If ever there was an episode to grab a Dark Shadows viewer prior to the arrival of Barnabas I'm sure this is the one. Dark Shadows Creative pooled all their collective energies into this episode. It has been building for quite some time. We have went through Malloy's murder investigation, multiple suspects polarized as potential murderers, numerous death attempts on Vicky's life, her imprisonment by the killer, Matthew Morgan, Morgan's copious opportunities to put an end to Vicky yet always persuaded right before doing the deed, and his ultimate executioners, ghosts who frighten him to death. Morgan goes to the tool shed, finds an ax buried in a tree stump, warms the blade on a spool, all the while this episode has David trying to tell Burke (often stalling, a dramatic tactic by DSC to infuriate a nervous audience wanting him to spit it out before Matthew is finally able to kill Vicky), but uneasy because he fears he'll go to jail. Even worse is that Roger is right there at the stairs near the entrance of Collinwood sniping as he always does further detering help Vicky desperately needs. This episode establishes one thing for certain: without the help of the ghosts of the Widows, Malloy, and Josette, Vicky would have been killed. No doubt. The voices and the gaggle of ghosts creeping towards him as Vicky sat in mortal terror inside the secret room, tied to a chair, Matthew's fate was not determined by an immediate Burke and Roger, packing shotguns (once they were finally able to get David to tell them the location of Vicky and the whole story surrounding his helping Matthew), but by the supernatural. This episode went all out. Matthew was talking about how Vicky wouldn't feel it for long, how pigs to the slaughter don't suffer too much before death, Vicky using the whole "your guilty conscience would haunt you the rest of your life" bit that wasn't working any longer, and Josette's ghost coming down from her portrait, even visiting Vicky to tell her not to be afraid. Thayer David's course, pre-Barnabas, had run to its end, but not without going out full-bore, holding nothing back. There was nothing really subtle about his part; it was all gruff and intimidation and ornery and blunt ordering around, David played it all without much in the way of subtlety. I'm glad to see the story reach its resolution, to tell you the truth. DSC really stretched this plot as far as they could. It ends Matthew's threat to Victoria's life. Malloy's ghost can now rest because his killer has met proper justice. Now is where DSC must build Roger's wife as the next potential villain. With the ghosts, Dark Shadows was a show entering the realm of the supernatural: no longer would the show just remain steeped in realism. There's a freedom that can release you to go in unique directions. The setting and characters sure are ripe for such supernatural goings-on.
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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