Wayback Wednesday - Dark Shadows Episodes 26-30

Now everyone knows David tried to kill his father, so what is a Collins supposed to do? Like everything else, it will be sweep under the rug and added to the burden of mysteries in Collinwood.

Episode: 26 Original Air Date:  August 1, 1966

Timeline: 1967

Narrator: Alexandra Moltke

Writer: Art Wallace / Director: Lela Swift

Victoria asks David why he attempted to murder Roger and shows him the bleeder valve. The little sociopath attacks her and she locks it in a drawer. She tricks him into leaving her room. Roger confronts the Sheriff; Victoria and David wait each other out on opposite sides of Victoria's door. Roger continues to confront the Sheriff and implies that the Sheriff is afraid of the now-rich Burke. He also implies he'll use the Collins influence to take Carter's job. Roger wants a search of Burke's room; Carter says only a psycho would keep the bleeder valve; David tries to run outside, telling Elizabeth "he has to get away." He also accuses Victoria of trying to hurt him. David says that Victoria is going to make up stories about him and even says that Victoria will try to blame him for Roger's accident. David is ejected from the room and tells Victoria Elizabeth won't believe her. Carter has obtained his Search Warrant but hasn't finished his sandwich. Roger attempts to join Carter on the search, and that's where Jonas finally draws the line. David attempts to eavesdrop on Victoria and Elizabeth's conversation, where she recounts the last few minutes of the previous episode. Victoria tells her that she didn't try to hurt David, he tried to hurt her. Victoria tells Elizabeth she was afraid of David. Elizabeth says Burke caused the accident, and doesn't believe Victoria’s story of finding the bleeder valve.

Episode: 27 Original Air Date: August 2, 1966

Timeline: 1967

Narrator: Alexandra Moltke

Writer: Art Wallace / Director: Lela Swift

Carolyn's glad that the 9-year-old Monster has gone into hiding. Victoria flat out says David attempted to commit murder. Carolyn recounts her experience with Burke and puts two and two together. Victoria outlines the evidence and states that the Monster and the bleeder valve are now missing. She states that the walls of Collinwood should be padded, not paneled. They begin a search. Burke meets Mr. Bronson in Bangor because he doesn't want Bronson near Collinsport. Bronson is apparently going to act as some sort of cover operative for Burke and gives him the financial records from the past 5 years for the Collins Family. Carolyn heads toward her room; Victoria hears something scurrying about in the West Wing and recounts an earlier experience (14). Turns out Elizabeth was in the West Wing. Elizabeth interrogates Victoria and explains away the earlier mysterious encounter. Turns out there are at least two keys that could have opened the drawer. Carolyn finds David's magazines with a well-worn page on disassembling brake cylinders. Burke wants more shadow games from Bronson. Elizabeth can't convince Roger to come find David, who's been missing for 45 minutes. Carolyn talks with Elizabeth and storms off. Burke learns that his hotel room has been searched and a small boy attempted to sneak into his room.

Episode: 28 Original Air Date: August 3, 1966

Timeline: 1967

Narrator: Alexandra Moltke

Writer: Art Wallace / Director: Lela Swift

Burke confronts the Sheriff. Maggie gives David a dessert. Burke is furious, the Sheriff is smug. David learns how to make a dessert and Maggie asks him about his attempted burglary. A peeved Roger shows up and leaves after David vanishes. Maggie asks Roger about Sam. Roger tells Burke he's sending him back to prison. Burke learns Sam and Roger were strangers until Burke came back to town. The last time they'd spoken was 10 years ago. Carter tells Roger that Burke is clean and legal, but had the Collins family investigated two weeks before he arrived. David had been hiding in the phone booth.

Episode: 29 Original Air Date: August 4, 1966

Timeline: 1967

Narrator: Alexandra Moltke

Writer: Art Wallace / Director: John Sedwick

Elizabeth idiotically blames Vicki for David's predicament. David shows up at Burke's hotel room. David plants the bleeder valve. Burke tells David that he, Laura, and Roger were friends before Roger married Laura. David tells Burke he's not what he had expected based on Roger's horror stories. Burke declares friendship with David. Carolyn, Victoria's confidante, scolds Elizabeth. Carolyn says she's dreamed of killing her father, who left Elizabeth before Carolyn was born. Elizabeth admits she doesn't think Victoria did it. Maggie calls about David. Elizabeth dispatches Carolyn with the car to search. David and Burke talk about Roger's hatred and fathers in general. David wishes his father were like Burke. Roger used to fight with his wife about Burke. David goes to wash up and Burke finds the bleeder valve.

Episode: 30 Original Air Date: August 5, 1966

Timeline: 1967

Narrator: Alexandra Moltke

Writer: Art Wallace / Director: John Sedwick

Victoria sees a cloaked and ephemeral figure. Roger has arrived but is completely lacking interest in David's whereabouts. Roger names David and Burke as the two people who dislike him most. Victoria spills the beans about David's murder attempt. Roger disbelieves her. David looks for the bleeder valve in Burke's couch, but he can't find it. Burke takes him back to Collinwood. Burke arrives with David, says he found David wandering about 15 minutes ago.

Roger takes his son into the next room and tells him that he knows about the bleeder valve. David tries to blame the whole thing on Victoria. Roger doesn't believe him and flatly tells him so. Meanwhile, Burke advises Victoria to leave again, just as Roger asks Victoria to repeat her accusations to David.

Burke watches as Roger and Victoria confront David. Burke produces the bleeder valve.

*All photos are copyright of Dan Curtis Productions, ABC Productions, and Dark Shadows Wiki.

Wayback Wednesday - Dark Shadow episode 21-25

We are still rehashing Roger's accident. Did Burke Devlin tamper with the bleeder valve? Was it truly an accident? Or did someone else try to kill Roger? Dah, dah, dah, dah - all will be revealed in episode 25.

Episode: 21  Original Air Date: 07-25-1966
Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966
Summary: Victoria is not sure that Burke is responsible for Roger's accident, and Carolyn doesn't want believe he is. Bill accuses Burke of trying to make good on a threat he made years ago to get even with the Collins'. Bill is also concerned that Burke might buy a cannery that would compete with the Collins. Elizabeth wants Carolyn to leave town to avoid any problems that Burke might cause. Victoria gets a letter from the foundling home and it brings up more questions about her past, which annoys Elizabeth. Burke calls someone from New York and tells him he that things are starting to happen, and he wants to be ready to move.

Episode 22  Original Air Date: 07-26-1966
Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966
Summary: Roger talks with Sam he says that they are the only two people who know what really happened 10 years ago. Sam goes home to find Burke there; Burke wants him to paint his portrait. Roger and Carolyn discuss Burke, Roger wants him to go back to prison, but Carolyn is not sure that Burke is guilty. Sam agrees to paint Burke's portrait.

Episode 23  Original Air Date: 07-27-1966
Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966
Summary: Constable Carter arrives to investigate the "accident". Everyone tells their stories about what they know or suspect. David is preoccupied with what would happen to someone who tried to commit murder. Victoria still doesn't think Burke is responsible. The constable wants to collect the wrench that Burke was seen holding before the accident. David knocks the wrench on the floor, then picks it up. The constable comments that he now knows how David's finger prints have gotten on the wrench.

I had forgotten what an evil little brat David was in the earlier episodes. He was scary, but scary good!

Episode 24  Original Air Date: 07-28-1966
Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966
Summary: Constable Carter questions Burke about the accident. Maggie is concerned that her father is somehow caught up in the recent troubles. Joe talks with Carolyn about how he wants to get his own boat and go into business for himself. Burke tells his side of the story to Constable Carter, and he gets Carolyn to explain how it was her idea to go up to the house. Carolyn is mad at Burke because he used her. Burke tells Bronson that there might not be much time.

Episode 25   Original Air Date: 07-29-1966
Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966
Summary: David gets caught trying to steal Victoria's letter from the foundling home. Victoria tells Elizabeth that David is acting strange and she thinks he might have had something to do with the "accident". Roger wants to know why Elizabeth hired Victoria, she makes it clear that he better stick to the story or she'll kick him out of the house. David successfully steals Victoria's letter. Victoria searches for the letter and finds the missing bleeder valve in David's room.

*All photographs copyright Dan Curtis Productions, ABC Productions, and Dark Shadows Wiki

Wayback Wednesday - Dark Shadows episode 16-20

Here is a summary of episodes 16 through 20:

Episode 16  Original Air Date: 07/18/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966

Roger emerges from the accident without serious injury, but is shaken by the experience.  He's lucky, the accident could have been worse. Elizabeth is not sure it was an accident. Elizabeth asks Matthew how he's been attending to Roger's car; Matthew jumps to the conclusion that Roger complained and says he hates him. He threatens to kill anyone who harms Elizabeth. Matthew says the brakes on Roger's car were checked two days ago, so they had to have been tampered with in order to cause Roger's accident. Carolyn attempts to get Burke to dance with her; Burke refuses. Burke decides to stop waiting for Roger; Carolyn invites him to the movie. Joe storms out after insulting Burke (who's really been quite passive in this). Burke and Carolyn go looking for Joe. Reporters hound Elizabeth because the Collins' are newsworthy. Victoria has to give Carolyn up when Elizabeth attempts to contact her at the movie house. Elizabeth is furious when she learns/realizes that Carolyn is chasing Burke. She finds out from the barkeep that Carolyn indeed left with Burke. Victoria breaks a dish; Elizabeth watches the clock.

Episode 17 Original Air Date: 07/19/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966

Elizabeth comforts David after he has a nightmare about Roger's car accident. Collins family employee and retainer Bill Malloy begins to suspect that Roger was the victim of foul play.

Merciless truth-devils haunt David in his dreams; the oddly-accented Dr. Reeves hopes Lucy Cameron doesn't have her baby early, so he can satisfy Bill Malloy’s desire to check the accident scene again (by nursing Roger while Bill is gone) before Bill has to take Roger home. Roger has to wear a cast for a day or two and tells Reeves that his brakes worked fine until he got ‘100 miles--100 miles, felt like 100 miles--100 feet’ up the Hill. Dr Reeves remembers the guy who died 10 years ago. David wants Elizabeth to recount his dream, which Elizabeth dismisses. Dr Reeves threatens to write a book about New England Secrets. Malloy tells Roger that his was not an accident. He explains the mechanics of bleeder valves and brakes. Roger wants to attack, kill, or in some other way confront Burke. Elizabeth gives David a history quiz (Isaac Collins landed in the area in 1690) and David asks her if she loved her father, who died over 20 years ago. David has been having nightmares about his father's death, but Elizabeth doesn't see the connection. After learning from Elizabeth that Victoria saw Burke near his car, Roger scolds Burke and resolves to grill the governess. Elizabeth talks to Bill about finding Carolyn. Roger plans to go to Victoria's room to interrogate her again. David lurks under the stairs.

Episode 18  Original Air Date: 07/20/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966

Learning Victoria saw Burke by his car, Roger takes her to Burke's room at the hotel to make a confrontation. Meanwhile, David harbours the bleeder valve taken from Roger's car.

A restless Victoria is awakened by Roger and summoned to the Drawing Room. David asks if Roger hurts and tells him he's sorry. Roger is cruel, but apologizes and says his arm hurts a bit, but is just sprained. David knows that someone fooled with the brakes and Roger tells him not to eavesdrop. He refuses to answer David's questions, and orders him to bed. David recants his apology and almost wishes his father dead. Victoria and David talk about David's statements and the accident. David asks what will happen if it wasn't an accident; Victoria tells him the person who did it would be found and tried. Victoria admits she'd tell if she knew who did it. David likens Victoria to Roger: They both want to send him away.

Episode 19  Original Air Date:  07/21/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift  

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966

Elizabeth continues to insist that Carolyn should not visit Burke again, adamant that he is attempting to destroy the Collins family. Bill Malloy attempts to learn more about Burke's motives.

Bill and Sam talk on and off about Carolyn and Burke. Sam immediately suspects Burke when Bill tells him about Roger's accident; Maggie is sick. Joe begins to suspect Carolyn's immature games. They go to Collinwood; Carolyn learns of Roger's accident and Joe is interrogated by Elizabeth. Elizabeth accuses Burke of murder to Joe; Roger is missing. Elizabeth repeats her accusation to Carolyn, who disbelieves it. Elizabeth tells her about the trial and orders her not to protect Burke, 'not even in her mind.'

Episode 20  Original Air Date: 07/22/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

 Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke
Timeline: 1966

Roger confronts Burke, accusing him outright of causing the accident and attempting to kill him. Victoria, however, is unimpressed by Roger's assumption of foul play on Burke's part.

Roger takes Victoria to the Collinsport Inn and tells her to wait for his call; Victoria and Sam talk in the lobby. Roger goes to Burke's room and accuses him of attempted murder.

Wayback Wednesday - Dark Shadows episode 10-15

Although I love the Dark Shadows episodes with Barnabas Collins, these first 210 episodes that began the gothic soap opera are well written and have a great story line that should not be missed:

Episode 10 Original Air Date 07/08/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline:  1966

Roger puts pressure on Elizabeth to send David away to boarding school, a conversation the boy overhears. Burke gives Carolyn false information on the reason for his return. David sneaks in through the front doors and peeks into the drawing room, but when the telephone rings, he hides behind a chair. Elizabeth answers the telephone, speaking to Roger, who wants Elizabeth to somehow subdue Victoria. She tells him she will not and hangs up, then addressed David, who she knew was there all along. David tells Elizabeth he didn't break the teacup; he implicates ghosts before zipping up the steps.

Episode 11 Original Air Date: 07/11/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Burke Devlin pays the residents of Collinwood a visit, apparently hoping to reassure Elizabeth that he has no vendetta to pursue against her family. He does, however, ask if Collinwood is for sale. Elizabeth is very cold to Burke, and wants to know what he is after. Burke tells her that all he has done is drive her daughter home and stopped in to say hello. Elizabeth invites him into the drawing room, and asks Carolyn to wait in the foyer. But Carolyn says she wouldn't miss this for the world, and goes into the drawing room with Elizabeth and Burke.

Episode 12   Original Air Date:  07/12/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Roger encountes Victoria on Widows' Hill and tells her the story of its legend and history of the wailing of the Widows. Roger tells Victoria that sailing Widows used to watch from Widows' Hill for the ships of their lost husbands, but once Jeremiah constructed Collinwood they were no longer permitted there. But if you listen carefully to the wind, you can still hear the widows. He asks Victoria if she had met anyone there, someone looking for him. Victoria tells him about meeting a man named Sam.  Meanwhile, Maggie Evans tries to learn what is troubling her father, Sam. Sam wants to skip town with Maggie, but won’t tell her why. He denies that it has anything to do with Roger Collins.

Episode 13  Original Air Date:  07/13/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Roger enters the drawing room and finds Burke with his sister. Roger is cold to Burke, but on Elizabeth's request, decides to listen to what Burke has to say. Elizabeth and Roger continue to harbor suspicions about Burke, in spite of him offering the hand of friendship. As Victoria walks to Matthew's cottage, she notices Burke examining Roger's car.

Episode 14  Original Air Date:  07/14/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Victoria learns about David's relationship with Roger. Burke arranges to meet with Roger at the Blue Whale, and spends time talking with Joe and Carolyn, at her request. David Collins is in his room, holding a small metal object. He sneaks over to Victoria's room, and is looking for a place to hide it, when Victoria walks in. She sees that David is holding something in his closed hand, but can't see what, and thinks that David has taken something. David runs out and back to his room.

Episode 15  Original Air Date:  07/15/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

David is sitting in the dark in the drawing room when his father enters looking for his car keys. David asks him if he still wants to send him away. Roger says he's only interested in finding his keys. David says, "I won't let you do it." David is now convinced that his father hates him. Roger leaves the estate in his car to meet with Burke. On the way, he loses control of the car and crashes.