A séance has been held in the great house at Collinwood; a séance which has suspended time and space and sent Victoria Winters on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past; back to the year 1795. As she nears the end of that journey, she finds herself a hunted woman. In her place of refuge in the Collins' mausoleum, she will have a strange dream in which she will discover that she has changed the course of history.
| Episode 454 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | March 21st, 1968 |
| Writers | Gordon Russell |
| Director | John Sedwick |
| Producers | Robert Costello |
| Starring | Joel Crothers; Roger Davis; David Henesy; Craig Slocum; Alexandra Moltke |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Episode 453 |
Next Episode 455 |
Episode 454 of Dark Shadows was directed by John Sedwick and written by Gordon Russell. It first aired on ABC on Thursday, March 21st, 1968. In this episode, Nathan Forbes learns that Daniel intends on having Joshua and Naomi Collins adopt him, which presents a roadblock towards Nathan's efforts to secure Daniel's inheritance. He conspires with Noah Gifford to murder Daniel so that control of his money will revert back to his sister Millicent - Nathan's wife.
Synopsis[]
Inside the Collins family mausoleum, Victoria Winters has a strange nightmare. She dreams that Lieutenant Nathan Forbes is trying to strangle Daniel Collins. Vicki awakens with a start and tells Peter Bradford about her dream. She is truly concerned for Daniel's safety and feels that her dream is in fact a premonition. Peter reminds her that the Collins Family History spoke of nothing concerning Daniel's untimely demise at a young age, but Vicki is worried that if something happens to Daniel, it will wipe out the future of the Collins family bloodline.
At Collinwood, Nathan Forbes goes into the drawing room. He hears Daniel moving about in the foyer and summons him to the drawing room. He again asks him about information relating to Victoria Winters, but Daniel denies knowing anything about her escape from jail. Nathan tells him that the constable will be coming over to Collinwood and will want to question him. Daniel changes the subject and asks Nathan where Cousin Naomi is. He tells him that she is in the village and asks him why he wishes to see her. Daniel wants to ask Naomi and Joshua Collins if they would be willing to adopt him so that Nathan Forbes would no longer be his legal guardian.
Later, Nathan goes to the Collins fishing shack where he meets with his colleague Noah Gifford. Nathan complains about Noah being late for their secret meeting. They talk about money and Noah expresses dissatisfaction with Nathan over his recent failures to secure a sizable portion of the Collins' fortune. Nathan reveals how his wife Millicent signed away all her money to her little brother and as such, Nathan can not lay claim to him. However, if something were to happen to Daniel, then the inheritance would revert back to Millicent and Nathan would be in control of the money. Noah doesn't like what he is hearing and Nathan makes it very clear that he wants him to murder Daniel. Noah refuses, but Nathan isn't letting him off that easily. He blackmails him by threatening to go to the constable, implicating Noah in a series of crimes that he did not commit. Noah thinks Forbes is bluffing, but Nathan reminds him that he is a respected member of the community while Noah is a vagrant with a record for petty theft. His word will go a long way towards convincing the constable of his lies. Left with no real option on the matter, Noah reluctantly agrees to participate in Nathan's scheme. Forbes tells him that he is to abduct Daniel and take him to a boat out at Hatter's Cove. He is to take the boat out and dump Daniel at sea. He tells Noah that he will find Daniel playing out in the woods later in the evening.
Back at the mausoleum, Peter agrees to go to Collinwood to warn Naomi Collins about a possible threat against Daniel. He gives Victoria a pistol to protect herself then leaves through the secret door in the anterior crypt. Vicki shuts the door behind him.
That night, Nathan arranges for Daniel to go out into the woods. As he is walking past a set of trees, Noah leaps out and grabs him. He brings him back to the fishing shack where they are to wait until the pending rainstorm blows over. He tells Daniel that they will be taking "a little trip" out to sea, but doesn't reveal his full intentions. While Noah looks out the window to check on the storm, a strong gust of wind blows the door to the shack open. Daniel takes advantage of Noah's distraction and runs out into the woods. Noah follows him back towards Eagle Hill Cemetery. Daniel knows that Vicki is hiding in the mausoleum and runs there for help. He calls out for her, but is unaware of the existence of the secret room. Vicki hears his voice and opens the door. Daniel tells her that a man is trying to capture him. Noah reaches the cemetery and goes into the mausoleum.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joel Crothers | Nathan Forbes |
| Roger Davis | Peter Bradford |
| David Henesy | Daniel Collins |
| Craig Slocum | Noah Gifford |
| Alexandra Moltke | Victoria Winters |
Production crew[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode is included on disc 1 of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 7 and disc 49 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection.
- Opening monologue spoken by Alexandra Moltke.
- Closing still: Collins family mausoleum
- This episode was recorded on March 15th, 1968.
- The beginning of this episode recaps the climax from episode 453.
Allusions[]
- Peter Bradford makes reference to events chronicled in the Collins Family History book; specifically, the death of Sarah Collins and the suicide of Josette Collins. He also makes reference to Barnabas Collins.
- Nathan Forbes first questioned Daniel about seeing Victoria Winters in episode 453. He suspected that he had encountered her after seeing flecks of blood from Vicki's gunshot wound on Daniel's sleeve.
- Noah Gifford makes reference to The Eagle. The Eagle is a drinking establishment during the 1795 Flashback storyline and the precursor to the Blue Whale pub seen in the modern-era episodes.
- Nathan Forbes married Millicent Collins in episode 447.
- Maude Browning was a woman who was attacked by Barnabas Collins at The Eagle in episode 441.
Bloopers[]
- Joel Crothers and Craig Slocum speak over one another during their first scene together at the fishing shack.
Quotes[]
- Victoria Winters: If something isn't done it could change a vital part of the Collins family history.
....
- Nathan Forbes: I warned you not to withhold any information you might have about Miss Winters.
....
- Daniel Collins: I'm going to ask her if she and Cousin Joshua will adopt me, so you won't be my legal guardian any longer.
....
- Noah Gifford: You're losing your mind! You're going crazy with power you don't even have yet!
....
- Nathan Forbes: Now look, Noah, I am not going to stand here and coach you! Now either you help me on this or else the constable and I have a nice, long conversation about you. I'll simply tell him that it was you who strangled Maude Brown... I'll also have to tell him that it was you who attacked Millicent Collins.
....
- Nathan Forbes: Oh, I'm willing to admit that I may be a little greedy, but I don't think I'm crazy.
See also[]
External Links[]
Episode links
Series links
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