Dark Shadows, Episode 12

“12.” Dark Shadows. ABC. 12 July 1966.

Victoria finds Roger on the on the beach. He’s apparently changed his entire outfit since we last saw him (with in-show being only a few hours), but now he’s mellowed out. The two chat and Roger tells her of the Wailing Widows.

Years ago, long before Jeremiah Collins established his fortune, the widows of the town’s fishermen would come to the top of the hill and look for signs of their men. When Jeremiah built Collinwood on the very same hill, he forbade any townsfolk to be there. The wailing is supposed to be the widows’ ghosts venting their rage.

Back in town, Sam has finally found Maggie. He is insistent that she flee with him that night. He won’t say why but he assures her it has nothing to do with Roger Collins, Burke Devlin, or “the incident from 10 years ago”.

Back on the beach, Roger and Victoria change topics to Devlin again. Victoria again swears that she told Devlin nothing about Roger’s plans or whereabouts and that she never met or heard of Devlin until a few days ago.

Back at the Inn, Sam is going back home without Maggie. Maggie reminds her father of his words to her when her mother died: “Nothing can harm us if we stick together”.

On the beach, Roger makes it clear Victoria is to go back to New York as soon as possible if she values her life. Why? Because if Devlin gets his way, everyone at Collinwood will be as dead as the Widows. Before he can get into more graphic detail, Carolyn appears. It seems Elizabeth wants to talk with her brother about a very urgent matter.

Roger goes back to the house. Before going into the Drawing Room and seeing Devlin, Roger calls Sam, ordering him to leave town quickly. Despite Maggie having answered the phone first, Sam insists it wasn’t Roger. Maggie swears to stand by her father no matter what.

Elsewhere, Carolyn suggests that Victoria talk to Matthew Morgan, the caretaker. If Victoria has any ties to Collinwood, she opines, then Matthew would know since he’s been there longer than anyone. When Carolyn discovers that her uncle has yet to enter the Drawing Room, she grows fed up and drops the bombshell: Burke Devlin is inside the house.

Roger, looking like he just dropped twenty wet pounds on his way to the electric chair, shuffles towards the Drawing Room door.

Questions asked: What happened in the past? How are Roger, Sam, and Burke connected?

Review:   And we finally move closer to seeing just why Roger is so terrified of Devlin. What will the two say?