“I have much too much work to do, to be bothered with dreams.”
Young David Collins has returned home, after a lengthy trip to Boston to recuperate from realizing that his cousin Barnabas was a vampire who planned to murder him. This was a major storyline six months ago, and it led directly to the séance that sent his governess, Vicki, tumbling through time to visit the Collins family of 1795.
Last month, when Vicki came back to the present day, the Dark Shadows writers used the opportunity to make a fresh start on the story — not so much tying up the loose ends as just cutting them off and pretending that they were never that loose in the first place. Everybody just stopped talking about how worried they were about David, and now he’s back from Boston, and everything’s fine.
But there’s something different about the boy, which is even more important than his slow-motion off-screen amnesia. David has come back to Collinwood wearing a Nehru jacket.
The Nehru jacket is a tailored coat with a mandarin collar that was popularized in India in the 1940s and named after the Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was terribly trendy in America and Europe in 1965, inspired — as so many things in pop culture were, in the mid-60s — by the Beatles.
In February 1968, the Beatles went on a well-publicized trip to India, to study Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. By then, they’d moved on from the Nehru jackets and were mostly wearing white linen open-necked shirts, but the jackets were still a sharp fashion statement in the US.
So here’s David, back from Boston and all of a sudden he’s dressed like someone from the 1960s. This is another noticeable shift in the development of Dark Shadows in this period — the clothes are getting a bit more modern. Spending four months in the 18th century will do that.
There was a new emphasis on wardrobe during the 1795 trip, because they had to find period costumes for everyone. Sometimes they just went wild, especially with the women’s hats — and now that they’re back in 1968, it feels like they’re more confident in their ability to use the characters’ clothes to enrich the story.
So when David comes home from his trip and finds that his father has suddenly married a complete stranger, he’s got some subtle clues that something is terribly wrong. It’s not just that Cassandra is fifteen years younger than Roger, and she doesn’t actually seem that interested in getting to know her new stepson.
There’s a much more fundamental problem going on here: Roger Collins isn’t wearing a tie.
As we’ve noted recently, ties are mandatory for most of the men in the Dark Shadows cast, even if you’ve got a robe on and you’re alone at home reading a book.
There’s actually a pretty strict dress code for guys on Dark Shadows, which is mostly based on social class and authority. Please allow me to explain.
The older men on the show — Barnabas, Roger, Dr. Lang, Professor Stokes — all wear ties pretty much non-stop. This dress code applies even when you’re drinking the blood of the living.
So if you’re an older guy and you don’t have a tie on, then that’s a signal that you’re in some kind of distress. The only excuse Barnabas has for showing off his bare neck is when he’s been in a car accident and has been insta-cured of his vampire curse.
Therefore, Roger wearing a tie is a happy, content man, and Roger without a tie is troubled and confused. There have only been two episodes since we’ve come back to 1968 when Roger hasn’t had a tie on. The most striking example is the moment when he briefly breaks through Cassandra’s spell, and realizes that he’s married someone that he hardly knows.
And then there’s today’s episode, when David comes home wearing his stylish Nehru jacket, and finds Roger — now fully under the control of David’s wicked stepmother — wearing a turtleneck.
A turtleneck shirt is the other acceptable fashion choice for the men of Dark Shadows — but only for the younger, lower-status guys. Willie wears a turtleneck, because he’s a servant.
A few weeks ago, the housekeeper’s son, Harry Johnson, scandalized everyone by showing up at the front door of Collinwood with a turtleneck on. Vicki actually opened the door, saw a guy who’s not wearing a tie, and immediately started screaming.
In fact, you can tell a lot about the younger guys’ position in a given scene, based on their tie vs. turtleneck choices.
A few weeks ago, when Joe paid a social call on Vicki, he was rocking the turtleneck. But last week, when Joe had to confront Barnabas about Willie showing up at Maggie’s house, he needed the authority of a jacket and tie.
Jeff is the guy with the most complex fashion choices, as befits the mysterious amnesiac character who might turn out to be the ghost of Vicki’s 18th century boyfriend. When Jeff popped up for the first time — standing at the side of the road, causing traffic accidents — he had a tie on, like a proper gentleman.
Jeff’s tie is very precisely attuned to what’s happening with his character. The other day, he wore a snappy blazer and tie when he visited Vicki at Collinwood.
Hearing that Dr. Lang — his boss, and captor — had died the night before, Jeff ran over to Lang’s house to break into the doctor’s filing cabinet. Returning to Vicki with exciting good news, he’s clearly in a much more emotional state of mind, and that’s reflected in his loosened tie and unbuttoned sport coat.
Along similar lines, Jeff was wearing a tie on the day that he planned to leave his job and move out of Lang’s house.
Then Lang drugged him and planned to cut off his head, and obviously that’s more of a business casual situation. Lang removed Jeff’s jacket and tie, and strapped him to the table.
When he was freed, and Julia hypnotized him into forgetting the entire experience, Jeff still had the wide-open collar that indicates that he’s had kind of a trying day.
He wakes up a couple episodes later, ready to walk out on his boss and start a new life couch-surfing at Maggie’s, so he puts the tie back on.
He’s even got the tie on in his sleep, when he nods off in a chair and has the Dream Curse nightmare. Again, it’s a stressful situation, so he’s looking a bit worse for wear.
But when Jeff is really upset, he turns to the turtlenecks. Dr. Lang — as befits his age and higher status — is always impeccably dressed, even when he’s in the cemetery on a grave-robbing expedition. Jeff, who’s going to do the actual digging, has changed into a black turtleneck and jacket.
And later on, when Lang visits his ex-assistant at Maggie’s place, a distressed Jeff is just openly flaunting his turtleneck. There’s actually a moment when Jeff gets so upset that he grabs Lang by the tie, a sign of open inter-generational rebellion.
So that’s the men’s fashion update. On the women’s side, there’s only one notable fashion trend — Cassandra’s love of bright green.
It’s really quite striking. In this period, the women of Dark Shadows don’t have a defined look. There are occasional high points and low points — and Maggie’s quilted rainbow-flowers skirt, which is both simultaneously — but there’s nothing that you can identify as a coherent wardrobe concept.
Except for Cassandra, who is almost always dressed in a very 1968 shade of bright green.
And it’s not just one outfit that she wears all the time — she has several different dresses and coats, all bright green. It’s obviously a deliberate wardrobe choice for her character.
Over the last couple of weeks, she’s expanded slightly to include the other secondary colors. Last Friday, when she used a voodoo doll to attack Dr. Lang, she was dressed in a striking green, purple and orange combo.
We’ve also seen her in a lavender coat, in a confrontation scene with Barnabas.
There are only a couple of episodes where she wears something that isn’t green or purple, and in each case, she only wears it for one act and then changes into secondary colors again. When Carolyn came home a couple weeks ago, she was actually wearing a green top, so Cassandra had to switch over to dark navy.
But when she ducked outside to cast a spell on Tony, she threw on a green coat, and was back in her comfort zone.
The next day, Cassandra was wearing a stylish black-and-white outfit when she met Maggie.
But then she got back into purple and green in time to send Maggie the first Dream Curse nightmare.
So, why all the green? One obvious metaphor is that she’s “green with envy”, now that she knows that Barnabas is out of the box, free from her curse, and in love with someone else.
But the addition of purple and orange — especially when she’s casting spells — suggests that there’s something deeper that’s going on.
The fact is — with apologies to Kermit the Frog — secondary colors are villains’ colors. The most obvious example is Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. Five members of the Sinister Six — Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, the Sandman and the Vulture — all wear either green or purple.
And then there’s his ultimate nemesis, the Green Goblin, who wears an ensemble of green skin and purple clothes, with bright orange pumpkin bombs as accessories.
When you think about it, the entire fifty-year run of The Amazing Spider-Man is actually about the battle between primary colors and secondary colors.
So obviously David is going to back away when his new stepmother tries to pull him in for an unsolicited hug. He’s a kid in 1968, and he reads Spider-Man. He knows a villain when he sees one.
Tomorrow: What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
— Danny Horn
Dark Shadows Every Day 
1968 is really green in general, Especially when Chris & Quentin show up. It’s like their theme color. And then 1897 and everything is a cool blue. Leviathans is green again, Parallel Time is just rainbow candy, I don’t remember 1840/1841PT but I bet they had color themes.
1840/1841 PT’s color theme is orange.
I never noticed any of that; now I’m going to have to keep my eyes open. This is one of those moments when I’m really happy that there are smart, observant DS fans reading the blog. I’ve been having a lot of those moments lately.
All that it needs is Kermit the Frog…
Hey, come to think of it, I would like to be in the meeting of Cassandralique and Miss Piggy about how to get your guy. What is more effective: deadly curses or karate chops?
It seems like all of the spirit and fire has gone out of David. When new governess Vicki appeared he was a real spitfire and always had a slew of devious tricks up his sleeve, and Vicki wasn’t even trying to take the place of his beloved mother Laura. Here is ‘Cassandra’ a woman who could try and sabotage his newly reconciled elationship with his father and all he manages is a half hearted shrug when she tries to approach him. Barnabas did not even have to physically bite him to drain the life out him…Maybe David WAS really on a mystical journey to India and found his own inner peace and acceptance of events outside of his earthly control..
I’d say David wins on points in this episode, mostly because of the jacket. Look at his thousand-yard stare in the header image at the top. David is a rock star today.
The fire went out earlier. I keep pointing out that the David who tried to kill his father would have tried to blow up Barnabas’ coffin with him in it…
David had to mellow at some point otherwise there would be no in-story reason to keep him at Collinwood – he would have been shipped away to military school just like Roger wanted in the early episodes. In-universe, I think the turning point came after the experiences with his mother – he may not remember what happened consciously, but I’m sure the traumatic event of seeing his mother burn (sort of, maybe, whatever, still not sure what happened there) left a mark on his psyche. At the very least, he’d think she abandoned him again. And the death of Burke would have affected him as well. This could have made David lash out again, but instead, it seems to have matured him somewhat. That’s my take anyway.
I wonder if David isn’t suffering from Complex PTSD from all the crazy stuff that has happened to him. He hears and sees ghosts, his vampire cousin threatened to kill him, he saw his mother disappear into flames, Matthew Morgan was always threatening him, his instincts tell him his father dislikes him, no one believes him when he tries to communicate with them, he is constantly being gaslit by everyone, the only two people who ever believed and listened to him are both dead, and now he comes back a little older, a little more mature, maybe feeling a little bit more confident, to be confronted with a new step- mom!
He’s walking back into Crazyville, and his shackles are back up all of the sudden, warning bells are going off inside his head, and his trauma buttons are getting pushed all over again. So, yea, he instantly goes back into hiding. His fight or flight impulse kicks into high gear, and all he can do is hide. He has to hide, because he’s a kid, and he has learned that he can’t fight his parents, nor can he flea from his parents. He’s freaking out on the inside, and trying to be cool and mature on the outside. Spot it, you got it. He’s thinking, now what do I have to protect myself from? Why are these adults here not protecting me from obvious harm?
So, when he sees the Dragon Lady betraying his father, he feels so desperate and angry that he defiantly and courageously stands up for himself and his father and everyone he holds dear. He heads straight up the Dragon and accuses her, and wow does he get it then! Poor little guy.
YES – that’s the David I’m talking about! Maybe they should have had him away at a military boarding school (like Roger originally suggested) – at least it would have provided a plausible explanation for his more subdued. I don’t mind a character shift but damn it provide the viewer with some type of acceptable rationale for these changes.
But in order to send David to a military boarding school, they would have had to resolve the who were Vicki’s parents storyline and they didn’t want to get around to that. Plus the needed David around to be menaced, stalked, possessed, and talked to by ghosts and other supernatural creatures.
One of the things that DS really captures for me is how children aren’t listened to by adults, even by the well-meaning ones around them.
David several times throughout the series has key information about Laura, Barnabas, Cassandra, Quentin – and he’s stifled by either supernatural forces or circumstance. As a kid, that metaphor really resonated with me – the idea that children know truths about the world adults can’t or won’t acknowledge.
Although in David’s case, he was a notorious liar for much of the first year, and very disobedient. So it’s really not a surprise when people don’t believe him when he’s telling the truth.
The women’s dress code is they always wear skirts or dresses–never pants (slacks, jeans, capris,shorts and pantsuits were all fashionable for casual wear by the late sixties.) The closest we get to it is Maggie’s quilted whatyamacallit she wears around home.
I’ve always wanted a Nehru jacket, and in my case it isn’t even because it’s a “quaint” ‘ 60s item. Almost nothing I like is ever quaint to me, even in a nice way. (Like Barnabas and Angelique, I have no sense of time to speak of.)
Just to be clear: this is how we’re pronouncing “gazebo” now?
What I like most about the return of Angelique right now isn’t her torment of Barnabas, it’s her odd relationship with Roger. Right now the character is working two plots: in one plot, she is the new wife of Roger and characters have to decide if she’s a gold digger or really loves him. But her other plot involves option 3, that she’s a reincarnated witch from the Caribbean bent on vengeance. But the writers are committed to both sides of this story, so that Daniel’s potential exposure of Cassandra for talking to Tony in the woods serves both sides of the plot well. But Lara Parker is exceptionally good these days because she so ably switches registers between her 3 personas.
Agreed! And as always, Louis Edmonds shines. He is very believable in his affection for Cassandra (whether real or spell-induced, who can say?). I like the way they walked off arm & arm. But now that David has seen mommy kissing her curse-slave, I’m guessing things are going to get ugly.
Checkout the outfits David Henesy wears in 1795. He looks like he is member of the Patridge Family
Now, we can’t possibly talk about villains in green, purple and orange without mentioning the Joker… Cassandra’s even got a delightful crackpot supervillain maniacal laugh.
Nehru jackets make me think of Roger Delgado’s Master. I’ve always wanted one…
Lara Parker’s smile is very Joker-ish-y. Very.
The Catwoman of the 40s, 50s, and 80s also wore purple and green.
Carolyn has previously worn a lime green skirt and sweater combo, and does again when kidnapped by Adam. I’m pretty sure Liz wears a lime green dress too, at some point post 1795.
Will no one ever address the fashion horror of Liz’s stuffed-tube collar dresses? She wears them both pre and post 1795. That collar was one image that stuck with me from childhood watching. I don’t recall ever seeing that sort of collar elsewhere, TV or real life. One such dress worn by Liz is bright yellow.
I figure Willie used to wear turtlenecks to reduce the temptation of his throat when hunting had been poor, or to cover marks if Barnabas had snacked, or just subconsciously to feel more secure. He seems to regularly wear a shirt and tie, once Barnabas became human.
Ramse Mostoller (a.k.a. Ramsey Mostoller and earlier in her career, Ramse Stevens) was the costume designer on DS. In episode 579 and thereafter, she is credited as simply Mostoller. Until recently, IMDb did not note that she was married to Joe Mostoller, the costume designer for anther soap, “The Doctors.” He, too, started using the single name “Mostoller” in credits at some point. This suggests some question about who you got as a costume designer when you hired “Mostoller.” As they seem to have been a corporate entity, you might or might not be getting both of them. Just like with the Clintons.
Like DS, “the Doctors” got their fashions from Orbach. In early November 1968, TD had a big wedding for Drs. Althea Davis and Nick Bellini. Joe Mostoller did some creative work on the bride’s veil and such, but mostly the clothes came off the rack. What Joe Mostoller has to say about TD’s relationship with Orbach is relevant to DS:
“Usually the clothes on the show are credited from Orbach’s. This means we borrow them from the store, return them after the show, and they’re put back on the rack. But we worked in the wedding party dresses for five days, so we had to buy them.”
https://www.newspapers.com/image/426326856/?terms=joe%2Bmostoller
I am imagining a woman buying a green dress that Lara Parker has sweated in, even if for just one day (though we do see clothing come back again – I guess a repeat means the actor or the show bought the outfit).
Mostoller tells another revealing story. They had an episode in which the women bought their dresses, and one character bought a dress for sitting in the congregation at the wedding. But by the day of the wedding, they had decided to make her part of the wedding party, so they put her in a gown appropriate to her upgrade. TD got angry letters from women who wondered why she did not wear the dress she bought at the store. So much for hoping the soap opera audience is not paying attention to inconsistencies.
I just noticed that we never see the dining room at Collinwood. I thought of this when Cassandra tells David that Mrs Johnson had made him something to eat. I thought his new jacket was awesome!
The night this aired the season four finale of Bewitched aired, Episode #140: “Splitsville.” Gladys Kravitz has decided to leave Abner and she stays with Samantha and Darrin. I think Clarice Blackburn would’ve made a great replacement for Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz.
You’re right: she would’ve been perfect.
Seeing Roger and Cass together for the first time in a while got me wondering: has this marriage ever been consummated? My guess is no, and it never will be since Cass has no romantic interest in Roger.
Before the seance, Roger had become so much an embodiment of Louis Edmonds that it’s hard to imagine him consummating a marriage to any woman. But perhaps Cassandra cast a spell on him to liven things up.
The 1968 fashions are really starting to kick in here these past few weeks, particularly with what they have been putting on Cassandra and Vicki.
The whole re-introduction of David now with completely retconning and apparently eliminating his arc with hating Barnabas and practically finding out he was a vampire seems odd. I mean, I know we’ve discussed how the post-1795 DS Universe is a major reboot of so many things but I think it’s expecting a lot of the audience to just forget such major details as this, being just one of many.
And boy-oh-boy! Sure didn’t take Cassandra long to truly become the evil stepmother, did it? Why is it that poor David is ALWAYS finding himself getting into all kinds of trouble at the hands of these psychotic adults he must be subjected to?? I think we should get Child Protective Services on the phone. The way Cassandra grabs him and yanks him back into the drawing room is positively brutal. We see an awful lot of grabbing, abusive, even violent behavior on this show that would in no way make the cut today on a soap opera. Standards and Practices are on Line One lol.
Danny, the fashion compendium overview was truly fascinating and spot-on! The amount of loving detail you give this blog is so friggin’ awesome! Every entry is just chock-full of meta data, wit, charm and intel that has made this so an incredible experience for me and for so many others!!! We cannot thank you enough!
Is that a Norfolk jacket that Roger is sporting? I can’t remember if that was a 60s fashion or if Roger is going shooting.
I know, the Norfolk paired with the turtleneck is a little strange, and makes him look like a little boy. David in his Nehru looks more mature and put together than his own father!
I agree with those who’ve noticed the de-David-ing of David, but I wonder if it’s due more to the actor losing interest in acting rather than to any acting choice on his part.
I first noticed his seeming loss of interest a few months ago. While he would put some effort into his own lines, his face would go expressionless when someone else was speaking their lines to him. He’d perk up when he had a line, but go zombie-like again when his fellow actor had a line. As of today, he goes zombie-faced even when he himself has a line.
My memory is that he makes more of an effort in later story lines, but I’ll have to wait until I see them again,
I’ve never cared much for turtlenecks – I always felt strangled. But, Man, after seeing David stylin’ and profilin’ that Nehru jacket, it reminded me of how very much I’ve wanted one. Now if Barnabas and Roger could just get hip…
I love Mrs. Johnson…. that woman makes me laugh! She doesn’t have time for dreams! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! And she’s worn out all the time!! LOL!!!!!! Oh, how I relate…..
Not just 1968 and not just Cassandra, but green seems to be used more often than most other colors. Noxious green. I wonder if this shade of green “popped” more on b&w sets, which many people, self included, still had at the time.