as Maggie sleeps, the wolves howl outside. A shadow appears outside her door, and Barnabas walks in on her. He looks around the room and picks up a pillow. He approaches Maggie, and before he can do anything, he hears Sarah singing London Bridge. He asks where she is, and what she wants. He slowly backs out of the room.

Our thoughts

John: The color in today's episode looked surprisingly good. Better than last Friday's episode. Maybe I'll get used to this after all. That's a fine quilt on Sam's couch!

Christine: Those were my thoughts exactly—right down to the quilt! I imagine the color quality will vary by episode, but it did look pretty good today. Sam's not such a bad painter, after all.

John: The Barnabas/Sarah connection has finally been made! And not a moment too soon for Maggie's sake.

Christine: I think it's odd that Maggie says she's not afraid, when she has no memory of the time she was abducted, and the perpetrator is still at large.

John: Where are Joe and Sam? Where are the guards? This is their idea of better protection than before? Maggie was nearly smothered to death. Fortunately Sarah was on ghost watch!

Christine: Barnabas really is a reluctant vampire. It seems he'd prefer to smother or strangle his victims rather than simply drain them of blood. I wonder how he's sustaining himself these days.

Dark Shadows Episode 573 - 9/4/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Joe asks Barnabas what he's doing at Blair's house. Barnabas asks the same of Joe. They both say they came to see Blair. Joe says he came to tell him to stay away from Maggie. Barnabas tells Joe to go home, and Joe tells Barnabas that he should leave. Barnabas asks why Joe is so nervous, and why he keeps looking out the window. Joe implores Barnabas to leave immediately.

In the basement, Angelique rises from her coffin.

Joe tells Barnabas he wants to speak to Blair privately. Barnabas says there's no harm in his waiting.

Angelique hears Barnabas, and realizes that she can end his existence forever.

Barnabas tells Joe that something has happened to him, and asks what it is. Joe explains that it will be over soon.

Angelique hesitates, realizing that Nicholas has warned her about harming Barnabas.

Barnabas offers to leave, provided that Joe leaves with him.

Angelique realizes that she has to keep Joe in the house.

Barnabas says he understands better than Joe thinks that he feels compelled to stay at the house.

Angelique compels Joe to stay.

Barnabas tells Joe he will take her to Maggie, and Joe seems to agree. They leave, and Angelique comes into the room, shocked to see that they're gone.

Maggie turns over the painting to Blair as he writes her a check. She says the money means more to her now that Joe seems to have changed. Blair assures her it's not her fault. He says he doesn't like seeing her hurt, and she's too beautiful to stop living over a lost cause. There's a knock at the door, and Blair is shocked to see Joe. Maggie hugs him, and Blair says that he'll be by tomorrow to pick up the painting before leaving.

Joe tells Maggie that he couldn't help it earlier, and he really did want her to keep him from leaving. He tells her that a strange force is controlling him, and he needs her help to resist it. He tells her he needs her help more than anything.

Blair returns home and asks Angelique why Haskell isn't there. She says he came and left, but she had competition. She explains that Barnabas was also at the house. She says she heard him talking with Joe when she arose. She says Barnabas convinced Joe to leave with him. She says she's sorry Blair's visit with that sweet girl was interrupted. Blair demands that she get Joe back tonight. She asks what will happen if he doesn't come, and Blair says he'll make her watch the sunrise.

Maggie offers to make some coffee and leaves Joe alone momentarily. He hears Angelique calling to him. Maggie returns and Joe tells her that it has started. He tells Maggie not to let go of him. He explains that he's going to fight it, and tells her not to let him leave. He continues to hear Angelique's call, but tells Maggie that he will concentrate on her, and it will work.

Angelique tells Blair that Maggie is helping Joe. Blair reminds her that if she fails to get Joe, it will be her last night on Earth.

Joe asks Maggie for the sleeping pills she got after Sam died. He thinks that might help him. She goes to get them for him.

Joe is fast asleep as Maggie turns out the lights and goes to bed. Joe manages to sleep for several hours. Angelique calls to him again, and this time Joe cannot resist. He wakes up screaming, and gets up. There's a figure standing outside the window of the Evans' cottage.

At 4:30 in the morning, frantic knocking wakes Maggie. She answers, and it's Nicholas Blair saying he was concerned that she was in terrible danger. She says she's been concerned about Joe, and he spent the night on the sofa. Blair points out that there's no one on the sofa.

Our thoughts

John: Maggie has gone to the trouble of wrapping the painting for Blair, but he doesn't take it with him after paying for it? Sounds like he wanted an excuse to see her again tomorrow.

Christine: If Joe weren't compromised, I'd expect him to shove the painting in his hands and tell him to take it with him and not come back. FYI--Maggie did get her quilt back from Joe.

John: Was anyone else disappointed that Barnabas didn't come into the Evans' cottage with Joe? I keep hoping we'll get some sort of epic showdown with Blair.

Christine: Yes! That was inexcusable not to have him go with Joe to Maggie's, with Julia in tow, to trade barbs with Blair, and then tag team Joe to find out who the vampire is. At the very least, they should have done something to protect Joe from further attack. Get the guy a cross or something.

John: I do love when Blair throws down the gauntlet with Angelique. I wonder just how many times, and in how many ways, he can kill her to punish her. He continues to be full of surprises. And it certainly does look like he's got his sights set on Maggie Evans.

Christine: The thing about Blair is that he's full of empty threats most of the time, which makes it all the more unpredictable and frightening when he decides to follow through. While it's clear he's after Maggie, his intended purpose remains vague. I don't think he wants her simply to rub orange slices together, but it doesn't seem like he intends to bring her into the coven. Maybe he is thinking of using her as a sacrificial offering.

Dark Shadows Episode 670 - 1/17/69

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Carolyn fixes a drink and asks Chris if he likes the cottage. He says it's nice and private, just like he wanted. They toast his new life in the cottage. He tells her that he's going away for a few days.

Amy comes in and tells Chris she's glad he'll be closer. Amy sees the pentagram on Carolyn's face, and asks if she's going away. Carolyn says she's not, and Amy tells her that she sees a star on her face, and the only other time she saw that was on her cousin Joe, and then he went away. She tells Carolyn that she hopes she's not going away, too. Carolyn looks in the mirror and sees nothing.

She asks Chris if he saw anything, and he denies it. Amy apologizes for upsetting her. Carolyn says she's not upset, and tells her to run along and play. She tells Chris that his sister is strange, and he tells her that he has to leave. She asks what he's upset about, and he tells her he'll call her when he gets back.

David is failing miserably attempting to build a house of cards when Amy comes into his room. She asks if he spoke to Quentin about Carolyn and Chris. He says he did, and that Quentin seemed pleased. David says he wants to make sure Carolyn stops interfering with them. He says Quentin has a way, but he won't tell him what it is. He tells her that later today, she'll pretend to be sick. She asks if Quentin is going to hurt Carolyn. David asks why she thinks that. He says that Quentin told him after tonight, Carolyn won't bother them again.

Amy finds Carolyn and asks about Chris. She explains that he's going away for a few days on business.

Chris sits in front of the fireplace in the cottage. He takes off his tie and throws it aside. He then starts pacing around. He opens his suitcase and starts to fill it.

In his room, David asks Amy if she's feeling alright. Maggie tells him to focus on his schoolwork. Amy tells Maggie that she doesn't feel well. She appears to pass out. Maggie takes Amy to her room and goes to get Carolyn. David tells Amy she did a good job. She asks what Chris has to with everything? Maggie brings Carolyn in, and Amy reverts to playing sick. David suggests that she may be feeling this way because Chris was leaving. Maggie suggests that seeing Chris would help. Carolyn goes downstairs to call him.

Chris hears the phone ring in the cottage, but refuses to answer it. He finishes packing his suitcase.

Carolyn hangs up the phone.

Maggie tells Amy that she'll be alright, and Chris will come to see her soon. Amy says she dreamed of Chris saying goodbye to her. Maggie says that Carolyn went to get Chris, and goes downstairs. Amy tells David she doesn't understand what Chris has to do with all this. He feigns ignorance, and tells her she's afraid. She asks what will happen to Carolyn and he tells her nothing bad. He just wants her to leave the house, probably to scare her on the way to Chris' cottage. Carolyn comes in to ask how Amy is feeling. David asks about Maggie, and Carolyn says she went to the cottage to get Chris. They look worried.

Chris looks out the window, and then starts struggling, as if he's about to turn into a werewolf. Maggie arrives at the cottage, and asks him to let her in. She says it's about Amy.

Our thoughts

John: The day Chris moves into the cottage, he says he's leaving to go out of town for a few days? I guess that since he's now living rent free, he can afford to travel!

Christine: Not only rent free, but with access to free booze from his own personal mixologist. I guess Carolyn is no longer stressing over whether her mother is buried alive or not.

John: Amy's glassy-eyed stare when she saw the pentagram on Carolyn was almost as eerie as silent Quentin appearing before Mrs. Johnson yesterday. And I don't know about you, but the pentagram-cam is pretty unsettling.

Christine: I think the pentagram-cam is so unsettling because of how the actors appear suddenly frozen whenever it appears on their faces. Here's a collection of pentagram-cam appearances we've seen so far:

John: I'm giving Chris the benefit of the doubt that he was about to turn into a werewolf as Maggie arrived. I figure it was that, or he really needed to go to the bathroom...

Christine: Maybe the toilet's not working at Matthew Morgan's cottage. It looks like Maggie has loaned Chris her quilt, as it can be seen draped over the arm of the chair in the cottage.

Dark Shadows Episode 482 - 4/30/68

Amazon Prime members can stream today's episode free!

Back at Lang's place, Barnabas tells him that Cassandra sent him the message to come to Collinwood. Lang looks for the amulet, but can't find it in his desk. Barnabas tells Lang that without the talisman, she can do anything she wants to him.

Lang asks where they can find another talisman, and Barnabas tells him that Professor Stokes says they're pretty rare. Barnabas says he should go to Collinwood and drag her from the house and burn her. Jeff interrupts them and asks Lang what happened to him. He says he was supposed to pack and meet Vicki last night. He tells Lang he won't be part of his experiment anymore. He leaves, and Barnabas tells Lang that he had a helper that is now in a mental institution—Willie Loomis. Lang tells him to get his friend, and Barnabas says he will have Julia work on it. Barnabas tells Lang that Cassandra came to him in his sleep as Angelique, and they need to finish the experiment before something bad happens.

Jeff arrives at Maggie's place, explaining that he's Vicki's friend. He tells her that she's also on her way over. Maggie is a little shocked, but invites him in. She tells Jeff that she had a nightmare last night that started with a knock on her door, and it was him. Jeff says they've never met before. She describes the dream, and how he led her to a door and then slammed it shut after she went inside. She then describes seeing a skull approaching her. She gets frantic and Jeff tries to calm her down.

She thanks him for listening. Vicki arrives and tells Jeff that she's never been so angry at someone. Maggie goes to make coffee, and Jeff tells Vicki that he fell asleep at Dr. Lang's. She tells him that she went to Lang's last night and he said he hadn't seen Jeff. Jeff says his memory is blank. Vicki asks why Lang would lie. He notices a bracelet Vicki is wearing, and she says she hasn't worn it since she came back. She describes Trask, and he says he knew someone named Trask once. He tells her she only likes him because he reminders her of someone named Peter Bradford.

Jeff makes himself at home at the Evans' place. He falls asleep in a chair and begins to dream. It starts with a knock at the door. He answers it, and sees Dr. Lang. Lang silently beckons him to follow, and Jeff does. Lang leads Jeff to a door, opens it, and points for him to enter.

After doing so, he closes and locks the door behind him. Jeff hears the disembodied voice that Maggie described in her dream, followed by the melody of Josette's music box. Jeff opens a door and sees the skull Maggie described.

He closes the door. He opens another and he sees a guillotine. As the blade drops, Jeff wakes up.

Our thoughts

John: I love how Lang starts tossing folders out of his desk while looking for the talisman that he's sure is in his desk where he left it.

Christine: Dr. Lang went pretty quickly from disbelieving man of science to a believer of witches seeking out talismanic protection. He was spot on when he told Barnabas that Angelique is an inefficient witch. Rather than just reestablish the curse in an expedient manner, she's got to give everyone in Collinsport a bad dream before finally doing the deed. It doesn't make much sense, but it's fun to watch anyway.

John: Is Maggie wearing the famous Evans' Technicolor blanket? It may not be exactly the same, but it looks darn close!

First appearance of Maggie's Technicolor quilt-wear in Episode 342.

Christine: It is definitely the same one of a kind creation. Maggie comments that she can sew something to get her mind off her bad dream, which leads me to believe she is the creator of this remarkable piece of fashion. Though I searched, I could not find information on where to acquire this notable article of clothing, but I did find an amusing write up about it on 1630revellodrive, which helped confirm that it is not a skirt at all, but a pair of pants! It's not surprising that we've never seen Maggie sport this stunning fashion ensemble outside the Evans' cottage.

John: Within hours of arriving at the Evans' place, Jeff has got his shoes up on the coffee table. And we're supposed to think this guy is good enough for Vicki?

Christine: It sounds like Barnabas is going to get Julia to free Willie. Can't wait to have him back to add a whole new element of fun to this off the rails storyline. I noticed that Maggie's recitation of the dream curse in today's episode was slightly altered by Dr. Lang, who was reciting it during Jeff's dream.

Maggie's Recitation of the Dream Curse

Through sight and sound and faceless terror,

through endless corridors of trial and error,

a blazing head of light shall burn, 

and one door leads to the point of return.

Dr. Lang's Recitation of the Dream Curse

Through night and sound and faceless terror,

through endless corridors by trial and error,

a head of blazing light does burn, 

and one door leads to the point of return.