Day 1 of Dark Shadows spans episodes 1 to 4 and covers Victoria Winters' first night in Collinsport.
Assuming the earliest given date in the series, October 26, 1967 in Episode 189, Day 1 was September 10.
Timeline
Episode 1
- At the Hammond Foundling Home, New York, Victoria Winters packs for Collinsport, telling her roommate Sandy that this is her best chance at learning where she came from.
- Victoria departs New York on the same train as Burke Devlin.
- Wilbur Strake checks out of the Collinsport Inn, leaving a letter for Burke Devlin at the front desk, telling him to meet him at the Blue Whale upon his arrival.
- At Collinwood, Roger Collins urges his sister, Elizabeth, not for the first time, to rethink hiring a governess, but she remains adamant. Roger is so tense that he breaks a glass after she leaves.
- Mrs. Mitchell, the old woman seated next to Victoria on the train, goes on at length about what a dull place Collinsport will be for a girl like her.
- 9:00 pm: The train arrives in Collinsport and Victoria and Burke get off. Burke offers to give Victoria a ride to the hotel in his chauffeured car.
- Sam Evans observes Burke and Victoria's arrival at the Collinsport Inn.
- Mr. Wells informs Victoria that the taxi driver has a flat tire; she'll have to wait. Burke reads the letter from Strake and takes off in a pique.
- At the bar, Strake gives Burke the information he's gathered about the Collins family.
- Victoria is served a sandwich and coffee by Maggie Evans at the Collinsport Inn Restaurant. Maggie suggests Victoria won't last two months in Collinwood.
- Strake tells Burke that Elizabeth still runs the Collins businesses, but hasn't left the house in 18 years. Burke remarks that that much hasn't changed.
- During the course of their discussion, Burke asks Strake to look into Victoria's origins and any possible connection with the Collinses upon his return to New York.
- Effected by the sight of Burke after all these years, Sam walks along the shore and weeps.
- Victoria's cab arrives.
- Victoria arrives at Collinwood. Elizabeth receives her.
Episode 2
- Elizabeth bids Victoria wait in the drawing room while she makes tea.
- Hearing Roger on the stairs, Elizabeth calls him to meet Victoria, but he leaves without showing himself.
- The young crowd gathers at the Blue Whale. Carolyn Stoddard dances with any man who asks, to the discouragement of Joe Haskell.
- One of the boys, Harry, picks a new tune, and propositions Carolyn for a dance. Joe objects, but she accepts.
- Another guy tries to cut in. Joe intervenes, starting a fight that Burke breaks up. He tells Joe to take Carolyn home and return to see him after. He identifies himself to Carolyn as a "friend of the family".
- Elizabeth shows Victoria to her room. Victoria asks Elizabeth why she hired her, and Elizabeth claims Roger was recommended her by someone at the foundling home. Before Victoria can ask any more questions, Elizabeth hears the front door open and excuses herself, thinking Roger has returned.
- She finds a distraught Carolyn instead. She tells Elizabeth about the fight at the pub, adding that Joe isn't the "white knight" she used to dream of.
- Joe returns to the Blue Whale to meet with Burke. Burke offers to pay Joe a substantial amount, enough to afford the boat he's been saving for, in return for information on the Collins family. In the course of this, he mentions the new governess.
- Victoria goes for a walk of the grounds, stopping at the cliffs overlooking the sea. Roger joins her and, when asked, confirms Elizabeth's story. Victoria tells Roger about Burke giving her a ride and Roger panics, storming off.
- Victoria returns to the house and follows the sound of music to the drawing room, where Elizabeth plays the piano, eventually slumping over the keys in sorrow. Daunted, Victoria gives no notice of her presence and heads upstairs.
Episode 3
- Roger drives to Sam's house and bangs on the door, but gets no answer.
- Victoria writes a letter to a friend back home. She is visited by Carolyn, who is delighted to have someone around to talk to. She invites her to ask any questions she has, and Victoria asks who Burke Devlin is, but Carolyn doesn't know the name.
- Roger visits Maggie at the restaurant just ahead of closing time, asking about her father. Maggie has no idea where he's gone. Feigning casualness, Roger mentions he heard Burke Devlin had checked in, which Maggie confirms, adding that Burke must be quite wealthy now.
- Carolyn takes Victoria on a tour of the house as Victoria tells her about her encounter with her uncle. Carolyn can't say what might've caused him to behave as he did. David peers through the door to spy on them, but darts out of sight when Victoria turns around. Carolyn dismisses the open door as the wind.
- Seeing Roger's car parked outside, Bill Malloy enters the restaurant and confronts him about Burke's return. Roger acts as though this doesn't bother him. Malloy concludes Roger is either very brave or very foolish, and leaves.
- Strake observes Malloy departing and calls the Blue Whale for Burke, to give him a head's up. Burke thanks him and tells him to leave for New York tonight, promising him a bonus.
- Burke returns to Joe, who refuses his offer out of principle. Malloy arrives and curtly tells Joe to go home. This done, Malloy tells Burke to let the Collinses live in peace. But Burke is set on vengeance.
- Carolyn takes Victoria back to her room, where she finds her letter lying on the bed, moved from the writing desk. Carolyn quietly concludes David was responsible, but doesn't tell Vicki this, only advising her to get a good night's sleep.
Episode 4
- Roger tries to force his way into Victoria's room, determined to ask her about Burke. Elizabeth catches him, hauling him away as a terrified Victoria listens through the door
- Elizabeth threatens to turf Roger out of the house if he tries anything like that again. Roger reveals Burke is back and was on Victoria's train. Elizabeth claims not to be concerned. Roger insists Burke is back for revenge and might even want to kill him. He can't take any chances.
- Carolyn, woken up by the arguing, enters the room, asking who Burke is and why he's intent on murder. Elizabeth says Burke is only someone they used to know, and means nobody any harm. Not satisfied, Roger asks Carolyn to fetch Victoria.
- Victoria is reluctant to see Roger, though Carolyn assures her he's really quite nice, he's only had a rough time. She alludes to his wife, who Victoria thought was dead. Convinced, Victoria heads downstairs. David peers out of his room at her as she passes.
- Victoria is questioned by the Collins siblings. Elizabeth is gentle and polite, but Roger can barely hide his impatience. Victoria tells them how she met Burke at the train platform and told him she was bound to Collinwood. He mentioned nothing to her about the Collins family, nor why he'd come back. This is enough for Elizabeth, but not Roger, who asks Victoria if she'll stay a few minutes more, urging the uncomfortable Elizabeth to bed.
- Roger pours a brandy. He offers Victoria one, but she declines. Victoria tells Roger that Burke expressed no opinion of Collinwood, though he did try to dissuade her from going. The paranoid Roger points out Burke has enough money to fly in to Bangor, he wouldn't need to be on the same train as Victoria. Perhaps he knew she was going to be there. Victoria is affronted and storms off, saying she might just want to leave on the morning train.
Justifications
- Sam Evans does not appear until Episode 5, on Day 2, but he alludes to his movements on this night both in that episode and in Episode 7.
- Burke is never shown to put Strake on Victoria's case, but since their discussion in Episode 1 ends on that subject, it seems that this was the likeliest place for the request to be made. Strake is expedient, launching into inquiries as early as the next afternoon.
- David is never outright confirmed as the unseen 'spy' observing Victoria in Episodes 3 and 4, but his appearance at the end of the latter episode, and his behavior with regard to Victoria's possessions in Episode 5 lend credence to this.