633/634

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Number	626
Timeline	1968
Narrator	Grayson Hall
Writer	Sam Hall
Director	Sean Dhu Sullivan
Broadcast	November 27, 1968 (Wednesday)
Recorded	November 20, 1968 (Wednesday)
Video	Complete: Disc 66 Collection 11: Disc 2

We have 38 images of Dark Shadows 633/634

The experiment proceeds disastrously leaving Eve a charred and burned corpse.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

Night over the great estate of Collinwood. A night which many will feel will never never end. And when it does, no one knows who will be alive and who will not. For one man is engaged in a frantic effort to appease the cruelest, most evil master of all. To do this he must bring a new convert, and with her spirit make a dead body alive. In this house by the sea, the first ritual starts, in a small room, with an altar draped in black.

Nicholas begins the Black Mass.

Act I

At the Old House, Eve's body lies on the operating table in the basement. Barnabas tells Julia this is the last time they will ever perform this experiment, but Julia fears it is not, as they are at Nicholas' mercy. Nicholas arrives in a good mood until Barnabas mentions that he seems to "specialize in second chances" and tells him that he should not have brought Tom Jennings back. Nicholas begins to deny knowing anything about that, but Barnabas tells him he destroyed Tom at his house just that morning. Nicholas points out the irony that a short time ago that could have been Barnabas, and it could be again. Julia insist they stop bickering and get the experiment over with and Nicholas leaves. Adam arrives and Barnabas tries to kick him out, but Nicholas insists he stay.

When Maggie arrives, Barnabas and Julia panic, and Nicholas tells them she is doing it of her own free will because of her love for him. Maggie appears to be much more sedate than usual. When Barnabas objects, she makes a veiled reference to the things he has done to her in the past. Adam threatens to start hurting folks, but Nicholas tells him that won't be necessary and puts his hand to Adam's heart and starts making him have a heart attack, which also affects Barnabas. Julia begs Maggie to make him stop, but Maggie tells her that is only possible if they get started on the experiment. Nicholas has Adam lie down in an adjoining room and tells Barnabas that it will only take three words for him to make Adam's heart stop and kill them both. Maggie assumes the position on the table and Julia gives her a mild sedative and they begin. Nicholas kisses Maggie on the forehead before the machines are started. Maggie begins to moan, and then to scream.

Act II

Maggie passes out and at the controls, Barnabas begins to recall Maggie and Nicholas' statements. Julia is talking to him, but he is distracted and does not notice that the monitor has gone too high. Then Barnabas snaps back to reality and tells Julia something is wrong. She tries to adjust the machine. Maggie screams she is going to die as Eve's hand begins to rise. Barnabas turns off the machines and starts to wreck the laboratory.

Nicholas tries to immobilize Barnabas with his powers, but finds he has lost them. He begs "The Master" to not desert him now, but it is no use, Barnabas continues his rampage. Nicholas runs and begins to strangle Adam. Julia and Barnabas get there just as Adam awakens, confused as to why Nicholas is attacking him.

Adam rushes to Eve, but she has been reduced to a blackened skeleton. Nicholas makes his escape and Barnabas runs after him telling Julia they must chase him now while he is vulnerable. Julia yells for him to stay so they can save Maggie. Adam goes catatonic in a corner. Julia works frantically to save Maggie and when she does come around she appears to have no memory of who she is, where she is, how she got there, or who anyone is.

Act III

Maggie tries to remember anything and is distressed when Julia does not explain. Julia leads her upstairs leaving Adam alone with Eve's skeleton, which he covers. He tries to figure out who is more to blame, Barnabas or Nicholas, and finally decides on Barnabas out of force of habit. In the drawing room, Julia tries to stimulate Maggie's memory, telling her she has been in the house and in the room and even showing her Josette's music box, but Maggie remembers none of it and becomes more distraught.

Julia takes her upstairs to show her Josette's portrait, and Adam makes his escape out the front door. At the edge of the cliff, Nicholas pleads to 'The Master' to give him just one more week to perform the experiment and set everything right, but he is consumed by flames as a happy Barnabas watches. Meanwhile, Adam sneaks into Collinwood and heads up the stairs.

Memorable quotes[]

Julia: Poor motherless Eve. There's a poem about that.

Barnabas: Where are your powers now Nicholas Blair?

Adam: Now I have no one.

Nicholas (after Julia has interrupted the argument between he and Barnabas): You are quite right, Dr. Hoffman. We have something to accomplish here. We should not waste our time on personality difficulties.

Barnabas (regarding Maggie): You have done something to her.

Nicholas: I have given her my love.

Dramatis personae[]

← Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins →
← Grayson Hall as Julia Hoffman →
← Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans →
← Robert Rodan as Adam →
← Humbert Allen Astredo as Nicholas Blair →
← Marie Wallace as Eve

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

This episode was recorded out of broadcast sequence. The previous episode to be recorded was 630.
An expected pre-emption for the Thanksgiving Day college football game (Texas A&M vs. Texas) occurred Thursday and the game was shown instead of Dark Shadows. This Wednesday episode is "double numbered" with the previous one (633/634), in order to keep the production numbers balanced with the calendar, i.e. Friday episodes ending in a 5 or 0. [One Thanksgiving day game featured the Philadelphia Eagles travelling to play the Detroit Lions on a rainy day. The field rapidly deteriorated and player uniforms were covered with mud by the time the game ended with a 12 - 0 Eagles victory. The game is known as the Thanksgiving Mud Bowl.]
Final appearance of character Eve. Marie Wallace would later reprise this character in the Big Finish audio dramas. Wallace received a credit for the episode, despite only being onscreen for a few seconds, having no dialogue and merely moving her fingers a little.
Final episode directed by Sean Dhu Sullivan.
Nicholas Blair will next be seen in 953.
The robe Maggie wears had previously been worn by Victoria.

Story[]

Julia refers to the poem "Eve". It was written by Robert Hodgson in 1913.
Maggie's hair color has drastically changed from the previous episodes. Her red hair is gone and she has returned to the original brown.
INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Barnabas: (recalls words of Maggie and Nicholas).
TIMELINE: It's almost midnight.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

At the Black Mass, Maggie is no longer wearing her wedding veil, which she still had on when Nicholas placed her on the altar in the previous episode.
When Nicholas makes Adam's heart beat faster and faster, the heartbeat sound remains slow and perfectly stable.
Actress Grayson Hall is too far from the boom microphone to be heard clearly when the experiment starts to go wrong, but this actually works out pretty nicely since Barnabas isn't really paying attention to Julia at that moment.
Humbert Allen Astredo starts to say the wrong word, Depose before changing it to Dispose.
Reflected in the lab lens, as Julia and Barnabas wait, there appears to be someone moving around.
The end credits have a white line running through them.