Dark Shadows Diary, Episode 39

Episode 39: "A sharp eye for the White Whale"
Aug. 18, 1966

First off, yesterday's episode was NOT a Friday episode, as I said it was. Oops. In my defense, the DVD has two episodes labeled as having aired "Aug. 16, 1966," so there's plenty of blame to go around.

But that was yesterday. Today, Roger's grown so anxious to avoid revealing to Burke Devlin that he and Sam have anything more than a passing acquaintance that he almost gets caught visiting the artist in the wee hours of the morning by, naturally, Burke. He hides in the back rooms of Sam's house as Burke arrives for his first portrait sitting, listening to make sure Sam doesn't say something that might screw things up. It's a cunning plan.

 Bill Malloy warns Liz that Burke is going all Herman Melville on the Collins family's collective ass, and is following his plan for vengeance with a "single-minded" purpose that would rival Captain Ahab. I don't think he's actually read MOBY DICK, because Ahab wasn't the laid back, revenge-can-wait-until-after-my-martini kind of guy that Devlin is. "I'm going to stop Burke cold, and I'm going to do it today," Malloy vows to Liz as the writers paint a huge bullseye on his back.

Burke, bored during his portrait sitting, begins to muse about the Collins family, probing Sam for information. I like to believe he knew Roger was in the other room and was trolling. He mentions his prison conviction a few times, casually brings up Roger and stops short of asking Sam "Don't you think that effeminate creep smells like monkey ass? Boy, if he was listening in the next room, he'd be sore!" Lucky for our conspirators, Burke gets called away by a mysterious (and timely) telephone call.

Roger's solution to this problem? He suggests Sam leave town. He even offers to give him "some money" to help facilitate matters, the princely sum of $5,000. Sam is done negotiating with either Roger OR Burke, though, and decides to stay the course. Roger doesn't respond well to Sam's revelation that he's documented their crime (in writing!) as insurance from the Butterscotch Bastard's regularly scheduled threats.

Speaking of deals, Malloy meets with Burke to plead with him to leave the Collins family alone. Burke, still trolling, asks him how he thinks his portrait will look hanging in the halls of Collinwood. But Malloy has come ready for deep sea fishing. His bait? To try and prove Burke's innocence for whatever it was he was convicted of ten years earlier. By omission, he more or less offers up Roger on a silver platter, details pending. Burke needs some time to think about it, but seems interested.

Malloy wastes no time and makes a beeline from the Collinsport Inn to Sam's house, where he finds Roger and the artist arguing.