Dark Shadows 1991: 1.5

Continuing with my 1991 Revival Series episode summaries: 

“My name is Victoria Winters. Evening has descended at Collinwood, and for one man it is an evening filled with the promise of hope. But tonight betrayal awaits. The treachery of a confidant will shatter that hope, and his own true evil will be revealed.”

Willie serves dinner to Barnabas and Vikki. Barnabas dismisses him. Barnabas gives Vikki a gift—Josette’s music box. Vikki says that she cannot accept that, it she knows how much it means to him as a family heirloom. She comments that the tune is a minuet, and the two of them dance to the tune.

The next morning Vikki leaves the music box playing as she gets ready. Julia passes by the room and hears the familiar tune. She enters the room and closes the box. Vikki and Julia discuss the music box—Julia feigns ignorance as to where it came from. Vikki tells her that Barnabas gave it to her. Julia asks her the nature of the relationship, that she gets the feeling that Vikki wishes to talk to someone about the relationship. Is it love? Vikki asks her to keep quiet.

Julia goes to the Old House and asks after Barnabas. He went off for a walk, Willie says, even though he warns Barnabas about exposure to too much sun. She asks Willie about Barnabas’ relationship with Vikki. Willie confesses that he is a bit worried about the two of them. He shows her Josette’s room, and Julia immediately sees the resemblance of the portrait to Vikki. Willie says that Barnabas plans on marrying Vikki Winters as soon as he’s normal . Julia says that emotional attraction can cause a setback—Barnabas returns to the house and the two hide. Barnabas comes into the bedroom and talks to Josette’s portrait. Soon they will be together again, he tells her. At Collinwood, Julia writes in her journal about the relationship between the “subject and a certain young woman”. She feels it has proven harmful to the completion of the experiment and must put it on hold until the relationship is over.

Carolyn visits Joe at his boat. She asks if he believes in sailor’s superstition, and he says yes. She asks when he’s going to take her on the cruise he promised on her 13th birthday. The two sail off on Daphne. She attempts to seduce him, but he pushes her off. He can’t do this. I bet you can, she counters. He tells her to cool it and heads back to shore.

Julia gives Barnabas his next “dose”. How much longer? he asks. She warns him that they must proceed with moderation. He tells her he wants to be alive, to grow old, and to die.

At the Blue Whale, Carolyn and Joe eat dinner. Ketchup pools at the corner of his mouth, much like blood at the corner of a vampire’s—Carolyn cleans it off. Maggie watches and has a vision of Carolyn attacked by a monster. She says nothing. She and Sam close up.

Barnabas shares a drink with Vikki. She asks if he’s coming to Elizabeth’s costume party, where all the members of the family dress as their ancestors. Barnabas says that they may be able to find something for her in the attic. They find a dress that they believe is Josette’s. She says she enjoys the sense of ancestry at Collinwood. She knows nothing about her own family as she grew up in an orphanage. She says she feels connected to Josette. A storm begins, and Vikki is stuck at the Old House for a while. Barnabas suggests she spend the night there. She is unsure, but Barnabas said that Willie can make up the bed in Josette’s room and she can return in the morning. She prepares for bed and he wishes her a good night before leaving. “I’m in your room, I’m in your nightgown, and I’m going to sleep in your bed. I almost feel like I’m you,” Vikki says to the portrait.

Barnabas sits in front of the fireplace as the storm rages on. His mind goes back to Vikki in Josette’s room and Vikki’s slender, white throat. Barnabas roams the drawing room as Vikki sleeps upstairs. He walks up the stairs and into Josette’s room. He watches Vikki sleep and touches her neck. His teeth bared and eyes yellowed, he feels the urge to drink from her neck but manages to suppress it. Vikki sleeps on. Barnabas and Willie run outside to the Mausoleum. Barnabas insists that Willie chain himself into the coffin—he can no longer control himself.

Willie goes to Collinwood and wakes up Julia. He tells her she has to come immediately. He takes her to the mausoleum—Barnabas is no longer chained up. “What have you done to me, Julia?” he asks. He pushes Willie aside. She was only trying to protect him—that his relationship with Vikki is self-destructive. He grabs her face in his hand and demands that she tell him what she did. She diluted the serum. End this now, he tells her. She gets her bag and injects him with the serum.

The next morning all is well. Vikki is awake, and the two of them share breakfast. Barnabas notices that his hand has aged considerably. He knocks over a cup of coffee but says he’s fine. He insists that it is about time for Vikki to return and asks Willie to see her back when she’s finished with breakfast. He shows Willie his hands and tells him to bring Dr. Hoffman back her as soon as possible. Willie is detained by his aunt. Why is he there so early? To see her, of course! She asks why, and he tells her he’s thinking about planting a rose garden. They talk about the merits of fresh-cut flowers in the house. She’d be glad to help him in his garden! He declines his favorite breakfast. Thankfully, Julia walks down the stairs. He tells her that she must come to the Old House immediately, but she says that she can’t help him anymore. An agitated Willie leaves the house.

Carolyn enters the Old House looking for Barnabas. She sees Barnabas sitting near the window—only it’s not him, it’s a monster. He attacks her, and she tries to escape. Willie walks in the front door and hears her screams. It is too late. Barnabas has already fed off Carolyn. He cries out in pain at what he has done. He commands Willie to pull the drapes, which he quickly does. Immediately Barnabas changes from an old man back to his normal looks. Carolyn moans on the floor. “I had no choice, Willie,” Barnabas says as Willie cradles Carolyn in his arms. Barnabas looks in the mirror, but he cannot see his reflection. Willie understands the implications of this. Carolyn’s eyes open as Barnabas calls her name. She rises and goes to him. When he calls her, she will come. Dr. Hoffman will pay for what she has done to him.

Dark Shadows 1991: 1.4

Dark Shadows 1991, episode 1.4

The sheriff and Julia walk up to Michael’s front door. His car is in the drive and lights are on in the house. Michael opens the door and lets the two of them in. Patterson mentions they’ve been trying to get in touch with him for hours, but his phone has been dead. The sheriff asks why Michael has been calling him, and Michael apologizes. He stumbled down another dead end regarding Barnabas Collins and the killer. He mentions a diary—Julia realizes he means hers—and Patterson says his deputy told him Michael had photographed evidence. He hands Patterson the camera, and the sheriff takes the film to be developed. As George and Julia leave, Michael attacks the sheriff. Patterson shoots him, but the vampire Michael still comes after him. Julia sees a wooden spear and manages to stake Woodard just in time. He goes after Julia, but Patterson pulls him off and pushes the stake farther in.

Julia and George Patterson head back to the sheriff’s office, where they leave Michael’s body in the custody of the coroner. He hands the film over to the deputy to be developed. He hands over his bloody raincoat as well, wanting it to be disposed of. Julia and George share a drink and wait for the photos to be developed. He goes off to the dark room, while Julia waits nervously in his office. The pictures are nothing more than black images for each. The film had not been exposed.

Roger and Elizabeth are at Collinwood. Liz wonders what is happening, that some dark cloud has come over Collinwood. (None connected to a mysterious cousin, however!) Julia gives Barnabas another injection, and he tells her that he had no choice regarding Michael Woodard. It was for the best, he said, but Julia is still upset. She is as much a part of his death as Barnabas was, he tells her. She says that he can now spend only limited times in the sunlight. He wants them to finish what has started, together. He plays Josette’s music box for her. He says he looks forward to the day when he can give it to the woman who will take her place. (No doubt Julia thinks that is her.)

David plays with Revolutionary War soldiers. One of the soldiers moves magically by itself. “Sarah?” he asks. She appears and they discuss the war. She doesn’t wish to discuss now now, but then. Vikki hears David talking to a young girl, and she walks into his room. She asks if he was talking with Sarah. Yes, he says. Sarah gave him the soldiers as well. She leaves him to his play. Vikki leaves and walks down the hall. She sees someone walking down the hall and follows. It is a young girl who disappears into a door. Vikki runs to the door and there is nothing there. It is locked. A key is on the floor, and she uses it to unlock the door. She finds an abandoned hallway, filled with old furniture. She follows Sarah deeper inside to a library, where Sarah sits behind a desk. She turns the pages of a book. Vikki asks what she is reading. She read about her brother, Barnabas and hands Vikki the book—the diary of Sarah Collins, 1787. David is at the door. “Now do you believe me?” He says Sarah is trying to tell her something—that someone is going to get hurt. They agree to tell only each other if they see Sarah again—especially not Barnabas.

Vikki is at the cemetery, and she finds a covered headstone that says Sarah Collins. She and Barnabas then go for a walk on the beach. She gives Barnabas the diary of Sarah, despite David’s warning. He asks where she got it and grabs her by the arms. She tells him he’s hurting her. She asks why he’s so upset over it. He says it’s just that his family history means so much to him. Where did you find it? He asks. In a library in the west wing, she says. He thanks her. They talk about how Josette married his brother, Jeremiah, and Vikki wonders why.

Barnabas reads aloud from Sarah’s diary that night. He talks to Willie about how much he loved his sister. Willie asks why she was so young—nine years old—when she died. Barnabas said she was very ill. He asks Barnabas if David really sees Sarah, and Barnabas believes that he has. He thinks that Sarah is trying to tell him something—he finds a small portrait of a blonde woman. He throws it into the fire, where it bursts into flames. A flaming specter comes out of the fireplace. Willie is frightened and asks what that was. Barnabas says her name was Angelique, the true cures of his existence, a force so evil, so powerful, that even now she reaches out to destroy him.

In the schoolroom, David is peering into his desk. Vikki asks him what is in there. “Are you sure you want to see?” Vikki grabs a book to kill whatever it is, but there is only a small painting. David said he got it in a room he’s not supposed to go to. She promises not to tell Roger but that they should put the painting back. David leads her to a locked room set up as a painting studio. Stacked against the wall are many paintings, and Vikki asks who painted them. David wishes to leave. Roger arrives, and Vikki tells him it was her idea to come up. Roger is irate and tells her to go downstairs—that the room does not exist anymore.

Maggie is sculpting in her studio. Roger arrives. While he’s gone, David goes into Roger’s room and takes some hair from a brush and a coat button. Roger and Maggie discuss their relationship. Maggie asks what will happen if she comes back; Roger doubts that will happen. Maggie said she’s not like other people. David fashioned a wax doll using the items from his father’s room and sets it on fire. At Maggie’s, Roger begins convulsing. Vicki manages to set the flames off, and Roger recovers.

Vikki tells Liz about the incident with David. She says that David was in some sort of trance and hands Liz the button from Roger’s coat. Liz confesses that David was asked to leave the town school because he started a terrible fire and almost burnt it down. Vikki has a phone call from Maggie Evans. She meets Maggie in town. Maggie tells Vikki about her affair with Roger and that Vikki must be very careful with David. She also tells Vikki that she has certain powers, that she can see things, and she saw David burning the doll. Talk turns to David’s mother, who is in an institution in England but is somehow controlling David. David’s mother knows what’s happening, she’s evil, and she’s a witch. Watch David carefully, Maggie warns again.

Barnabas and Willie are in the Old House, preparing for dinner. Barnabas sees Sarah’s diary out on the table and asks Willie what it’s doing out. Willie does not know. Barnabas tells Willie to make sure everything is ready when the window bursts open and the fire flares. The candles flicker and Sarah’s diary opens. They both watch as writing appears, warning Barnabas to keep Vikki out of his plans—they are both in danger. It means nothing, Barnabas says. Willie insists that Sarah is trying to warn them, and Barnabas flies into a rage. Barnabas apologizes, and Willie goes to put the diary back. After he leaves, the pages flip open to a picture of Angelique

Dark Shadows 1991: 1.3

Okay, a few days late, but better late than never. Continuing the Revival series with episode 3: 
Dark Shadows 1991, Episode 1.3

“My name is Victoria Winters. Night has fallen on the Old House, a night of promise and forboding. For a being older than time, a tortured creature, may soon free himself of his torment, if only he can conquer the evil that drives him.”

Julia arrives at the Old House. Barnabas says she was late, and she apologizes. She had to wait until the other were asleep. She asks if he can fight it. If he couldn’t, he replies, you wouldn’t be alive to ask that question. She warns him about the serum and its toxicity. Nothing could be worse than this, he said. She injects him with the serum. He feels its heat in his veins, his blood boiling. He passes out from the pain. When he gains consciousness, he says the pain is gone.

Julia is back at her office and taking notes on her experiment. Dawn. Julia looks at a vial of blood that begins boiling. The vial bursts. She touches the blood with a gloved hand.

Night. Vikki and Barnabas stand at Widow’s Cliff. He tells her the story of the Widows who would wait for their husbands’ ships to come in, many of them throwing themselves off the cliff to join them. Vikki asks if this is where Josette died. Yes. He holds her close.

David hears a door open at Collinwood. He asks whose in the room. Carolyn comes down the hallway. He asks what’s wrong with her, asks her to say something. She’s a vampire! David runs up the stairs to his room, where Daphne is waiting for him. He runs to Vicki’s room—she, too, is a vampire. He screams. Vicki runs into his bedroom and wakes him from his dream. He tells her about his dream.

In the morning, David goes outside. He ends up outside the family cemetery and walks up to the mausoleum. He goes inside. Sarah comes up behind him. She is a young girl in old-fashioned dress. She tells him not to worry about Daphne, she is gone for good. “Daphne is ashes, Daphne is dust.” There is someone who needs his help, but Sarah can’t tell him anything but that it’s someone he knows, someone he’s close to. She leads him back upstairs and disappears.

Julia continues her experiment with exploding blood. The blood has become more resistant to daylight each day. Two months have passed since they began the experiment, and Barnabas’ desire to feed lessens each day. She injects Barnabas with the serum, but they no longer cause him the pain they once did. She thinks it’s time for an experiment. Willie pulls a cloth of a mirror. Barnabas looks in the mirror. He sees his reflection. Barnabas goes to Josette’s room and tells her soon they will be together again.

Joe sits outside on the verandah. He looks rough. Carolyn brings him some lunch. He tells her he needs to get out of there, too many memories everywhere he looked.

Michael cooked dinner for Julia. He asks about her work. She says it’s going well. He asks her what’s left to do now that Daphne’s gone. She says she’s still taking care of Joe, but Michael doesn’t buy it. He knows she still believes it’s a vampire and is waiting for it to strike again. It didn’t just vanish into thin air, and the sheriff has three unsolved murders. The likely suspect is Barnabas Collins. He fits all the prerequisites: new to town and doesn’t appear at night.

At the Old House, Barnabas is reading poetry to Vicki in the dead girl’s room. The poem was written by his “namesake” for Josette. They kiss. A lot. Barnabas moves his way down her neck and the need to feed overcomes him. He looks at her pale, silky neck… and pushes away. She asks him what’s wrong, if he’s all right. He asks her to leave.

Julia comes to Barnabas. “It’s now Julia, we can’t wait any longer. I’m losing control.” He tells her about the desire to feed. Julia says it’s a risk to up the dosage. Barnabas tells her it’s now or never. He wants to see morning. She injects him twice.

Dawn. Barnabas is still up, and Julia sets a vial of blood by the window. Willie and Julia watch as the sun rises. Barnabas feels “stinging points of heat” on his skin, his blood warming. He sees the sun for the first time in two hundred years. The blood in the vial begins to boil. Julia tells Willie to pull the drapes. Barnabas tells him no. He collapses on the floor, and Willie pulls the drapes. There is a knock on the front door. Julia and Willie put Barnabas to bed. Willie answers the door to Roger, Michael, and the sheriff. He says that Barnabas is still asleep. The men are suspicious, wanting to see him before he leaves for Boston, Portland, or wherever.

Julia arrives at the door. Michael asks what she’s doing there, and Julia says that Barnabas is very ill. Michael asks if he has the plague. The sheriff says he needs to speak to Barnabas about Daphne and the others this morning. In the daylight. The sheriff pulls out a search warrant. Barnabas, looking ill, pulls himself down the stairs. They see that he is ill. Roger apologizes for the intrusion, but Michael is still suspicious. He says Barnabas is looking very pale. Barnabas walks down the stairs into a patch of sunlight. Julia makes them leave and Barnabas returns to bed. The gentlemen leave. Michael is still suspicious and makes Julia aware of that fact. Michael is still insistent about his theory, but the sheriff and Roger dismiss it.

Willie watches over Barnabas. There is another knock at the door. Willie runs to open it and sees Mrs. Johnson. He’s actually glad to see her, which surprises her. He lets her in, and Aunt Sarah is amazed by how much they’ve fixed the Old House. She brought him a nut loaf (nut loaf for a nut), which he proceeds to eat. Willie seems nervous, and she asks him what’s wrong. He brushes off her concern and rushes her out of the house.

Michael Woodard shows up at Collinwood. He accepts responsibility for the incident that happened that morning. He asks after Julia, who is by the lily pond, reading. Michael goes off to search for her, but ends up in Julia’s office. He opens the refrigerator and finds the vials of blood. He pulls the case out and holds it up to the sunlight—it bursts in his hand. He also finds in her desk her journal. He takes pictures of them with a min-camera. He leaves Collinwood and tells Elizabeth on the way out that he found her.

Julia returns inside. Elizabeth stops her and mentions Michael’s visit to apologize. Julia had no idea about his visit. Julia rushes upstairs where she finds the broken vial on the floor and the desk drawer ajar.

Julia tells Barnabas about Michael finding her journal. Barnabas leaves. There is business to attend to. They argue; Julia doesn’t want anything to happen to Michael. Barnabas insists Willie escort her back to Collinwood. At Michael’s house, the electricity and telephone go out due to the storm. He hears an upstairs window breaking and attempts to close the shutters. He hears more noises and goes to investigate. A hand reaches out of the darkness and grabs his throat. Barnabas warns Woodard that he has made a serious mistake and now he is a part of Barnabas's universe.

Dark Shadows 1991: 1.2

Dark Shadows 1991, Episode 1.2

“My name is Victoria Winters. I am a stranger in the great house at Collinwood, but there are other strangers here, too. A man with riveting eyes, new to the land but not to its past. The [?] has also sent a third, uninvited guest, one who’s swept through the once quiet village and come to Widow’s Hill, where they say cries of sorrow have been heard for centuries. Tonight, they will be heard again, for the third visitor is Death. “

Joe watches as Dr. Hoffman gives Daphne her injection. The professor arrives and asks her about her accident. She remembers nothing, but says it may have something to do with the needles. The professor asks Daphne to wear a cross necklace. Dr. Hoffman looks alarmed. Daphne agrees to wear it. Hoffman asks Michael to talk to her alone. Daphne asks Joe to promise her they will always be together. He promises, then kisses her.

Julia questions Michael about the necklace, and he tells her it was something he felt he needed to do. He asks her about Daphne’s “sleepwalking”, but Julia says there is nothing to say, that Daphne just collapsed. She believes that something frightened Daphne and asks Michael if he thinks whatever did this to her will come back. Michael believes he doesn’t have a choice but to return. He leaves Collinwood.

The deputy wakes Joe up to take his turn watching over Daphne. Joe settles down to read a book. Daphne stirs in her sleep. Outside, a dog howls. Barnabas waits outside, needing to drink blood. Inside, Joe becomes sleepy and cannot stay awake. He falls asleep, and Daphne wakes up. She pulls the cross from around her neck then leaves the room through the conveniently opened window. She walks outside and meets Barnabas, who is calling to her. She walks to him, tears off her bandage, and they kiss before Barnabas feeds off her.

In the morning, Joe wakes up to find Daphne missing from her room. He wakes the deputy, and they run off to find her. They search the grounds and find Daphne’s body, the blood drained from her.

The rain pours down at Daphne’s funeral. Her coffin is carried into the family crypt.

Julia analyzes Daphne’s blood. She tells the professor that she had been trying a vaccine on Daphne, something she had been able to isolate from the abnormal cell she found on the other victims. She says it had been working. The professor asks her if she believes in the existence of vampires. He tells her the evidence that points to a vampire but that he didn’t mention it to the police. If he is right, Julia says that the “creature” could possibly be cured. “Vampirism isn’t a disease, Julia,” the professor says, “vampires are the living dead.” He says his proof will be forthcoming very soon.

David is outside playing ball. “If I catch this one, Daphne isn’t dead,” he chants each time he throws the ball against the stairs. He stops when he notices it is getting late and he needed to get back. Fog pours in around the property. He hears his name being called. “Who is it? Who’s calling me?” he asks. Daphne’s voice continues to call him, and she walks out of the fog. He tells her he knew she wasn’t dead. She tells him not to be afraid, that she wouldn’t hurt him, but he is frightened when she shows her teeth.

The rest of the family is inside eating dinner when David runs in. “I saw her! I saw her!” Roger asks him what he’s talking about, and David says he saw Daphne. Roger tells him this is not time for one of his pranks. The professor asks where he saw her, and Joe objects. The professor keeps asking his questions, and Joe becomes upset, saying David couldn’t have seen Daphne. He tries to tell David it’s just his imagination, then leaves to get air. The professor tells him to be careful. “Of what, ghosts?” Vicki takes David up to his room. Michael suggests they open Daphne’s grave. Elizabeth refuses, and Julia asks that she listen to what Michael has to say. Michael says that Daphne is a vampire. Roger is skeptical, as is the rest of the family.

Joe does not heed the professor’s warning and goes to the tomb. He walks down the steps. Daphne appears behind him, calling his name. She tells him not to be afraid, that they will be together forever. She bites him, drinking his blood.

Julia tends to Joe’s wounds at Collinwood. They found him wandering around the cemetery that morning, barely conscious. Roger says they opened Daphne’s coffin. Michael informs them that Sheriff Patterson has instituted a curfew with no one allowed out after dawn.

Maggie Evans is reading tarot cards at the Blue Whale. She tells Sam that someone else is going to die. Roger walks in, and Maggie asks him about Joe. He tells Maggie that Carolyn would like to see her at Collinwood, and Roger would be more than happy to give her a ride there and home. She asks Roger what Carolyn wants, and he says that it’s not what Carolyn wants, but what he wants. They go off to their secret love nest. After making love, they talk about the strange things going on in town. Maggie tells him she thinks it’s a vampire and that it’s only the beginning.

Barnabas arrives at Collinwood that night. Mrs. Johnson asks if Willie is okay. Barnabas meets with Elizabeth and Roger in the Drawing Room. He says he was in Boston for business and gives his sentiments for the death of Daphne. He asks what the sheriff’s deputies are on the estate. Roger says that no one knows where Daphne is but that she will find Joe. Barnabas says he finds this unbelievable and asks for Julia’s explanation. Nothing she’d submit to medical journals for publication, she says. He asks about Vikki, who is with David. Julia notices that Barnabas has no reflection in the mirror—all she sees is Elizabeth sitting by herself on the couch, Barnabas’ spot vacant. Barnabas leaves a few moments later.

A sheriff’s patrol car rides around Collinwood. Doctor Hoffman checks Joe’s vital signs. She tells Carolyn to get some rest. A deputy is left behind. Vicki is in David’s room, a notebook on her lap. She keeps writing the name “Josette”. Roger comes in, grateful that David is asleep. She says that David is very frightened but probably doesn’t understand.

The deputy looks out the window of Joe’s room. Joe is still. The deputy turns away and Joe’s eyes open. He pulls the bandage off his arm and sneaks up behind the deputy. Joe sneaks past Roger, the sheriff, and the professor. He makes it outside, saying Daphne’s name. She is above the carriage house (garage?), beckoning to him. He pulls the bandage off his neck and walks towards her. They kiss and Daphne begins to feed off him again.

Patrol cars pull up in front of the carriage house. A deputy sneaks upstairs, a giant cross in his hand. Joe lays on the floor, Daphne laying on top of him. She knocks a can over, and the deputy comes back up the stairs. She comes after him. She advances, but the presence of the cross pushes her back. She runs, but each of the cops holds a cross in front of her. Joe attempts to protect her. More cops arrive, along with the professor carrying a case. Joe is pulled away from Daphne, who is held onto the ground as Michael drives a wooden stake into her heart.

Julia is in her office at Collinwood and writes in her journal. She decides to confront Barnabas at the Old House. The sun goes down. Julia walks over to the Old House. Willie stops as she sneaks in. She asks where Barnabas is. Willie says he’s not there, but Julie thinks that he’ll be here soon because the sun will set soon and that’s when he comes to life. Willie pleads ignorance. She asks where a door leads to, and Willie says nowhere. He attempts to stop her from going down to the basement. She finds the room where the coffin is. She opens the lid, holds a cross out, and Barnabas covers his face. Barnabas tells her to put it away and promises not to hurt her. She wants his word. He gives it to her, and she puts the cross away.

Barnabas tells Dr. Hoffman she is very brave. She says she would’ve have come if she felt she couldn’t trust his word—or help him. “Help me?” he asks. She offers him a normal life, and Barnabas laughs. She tells him what she discovered about his cell and her theory. He says his curse is beyond the realm of science. He tells her he is repulsed by what he has become, and he would give anything to be normal again. She asks him for the chance to help her. “All right, doctor. When shall we begin?

Dark Shadows 1991: 1.1

The Dark Shadows Revival aired for 12 episodes in 1991. Here are extensive recaps from of each episode, beginning with episode 1. 

Dark Shadows 1991, Episode 1.1

The series opens with a passenger train winding its way around a hilly coastline, with the words Dark Shadows appearing in its familiar script. A young girl sits in a train, and the audience hears the following: "My name is Victoria Winters. My journey is just beginning, a journey that I am hoping will somehow reveal the mysteries of my life. It is a journey that will bring me to a strange and dark place, to a house high atop a stormy cliff at the edge of the sea. To a house called Collinwood. To a world I've never known with people I've never met. People who, tonight, are still only vague shadows in my mind, but who will soon fill all the days and nights of my tomorrows."

At Collinwood the housekeeper prepares a bedroom for a new arrival. The housekeeper and Elizabeth Stoddard talk about the governess from New York, and the maid assures Mrs. Stoddard that she has made the right decision. Carolyn, Elizabeth's daughter, walks in and agrees with the housekeeper. Daphne joins them, saying that everything was ready and she was going to the Blue Whale to look over the books. The housekeeper finds a shoebox under the pillow; inside is a dead animal courtesy of David Collins.

Elizabeth talks to her brother Roger about his son leaving a rat in the governess's bed. Roger tells his sister that they don't need a governess, they need a psychiatrist. Elizabeth has faith in the governess, who Roger points out was hired by their lawyer and was 25 years old. David is highly traumatized, but by what? Roger still insists on boarding school or enrolling him in the town school. Liz says the town school won't take him back "after what happened."

The train arrives at a dark and deserted train depot. Victoria is the only one to depart. No one is there to greet her, and the train rumbles off. She walks to the Blue Whale, where she runs into Daphne. Daphne calls Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson informs Mrs. Stoddard and Roger about the governess' arrival, and all three talk about Willie Loomis, an undependable menial who neglected to pick Vikki up.

Willie Loomis is in his small apartment, reading a poem and drinking. Roger confronts him, telling him to straighten out his act, then sends him to pick up Vikki.

Willie goes to the Blue Whale, where he attempts to buy a drink. Daphne confronts him, telling him to do his job. The barkeep, Sam, tells Willie to leave. He refuses, and Joe Haskell threatens to throw him out. He offers to drive Vikki up to Collinwood, but she leaves with Willie.

Liz meets Vikki at the front door and introduces her to Carolyn. She offers Vikki a cup of tea. Willie goes to see his aunt, Mrs. Johnson. She lectures him about his behavior. He says he's "figured it out" about the jewels. She tells him to give up his crazy ideas, but he is insistent that the jewels are hidden in a secret room in the tomb.

Willie leaves the house and heads for the tomb. He opens the door and walks down into the catacombs. He uncovers the clues and finds a secret door. Bats fly out at him, but he presses on. He finds a chained coffin, certain this is his buried treasure.

Vikki is given a tour of the house and the schedule. Carolyn leads Vikki upstairs.

Willie is able to break the chains on the coffin. He pries open the lid and finds his treasure--a hand pops up out of the box to strangle him.

Vikki unpacks her belongings. She walks into a connecting bathroom, opens the bath curtain, and David Collins pops out to scare her. He tells her he doesn't want her here. She doesn't let him leave, telling him she doesn't want to hurt him. Vikki walks him back to his room and puts him to bed. She tells him she wants to be his friend.

Daphne is at the Blue Whale, going over the books for Sam. She gladly tells him that the government owes him money back, and he is thankful. She leaves and walks back towards her car. A dog howls off in the distance. She walks faster, then begins to run. Shemakes it to her car, closes the door, but the passenger side opens and she is attacked.

The cops arrive, as do Maggie and Sam. Daphne lost a lot of blood and looks as if an animal attacked her. The sheriff wonders where all her blood went.

Elizabeth and Carolyn arrive at the hospital, where the doctors are attempting to pump blood back into her.

Willie comes to on the floor of the tomb. A man in old-fashioned clothing enters and pulls out the jewelry Willie sought. All we see are his hands.

The doctor tells the sheriff he can stop looking for an animal. Traces of human saliva were in the wound. The Sheriff drives to Professor Woodards' home. He asks the professor for his opinion, and they go over the case together. The professor says it could possibly be a vampire.

Mrs. Johnson opens the door. A stranger is at the door asking for Mrs. Stoddard. He says he is Barnbas Collins, a cousin from England. Mrs. Johnson invites him inside. Mr. Collins walks around the front hall, taking in the family portraits. He moves towrds the staircase, where his eyes fall on an old portrait. Mrs. Stoddard sees him and welcomes him to Collinwood. Carolyn says he looks exactly like the man in the portrait. Barnabas says he is fascinated by the resemblance between him and his ancestor. He is in the States for business. Roger asks him if he met the Dunberry's, who lived in Cadogan Square. Barnabas says no. Roger remains suspicious of Barnabas' intimate knowledge of Collinwood. He expresses interest in restoring the Old House, which Roger says is a complete wreck. Elizabeth has no objections. Barnabas meets David and Victoria. David is upset that he can no longer play at the Old House, and Barnabas asks David to tell him the story of Sarah. David shows him a picture of a young girl.

Barnabas walks back to the Old House and says, "Father, I have come home."

Victoria attempts to teach David the state capitals. He is having none of it and scares Victoria with a nasty spider in his desk. The lesson is over. She and Carolyn discuss David’s pranks. Vikki goes horseback riding and meets Willie at the stables. Victoria asks if he had anything to do with Daphne’s attack. She notices a wound on his neck. Willie looks scared. Roger arrives and takes Willie back to Collinwood to talk to the police. At Collinwood Willie claims to have returned home after dropping Vikki off the night of the attack and says he got drunk back at his apartment. He then says he was working. Barnabas arrives to save Willie, saying that Willie was in his employ and was telling the truth.

Collinwood at night. Victoria overhears David talking to a young girl. David is alone is his room and reading a magazine. David says he was talking to Sarah. Vikki asks David where Sarah goes. Vikki suggests that they go over to the Old House the next day. David says Sarah told him Barnabas was evil.

The next day Vikki and David walk over to the Old House. Willie is inside the house and says that Barnabas is in Portland. David wanders around the house. He heads towards the basement but is stopped by Willie. They leave, but the viewer sees a lone coffin sitting a few yards away from where David stood.

Carolyn heads out to a roadhouse that night, where she provokes a fight between a couple when she dances with the man. His girlfriend runs out, only to meet Barnabas in the parking lot. They flirt, he acts charming, then he attacks her. The boyfriend hears her screams and attempts to rescue her, but he is also attacked.

The cops arrive at the scene to discover an accident scene much like that of Daphne’s. The difference is that Barnabas killed the couple. The doctor finds the same traces of human saliva in the wounds. He also mentions that there is a very strange cell in the blood samples that he had never seen it before. The lab in Boston is also clueless. He tells the sheriff he doesn’t know what attacked the people. The professor suggests calling Dr. Julia Hoffman.

Dr. Hoffman arrives at the Collinwood Depot, where she is met by the professor. The next morning she sees Daphne, who has made a miraculous recovery—only she has no memory of her attacker. The Collins are intent on Daphne returning home, and Elizabeth invites Dr. Hoffman to stay at the house. The doctor says Daphne can go home tomorrow.

Dr. Hoffman interrupts an amorous Daphne and Joe in order to give Daphne her injections. Vikki heads back to the Old House and begins to explore on her own. Willie runs up from the basement to greet her and tells her that David is not in the house when she asks. Willie wonders if this is a good time for her to be visiting. Barnabas emerges from his coffin. Vikki asks where Barnabas was busy, and Willie tries to get her to leave. Barnabas arrives upstairs to greet Vikki. Barnabas shows Victoria the bedroom of Josette Dupres, the fiancé of the first Barnabas Collins. On the wall hangs Josette’s portrait, and the young lady has a striking resemblance to Vikki. Barnabas tells the story of Josette, who came from Martinique to marry Barnabas. (Cue music box music.) She died tragically when fell from the nearby Widow’s Hill. Vikki leaves and Barnabas throws Willie down the stairs for warning Vikki away from the Old House. Barnabas returns to Josette’s room, where he tells her portrait that they will be together. Forever.

Another woman’s body is found on the beach below Widow’s Hill. She had the same wounds as the other victims. Daphne is questioned again but remembers nothing. Dr. Hoffman suggests hypnosis. Daphne becomes hysterical, but cannot identify her attacker. All she remembers is his red eyes and teeth.

David and Vikki are studying in the garden. Willie arrives. Vikki asks if he’s okay, as he’s limping and his face is bruised. He says he fell. He hands Vikki an old-fashioned parchment envelope to pull out an old-fashioned parchment envelope with an old-fashioned message, asking her to have dinner with him at the Old House. She accepts the invitation.

Elizabeth oversees the movement of furniture to the Old House. She introduces Barnabas and Dr. Hoffman. Daphne awakens, almost trance-like, and walks downstairs. She sees Barnabas and faints. Dr. Hoffman notices Daphne’s reaction to Barnabas.

At dinner, Barnabas gives Vikki a music box that was once Josette’s. Barnabas talks of Josette as if he knew her first hand. Barnabas walks Vikki home. He comments on the resemblance between him and the original Barnabas, and Vicki with Josette. The ghostly figure of a young girl watches them. Barnabas kisses her on her hand as he leaves her at the Old House. He walks back to the Old House and notices that Vikki has left her bedroom window open. His need for blood grows strong, but he hears a familiar voice calling his name. He sees his sister Sarah in the shadows. She tells him he must stop. He walks towards her, but she turns from him. He yells that he cannot help himself.