665 — darkshadows

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Number	656
Timeline	1796
Narrator	Thayer David
Writer	Ron Sproat
Director	Dan Curtis
Broadcast	January 10, 1969 (Friday)
Recorded	January 3, 1969 (Friday)
Video	Complete: Disc 69 Collection 12: Disc 1

We have 57 images of Dark Shadows 665

Victoria revives, and she and Peter leave to travel west. Natalie and Nathan plan to drive a stake through Barnabas' heart.

Synopsis

Dusk at Collinwood, and Barnabas Collins soon will rise. But he will find himself in the Collinwood of 1796, for he has been drawn backward into time to save Victoria Winters from hanging. He has seemingly failed in that task, for at midnight on the previous night she was hanged and pronounced dead. Everyone at Collinwood is mourning her death--all but one, the witch who caused that death, and who even now controls her from beyond the grave.

Angelique tells Barnabas that she will not release Victoria, Barnabas has Ben set her on fire, destroying her and releasing Victoria. Victoria and Peter plan to leave Collinsport together. Barnabas asks Ben to chain him in his coffin so he may return to the present. Natalie and Nathan plan to drive a stake through Barnabas's heart.

Memorable quotes

Natalie: As God is my witness, I will destroy Barnabas Collins.

Angelique: (about Victoria) It is a fitting death for the woman Barnabas loves.

Millicent: I've noticed something else about people: they continually ask me questions I can't answer.

Barnabas: (to Victoria and Peter) I'll never see either of you again. Be happy, both of you.

Barnabas: You mustn't linger. The sooner you're gone, the safer you'll be.

Victoria: I just wanted a moment to say goodbye to you. I just wanted to say one thing: no matter what happens, no matter where we go, I'll always feel close to you. No matter where we are, I'll always feel that you're somewhere nearby.

Ben: (as flames consume Angelique) Burn! Burn! Burn!

Barnabas: (to Ben) I'll never see you again. You've been a good friend.

Ben (to Barnabas): After all that's happened, it's no wonder you ain't thinkin' straight.

Dramatis personae

Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins
Lara Parker as Angelique Bouchard Collins
Grayson Hall as Natalie DuPres
Joel Crothers as Nathan Forbes
Nancy Barrett as Millicent Collins Forbes
Roger Davis as Peter Bradford
Thayer David as Ben Stokes
Carolyn Groves as Victoria Winters

Background information and notes

Production

Final appearance of actress Carolyn Groves and the character Victoria Winters.
The end credits give a copyright year of 1968.
The main reason for Victoria's character being written out was that actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves never won audiences over, as well as the original actress of Victoria, Alexandra Moltke, not wanting to return to the show unless a different role was written for her, which never occurred. [Addendum: Much of what is said here is not really the case. Betsy Durkin was not intended to be a permanent replacement, hired only to finish out Victoria's story line. When she was unavailable for this return to 1796 story line and unwilling to make an effort to return anyway since the part was not planned to continue, Carolyn Groves was hired to replace her for these few episode.]

Story

Victoria's final fate, occurring shortly after the events of this episode, will be revealed in 967, where she is said to have died at Widows' Hill, lured there by Jeb Hawkes, which will prompt the return in the same episode of Peter's vengeful spirit.
TIMELINE: Dusk at the start of the episode. 7:55pm: Barnabas prepares to return to 1969. Barnabas tells Ben to return tomorrow night. Day 261 begins, and will end in 666.

Bloopers and continuity errors

Despite Angelique saying similar things to Victoria, the opening is not a reprise of the previous episode. It takes place in a totally different room; it has very different dialogue with Victoria facing the other way around. [This is an entirely different scene, not one that is supposed to recreate the end of the previous episode. The opening narration says that it is dusk, so obviously an entire day has passed, and, as the narration says, "Everyone at Collinwood is mourning her death.," so the others have found about her supposed death after Barnabas and Peter brought her body back to Collinwood. Victoria's body has been moved to the drawing room. Angelique returns to vow her revenge once again, but it is a return visit to the body, not intended to be a reprise of the end of the previous episode.]
There are problems with the time frame given the events of the original 1795 story line that supposedly have not changed. After the night of the encounter between Barnabas and Joshua, Joshua had agreed to come to Barnabas's coffin the next morning (after Barnabas has killed Nathan in the original plan) and destroy him (this scene was actually rerun in episode 661, so the intent that it still holds is clear). However, this episode occurs after that night, after the whole next day has passed. Clearly Joshua did not go to Barnabas's coffin during the day and destroy him or order Ben to chain the coffin, as originally occurred, and Joshua is nowhere to be seen in this episode. As well, Barnabas told Julia to meet him in the 20th-century cemetery in 48 hours, but only approximately 24 hours has passed since Barnabas arrived back in 1796 (he arrived on the night of Vicki's execution at midnight, which was the previous night).
Angelique is destroyed, along with her hold over Victoria, by simply setting her on fire. If it was that easy to get rid of Angelique, why didn't someone burn her sooner? [Then there wouldn't be a story!]
Natalie is unaware that Barnabas is a vampire, and when she finds out in this episode, she plans to destroy him. However, by this point in the original 1795 storyline, Natalie was already aware of Barnabas' curse and had aided Joshua to find a cure (449).
In Act II, after Millicent says people ask her questions she can't answer, a boom mic shadow moves across her face.
Carolyn Groves flubs a line: "Can I be alone for him...with him for a moment, Peter?"
Jonathan Frid flubs a line: "And make that sure no one ever destroys...or disturbs my...my final rest."
How does Natalie know how to get into the Collins mausoleum? Wasn't it a family secret? She saw Ben close it, but she did not see him open it. [Addendum: as you say, she saw Ben close it by pulling the ring, so it would be pretty obvious how to open it by pulling the ring again.]
How is Nathan Forbes able to attempt to kill Barnabas if he is supposed to be under his power since he was bitten and forced to admit to his false testimony?