When
Dark Shadows recently went off the air, the audience
was left with all of the troubled characters - and many questions
as to their fate. We had certain long-range plans for most
of them - but what the characters would do with the rest of
their lives can only be fantasy. However, after three years
of living with them, I feel I know moments of their future.
Elizabeth
Collins Stoddard remained the matriarch of Collinwood. After
the sudden death of her brother Roger, she was determined
to hold the Collins' family empire together until Roger's
son David was old enough to take over and she did with the
help of an elegant, very bright man from Boston to help her
and with him she finally found some personal happiness.
Roger
Collins, just before this death, discovered the secret that
his cousin Barnabas was a vampire, but he told no one, and
vowed to end Barnabas's unhappy existence. Armed with a stake
and a hammer, he discovered Barnabas's coffin during the daytime,
but Angelique appeared and killed Roger. She forced Willie
Loomis to carry Roger's body to the woods, where it was found.
Death was attributed to a heart attack.
Shortly
after the funeral, Mrs. Johnson was cleaning out Roger's room.
She swore later that a cold hand had touched her. At first
everyone felt she was simply hysterical. But one night, Carolyn
saw Roger's ghost standing in the great hall. The ghost pointed
a spectral finger at the portrait of Barnabas Collins. When
Carolyn implored the spirit to speak, it disappeared.
Carolyn,
with the aid of T. Eliot Stokes and Julia Hoffman, attempted
a seance to find out why Roger's spirit could not rest. But
the seance was unsuccessful. It is known that on certain stormy
nights Roger's ghost can be seen coming down the stairs, staring
at the portrait of the man who caused his death.
Carolyn Stoddard found herself more and more interested in
the world of the occult. She knew that with the death of her
husband Jeb Hawkes one part of her life was finished and she
was determined to understand the unknown forces which had
taken him from her. She began studying with T. Eliot Stokes
and then went to a large university which had a department
of psychic research. While there she discovered that she herself
was the reincarnation of Leticia Faye, a woman who had lived
at Collinwood during the 19th century.
Working
with various mediums she became a psychic-research investigator.
She published many books on the supernatural and established
a foundation to examine the existing evidence of the world
beyond. She continued to regard Collinwood as her home and
established a mother-daughter relationship with Amy Jennings
which contributed greatly to the stability of that confused
and very scared young child.
Years
later Carolyn remet Adam who had loved her so deeply. He had
become a successful and sophisticated man, and he wanted to
marry her. But she knew she could not go back in time. They
parted warm friends.
As
time went on Quentin Collins found living at Collinwood more
and more difficult. He was unable to forget his love for Daphne,
though both she and Gerard were finally at peace. And he was
afraid to love again - afraid that his own secret would be
discovered. For, as long as Charles Delaware Tate's portrait
existed, Quentin would not age. And he well knew that if he
destroyed the picture, he would suffer the awful curse of
the werewolf.
Finally, he left the town of Collinsport to roam the world
- Athens, Alexandria, India... always hunting some solution
for his existence. And with each country, he became more and
more withdrawn. He became more aware that he could never become
close to another human being.
Often
he was tempted to return to Collinwood, destroy the portrait
and kill himself before the full moon could cause him to change
into the wolf man. But some slight hope stopped him from doing
that. For, at the beginning of his travels, he had heard rumors
that there existed a man - a man with a wooden hand and miraculous
powers. A man who had transcended time - a Count Petofi. And
so Quentin kept on, looking for the Count, knowing that if
he could find him again perhaps the Count could take pity
on him and help him find peace at last.
Maggie Evans, who left Collinwood with Phillip* returned a
year later a divorced woman. She moved into her father's cottage
and began working at Wyndcliff, the private sanitarium. There
she remet her former fiancee, Joe Haskell. With her help,
Joe managed to regain his sanity. He left the sanitarium with
no memory of Angelique and the circumstances which had caused
him to lose his mind. Joe and Maggie married. He returned
to the Collins' fishing fleet. They lived happily in Collinsport.
But
Chris Jennings and Sabrina Stuart did not have Maggie and
Joe's luck. For they found they could not run from the curse
that afflicted him. Though they had a few days of happiness
when they left Collinsport they were both aware that time
was their enemy. For soon the moon would be full and Chris
would become the werewolf again. They constructed a cell to
lock him in. But when he became the wolf man, he broke out
of it and killed Sabrina. Her brother found her body that
same night. The following morning, Chris returned to their
home. When he discovered what he had done, he committed suicide.
Barnabas
was deeply affected by Chris's death. He and Julia Hoffman
had tried desperately to help Chris. Barnabas identified with
him very much. He began to feel that it was only a matter
of time until he too would become a victim of his curse. When
he learned from Angelique that Roger had discovered his secret,
his depression deepened. Again, Barnabas felt that he had
brought new tragedy to those he loved at Collinwood. He knew
that his vampirism would be discovered.
Julia
and Willie Loomis decided they must get Barnabas to leave
Collinsport. They were both willing to sacrifice their lives
and travel with him. He finally agreed to go, but just before
they were to start, Barnabas became very ill. Julia was astonished.
She knew that Barnabas could not, because of his vampirism,
have human ailments. Yet the mysterious fever so ravaged him
that Julia feared for his very existence.
She suddenly realized that there could be only one explanation
for Barnabas's illness. Adam. She remembered the mysterious
link which began to exist when Barnabas helped bring Adam
to life. At the time Adam disappeared from Collinwood, they
knew that if he died, Barnabas would, too. Julia knew she
must find Adam, wherever he was. Adam must have the same fever.
He had to be cured if Barnabas were to be saved.
Enlisting
the aid of T. Eliot Stokes, she did find Adam - in the Far
East. She managed to cure him, but in the course of the treatment,
she contracted the illness herself. She was near death when
Barnabas - well now - came to her. He realized how he loved
her, and promised her that if she lived, they would marry.
They
were married in Singapore. Barnabas felt they must never return
to Collinsport. Angelique must not find them - for she would
never allow Julia to live. So they stayed on. Julia began
working with an Asian doctor and experimented with a new treatment
which she was positive would take away the curse of Barnabas's
vampirism. They began the treatments. They were successful.
Barnabas Collins at last could walk in the light of day -
walk with the woman he loved, but walk with an ever present
fear - a fear that Angelique would find them, and destroy
the only happiness he had had in his life.
No
audience will see these stories playing out. But for those
for whom the characters were real, these are merely signposts
pointing the direction the characters might have gone.
*
Presumably meant to be Chris Pennock's character Sebastian
Shaw.
This
piece was originally published in TV Guide (October
9, 1971). Original series writer Sam Hall was asked to write
it in reaction to the vocal complaints of the show's viewers,
disappointed at the many unresolved plotlines left after the
show's hasty cancellation. In 1995, Roger Davis narrated an
abridged version to accompany MPI Home Video's release of
the final episode.
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