295

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Number	291
Timeline	1967
Narrator	Alexandra Moltke
Writer	Malcolm Marmorstein
Director	John Sedwick
Broadcast	August 11, 1967 (Friday)
Recorded	July 31, 1967 (Monday)
Video	Complete: Disc 33 Collection 3: Disc 1

We have 3 images of Dark Shadows 295

Maggie's memory returns, but Julia hypnotizes her before she can say anything damaging about Barnabas.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

We have mourned and wept for those who have passed on. Our tears have dried, but our hearts are scarred indelibly. Life continues, although our memory serves to freshen the wound. We are therefore vulnerable to the great shock that a sudden return can bring.

Enjoying a drink at the Blue Whale, Victoria Winters, Burke Devlin, Barnabas Collins and the rest of the bar's patrons fall into stunned silence as Maggie Evans wanders inside. Maggie takes one look at Barnabas, and promptly faints.

Act I

Maggie returns to consciousness, and begins to remember things and people. She becomes agitated when she can't find the little girl who helped her. Barnabas offers to look outside, while Burke and Victoria question Maggie of her own whereabouts. She explains that she was in a hospital far away, and that the little girl brought her back to Collinsport. Barnabas returns, unable to find a little girl anywhere. Burke suggests taking Maggie to Dr. Woodard's office, and Barnabas offers to find and inform Sam Evans. Maggie glances at Barnabas before he leaves, and the missing pieces of her memory start to fall into place.

Act II

Having taken Maggie to Woodard's office, Victoria and Burke listen as the doctor relates Maggie's good physical condition, and her loss of memory. He is hopeful her memory will return. Burke speaks with Woodard alone, angrily railing at the doctor for fabricating Maggie's death. Woodard explains the reasoning behind this, and his hope Maggie will remember the identity of her kidnapper before he can get to her. Meanwhile, Victoria and Maggie talk in Woodard's office. Maggie is desperately trying to remember her ordeal, and eventually a "special room" with a particular scent and music comes to mind.

Act III

Barnabas arrives at Collinwood, informing Julia Hoffman of Maggie's return. Believing Julia has betrayed him, he threatens to kill both her and Maggie. At that moment, Woodard phones and Julia learns Maggie has said nothing specific about what happened to her. Julia urges Woodard not to question Maggie, and tells him she must speak with her patient in secrecy. Meanwhile, Woodard has ushered Victoria and Burke out of his office and ordered Maggie to keep quiet until Julia arrives. But Maggie wants to talk about her experience, and finds Julia to be a strange person whom she doesn't understand at all. Maggie's memory is returning at a rapid pace, and Woodard urges her to relax. But she starts to recall an old house, a special room, and a man with frightening eyes. Then, Julia arrives and orders her not to say another word.

Act IV

Julia advises caution, else Maggie will revert to the childlike state in which she was found. She asks Woodard to leave his office, demanding complete privacy. Alone with Maggie, Julia learns that she has remembered everything, including the identity of her kidnapper: Barnabas Collins. Using a jeweled pendant, Julia wastes no time in hypnotizing Maggie. Later, Julia invites Woodard back into the office where he is delighted to find that Maggie has returned to normal. She remembers everything... but the entire ordeal she experienced is now a complete blank.

Memorable quotes[]

Maggie: He's some kind of a creature from the world of the dead. He's not alive.

Dramatis personae[]

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

This is the first episode of the original series taped in color. Announcer Bob Lloyd, states during the opening: "Good news! This program, Dark Shadows, is now being presented in color!"
Starting with this episode, the series gets a new opening title sequence.

Story[]

Maggie speaks indirectly of Barnabas as a vampire: "Some kind of creature from the world of the dead".
SEDATIVE: Maggie refuses to take a pill from Dr. Woodard that would help calm her down.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

Although Windcliff Sanitarium is supposed to be 100 miles to the north, as stated in 265, Maggie walks back to Collinsport in a single night. (She is traveling with Sarah, who is supernatural, so it might be possible.) [Addendum: As stated in Danny Horn's blog "Dark Shadows Every Day," "According to Jim Pierson’s 1988 book Dark Shadows: The Introduction of Barnabas [a fan-published episode guide published by the Dark Shadows Festival in 1988], the original script for this episode [the previous episode, 294] included a truck driver, who picks up Maggie on the road and drives her to Collinsport. The truck driver was written out of the revised script, possibly because there were already six speaking parts in the episode, which is usually the limit. So Maggie ends up walking the entire 100 mile journey in one night."]
In the teaser, when Victoria exclaims that Maggie has come in, everyone in the Blue Whale falls silent--as does the jukebox. The stopping of the music provides a good dramatic effect, but it makes no logical sense.
Jonathan Frid stumbles over his lines at the end of Act I.
Something seems to have gone wrong with the final shot of the episode. After Maggie asks Dr. Woodard to tell her what happened to her, he looks to Julia. We then see a shot of Julia's face, and as the final stinger plays, the camera moves to Dr. Woodard again. However, all we see is the back of his head and an out-of-focus portion of Maggie's face.