“I don’t know what it is. I just know it’s going to happen.”
Today’s episode opens with Carolyn standing on the landing with a glum expression, probably because it’s been almost two weeks since she’s been on the show, and so far nobody’s noticed.
She walks downstairs at a moderate pace, and sets course for the drawing room. She reaches the fireplace, and then she whirls around, looking behind her. Nobody’s there, so she walks back across the drawing room.
It’s almost a shame that Liz comes in at that point and starts talking; this could have turned into a whole half hour of Carolyn pacing silently around the house.
This episode is actually more like two mini-episodes stitched together. The beginning of the episode is one of those days where they don’t have anything to do, so everyone walks around and talks about having vague feelings of dread about nothing in particular. Then they lose their nerve halfway through, and they switch to a Julia scene so the day isn’t a complete waste.
So we take you now live to Carolyn Stoddard, who keeps getting the oddest feeling.
Carolyn: I keep getting the oddest feeling, mother, and I don’t know why.
Liz: What kind of feeling?
Carolyn: The feeling that — something terrible is about to happen.
Liz: Like what?
Carolyn: I don’t know what it is. I just know it’s going to happen. And soon. Very soon.
And, remarkably, it turns out that she’s exactly right. There really is something terrible that’s about to happen, and here he is: Burke comes over to ask Liz about “the house”.
Last week, Vicki suddenly decided that she’d fallen love with an abandoned old house by the sea. They spent three episodes talking about how much she’d like to live there, but they didn’t mention who owned it. It turns out it belongs to the Collins family, which means that some of the dialogue from last week probably doesn’t make sense. But never mind.
Burke wants to buy the property, and Liz says that the family doesn’t really have any use for it. They decide to go down and look at it, and talk about a sale price. They invite Carolyn along, because there’s nothing that helps to lift your mood like walking around in a huge, dark, abandoned house.
At the house, they blow another thirty seconds on opening the door, closing the door and pacing around in silence.
Carolyn walks to the window, enchanted. “There’s a feeling about it,” she says. “A warmth. I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe it’s the light from the ocean.”
That’s kind of an odd thing to say, because last week they spent an entire episode talking about how chilly the house is. In fact, a couple minutes later, Liz has a vague feeling of her own to share:
Liz: I don’t share your enthusiasm about this house.
Burke: Why not?
Liz: I don’t know, exactly. The architecture’s beautiful, but there’s something about it. There’s a coldness here, a clamminess in the air.
Carolyn: That’s only because it’s so close to the ocean.
Except that two minutes ago, you said that being close to the ocean gave it a warmth. This is what happens when you just throw characters at the screen, instead of coming up with a storyline. I think if a soap opera really doesn’t have anything to do, we should just let them take a personal day.
But now we switch gears and go over to the Evans cottage, where Maggie’s talking about her mysterious memory loss. Vicki is prompting her for memories of the night they heard snarling dogs. This is actually an appropriate use of recap — they’re recapping something that happened three months ago, and there’s a good chance that it’s new information for viewers who have started tuning in over the summer.
Then they have a completely mysterious conversation about the day that Vicki saw Maggie at the Eagle Hill cemetery.
Maggie is puzzled, and says, “What was I doing in a cemetery? Why would anyone take me to a cemetery?” Vicki says she doesn’t know.
Which would be another fine use of recap, except that there was also an episode where Burke and Vicki found a “sleepwalking” Maggie in that same cemetery. That’s not part of the period that Julia erased from Maggie’s brain, so they should both remember it, but they don’t mention it. I know, all I’m doing today is nitpicking, but there isn’t much else to do.
The conversation moves to the couch, where we get a look at a much-loved Dark Shadows prop, known to fans as the Collinsport Afghan. It’s a crocheted blanket with a distinctive pattern of brightly-colored squares. Like the Ralston-Purina lamp, it pops up in different locations throughout the whole run of the show, including past time periods and parallel universes.
Afghan-spotting is something of a sport for fans who like that kind of thing. (For example, here’s a site that has a picture of a fan dressed up as the afghan at a Dark Shadows convention.) As far as I know, this is the blanket’s first appearance, but if anyone knows of an earlier one, let me know in the comments.
Anyway, when all seems lost, they finally come up with a plot point. Vicki mentions that she was in the cemetery to visit the grave of Josette Collins — and that name rings a bell for Maggie. The memories of her abduction start to resurface, and she remembers seeing a grave, and a coffin.
So it’s lucky for Julia that she stops by to check on Maggie at the exact moment when her memory-erasing treatment has started to wear off. Julia pretends that she’s waiting to talk to Sam about her research, puttering around in the background while Maggie has a full-blown flashback event on the couch.
Vicki: Maggie, you said you were remembering a grave. Was it the grave of Josette Collins?
Maggie: Josette… Who is she? Tell me about her.
Vicki: She was a great lady, who had a very tragic life. Barnabas Collins has restored her room in the Old House.
Maggie: Barnabas…
Julia overhears this, and pulls the medallion out of her purse.
Vicki: He’s restored all of her belongings in that room. They’re all there, just the way they were when she was living.
Maggie: I —
Vicki: What is it, Maggie?
Maggie: Vicki!
Vicki: What is it?
Julia: Are you interested in antiques?
It’s fantastic. Julia completely disrupts the flow of the conversation, just in time. She starts talking about antique jewelry, as if they’re all having a totally normal afternoon.
And it completely works. Julia shows them the medallion, which is her special hypnotizing equipment, and just seeing it calms Maggie and breaks the mood. Julia asks if she could have a cup of tea, and Vicki goes off to the kitchen.
This gives Julia the opportunity to flash her medallion at Maggie, and top up her amnesia. By the time Vicki comes back with the tea, Maggie is smiling and relaxed, and she has no idea why Vicki thinks that her memories were coming back.
Now, ordinarily, I might be a little hard on a scene like this, because it’s basically pressing a reset button and restoring the status quo of ten minutes ago. But after spending the first half of the episode trying to decide whether an empty house is warm or chilly, this hypnotism scene feels like a taut action sequence.
Plus, Julia’s interruption is so cheerful and silly, and it makes me smile.
“Are you interested in antiques?” Yes, I am. I’m interested in anything you want to say.
Tomorrow: A Human Life.
Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for:
When Liz and Burke talk in the Collinwood drawing room, she dries up in the middle of a line and has to check the teleprompter. Burke tries to say something to cover the silence, and they end up talking over each other.
Also, there’s a weird edit in the first act when there’s a knock at the door; it jumps from Liz standing in the drawing room to opening the door. Legend has it that Joan Bennett, who plays Liz, was the only actor who was important enough to stop tape; this edit could be the result of covering up a mistake.
Tomorrow: A Human Life.
Dark Shadows episode guide – 1967
— Danny Horn
Dark Shadows Every Day 
“Today’s episode opens with Carolyn standing on the landing with a glum expression, probably because it’s been almost two weeks since she’s been on the show, and so far nobody’s noticed.
”
Not to get too far ahead, but it’s amazing to consider the primary Collins family characters at this point and how, well to be blunt, dull they are and how the developing supernatural elements unleash such great performances from Edmonds and Barrett especially.
Even Joan Bennett gets to have multiple death scenes.
Yeah, the original cast is pretty much nerfed by this point in the show — all the rough edges sanded down. Burke is pretty much friends with Liz; Roger is a distant but loving father to David; Carolyn is doing jigsaw puzzles instead of running around after dangerous men. And it’s only been a year! You can’t do that in the first year of a soap opera — these characters need problems that will drive story for years to come. Thank goodness for ghouls.
My question is if the actors aren’t on the show for two weeks are they still getting paid?
How did that work?
What did they do with their time and how did they pay their bills?
Love your blog, Danny!! 😀
Regarding the Collinsport Afghan, it’s first documented appearance is in this episode, but I thought I saw it lurking on the Evans’ couch in one of your screencaps for episode 297??
Oh! You’re right, it does. I’m glad you noticed that. I’m gonna have to update the Dark Shadows Wiki. Thank goodness you were here. 🙂
Yay! I’ve made a valid contribution to something!! 😀
While you’re at it, could you make an entry there for the Ralston-Purina lamp?? 🙂
That afghan changed my life.
Danny — do you have any behind-the-scenes intel on what they had in mind with the “Vicki’s House” storyline? It seems like they were setting this up to be more than a mere plot contrivance to accelerate the Vicki/Burke romance with all the talk of it being cold, etc. Clearly, that’s all that came of it, but right now, it looks like this was going to be their next new big story arc.
Also, I wonder when people are going to start catching on that every time Maggie encounters Julia, she’s wiped clear of her emerging memories again.
Finally, is it me, or has the mood and pacing and direction taken a distinctive turn with the switch to color?
Yeah, after I wrote the posts about the house, I watched the DVD interviews with Malcolm Marmorstein, where he talks about it. I keep meaning to go back and add stuff to one of those posts. I guess I’m doing that here. 🙂
Marmorstein says that Dan wanted to kill the Barnabas storyline, because he was tired of it and wanted to move on. Dan had another story in mind, and Marmorstein suggested that they keep the Barnabas story going, and then start the new storyline in parallel. If the new story works, then they could kill Barnabas.
So the stuff about the house and F.McA.C. was the start of this new storyline. My guess is that it would probably involve ghosts, and some kind of link to Vicki’s past. But that story didn’t really work, and Marmorstein says that ABC vetoed killing Barnabas, so they just dropped the storyline and forgot about it.
The Marmorstein interviews are on discs 20 and 24 in the Complete Series set. He’s a neglected figure in DS history, because he was kind of overshadowed by Ron Sproat, and he was fired very abruptly.
Thank you for answering that background specifically, and a broader thanks for the whole blog. Your daily entries and other folks’ comments have really enhanced my DS experience.
I hope to catch up to you by 1840.
That’s great, I’m glad you’ve joined us on this uncertain and frightening journey.
Kill Barnabas well where do we start with the impossibilities of that task? not mentioning he is undead. man that would have caved that soap in minutes. have any of the DS cast members read this blog, vlog, website? they would love it .
Maybe Seaview House is where Liz gave birth to or conceived Vicki!!
Burke says that Seaview House could ‘use a good airing’; has nobody noticed that the window everyone keeps walking over to is WIDE OPEN? And presumably has been so since the place was abandoned. If anything, there should be dead seagulls, guano, feathers, the house should be a mess. And where are the spo-o-ooky cobwebs that are always everywhere in disused places on Dark Shadows?
Oh, dear, Maggie’s swilling the Goldfish Water, doesn’t even remember that Julia is THE DOCTOR FROM THE HOSPITAL, not the historian researching the old families of Collinsport, as she claims when Vicki opens the door at the Evans cottage
Vicki either brews tea very quickly, or else pours out tea very slowly…maybe she had trouble finding the cups.
Re: “Oh, dear, Maggie’s swilling the Goldfish Water, doesn’t even remember that Julia is THE DOCTOR FROM THE HOSPITAL, not the historian researching the old families of Collinsport, as she claims when Vicki opens the door at the Evans cottage.” I’m positive Maggie isn’t forgetting who Dr. Hoffman is. There was a scene several episodes ago when Julia lectured to Maggie quite adamantly that she (Maggie) must not let anyone know that she (Julia) is her doctor–or is a doctor at all–and tells her about her cover story that she is in town to do some historical research. So I think it’s clear that Maggie is just pretending to not know her due to those instructions.
“Maggie has a full-blown flashback event on the couch.”
That’s gonna leave a stain.
Were those afghans popular because of DS, or did DS include it because they were popular decor? My grandmother and aunt made very similar ones, and it’s blowing my mind to think they may have been DS fans.
It (the DS afghan) certainly began my personal obsession with granny square afghans, but such afghans have been in existence since before Barnabas became a prisoner of the night.
Danny, why was Marmorstein fired anyway? It does seem like he is a solid anchor for the show in the early years. At what point does he depart?
This “Look at my medallion as I speak to you very slowly” schtick is really working my nerves. I mean, I know they painted themselves into a very tight corner when they whisked Maggie off to Windcliff and had to tell everyone that she was dead as a cover, but, as Danny points out, she should remember at least being at the cemetery with Dr. Hoffman. The sooner the hypnotism is left in the rear-view mirror, the better off all concerned will be.
No, Maggie shouldn’t remember that she was at Eagle Hill Cemetery with Dr. Hoffman. That’s part of the period that Julia has wiped from her memory. What Danny is referring to is the PRIOR incident (which, yes, Maggie should remember) when Maggie wandered from her house and was found by Burke and Vicki in Eagle Hill Cemetery. That was before the night she disappeared, so it should remain in her memory.
I think the first sighting of the quilt is episode 286, when Vicki sleeps in Josette’s bed, she pulls the quilt over herself. (9 minutes in.)
I think you are correct. I just rewatched that part. It’s hard to tell because it’s black and white and pretty washed out black and white but I do believe it is the granny quilt.
And another thing about that episode I can’t believe Barnabas didn’t have one of Josette’s nightgowns laying around for her to wear instead of letting her wear her clothes to bed!
My theory is that there weren’t any clean sheets. Apparently they didn’t get packed in the magic clothes trunk.
It’s hard to tell in black and white, but that quilt in 286 looks more duotone than multicolored. I suspect it’s the second quilt that also appears (though not as often as the one everyone remembers), which is the one that Gabriel has on his lap in the wheelchair in the 1840 story line. Also, I THINK one of the afghans was seen in the Collinwood cottage during the Phoenix story line. I’d have to look back to make sure.
When Julia walks over to where Vicki and Maggie are sitting and asked:
Julia: Are you interested in antiques?
I thought she was propositioning them. That could’ve taken the show in another interesting direction.
Ha! Funny you mention that. When Burke and Barnabas were at Collinwood verbally sparring as they waited for Vicki and again at Seaview House I thought a more interesting story line would have been if they ditched Vicki and started hanging together.
The picture titled “Dead Marlin” in the background of the scenes at the cottage has been a thorn in my side for years. Because I can’t make out what the rest of the picture is supposed to be. Research turns up nothing. This picture is kind of my afghan lol