“This coffin. What does it mean?”
Vicki and Jeff peer through the door to the secret room in the Collins mausoleum. Entering the cramped space, they find a closed coffin in the center of the room.
“This coffin,” Vicki sighs. “What does it mean? Does it mean something to you, Jeff?” This is their first date, by the way.
Honestly, I know that everybody has their awful first date stories, but this has got to be one of the all-time weirdest. It includes this unbeatable exchange:
Vicki: This is where I killed Noah Gifford.
Jeff: In this room?
Vicki: No.
And then it takes them five minutes to even think of looking inside the coffin. I don’t know what to do with these people.
But the really unfortunate thing about this sequence is that Julia has to hang around and be the third wheel, standing off to the side and looking worried whenever she thinks Vicki might remember something about Barnabas being a vampire.
This violates the natural order of things. Julia is not designed to live on the margins; she’s too powerful and interesting for that. In fact, last week, Julia ripped off her frumpy wig, told everybody that she’s a doctor, and basically took control of this entire enterprise. She’s the main character now; everybody else is just there to give her someone to look better than.
So it feels like something’s gone terribly wrong this week, like some dangerous toxic irritant has been introduced that’s throwing everything off, and bringing the show’s positive momentum to a blood-curdling halt. I wonder what that possibly could have been.
Anyway, then we go to Dr. Lang’s house, which I guess is a place now. He’s writing on something, and then there’s a knock at the door. He responds by looking at his watch with an insufferable grin on his face, and then he gets up to answer the door.
Dr. Lang was introduced on Monday, when Barnabas was brought to the hospital following a car accident. Lang immediately stepped right into the middle of the flagship storyline, whipping up a magic cure for vampirism and generally taking up space which would otherwise be filled with actors and scenery. I’m not a fan, is what I’m saying.
Lang sweeps open the doors, and says, “Well, well — Dr. Julia Hoffman!” in a tone that makes me think terribly uncharitable thoughts about him. There’s a panelled wall behind Julia, which means that he just opened an interior door, so I don’t know who actually let Julia in. Even Lang’s god-damn house doesn’t make any sense.
I know, I’ve been going after Lang all week, but he’s seriously unacceptable, and this scene is exactly why.
Julia: I’m sorry to bother you at this late hour, but it is rather important.
Lang: Yes, it must be, but I thought that you could wait until tomorrow.
Julia: You mean, you knew I was coming to see you?
Lang: Yes, I saw you this evening, going into the hospital. You saw Barnabas Collins, didn’t you?
Julia: Yes, I did, and what he said disturbed me a little.
Lang: Yes, I expected it would, and that’s why you’re here this evening.
So, that right there? That’s not okay. You can get away with a hell of a lot on Dark Shadows, but you do not act like you’re smarter than Dr. Julia Hoffman. There will be consequences.
So they’re doing it on purpose; they must be. They actively want the audience to hate this guy. It’s not just that he’s being horrible to the single most interesting character on the show. He’s actually pretending that he can beat her at her own game.
Julia: Did you tell him that you knew a permanent cure for his problem?
Lang: Yes, I did.
Julia: May I ask what it is?
Lang: I’m afraid I can’t tell you.
Julia: Why not?
Lang: I have my own reasons.
That’s her trick, brazenly defying social conventions in order to throw the other person off balance. She invented that trick. You are not the trickster.
So they spar back and forth for a little while, and Julia doesn’t really get anywhere, and then he waggles his eyebrows unimpressively and says the very worst thing that he could possibly say.
“Julia,” he says, eyebrows aflutter, “why are you so intensely interested in Barnabas Collins?”
She flusters. “Why shouldn’t I be interested? I told you, he’s been my patient.”
He executes another eyebrow arrangement, and says, “Is that the only reason?” except the way that he says it makes me terribly angry.
Because that means this is a woman thing. He’s saying that his interest in Barnabas is an ambitious achievement for modern science, and her interest is emotional and squishy and easily dismissed.
Everything that he’s doing in this scene is an expression of how masterful he thinks that he is. That’s why he did the smug little glance at his watch when she knocked at the door; he can predict her behavior, and the only thing that surprises him is that she has even less self-control than he expected. It’s repellent.
When we returned to the 1960s last week, the dynamics of the show shifted as we saw the female characters taking control of the show — Julia made several power plays, Carolyn shook off Barnabas’ conditioning, and even Vicki was showing signs of resistance and strength. This was a necessary course correction, because Barnabas was getting too comfortable, and women are always supposed to be the driving forces in soap opera narrative.
But this week is about introducing two new male characters, and it’s a painful demonstration of how awful life can be when you let guys do anything. All of a sudden, Julia’s troubled attempts to cure Barnabas — which were mostly troubled due to his recklessness — are now reframed as evidence of her incompetence, especially when compared to Dr. Lang’s miraculous thirty-minute cure.
He has it exactly backwards. He’s a scientist — detached and dispassionate — and he thinks that that’s a strength. But Julia is an alchemist, a much richer and stranger discipline. According to Lang’s limited worldview, the male intellect will always have dominion over the emotional female. He doesn’t realize that Julia breaks through that false dichotomy. She uses her emotions and her intelligence. She is much more powerful than he can possibly understand.
Alchemy is based on the idea that material achievements are paired with moral and spiritual perfection. Julia can take a base metal — like lead, or mid-1967 Dark Shadows episodes — and she can turn them into gold. Lang doesn’t have a chance.
Tomorrow: Mad Men.
Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for:
In the mausoleum, Naomi’s plaque still says 1761-1821, although obviously we now know that she died in 1796.
Dr. Lang tells Jeff, “Now, listen you — if you have any idea of interfering in any — of — of seeing Vicki Winters and interfering in my plans, I won’t have it!” For more mistakes, see also: every line that Addison Powell says.
Behind the Scenes:
Lang’s house is a redressed version of Barnabas’ bedroom from the 1795 storyline. It will be used later this year as Nicholas Blair’s House by the Sea.
It’s obvious why they’d want to use redressed sets, but in some cases this creates a funny confusion if it’s not quite a perfect match. In this case, Julia and Jeff apparently enter Lang’s house through an interior door, without going through a front door. (In a later episode, they’ll establish that there’s a front door and a hallway out there, but for now all we see is this room.) There was a similar confusion in episode 342, when it was impossible to tell whether the set was meant to represent Dr. Woodard’s office in the hospital, or his house.
Also, the Petofi box makes an appearance on the shelves in Lang’s drawing room; it was last seen in the Collinwood drawing room at the end of the 1795 storyline. (Thanks to prop-spotter Prisoner of the Night.)
Tomorrow: Mad Men.
— Danny Horn
Dark Shadows Every Day 
That set they’re using for Lang’s house–it’s the master bedroom of the Old House from 1795. That frame where Lang is opening the door to greet Julia: Put Angelique where Lang is standing and Jeremiah where Julia is and you have the set for a scene from 1795, with the same hallway outside the room and the same portraits on the hallway wall. Even the curtain tied to the pillars just inside the doors is still there. Who keeps a curtain handy to drape over their living room doors? Aren’t curtains for windows? Lang’s living room was Barnabas’ dying room. I wonder if the decision behind the set for Lang’s house was just coincidence.
And later this set will be used as Nicholas Blair’s House
Oh, Lang’s living room / Barnabas’ dying room is a lovely thought.
Thanks to all the folks for bringing up that this set is redressed from Barnabas’ bedroom and will become the House by the Sea. I added that to the Behind the Scenes section above, with a link to an episode with a similar problem — is this set supposed to be Dr. Woodard’s office in the hospital, or his house? 🙂
I believe it later becomes Nicholas’s house by the sea.
I’m not certain if that is Caleb Collins place that Vickie and Burke wanted. He was a recluse that collected everything and stated only a Collins could have the placed until 100 years after his death. Caleb story would have been interesting he didn’t trust women either because he though they would steal his money if he married. Fun Guy.
I think that Caleb Collins place (Seaview) was reconstructed from the old set of Roger Collins office at the Cannery used during the pre-Barnabas era. At this point I’d much rather be watching the original story about Caleb Collins and his house that the writers had to abandon in order to go into the time travel/Barnabas origin story.
Nothing in the Lang house set was the Caleb Collins/Seaview set. Seaview was Roger Collins’ cannery office, Barnabas’ bachelor bedroom in 1795, part of the courthouse/jail, Stokes’ house. Lang’s house was Tony Peterson’s office, the master bedroom from 1795 (Joshua & Naomi’s, later Barnabas & Angelique’s), and later the house Nicholas Blair rented from Roger Collins. (It also might have been used in the Rumson house, parallel time 1970 & 1841, but I’m just going by memory there.)
me too! You won’t know this, cuz I’m writing this about 6 years after you, but I was just talking about Seaview in my comments yesterday, and wondering what happened to it.
I don’t think Lang’s house is literally the House by the Sea but that the set seems very familiar.
And am I crazy or do I also see parts of Tony Peterson’s office in there?
I remember someone also saying that the House by the Sea was also made up of remnants of the old Collinsport Diner, which makes me sad since they won’t use that set anymore. Anyway I also think this is the point where Vicki gets very lackluster and basically remains so until she’s written off the show. I guess losing Burke, never finding out where she comes from (I’m looking at you, LIZ), recovering from Barnabas’ attacks and the car accident, and seeing what her future holds in store would make anyone depressed. I hate the fact that they drop her original storyline like a hot potato to focus on this Lang garbage.
What’s also strange is the set-up to the Dr. Lang story makes it seem as if Vicki will play a key role. Dr. Lang is clearly interested in her and it looks like he’s planning on using her in his experiment. But that goes nowhere. Kind of like Vicki.
I didnt care for the Dr. Lang story.
Yes, it’s not clear exactly HOW Vicki fits into Lang’s plans, other than he tells Clark that his seeing her would interfere with his own plans to keep Barnabas happy and thus not satisfy his own ulterior motives.
Sorry Danny, this is my first time seeing all of this, and I am enjoying how the Jeff/Peter and Dr. Lang propels the story forward. Yes, Dr. Lang is evil and unlikeable – so? They do kill him off fairly soon, right? I love how the writers figured out a way to bring back the mysterious Jeff/Peter (and turn him into a Renfrew type assistant to Dr. Lang), find a way to make Barnabus at least be around during the day (and maybe human for a while, right?), and propel us into a Frankenstein storyline. Wondering where Willie is right now? Can’t remember what happened to him pre-1795 storyline. Is he still with B at Old House? Would love to see Willie get back involved again soon.
Willie tried to save Maggie from an attack by Barnabas, but he was shot by the cops who thought Willie was the one who had kidnapped Maggie.
He basically had a complete mental breakdown afterward and was sent to Windcliff.
Willie will be returning no soon, but I won’t provide any spoilers.
I meant, “Willie will be returning soon.”
Agreed –
Lang is just terrible. I didn’t think he – or Powell –
was that bad to start with; but then there was the headache scene, where Powell shouted about everything dimming and I can’t see and help me, at the top of his voice but without the slightest inflection in any syllable- just a shouty monotone. So that turned me off the actor. Now he’s being a dick to Julia (who, incidentally, is looking fabulous today), so I’ve gone right off the character, too.
Peter’s wet! I mean, obviously he is metaphorically, but this time I mean literally. He turns up at Lang’s all damp. Collinsport has finally had a wet thunder storm!
Apparently he’s a murderer too, but that’s not as interesting.
Hi hair wasn’t wet…just his coat….
Dr. Lang is not only despicable, he’s typical–the very model of a 1960’s medical man–especially in the way he treats Julia. It was hell being a professional woman in the 60’s. If you think Don Draper is bad, you should have seen a gynecologist!
Dr. Lang is the total jackass. Julia politely tweaked his balls good and let him know she is no slouch and she will get in his butt.
And it STILL is hell bring a “professional woman “even today. For example, we still often hear a professional woman bring referred to as “a woman doctor,” or as a “woman lawyer.” The sex qualifier suggests she is somehow a “diferent” doctor or a lawyer than a male, who is always called by the title, without the qualifier. In such instances, “different” implies “not as good as a “real” (presumably male) doctor or lawyer.
If you want to see Dr Lang (Addison Powell) in a scene with Robert Redford, it’s on YouTube under
Three Days of the Condor It’s all about oil
I find it interesting that the coffin seems to have a magical effect on Barnabas just by Jeff Clark opening it. I don’t think the coffin’s effect has been shown on the series thus far. And Dr. Lang’s face at the end of Act II when he tells Barnabas that he can set him free forever…how are they letting him get away with this AWFUL acting?! And it sounded like a water main broke in Dr. Lang’s office rather than just rain. And as bad an actor Addison is, I really like that he gets under Julia’s skin.
And that scene with Lang and Clark…I swear they were trying to see which one could out act the other. And I’d have to say it goes to Roger Davis.
The evening this episode aired (4/11/68) “Bewitched” Episode #136 (S.4 E.29) “A Majority of Two” aired. Aunt Clara falls in love with a Japanese client of Darrin’s. This is one of the worst episodes of “Bewitched” as they used a Caucasian man (Richard Haydn) as Japanese Mr. Mishimoto. However, I guess that was protocol in 1968 amid all the race riots.
Julia’s makeup has seemed very heavy the past few episodes. I’m not sure if this is a change or if it’s always been this way and I’m just noticing because of the new hairstyle. I do like her freshened wardrobe.
I liked Powell’s delivery of the line “Because what had caused them is gone” to explain the sudden disappeance of Vicki’s bite marks”–not overly melodramatic, but profound. I also liked Carolyn’s newfound independence and resolve after her own bite marks vanished–although, as somebody had pointed out in the previous blog entry, she had earlier shown signs of rebellion against Barnabas’ control when she started protesting his domination over both herself and Vicki.
Also, this is the first time we hear the word “revert” to refer to Barnabas’ temporary cure and to the possibility of his becoming a vampire again. We will hear that word frequently during the coming months.
It is nice to have sweet chipper Carolyn back after all that brooding!
Okay. I get it now about Lang/Powell. I had to turn the volume down. At least we got to see Grayson’s great gams.
If Naomi had been born in 1761, that would have made her at most thirty-five at the time of her death in 1796. Even if we kid ourselves that Barnabas was, oh, twenty-six when we first meet him in 1795, Naomi would have had to have given birth to him when she was about eight years old. For some reason, I find this hard to believe.
Damned if I’d open that coffin. Or any coffin. What ails these people?
“He executes another eyebrow arrangement, and says, ‘Is that the only reason?’ except the way that he says it makes me terribly angry.
Because that means this is a woman thing.”
Omg, yes. Everything Danny wrote here: yes, yes, yes.
And, btw, I totally take back what I wrote waaaay back, like 2 episodes past.
Dr. Lang is not fun to watch. Not when he is leaving all obnoxiously condescendingly to our Julia.
Ugggh. Unacceptable.
How did I forget how irritating he becomes? I must have shoved aside any recollection of his scenes with Julia.
I did, however, vividly recall how much I relish his scenes with Roger. It makes me almost adore Angelique when I consider that– thanks to her witchcraft– we get to watch when Roger instantly becomes Dr. Lang’s hilariously perfect enemy.
When I become too infuriated by Dr. Lamb’s smugness, I only need to take a deep breath and visualize the deliciously bitchy, head-to-toe glare Roger bestows on Dr. Lang when they first meet… Oh, Wait!!! … and isn’t the harpoon scene coming up soon!!?
Okay, I can get through these scenes. And in a few days, I will probably once again repress any/all memories of him acting all stupidly coy with Julia. So when I re-watch these episodes again next year, I will no doubt experience this same cycle of conflicting responses wrt Lang and/or Powell.
At least I am consistent in my abhorrence of Roger Davis and every single DS character he portrays. Oh, and the second (third?) Dr. Woodward: Peter Turgeon.
It does make one wonder if the recasting of Woodward was deliberate. That decision, and the decisions that resulted in various unpleasant scenes with Woodward vs. Julia as well as Lang vs. Julia, have me half-convinced the DS Powers That Be were easing us into accepting (even eagerly anticipating) both male doctors’ deaths.
They behaved disrespectfully to our Julia.
They must die.
Btw, Danny: totally cracking up at the titles of the images you so meticulously cataloged and uploaded throughout your blog, which i just noticed are revealed when we copy/paste or touch and hold the jpg. In this entry in particular, I agree 100% with your classifications:
this-lang
more-lang
worst-lang
mastery-julia-lang
want-to-smack-that-smile-off-his-face-lang
(okay, I may have pasted a bit crookedly, that last one)