149

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Number	146
Timeline	1967
Narrator	Alexandra Moltke (as Victoria Winters)
Writer	Malcolm Marmorstein
Director	Lela Swift
Broadcast	January 19, 1967 (Thursday)
Recorded	January 12, 1967 (Thursday)
Video	Complete: Disc 17 Beginning 5: Disc 1
We have 5 images of Dark Shadows 149

Josette finishes the painting for the injured Sam; when done, it is destroyed by Roger.

Synopsis

Teaser

My name is Victoria Winters. It is night at Collinwood, a night that will prove to be disquieting. One man feels an unexplainable respite, and a young girl feels a bitter rejection.

Carolyn returns home and angrily slams the door; she tells Victoria of her trip to Burke's and that his speech sounded rehearsed.

Act I

Burke didn't sound or act like himself. Carolyn admits that she threw herself at him and demanded declarations of love, much to Victoria's disapproval. Carolyn's upset that Burke didn't hurt her with his rejection. She vows a vague revenge, then tells Victoria that Burke's in love with Laura. Maggie gets off work and tries to fix Sam dinner; he's still not feeling well. Sam and Maggie discuss the freak accident which resulted in the burning of a canvas from across the room without burning its cover. Sam says the other painting is about to go up in flames, too... he's been seeing it in his mind all day.

Act II

Maggie tells Sam he needs to take it easy because he's suffering from anxiety. Sam has the urge to go to Collinwood, where he feels the unfinished first painting will be completed... something's going into that empty space. At that precise moment in David's room, the painting begins to glow with an unearthly light. Victoria tells Carolyn not to be so vindictive; Roger jumps to her defense. She tells him the happy news about her relationship with Burke being terminated. Carolyn and Roger speak of Laura and Burke. Carolyn's shocked by Roger's blase attitude, but Roger just says that Burke's up to his old tricks. In David's room, the ghost of Josette Collins appears and touches the painting.

Act III

Victoria has sent David with Mrs. Johnson but it will cost Roger a set of toy soldiers. Roger's pleased that David's out of the house and not looking at the painting. Carolyn suggests Roger destroy it now; Victoria begs him not to because it would harm David. She admits her fear that she's responsible for the whole mess and relates the urge to take the portrait. Sam shows up at Collinwood, wanting to see Roger. He wants to know why Victoria didn't let him destroy the painting in the first place. He and Roger have a wry discussion about the portrait, which Sam insists on seeing. Roger blames Sam's ego; Sam can't explain why he wants to see the painting. Victoria enters David's room and is overcome with a strange sensation. She sees the painting and screams; where there was a blank spot in the painting, now ls David's face.

Act IV

Carolyn, Roger, and Sam rush to the scream. They meet Victoria running down the stairs; she shows them the finished painting. Standing next to Laura in flames is David, unmistakably David. Roger asks Sam what it means—he saw the painting just that morning and it wasn't finished. Sam doesn't know what it means. He points out that the painting is dry, so it couldn’t have been empty this morning. He describes the sensations that led him to Collinwood. Roger wants to know how a total representation of David's dream has come to fruition on canvas. Sam describes the power that led him to paint the portrait and come to Collinwood. He describes being used to communicate. Victoria admits she felt something strange in David's room, like someone had been in there. She describes the scent of jasmine, which she smelled "a few months ago" in the Old House after Josette appeared to her. Everyone wonders what David will do when he sees the painting. To prevent him from finding out, Roger throws the painting into the fire. As it begins to burn, screaming erupts from the canvas.

Memorable quotes

Roger: (to Sam) You're sober now and you're even more difficult to understand.

Dramatis personae

• ← Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard →
• ← David Ford as Sam Evans →
• ← Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans →
• ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins →
• ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters →
• Rosemary McNamara as Josette Collins (uncredited)

Background information and notes

Production

• The original videotape master of this episode has been lost. However, a filmed Kinescope copy does exist.
• Diana Millay is erroneously listed in the credits, who doesn't appear in this episode. It would also not be likely that the scream was Diana Millay's, and if it was, it would be rare in the sixties to credit it.
• Although Kathryn Leigh Scott infamously replaced the dummy that was to be used as Josette's ghost in episode 70, here the role is played by uncredited extra Rosemary McNamara

Story

• GHOSTWATCH: Josette's ghost appears before the painting of Laura and completes it so it now also shows David's face in the picture.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• In the previous episode, Victoria decided it was best to keep David away from his mother, but she has an inexplicable change of heart in this episode.
• It is said to have been a "few months" ago when Josette appeared to Victoria in episode 126. This actually happened 9 days ago in continuity and was aired 3 weeks previously.
• When the painting of Laura is seen on the wall in David's room, there is a model of a white sailing ship below it next to a toy robot. Later, when David returns and sees the painting is missing, the white ship is gone but the robot remains. Later when Victoria enters to check on him, the robot is gone and there is a small mirror and two lamps on the desk.