Dark Shadows - Episode 261 / Maggie Escapes

 Sam FINALLY finds Maggie exactly where ghost girl, Sarah, told him, on the beach, collapsed and unable to speak. Oh, Barnabas reaches her, alright, but just as he is about to take her back to the Old House, Sam arrives to crash his plans. Maggie is returned to a bed to sleep as Dr. Woodard, Sam, and Joe dote on her. But Maggie's mental state has regressed to when she was a child, not even recognizing her boyfriend, Joe, and obviously forgetting Barnabas (conveniently). Maggie is but a little girl, wondering when Sam would be taking her to the fair. Yep, that is quite a turn. Dr. Woodard considers this a "safety measure" the brain triggers in order to keep the person in trauma "protected". Woodard brings up Maggie going to a hospital under the care of Dr. Julia Hoffman--in my opinion, we are approaching Dark Shadows as it really starts to get damn good--while telling everyone else besides Sam and Joe (and Hoffman, over her care) she is dead. Woodard surmises that if she is written off as dead, this drastic measure will keep Maggie safe. So basically, though, Maggie goes from one prison to another. At least Sam could feel more secure about his daughter's safety. Barnabas goes to the clinic where Woodard works, and Woodard tells him the rumors of Maggie being brought there were true...but that she's dead. Barnabas reacts at the beginning in shock, but I was tickled at how he chippers up and barely can contain his joy at the news. Woodard says it was shock that killed her and she never said a word. Barnabas walks away relieved. Barnabas believing he's in the clear allows him to walk away without worrying of a potential threat to his secret. ***/*****