Dark Shadows - Episode 263 / Carolyn's Bi-Polar Issues

 

This episode has Carolyn going up and down from a young woman grappling with her tendencies to want to be destructive and cruel, with emotional outbursts that Victoria tries to temper with no success. You see Carolyn speak to Joe as he takes in some coffee and a sandwich at the docks near the Blue Whale, working out her issues with her mother, wanting to offer her support to him for his "loss to Maggie". Later Joe tells Sam he felt like a fraud, acting as if he's some pillar of strength while Carolyn's crippling emotional state appears to be fragile and near crumbling. Carolyn, on one hand, seems frustrated with her "bouts" with Vicky, not wanting their friendship to remain so embattled. On the other hand, Carolyn's spite for her mother marrying Jason just consumes her, and when she learns that Vicky is to be at Elizabeth's wedding, as a witness, that once again upsets her. That's Carolyn: emotionally volatile, she tries to access her emotions, desires to behave better, but Jason and Elizabeth's marriage has just set her off down a bad road if nothings done about it. A scene I like involved Vicky's visit to Sam to offer her condolences, feeling quite sad about the loss of a friend in Maggie. Sam wants to tell Vicky so badly, believing she could be trusted, and yet he does realize that any word of his daughter's actual status could result in that "bad man" returning to harm her if it got out. Carolyn's roller coaster of emotions are always quite a staple of this era of Dark Shadows. Vicky, to her credit, tries to steer Carolyn in the right direction. That direction isn't obviously Buzz. 2.5/5