#dsb4idie

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I say that Constable Carter seems to be a dimwit, that Roger’s behavior these last several days indicates that he is trying to keep more than one secret, that David makes good use of his second direct look into the camera, and that the last few seconds of the episode feature a powerful bit of acting by Alexandra Moltke Isles. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I express my appreciation for one of the strongest episodes of the series. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I complain about the show’s second Idiot Plot in three days, say a couple of things about the first scene between Maggie and David, and find a clue to the Collins family’s politics in a most peculiar photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I talk about the use of the word “ghost” in the first weeks of the show, and praise Joan Bennett’s performance in the episode for putting the audience in suspense. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I remark on an important episode for Vicki. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I praise Art Wallace’s technique of structuring an episode as an intertwining pair of dramatic confrontations, and say that in this episode, the pairing of Burke and David on the one hand with Carolyn, Liz, and Vicki on the other brings out new depths in all five characters. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I lament the first example of an Idiot Plot on Dark Shadows, one in which, as will happen disastrously often later in the series, Vicki is cast as the Designated Idiot. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I remark on some ambitious camera work, on the laughable ineptitude of actor Michael Currie, and on some drastic revisions in the characters’ relationships to one another that took place between episode 1 and episode 24. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I speculate that a substandard performance by Mitch Ryan was Mark Allen’s fault. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I remark on Roger and Burke’s stormy emotional connection, on some good acting by Alexandra Moltke Isles, and on some strikingly bad acting by Mark Allen. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I am delighted with Conrad Bain’s acting and exasperated with Mark Allen’s. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I remark on the otherworldly ineptitude of the dancers at the Blue Whale, Carolyn Stoddard’s taste in men, and the kitchen at Collinwood. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I say that this little play sets up the only story that works in the first 42 weeks of the show, the growing friendship between Vicki and David.

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I mention that, in Collinsport English, “down” seems to be a synonym for “up.” 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I say that what we look back on the early episodes tiptoeing towards the supernatural were ways of establishing Vicki and Liz as mirror images of each other. 

[whatithinkaboutdarkshadows]

In which I point out the first, and very nearly the last, joke Vicki makes on the show.