Dark Shadows: 651

"A strange and terrifying night at Collinwood: a night in which the past has reached into the present and taken the life of a young woman. It took only a matter of seconds for Victoria Winters to disappear forever, but it will take a very long time for those who witnessed this supernatural occurance to comprehend or accept the fact that Victoria Winters no longer exists."

- Julia Hoffman

Synopsis
Having just witnessed the disappearance of Victoria Winters into the time stream, Barnabas and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard retire to the drawing room to collect their thoughts. Liz is in a severe state of shock and she begins speaking about her own mortality. She believes that someday soon it will also be her time to die. Unable to console her, Barnabas walks Elizabeth upstairs to her room.

At the Collinsport Inn, Chris Jennings paces back and forth in his room. From outside, he can hear the sounds of wolves howling in the distance. Chris telephones Collinwood and Barnabas answers the phone. Chris asks to speak with Julia Hoffman, but Barnabas tells him that they are in the middle of a family emergency and Julia is unavailable. Chris asks Barnabas to have her contact him as soon as possible.

Julia meanwhile examines Elizabeth. Afterward, she tells Barnabas her diagnosis. She tells him that Liz has an alarming preoccupation with death that has firmly rooted itself in her mind. Angrily, Barnabas wonders if Cassandra had anything to do with this current dilemma, but Julia is confident that Cassandra is gone. Barnabas and she talk about Vicki and Barnabas' anger grows more intense. He blames Jeff Clark for everything that has happened. They prepare to head back upstairs to check on Elizabeth when Barnabas tells Julia about Chris' urgent telephone call. Julia dismisses the message and says that she'll call him back later.

A short time later, Joe Haskell brings Amy Jennings back to Collinwood after a night out at the movies. As they enter the foyer, Joe asks her about the star she claimed to have seen on his face. Amy tells him that she wasn't imagining what she had seen, but admits that she does not currently see the sign of the pentagram on Joe's face. Satisfied, Joe leaves. Amy begins to walk upstairs and passes Mrs. Stoddard in the hallway. She doesn't even appear to see Amy and wordlessly walks past her, down the steps and out into the night.

Amy tells Barnabas that she had just seen Mrs. Stoddard walk out the door. Barnabas tells her to wait in the drawing room then goes upstairs to find Julia. When the two come back downstairs Amy is now gone as well. They theorize that she may have gone off looking for Liz and Barnabas goes out to find them, leaving Julia behind in the foyer.

Recalling the message from Chris Jennings, she begins to call him back when Chris suddenly arrives at the house. He is in an accelerated state of agitation and begins demanding the sleeping pills that Julia had promised him. Julia takes note of his tone and once again questions the real reason why he wants the pills. Chris swears that he needs them to cure his insomnia and says that lack of sleep has been putting him on edge. Reluctantly, she gives him the pills. Meanwhile, Elizabeth walks through the cemetery leading up to the Collins family mausoleum. Convinced that she will soon die, Elizabeth approaches the crypt. Amy catches up to her and calls her name. Elizabeth turns to face her and tells Amy that she shouldn't be here. She says that she is here to join her family members for very soon, she too will be dead. Amy begs Liz to come back with her, but all at once, Elizabeth collapses to the ground. Hearing Amy's cries of panic, Barnabas comes upon them and brings Elizabeth back to Collinwood.

Later, Chris Jennings returns to his room and takes the sleeping pills. Joe Haskell pays an impromptu visit and Chris starts to panic. He knows that the moon will rise and he will change into the werewolf very soon. Joe barges in and admonishes Chris for his lack of attention to Amy. The two argue with one another at length until finally Chris has to threaten him in order to get Joe to leave. Joe does so, but not without leaving Chris with a few biting remarks. No sooner does he leave than the sleeping pills begin to take effect. Although they manage to sedate Chris Jennings, they cannot prevent him from changing into the werewolf.

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is included on disc 4 of Volume 11 of the Dark Shadows DVD series collection.


 * Closing still: Collins family mausoleum


 * Victoria Winters disappeared into the distant past with her husband Jeff Clark/Peter Bradford in episode 650.


 * The Cassandra that Barnabas refers to is Cassandra Collins, aka, Angelique Collins, who once placed a spell on Elizabeth that developed into her previous obsession with death.


 * Chris first approached Julia Hoffman about getting some sleeping pills in episode 649.

Quotes
"Its beyond our understanding... like death."

- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

"Soon I will be getting a long rest, because my time is near too."

- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

"All I know is that she has an alarming preoccupation with death that's rooted deep in her mind somewhere."

- Julia Hoffman

"Barnabas, I can't force you to see what you should see."

- Julia Hoffman

"The tomb is ready... and I am ready. There is no reason to wait any longer."

- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

"It won't be an ordinary death. That's what's so frightening. Everyone will think I'm dead. Only I will know I'm not. But I'll be helpless to tell them. Helpless. Because I'll be... buried alive."

- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard