627

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Number	620
Timeline	1968
Narrator	Grayson Hall
Writer	Gordon Russell
Director	Lela Swift
Broadcast	November 19, 1968 (Tuesday)
Recorded	November 12, 1968 (Tuesday)
Video	Complete: Disc 66 Collection 11: Disc 2

We have 34 images of Dark Shadows 627

Chris Jennings arrives in Collinsport. His resemblance to his brother Tom is shocking to all who knew Tom was a vampire.

Synopsis[]

Teaser

The terror of a violent thunderstorm hangs over the great house of Collinwood. But in a rooming house on the outskirts of Collinsport, a greater terror awaits for a young man and a woman, a terror that is only a moment away.

While arguing, Jeff opens a closet in his apartment and looks panic stricken. Victoria asks what is wrong and he tries, without avail to get rid of her. She opens the closet and sees Eve's strangled corpse.

Act I

Jeff examines Eve's corpse and tells Victoria she is dead. Victoria asks who she is, and Jeff tells her. Victoria asks Jeff if he killed her, and if not, who did. She convinces Jeff to call the police, and Jeff worries that the circumstantial evidence will look bad, but Victoria tells him any delay will increase suspicions. She promises to see Jeff through this ordeal. Meanwhile, Adam wanders through the woods, stopping to think about his crime, worried what Nicholas will do when he finds out. Angelique appears to Adam and tells him she knows that he killed Eve. She tells Adam that Eve was evil and that Nicholas knew all along that Eve was in love with Jeff Clark. Adam takes Nicholas' defense, but Angelique tells him that Nicholas has been using him all along. She tells him about Danielle Rogét, who Adam knew as Leona Eltridge. She tells him Nicholas was never his friend, that he used Adam as he uses everyone. She tells him that neither of them can escape Nicholas unless they work together to dispose of him. She says that when Nicholas finds out Eve is dead he will think that Jeff Clark killed her. He must go back to Nicholas' house and pretend he knows nothing, then appear shocked when Nicholas tells him of Eve's murder. Meanwhile she will be preparing "for Nicholas' departure". Meanwhile, a mysterious figure appears outside Joe Haskell's window at the hospital. After a nurse checks on him and turns out the light, the door opens and a figure appears. Joe's eyes widen when he recognizes the figure.

Act II

The figure comes closer in the room as Joe goes into full panic. He tells Joe he is not Tom Jennings, but Chris. The nurse comes back in and they tell her it was a mistake. Chris apologizes for scaring Joe and asks about his condition. Chris is sorry he missed Tom's funeral, but he is hard to track down. He asks for details about Tom's death and Joe says there are few clues. Chris asks about the bite wounds, but Joe has no information. He tells Joe he thinks Tom was murdered, and he plans on investigating. Joe asks how he plans on doing this, and Chris pulls out a list of names which include Jeff Clark and Nicholas Blair. Joe changes the subject and asks if Chris has seen his sister, Molly, who "fell to pieces" after Tom's death, and is now at Windcliff Sanitarium, having been sent there by Dr. Hoffman. Julia arrives and is terrified when she sees Chris, thinking he is Tom. He explains he is Tom's brother and says she is one of the people he wanted to speak to, offering to drive her to Collinwood so they can talk on the way. Asking Chris to step outside, Julia then asks Joe why Chris was not notified when Tom died. Joe explains that he did send word to Chris, but Chris is always hard to track down, He fills her in on Chris' background, always moving around and never staying in one place. He disappeared and left Collinsport altogether, not even returning when his parents died a few years ago. He sent a letter to Tom saying he did not hear until after their funeral. He said he was here to investigate Tom's death, and Joe suggests she should talk to him and get him to leave town. We see Chris eavesdropping outside the hospital window.

Act III

Chris drops Julia off at Collinwood and she asks him inside. He says Julia must have known Tom well or she wouldn't have had the reaction she had when she saw him. Julia dismisses it as having examined him and his unusual wound. She says he appeared to have bitten by an animal, but she does not know what. She tells him she assumed he came there because of his sister, Molly. He says he plans on seeing her soon, and Julia explains Windcliff is her hospital, and she is doing well, but seeing him would do her a world of good. He explains he cannot take her with him because of the kind of life he leads, always on the go “making a living the best way I can”. She accuses him of being irresponsible and for some reason he gets upset and storms out. As Julia goes up the stairs, she sees Victoria, who asks for Roger. She tells her Jeff is in jail and someone needs to bail him out. She tells him about discovering the body in his room and that the police think he did it. Julia asks who it was, and she says it is Eve. Julia obviously recognizes the name, but denies it when asked. She sends Victoria off to find Roger. Julia puts her gloves back on and leaves the house. Meanwhile, Angelique goes to the place she has hidden her coffin and lights a candle. She hopes if all goes well that Nicholas will be banished and if "The Master" is pleased enough, he may even lift her curse. She starts a long incantation which ends with her being consumed by fire as she begs for her life and screams.

Memorable quotes[]

Angelique: Prince of Fire, I call upon the flame to summon you. I call up all the dark creatures of nature to summon you here to me. Prince of Fire, rise. Hear me as I call to you. Rise from the curling flame. I summon you in the name of the seven plagues, in the name of the charred and blackened stars that reigned at my beginnings, to rise out of the darkness of the Earth. I call you forth from the mouth of the dragon and of the beast and of the false prophet. I call you forth from the subterranean rivers of blood, from the smoke of torment which rises forever and ever. In the name of every evil spirit, evil, to be obedient only to you, I invoke you here to me . . . now. Now! (Flames rise to consume her, to her horror) No! No, don't destroy me! I must reach you! No!! You can't destroy me!! No!!! (She screams as she is consumed.)

Chris: The kind of life I lead is all wrong for her.

Dramatis personae[]

Grayson Hall as Julia Hoffman →
Joel Crothers as Joe Haskell
Lara Parker as Angelique Bouchard Collins →
← Roger Davis as Jeff Clark →
← Robert Rodan as Adam →
← Marie Wallace as Eve →
Don Briscoe as Chris Jennings →
← Alexandra Moltke as ←Victoria Winters →
Greta Markson as Nurse

Background information and notes[]

Production[]

Don Briscoe returns to the cast after an absence of 55 episodes. First appearance of character Chris Jennings. This was the second character played by Briscoe in the original series.
Final appearance of actress Alexandra Moltke. She was forced to leave the show sooner than expected due to complications with her pregnancy. She was only six weeks pregnant at the time and would later decline to return because of what she saw as the character's blandness. Her son, named Adam, would be born on the series' third anniversary. This episode brings her total number of appearances to 335, the most of any actor to appear up to this point. Only Jonathan Frid (593 episodes), Grayson Hall (474 episodes), Nancy Barrett (403 episodes), and Joan Bennett (391 episodes) will surpass this figure. The character of Victoria Winters will next be seen in 630, as played by Betsy Durkin.
There are nine actors in this episode. Normally the show had a maximum of five actors per episode.
In only the second time this ever happened, an actress credit appears after Alexandra Moltke's credit. It is the nurse, played by Greta Markson.
The Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition contains preliminary scripts for unproduced versions of 629 and 631, material from which was instead used in this episode as broadcast, notably the scenes where Joe Haskell and Julia encounter Chris Jennings and when Angelique summons Diabolos.

Story[]

Jeff Clark lives in a rooming house on the outskirts of Collinsport.
The existence of Chris is completely unexpected as we were first told that his brother Tom had no living relatives; then we were told Joe Haskell was Tom's cousin. In this episode, we also learn Chris and Tom have a sister, Amy (although she is called Molly here). Chris is obviously identical to Tom; however, the word 'twin' is never mentioned. He is only referred to as being Tom's brother. Their parents are said to have died "a few years ago".
Joe describes Chris as having been very bright, going to college and studying architecture, before "something happened" that "changed his whole personality". Chris dropped out of school, alienated all his friends, went to the mountains for "weeks at a time", and eventually left town and became something of a drifter, never staying put for long and not even returning when his parents died (claiming in a letter to Tom he hadn't gotten the news in time for the funeral). What neither Joe nor Julia (nor the audience) know at this point is that this sudden change was brought on by Chris' first transformation into a werewolf and his desire to avoid harming anyone (especially his loved ones) when in that state. The first indication of his true nature will be in 632.
A variation of Angelique's speech to 'The Master' appears in 761, spoken by Evan Hanley. Both episodes were written by Gordon Russell.
Chris offers Julia a ride in his car back to Collinwood. Where's her car? How did she get to the hospital? Is she going to leave her car there? Did she walk to the hospital? [She could have taken a cab.]
INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Adam: I shouldn't have killed Eve; Angelique: If I succeed tonight
TIMELINE: It was this afternoon when Jeff told Victoria about Eve. It’s been over two month since Tom Jennings died. Chris is going to see Amy first thing in the morning.

Bloopers and continuity errors[]

In the previous episode, a suit on a hanger was hanging on the lamp next to Jeff's closet door where Eve's body lies. In the reprise in this episode, the suit is gone.
When Chris takes the list of people he got from the sheriff out of his pocket, a camera briefly appears at the right of the screen.
Amy Jennings is referred to as "Molly" in this episode.
When Chris brings Julia to the door of Collinwood, it is raining. His hair is very wet; her hair is very dry. (Maybe Julia had a fold-out umbrella in her handbag, which she didn't care to share with Chris.)
Grayson Hall, whilst talking to Joe, asks "Why?" in two of the wrong places.
When we first see Joe, he is out of focus. [Probably because he is seen through a window pane.]