Dark Shadows - Back to the Beginning / Episodes 9 - 11

 

The first season alternates the Victoria and Burke Devlin storylines, this episode focusing once again  on the mystery of Elizabeth Stoddard’s hiring of her. An ongoing plot also concerns the potential nuptials of Joe and Carolyn, but it is obvious that this will simply not happen. Reason being is Carolyn just doesn’t love Joe even though she says so in this episode when he visits Collinwood with news of a promotion (a promotion most certainly requested by boss Liz). There are a couple of long smooches between Joe and Carolyn, and their happiness is short-lived when he mentioned the big-M word. Carolyn talks about breaking free from the shadow of the Collinwood mansion but can she really leave? When Carolyn tells Joe she loves him, does she mean it? Joe comes across as a really likable fellow, but he’s extremely gullible. It’s so obvious Carolyn is not interested in a long-term romantic relationship. Anyway, we get another verbal confrontation between Victoria and Elizabeth over the hiring, with the same evasion and anger expressed by Mrs. Stoddard at the probing and investigating of her new governess. Just like two episodes ago, Victoria is no closer to the truth and the mystery remains. A big development does occur here and that is Joe’s informing Elizabeth that Burke was interested in information about the Collins family. As viewers the show continues to straddle us along, teasing us with possible revelations, only to set us back. To be honest, I’m more intrigued by the Burke Devlin storyline at the moment than Victoria’s secret benefactor, why she was hired, and who her parents were. I like seeing how Devlin’s presence stirs the pot and has many of the major principle characters out of sorts. Victoria still remains the other character of major importance. The show’s drama encircles Vicky and Burke, for the time being, but I’m intrigued in the coming episodes, as the season transpires into the Barnabas era, especially as characters evolve and stories involving them develop and change.

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Well, this episode is catered to Carolyn. Sure, Burke Devlin is the topic of most of the conversation, but Carolyn becomes a major focal point because operator of the Collins Port Shipping Fleet and Cannery, Bob Malloy shares concerns with Elizabeth about her daughter staying stuck in Collinwood. Worries about Devlin have Malloy wondering if Elizabeth is scared about his return and “what he might do” because he has an all encompassing hatred for the Collins. We get a little more in this episode about Devlin’s “crime”, but Malloy hints that maybe he didn’t commit whatever it was that sent him to prison, perhaps the reason behind the supposed hatred. Here, it is another piece to the puzzle. Whatever the crime was, it must involve Sam Evans and Roger as their nervousness and fear attests to, and while she says she isn’t worried, I think it is quite evident Elizabeth is lying. A knock and a cup breaking on the floor while Malloy and Liz are talking are mysteries Mrs. Stoddard believes is David’s fault (they believe Burke might be at the door, causing a hesitation and obvious gulp from both). Meanwhile Carolyn, all giggly and promiscuous, gets it in her mind to seek out Burke, if just to be rebellious and stir things up, while chatting with Victoria, asking her about the diner talk she had. That’s all the Collins need is for Carolyn, really not at all interested in Mama’s pick of Joe Haskell (he’s too straight-arrow and “safe”, just not that exciting), to start up a fling with Enemy #1, Burke Devlin. This could be, however, just the opening Devlin needs to get into the house and shake the foundation of the Collins family, revenge against them in more ways than one, but will he use Carolyn as a tool to cause even more of a fracture in the already turbulent atmosphere that currently exists at Collinwood?

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Dark Shadows sure has portrayed Roger Collins as a grumpy jerk taken to Scotch, alienating everyone, his sister Elizabeth, son David, even Victoria, at times. He “suggests”, in his usually assholish tone, to Elizabeth that David be put in an institution (the kid is actually in the room, listening to them behind a chair). There’s a great moment where David just unleashes on Roger, after pops tries to lay down the law about his behavior, his knowledge of Burke Devlin (David informs us that Roger and his wife constantly argued about Burke, introducing another aspect to the story involving Devlin), with Elizabeth having to drive the kid out of the room as to avoid an even uglier scene than what had already transpired. Meanwhile, Burke manipulates Carolyn who stops by because of her inquisitive curiosity about “the monster” that her family seems to fear, and soon, much to Elizabeth’s dismay, he is “invited” into the Collinwood “old house on Widow’s Hill”. The cup that broke on the floor in the episode when Elizabeth and Malloy talk about Burke is explained by David to not be caused by him, leaving open the mystery of what ghosts might haunt the mansion. Burke has avoided the Collins, but this episode is one step closer to his eventual confrontation with Roger. Carolyn seems to be the perfect tool for Burke to get revenge because she's so easy to manipulate. As usual, the show has continued to alternate the "Burke Seeks Revenge" and "Victoria's Secret Past" storylines.