“Miss Winters has come from Boston, and she was found — she was brought up in a foundling home.”
Phew, we made it! It’s been a long four hundred and four episodes, but we’re here at last. Our long national nightmare is over. Victoria Winters, girl governess, is finally behind bars where she belongs.
I mean, it’s not like she’s guilty of anything in particular, unless you count obstruction of television. There she sits, our quote-unquote lead character, just waiting around for something to happen.
A month and a half ago, Vicki was sent on this uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795, so she could learn the terrifying secrets of the 18th-century Collins family. But she hasn’t learned a damn thing, naturally. She spent most of her time governessing, and then she was tied to a tree for a while, and now she’s in lockup. Meanwhile, the terrifying secrets have been unfolding, just elsewhere and with more interesting people.
Recently, she was accused of witchcraft and locked up in jail, which is odd, because the last witch trials in the United States happened in 1692, more than a century before this. But honestly, when something like Victoria Winters happens to your life, you don’t spend a lot of time brushing up on the latest trends in jurisprudence. You handle the situation.
Barnabas has promised to help Vicki, but as we’ve seen recently, Barnabas is not one of the all-time great decision makers. He’s brought Judge Matigan to consult with Vicki about her case. This is not going to go well, for several reasons.
To start with, Judge Matigan is played by Addison Powell, who happens to be The Worst Actor Who Ever Appeared on Dark Shadows.
That’s not an exaggeration, he really is. He’s worse than the third Woodard, worse than the second Burke, worse than Sam Evans, worse than the Leviathan kid. He’s even worse than the legendary Bathia Mapes, who we’ll see in a couple months.
Addison Powell is a non-stop five-alarm wide-awake nightmare with kung fu grip. He is not healthy for children and other living things.
Here, check it out. He’s trying to talk.
Matigan: Miss Winters, Mr. Collins has told me all about you. I’d like to help you, if I can.
Vicki: You would?
Matigan: Now, all you have to do is to answer some questions. But I want you to answer them hon – honestly.
Now, to be fair, I have to concede that he gets all the way through three and a half sentences before his first stumble. But then Barnabas and Vicki sort of nod and shuffle awkwardly, in a way that indicates that that wasn’t the cue he was supposed to give.
He is literally fifteen seconds into his first scene, and he’s already screwed up badly enough to bring the entire scene to a stuttering halt.
Okay, on with the show. He takes a lap around the table, yelling all the way. As an actor, Addison Powell only has two settings: loud, and not quite as loud. He moves around behind Vicki, positioning himself so that he’s facing away from the camera.
Matigan: Now, first of all. Do you deny all of cr– Trask’s charges? Against you.
Vicki: Yes.
Matigan: You deny that you ever practiced witchcraft.
Vicki: Yes, and you’ve got to believe me — everything he said about me is absurd!
Barnabas tries to reassure Vicki.
Barnabas: Don’t get excited, Miss Winters.
Nobody’s talking directly to Addison Powell during that line, so he stops acting. He just sort of shifts his weight, and waits for his turn again.
Matigan: Miss Winters. I myself do not believe in witchcraft.
Which sounds stupid, because the stress is supposed to be on the next word: “I myself do not believe in witchcraft.” The way he says it, it sounds like he’s disagreeing with somebody in the room who does believe in witchcraft.
I know, I’m going super deep into the matrix on this one, but literally every single thing that he does is wrong. It’s maddening.
Hey, he’s on the move again. His next couple sentences are addressed to nobody in particular.
And here’s where you can observe his loud vs not-quite-as-loud acting technique.
Vicki: You don’t?
Matigan: No. But many people in this community do. BUT I KNOW TRASK, And I KNOW HIM for a COMMON CHARLATAN.
Matigan: Now, when your case comes to court, I’d like the chance to defend you, so that I can EXPOSE HIM in court for the fraud that he really is. Now, ALL YOU HAVE to do is to cooperate.
Vicki: Yes, I’ll do anything!
He fiddles with his hat pointlessly for a moment, and then starts rapping with his fingernails on the table to punctuate his loud words.
Matigan: All right. First of all, Trask CONTENDS that you’ve been plotting against the Collins family. Do you have ANY reason for WANTING to HARM ANY member of the COLLINS FAMILY.
Vicki: No.
One of Matigan’s non-endearing traits is that every time Vicki speaks, he begins his next line by saying “All right.” This is Addison Powell’s way of indicating that the other actor has stopped talking, and it’s time for him to start acting again.
Matigan: All right. In fact, SINCE. BEFORE, your arrival, in COLLINWOOD. Did you have ACQUAINTANCE with any MEMBER of the Collins family.
Vicki: No.
Matigan: All right. Now, Trask BASES, bases MOST of his charges against you.
You can tell that Judge Matigan is a dedicated professional, because he squints a lot when he talks. By the way, I’m interrupting in the middle of his line here, because he doesn’t seem to know how commas work.
Matigan: On the fact that your ARRIVAL. In Collinwood. Was under very mysterious circumstances. Now, what would you care to tell me about that.
As you can tell, I’m trying to capture the essence of Powell’s performance, but there’s only so much I can do. By this point, he’s aggressively tapping on the table at random intervals.
I mean, at some level, I have to admire the guy. He’s definitely a compelling presence on the screen. Even if you happen to be looking away from the television, there’s no way to avoid recognizing that there’s a man furiously acting in your direction.
VickI: I had an accident on the road.
Matigan: WHERE were you coming FROM. WHERE did you LIVE. Before you came to Collinwood.
Then it’s Barnabas’ turn.
Barnabas: I told you that, Judge.
Barnabas pauses for a second, and readjusts so that he can take a peek at the teleprompter.
Judge Matigan responds to this change in position by resting his hand on Barnabas’ wrist, and leaving it there.
I don’t know why he does this. It’s the single most awkward acting choice that I’ve ever seen.
Barnabas tries to go on with the scene, with limited success.
Barnabas: Miss Winters has come from Boston, and she was found in — she was brought up in a foundling home.
Matigan: Please. I am ASKING Miss Winters.
“I’m sorry,” Barnabas says, and pointedly moves his wrist out of stroking range.
But now our attention turns to Vicki. Matigan asks the name of the foundling home, and she’s lost.
She asks why that matters, and Matigan says that he’ll need to communicate with the foundling home, to find character witnesses.
Vicki looks distressed.
Vicki: It’s not possible.
Matigan: Why not?
Vicki: Because there’s no one.
Judge Matigan is stunned, and for once, I agree with him.
Vicki has been in the 18th century for weeks. The very first question she was asked is where she came from, and how she got to Collinwood, and that question has been raised again in every single scene that she’s been in. She was on the run from Reverend Trask for days, and now she’s been in prison for at least a day.
In all that time, she couldn’t come up with a cover story? Really? How has she been spending her time?
And then this happens.
Vicki: He may as well know the truth, Mr. Collins.
Matigan: The TRUTH?
Barnabas: Miss Winters…
Matigan: What IS the TRUTH?
Vicki: I come from… from another time, another place.
Matigan has been making this face the whole time, and now it’s finally justified. Ths is the acting equivalent of a stopped clock being right twice a day.
Matigan: What do you mean?
Vicki: Somehow, I was transported here from the future.
Matigan: The FUTURE?
Vicki: Yes. I work for a family. Well, the descendants of the Collins family, who will live two hundred years from now.
And that’s it. I’m done. There’s nothing more that I can say.
Tomorrow: Ever After.
Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for:
Obviously, this episode is just an escalating series of mistakes, starting with allowing Ron Sproat to write scripts anymore.
Also, Barnabas asks Josette, “Tell me this — did you willingly steal yourself away from me?”
Behind the Scenes:
Addison Powell was a close friend with DS producer Robert Costello, which pretty much explains everything. He actually has a decent resume, including an Obie-winning performance in the 1956 Off-Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh. Powell’s hair turned gray when he was in his thirties, which meant that he got lots of parts as doctors and judges. He plays both on Dark Shadows.
This is Powell’s first on-screen appearance on DS. A few weeks ago, he performed the voice of Jeremiah Collins’ ghost. (Timothy Gordon played Jeremiah’s walking corpse.)
Powell will be back, unfortunately, playing Dr. Eric Lang when the story moves back to 1968. He also plays a Judge in one 1970 episode, during another witch trial storyline.
Also: The quiet young man standing in the background today is Peter Bradford, played by Roger Davis. I’m not going to get into it right now, but we’re going to see a lot more of him in the coming weeks and months.
Tomorrow: Ever After.
— Danny Horn
Dark Shadows Every Day 
I keep forgetting Powell was in 1795. Didn’t he also show up as a judge in 1840?
It is hard not to like Addison Powell. He is certainly memorable, and you won’t get bored with him around.
By the way, he flew over 30 combat missions in World War II
I see you’re right, Addison Powell “flew more than 30 combat missions as a navigator on board B-17 bombers” during WWII. And then many years after WWII, he bombed once again, on DS!
That extra in the background…the way he lingers and stares…it’s as if he’s soaking up every bit of Acting Mojo from the great Addison Powell.
Mark my words, if they ever give him lines, this show is screwed.
Yes, Jeff Clark should never be given lines, or even screen time
Worst. Lawyer. Ever.
Well not exactly. Later they do give him lines. Too many lines. In that abrasive voice of his. They gave him character after character who all acted the same. Loud and abrasive. Yet the show continued in spite of him. DS is a very strong show in spite of many things, which has continued to live in our hearts almost 50 years later. But I wish they had never used Roger Davis!
Many of the actors do too, apparently.
LOL
Distracting placement of a BG artist. Is he going to run to Trask and tell him she’s from the future?
They do give him lines. Later, when Addison Powell comes back, there comes a moment when he might replace Frid as Barnabas. This causes a rift in the space time continuum, and the Doctor has to come in his TARDIS to set it right.
And yet, this is still not the most idiotic thing Vicki does in 1795.
“I’m not a witch! I just traveled here from the future!” Maybe she’s going for an insanity defense.
Addison Powell warming up for his performance as Dr. Lang.
As one of the Outlander characters says to the time-traveler: “I believe you, but it would be a damn sight easier if you were just a witch.”
Never mind about Vicky. Consider Barnabas. He just found out that he’s married to the witch who caused Josette to elope, and him to shoot Jeremiah. He found out that she very likely made Sarah ill to force him to marry her.
So why is he wasting his time with someone who does NOT believe in witchcraft? Shouldn’t he be talking to someone who knows ANYTHING on what to do?
Sometimes I think that DS could be remade as a comedy, as that hopeless goof Barnabas Collins, whose ends up with a vampire curse, but that STILL does not stop him from screwing up big time…
I thought they did, and it stars Johnny Depp. Of course you already knew that
I’m just appreciating todays episode because Roger Davis has to keep his mouth shut – this must have been an excruciating scene for him to get through. I would take Addison Powell over him anyday.
My vote for worst Dark Shadows actor of all time–past, parallel or otherwise–goes to Craig Slocum’s Harry Johnson, who I believe also found his way into the cast through a personal, and perhaps familial, association with someone on the production staff. Slocum also has a comical appearance–when the camera shows his face and head in close-up, you are given a vivid impression of what Peter Pan might look like as a real and living person. A close runner-up for worst ever is James Hall, the first Willie Loomis.
Addison Powell, on the other hand, I find highly entertaining, and his portrayal of Dr. Lang is endearingly over the top, as if he’s just walked in from a 1950s sci-fi B-movie and seems to believe that Dark Shadows is being directed by Ed Wood. He doesn’t distinguish himself in this episode, however; but when I see him here I am comforted in knowing that Dr. Lang will soon be along with the vampire cure that Julia was not successful with, and which no doubt Jonathan Frid was relieved to realize, so that his character could finally develop further.
I agree, I always felt Mr Powell was purposefully overacting because of the material he was given. But I’d say Edward Marshall (the second Harry) was waaaay worse than Craig Slocum.
‘A close runner-up for worst ever is James Hall, the first Willie Loomis.’
James Hall FTW.
I’m relieved that someone else thinks Craig Slocum is terrible. At age 9 I asked my Mom why he was in the show. I couldn’t stand Harry.
And that, dear viewer, answers the question why Vicki was sent back in time rather than–for example–Julia. Julia would have thought up 20 plausible cover stories by breakfast, and unmasked Angelique by the end of the week. Clever people are more entertaining, but stupid ones keep the plot spinning out.
i was shocked THAT vicki confided in barnabas ABOUT the TRUTH several EPISODES ago. that was BAD enough. BUT, but NOW to tell matigan AS WELL. what AN idiot!
sorry i’m TYPING like POWELL.
Addison gets the silver (haired?) medal. James Hall gets the gold.
Worst bat puppet ever.
“I come from another time, another place.” Actually she comes from another time, but the same place.
About Roger Davis: I never met a man from Massachusetts [of which Maine was a district in 1795 as we have been/will be told several times] who so obviously comes from Kentucky. (This is a reversal of a line uttered by Fess Parker’s character in “The Great Locomotive Chase.”)
Addison Powell surprised me here. This is a case of my memory colliding with his pride – or conceit. I had remembered him as being an active actor. In a lot of little stuff. I had thought him reasonably competent, at least in my memory. But there was something in the way that he shrugged when he realized he could not help Vicki. There is something off about his acting. The way he muffs his lines. Could he be having a bad day? Or is he just the Ted Baxter of acting?
BTW, I just have to point out that Alexandra muffs lines occasionally just as everybody else does, but she has a better record for remembering her lines than just about anybody. She may be near the bottom of the cast in acting talent, but she has so much competition. And she had the sense to get out of the business. How many of her competitors can say the same? How many had the maturity to see their own limitations? Aside from Sharon Smyth, I mean?
Addison Powell!! I love him as Dr. Lang! I haven’t watched DS in nearly 15 years and have forgotten many of the minor characters and storylines, but never Addison Powell. I’m delighted to see him again. (I wish I was watching all of this at the same time as all of you.)
I agree with Prisoner of the Night that the worst D S actor was Craig Slocum. Sharon Smyth gets a pass because she was just a kid. I would be inclined to give Powell the benefit of the doubt and not call him the “Ted Baxter of acting” (great allusion, Miles!)–if not for the fact that he overacts in practically every D S episode I’ve ever seen her in. He was very good, though, later, as the Gorton Fisherman in the TV commercials for that brand of frozen sea food.
um.
Sorry for the typo–should have been
in “practically every D S episode I’ve ever seen him in.”
“Vicki was sent on this uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795, so she could learn the terrifying secrets of the 18th-century Collins family. But she hasn’t learned a damn thing, naturally.”
Obviously untrue. Vicki was sent to the past so WE can learn the secrets of the Collins family, particularly about Barnabas. Vicki CAN’T learn about Barnabas because she will return to the present time and can’t know Barnabas was a vampire. Untruths are untruths no matter how clever everyone thinks the writing is.
Regarding Craig Slocum (sp?), while I’d agree that he probably deserves the worst actor honors, I always found his whining at being put upon by Lt. Forbes and later by Mrs. Johnson…though he was a bit more defiant of Mrs. J..l.to be hugely entertaining. In a way that I did not find Roger Davis…evuh!
Agreed. Addison Powell wins the award for worst DS actor in my opinion. His stint as Eric Lang is painful to watch. The other characters he played were thankfully short-lived. I truly enjoy reading these episode summaries, particularly the bloopers and background information.
I’ll give Powell a pass for walking around the table a few times. Jackie Gleason did it all the time in the live “Honeymooners” sketches before the Kramdens got their own half-hour show. If “The Great One” can do it, why not the judge?
In Powell’s defence, his is only a bit part. For me, the honours still go to Ryan Mitchell. He is miscast, unbelievable in every respect, incapable of any subtlety, profoundly irritating and can’t keep his grubby groping little paws to himself. His contribution to DS is a positive endurance test.
Ryan Mitchell? Do you mean Mitchell Ryan? I think you may be referring to Roger Davis. Mitchell Ryan was great as Burke. Roger Davis was a bit “handsy,” and could sometimes get pretty rough.
I must respectfully disagree with Danny. Craig Slocum was execrable in his roles on Dark Shadows, and is hands down the worse actor. Addison Powell was a bad actor, but very entertaining, plus he was a handsome silver fox.
“Error 404: Vicky’s Brain Not Found.”