My name is Victoria Winters. Collinwood, the great house on top of Widows' Hill, is a dark and frightening place to end a journey. The ghosts of yesterday seem to tell me to run. But I'm here now and there's no turning back.
| Episode 2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | June 28th, 1966 |
| Writers | Art Wallace |
| Director | Lela Swift |
| Producers | Robert Costello |
| Starring | Joan Bennett; Mitchell Ryan; Louis Edmonds; Joseph Julian; Nancy Barrett; Joel Crothers; Robert Viharo; Alexandra Moltke |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Episode 1 |
Next Episode 3 |
Episode 2 of Dark Shadows was directed by Lela Swift and written by Art Wallace. It first aired on ABC on June 28th, 1966.
Synopsis[]
Victoria Winters arrives at the Great House of Collinwood. The matriarch of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard greets her at the door and accepts her employment papers. Vicki is impressed with the immensity of the structure and comments how she had never seen such a large house before. Elizabeth serves refreshments and brings her into the drawing room. She shows her a portrait of her ancestor Jeremiah Collins - the man who built Collinwood. Vicki sits down and begins asking questions about her new charge, David Collins. She is very inquisitive, but the subject appears to disturb Elizabeth to some extent. She tells her that David is unlike any child she has ever met. Elizabeth hears her brother Roger walking downstairs from the other room and calls out to him, but he doesn't come into the drawing room or even acknowledge her summons. The only response she hears is the sound of the front door slamming shut.
Meanwhile at Collinsport's most popular hangout, the Blue Whale, Elizabeth's teenage daughter Carolyn enjoys an evening of loud music and dancing. Her date however, Joe Haskell, doesn't care for the ambiance, and even less for some of the other bachelors who take turns dancing with Carolyn. At the bar, Burke Devlin sits with his private investigator Wilbur Strake. He takes note of Carolyn and asks Strake if he is sure that she is Elizabeth's daughter. Strake confirms her identity and points out that Joe Haskell is her mother's first choice for viable suitors. Carolyn continues dancing, but even she begins to grow weary of the persistence of the men who wish to dance with her. Joe gets up and tries to convince Carolyn to leave, but she doesn't want to be rude and stop in the middle of a dance. One of the dancers, Harry, takes umbrage with Joe and tells him to leave. Having endured enough of this atmosphere, Haskell punches the man in the stomach. As the two fight, the bartender places a call to the town sheriff. Burke Devlin gets up and helps to break up the fight. He tells Joe to take Carolyn home - a task Joe is only too willing to accommodate. Before they leave, Burke tells Joe to come back to the bar after he takes her home.
Carolyn expresses her woes to Liz.
At Collinwood, Elizabeth shows Victoria her bedroom. She tells her that it used to be her room before she got married. Vicki asks her why she hired her since they had never heard of one another until now. Liz says that her brother Roger knew someone from the foundling home and asked for a recommendation. She appears to be very plain on the matter, but Vicki suspects that there is more to her sudden employment than what Mrs. Stoddard is letting on.
Downstairs, a distraught Carolyn Stoddard returns home. She goes into the drawing room and throws her coat down. Elizabeth comes downstairs and notices that Carolyn is upset. She asks her what is wrong and Carolyn tells her about the incident at the bar. She expresses her general dissatisfaction with life itself and longs to get away from Collinsport. She begs her mother to please stop trying to marry her off every time a suitable bachelor comes along.
Meanwhile, Victoria comes downstairs and goes outside. She walks out towards nearby Widows' Hill to look at the ocean. Roger Collins approaches and startles her. He acts friendly and welcomes her to Collinwood. Vicki asks if he actually recommended her for the job from the foundling home as Elizabeth indicated. Roger answers indirectly, telling her that if Elizabeth said it - then it must be true. He apologizes for not picking her up from the train station, but Vicki says that it is all right and that a man named Burke Devlin arranged for her transportation to the Great House. Hearing Devlin's name sends a spark of fear through Roger and his eyes widen. He grabs Vicki by the shoulders and angrily asks her if she is sure that it was Burke Devlin who got off the train with her. She tells him yes and Roger apologizes for his outburst. He hurriedly walks back to the house.
Vicki goes back to the house a short time later. She walks into the drawing room where she finds Elizabeth playing the piano. Something is clearly distressing the older woman and she lays her head down on the piano after playing. Vicki chooses to leave her alone and goes back upstairs to her room.
Cast[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode is included on volume 1 of the Dark Shadows Collector's Series on VHS and volume 1 of the Dark Shadows: The Beginning DVD collection.
- Opening monologue spoken by Alexandra Moltke.
- First appearance of Carolyn Stoddard and Joe Haskell.
- First appearance of Widows' Hill.
- Only appearance of Harry, the dancer from the Blue Whale.
- Bob O'Connell, who plays Blue Whale bartender Bob Rooney, is uncredited in this episode.
- First professional work for actor Robert Viharo.
- This is one of the rare episodes that shows exterior footage of Collinwood outside of stock still shots. One scene shows the anterior of the mansion, with Vicki walking down the steps and taking a foot path to Widows' Hill.
Allusions[]
- This episode establishes that there are forty rooms in Collinwood, many of which are unused. The East Wing was closed down more than fifty years ago.
- Victoria's bedroom used to be Elizabeth's room when she was growing up.
- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard indicates that they have a single male employee for doing heavy work. This will later be revealed to be Matthew Morgan.
- The portrait above the mantle is identified as Jeremiah Collins - the man who built Collinwood. According to Elizabeth, he is her great grandfather. Later episodes will reveal that Jeremiah is actually a great uncle from the 18th century.
- Repeated references are made to David Collins in this episode. David will make his first appearance in episode 4.
Bloopers[]
- In the scene where Vicki and Elizabeth are first sitting down in the drawing room, the shadow of a boom mike can be seen moving across Alexandra Moltke's head.
Quotes[]
- Elizabeth Collins Stoddard: David is likely to be different from any boy you've ever met.
- Burke Devlin: You go home with him, Miss Stoddard, before I take you over my knee and paddle you right here in the middle of the dance floor.
- Carolyn Stoddard: When I was ten-years-old I used to dream that a white knight would come along and rescue me from this dungeon. I guess white knights have gone out of style.
- Carolyn Stoddard: How do you expect me to go away and leave you alone in this beautiful nuthouse?
- Roger Collins: Oh, we're a rather strange crew, Miss Winters. Strange, but I think you'll find most of us rather nice.
See also[]
External Links[]
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