DARK SHADOWS 613

“Dark, very dark.”

“Barnabas, you’re very strange.”

Grayson. Reprise. It seems as if it was a roll back but it’s not. It’s refilmed but it’s a very good match. No new material but this time the spoon is almost touching Joe’s mouth where as last time it was not that close.

It is October 30^th, 1968.

Julia stops Barnabas, who lies to her effectively…at least it fools the dopey Julia, who can’t figure anything out all of a sudden. When she first questions him, he gets in a IDK.

All she has to do is ask to see his neck. She told him the dosage was through for the night and that there would be no further dosages tonight. Julia takes the medicine. Another dose tonight could be harmful to Joe.

On a personal note, Joe looks very pretty in this episode, asleep.

3:30 am: 5am. Joe now wants to live to get back at “her” and Barnabas, who keeps trying to make Joe not say “her” name. I, Barnabas: Teleprompter Reader.

Joe will tell all but Barnabas reminds him he would have to tell Maggie about what Joe himself now is. Joe does not want to do that. Joe’s not a vampire yet. So….wth?

Is Frid wearing a wig? Julia has done an analysis of the medication: it has poison in it. She thinks he was trying to poison Joe. He asks why. She says, “IDK.” She questions Barnabas. She asks him why the someone who broke in didn’t give Joe the medicine. Barnabas: “I don’t know.”

Joe overhears their conversation about how he almost died and someone was trying to kill him. He thinks it is Barnabas because of her: Angelique.

Joe voice over.

Day: Maggie comes into the Old House, let in by Julia. It seems like it is 9: 15 am on the clock. Julia believes Joe might tell Maggie who “she” is but Maggie says, “IDK about that.”

Before Maggie enters the room, we hear whispers.

Maggie goes up to see Joe, who almost tells her about his situation but fails to.

“All right, Joe. I understand. I mean I don’t understand but if that’s the way you want it,” she states.

Maggie is asked to leave by him but as she moves to the door, he calls her back. Joe tells her Barnabas wants to kill him. Maggie: “That’s not possible.”

Joe voice over after she leaves. He must kill Barnabas before he kills him.

Maggie goes to Julia and Barnabas. Julia has on her lime green yellow dress from the other night that she wore throughout it.

Maggie leaves. Julia says, “She still loves him.”

Julia flubs, “and fix the…get some more medicine.” Julia tells Barnabas she does not believe Barnabas put the poison in the medicine.

Barnabas is surprised she will leave him alone with Joe when she thought he tried to kill Joe. “Oh Barnabas, I don’t know…I don’t know what to believe.”

Barnabas sarcastically says, “I’m honored by your new found trust.” Julia tells him that the night is the dangerous time. She says that right now is morning. Mike Shadow.

Collinwood: Mrs. Johnson comes down the steps. Later, as Julia enters Collinwood, Mrs. Johnson tells her about Barnabas being found in the woods by Harry. She tells her that he fainted. Julia acts as if she knew Barnabas fainted and that she was told by him, which she did not. Johnson sort of detected Julia knew nothing about it but takes her word for it.

Joe voice over. He takes the rope from the horrid lime green curtains. He goes downstairs where Barnabas sleeps in a chair in the drawing room. Joe starts to strangle him. Barnabas has filling in his teeth.

This time the credits are actors only and a blurry logo.

Dark Shadows bloopers to watch out for:

In the teaser, when Barnabas approaches Joe’s bed, he rests his cane against the bed so that he can pick up the medicine bottle. The cane doesn’t want to balance properly, and it takes Barnabas a couple seconds to adjust it.

In act 2, Maggie and Joe engage in an extended battle over how much of his chest should be exposed. When she approaches him, he’s passed out, with his chest bare. She starts to cover him up with the blanket, and he wakes up with a start. She sits down, and Joe breathes heavily as he answers. Something strikes her as funny — apparently his insistence on playing the bare-chest scene so vividly — and she barely suppresses a smile as she tries to tug the blanket up a little bit more.

A minute later, he does some more heavy breathing, and turns his chest toward the camera again. Once again, Maggie is not successful in suppressing her smile. She’s about to leave, and he calls her back, and starts breathing heavy again, telling her that Barnabas tried to kill him. She takes the opportunity to tug the blanket up a bit.

In act 3, Julia says, “Barnabas, I’m… got to go back to the house, and… (looks at the teleprompter) fix the — get some more medicine.”

Mrs. Johnson tells Julia, “Funny — for a minute, I didn’t think you knew a thing about what I’m saying, about what I’m talking about.”

Behind the Scenes:

They’ve changed the curtain ties in Josette’s room today so that Joe can scrounge up a murder weapon. Up until yesterday, the curtains have been tied with a sash made of the same material. Today, they’re tied with a convenient rope, suitable for a garrote.

John: Doesn't it seem like Maggie should have the equivalent of a 'Nam flashback when going into Josette's room?

Christine: Yes, she definitely should. While Julia's hypnosis may have worn off, Blair's efforts at wiping her memory seem to be much more effective.

John: Julia, obviously not trusting Barnabas, tests the medicine and confirms that it has been poisoned. She had caught him red handed trying to give it to Joe, and yet she's willing to believe that he wasn't deliberately trying to kill him? Come on, Julia!

Christine: Love is blind.

John: Is strangulation really the easiest way to kill someone, particularly after you've established that you're not strong enough to kill someone with your bare hands?

Christine: Joe is clearly suffering from a lack of oxygen to his brain. It's a bit sad what's happened to his character, and he is obviously doomed. I must say I really enjoyed the shots of Julia holding the medicine bottle in front of her matching Ohrbach's coat. It really sells it.