336

← 336 →

Number	332
Timeline	1968
Narrator	Alexandra Moltke
Writer	Gordon Russell
Director	John Sedwick
Broadcast	October 9, 1967 (Monday)
Recorded	October 4, 1967 (Tuesday)
Video	Complete: Disc 37 Collection 4: Disc 1

We have 4 images of Dark Shadows 336

Dr. Woodard meets Sarah and then investigates the secret room in the Collins mausoleum.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

All of us at Collinwood remain concerned about the state of mind of young David Collins. We are unaware that, at this moment at the Eagle Hill Cemetery, two people are about to meet for the first time. They will recognize each other, and they will know that, together, they will travel a long, dark, dangerous path to help the troubled little boy who means so much to both of them.

Having left Collinwood, Dr. Dave Woodard has made his way to the Collins Family Mausoleum at Eagle Hill Cemetery. He carries with him Sarah Collins' flute, and when he reaches to try the ring mechanism to open the secret door behind Naomi Collins' tomb, he is startled when Sarah appears. He implores her to share with him her secrets in order to help David.

Act I

Sarah does not want to divulge her secrets because no one will keep them. She notices Woodard is holding her flute, and his comment about David's possible mental illness makes Sarah remember a time, "a long, long time ago," when she was sick. Woodard points out that David might be taken away to a sanitarium like Maggie Evans was. If that happens, Sarah will lose her friend. This convinces her to answer the doctor's questions. She confirms that there is, in fact, a secret room. She has unsealed it and opens it for Woodard. Inside, the stunned Woodard finds the empty coffin. Sarah refuses to divulge whom the coffin belongs to. Woodard determines to figure it out for himself. He discovers chains lying discarded on the floor and surmises that someone once occupied the coffin, someone undead. Again, he asks Sarah who was buried in the secret room... but the little girl has disappeared.

Act II

Meanwhile, in the drawing room at Collinwood, Victoria Winters and Burke Devlin discuss the problems surrounding the purchase of Seaview. Burke informs his fiancé that he has to leave Collinsport on business for a few days. When he returns, he intends on setting a date for their wedding and finding a house for themselves. Agitated, Victoria does not want to rush into marriage. Not being able to have Seaview is like a sign to her. Now is not the right time; only when David recovers. Burke is angry and disappointed at her decision, but Victoria absolutely refuses to leave David while he needs her. She manages to persuade him to agree to her terms. Burke admits to being frightened of the idea of losing Victoria, of something taking her away from him. She promises him that will not happen.

Act III

Some time later, Woodard returns to Collinwood urgently looking for Burke. Victoria explains that Burke has gone out of town, and she doesn't know where to reach him. Woodard then opts for finding Julia Hoffman, who, Victoria tells him, is at the Old House. He asks for permission to read the Collins Family History in the study. Victoria deduces that Woodard has discovered something very important. However, in order to protect her, he refuses to go into the subject. After Woodard goes into the study, Julia returns from the Old House. She inquires about David and is pleased to learn from Victoria that he is a lot calmer. Victoria angrily snaps at Julia when the other woman makes light of David's so-called delusions. Julia apologizes, only to panic when Victoria informs her that Woodard is looking for her and is currently researching the Collins Family History.

Act IV

Julia finds Woodard poring over books in the study. He has discovered that the "original" Barnabas Collins had a sister called Sarah. Julia, clearly rattled, does not understand why her colleague is preoccupied with a girl who died over 100 years ago. Woodard reveals that he has met and talked to Sarah in the mausoleum. Julia dismisses the idea, telling Woodard he has been working too hard at helping David. He assures her he is not tired, upset, or conjuring up ghosts. Woodard reasons there was an extraordinary reason for Sarah returning, and he intends to discover exactly why.

Memorable quotes[]

Dr. Woodard: No, no… This coffin wasn’t always empty. Someone was buried here. I know that now. Yes… someone that wouldn’t stay dead... someone whose desire to return to life was so strong, they had to wrap him in chains!

Julia: Sam Evans is known to drink a good deal. Some people see pink elephants; he saw Sarah Collins.

Dramatis personae[]

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

Alexandra Moltke reads the closing announcement.
The DVD release of this episode is followed by a specially shot trailer featuring Alexandra Moltke and Jonathan Frid that teased the upcoming 1795 story line. An announcer states, "This Friday you and Victoria Winters begin a strange and terrifying journey into the past, back to the year 1795 to discover the origins of this man and the secret of the chained coffin." Its inclusion on the DVD release after this episode is a mistake as the actual episode in which the 1795 story line begins, 365, would not air for another month. It appears after the correct episode on the VHS release.

Story[]

GHOSTWATCH: Sarah's ghost appears to Dr. Woodard (continued from previous episode).
INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Dave Woodard: Secret room in mausoleum (reprised from previous episode).
TIMELINE: Burke has gone out of town for a "few days."

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

Alexandra Moltke reads the opening narration seemingly in the voice of Victoria Winters given her use of the first person ("we," "us"), yet by this point in the series, the narrations are not spoken in character.
Sharon Smyth stumbles over her lines in Act I, clearly searching for the teleprompter during her close-ups. At one point she seems to forget she is to speak but then starts to talk over Dr. Woodard.
When Dr. Woodard opens the coffin in the secret room, there is no creaking sound effect as there usually is.
As the camera pans over Victoria when she opens the front doors, another camera can be seen beside the portrait of Barnabas, and the edge of the set is exposed. This occurs again when Julia enters the foyer.
The moving shadow of a boom microphone is seen in the Collins mausoleum.
Shadows are seen moving on the left of the coffin when Sarah and Dr. Woodard enter the secret room in the Collins mausoleum.
Julia says to Dr. Woodard that Sam only imagined that he saw Sarah, that he may have been drunk at the time. They forget that Sam drew an exact portrait of Sarah at the time, which proves that he couldn't have imagined her. (Sam does have reputation for drawing strange things when under the influence, as seen in 129.) [Addendum: It's true that Sam drew a portrait of Sarah, but up to this point, no one but David and Maggie had ever seen her, so few would know whether Sam's drawing looks like her or not. It's doubtful that Maggie had seen the portrait since Sam drew it while she was missing.]