Really important episode in that it introduces a fresh new face and she is immediately indoctrinated into the ongoing stories that have been formulating over the long term. She's a plant by Burke Devlin to spy for him. Butting heads immediately with caretaker Matthew Morgan who doesn't trust her, voicing his concerns to Elizabeth, we see that she will not have it easy in her role as a mole. Elizabeth has made it clear she needs help in regards to chores around the place, but Matthew certainly is not happy that another person now has some liberty to snoop around the house and "stick her nose in where it doesn't belong". And, he's right. Ms. Johnson, former maid for Malloy (critical in its importance since it is a motivation for a pursuit in truth; his death hasn't been solved, justice not yet meted out to the one responsible), isn't hardly in the house five minutes and she's asking David about secret rooms. Matthew has really started to become a more viable character since Thayer David took over the role. Matthew is blunt and ornery, barking orders and speaking out of turn when he shouldn't. David's Matthew has a bit of menace and sinister to him while the previous actor was basically an old miser. Matthew locks horns with Johnson who evades his warnings of not asking about matters that are no concern to her, the mysterious basement (the episode has a basic run-down of Johnson's role as maid as Elizabeth tells her what to expect and where not to go, the basement and closed off wing such places) as such an example. To be honest, Matthew really has no right whatsoever telling others what they can and cannot do, such as his fuss about David not getting crumbs in the living room and bossing around Johnson: his allegiance to Elizabeth presents him as very off-putting and overstepping his bounds. He has secrets like every character on the show; this is really why Matthew is as suspicious and mistrusting. David's role on the show has always been the creepy, morbid kid with an ax to grind against his love-less father, Roger. He knows--intuition or just a bit too good at studying people--that Johnson and Devlin are ultimately allies not enemies as their recent argument might suggest. He is actually hiding in the basement, awaiting the *ghost* when he catches Johnson, flashlight probing, prying around. Johnson tries to avoid the real reason she's down there by diversion but David really knows what she's after even as the new maid tries to have him think otherwise. David is fine with her working in concert with Devlin, but Johnson knows to tread lightly and cautiously. Returning to a curious mystery that is only touched on sporadically, Johnson hears the agonizing moan, its origin from behind the locked storeroom, perhaps establishing right here that whatever lies out of sight has a purpose in later episodes or Dark Shadows Creative wouldn't keep returning to it.
Burke interrupts what could have been a decent dinner between Maggie, her father, and Vicky, and he's sore, agenda-driven, and pointed in defending himself, while also demanding answers...answers Sam is willing to flee to protect. Sam's only link to Burke at all, besides Roger himself, is the letter he wrote to Maggie. He escapes out the back door while the others were in the living room and heads to Collins Port Inn where the letter is kept but the owner will not give it over to him. The letter is Maggie's and she will have to give permission before Sam can get his hands on it. Malloy's death looms large and will not go away--especially as long as Burke steamrolls throughout Collins Port, pissed off and unrestrained. He wants to know Sam's connection to the wrongful conviction and isn't about to just forget his presence at the meeting that night. Maggie just cannot believe that her father had anything at all to do with Malloy's death; Sam and Malloy were fr...
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