Dark Shadows Diary, Episode 88

Episode 88, "Lost and Found"
Oct. 26, 1966

Revisiting these early episodes in such a fanatical manner has left me feeling cut off from the heart of DARK SHADOWS. It's not that these episodes aren't fun. They certainly have a sense of mystery that will become forgotten in later episodes, but it's a little odd to be running a DARK SHADOWS blog that spends so much time devoted to stories sans vampires. For the time being, I'm going to have to make do with the benevolent ghosts of Bill Malloy, Josette DuPres and the other unnamed ghosts of Collinwood.

The highlight of this episode is a short conversation between Liz and Roger that underlines the family's secretive nature. Until now, neither of them have had a serious discussion about the property's long-standing reputation as Maine's Most Haunted House (TM.) Victoria's revelation about her time locked in the West Wing has forced the dialogue, though. "I've seen and felt things, things I couldn't actually explain.," Roger tells his sister. "You can't tell me it hasn't happened to you, because I know better."

Liz admits nothing, but the argument really isn't about ghosts. The conversation is another veiled negotiation between the siblings, this time about Victoria's future at Collinwood. Roger wants her gone; Liz wants her to stay. Neither reveal their motives to each other or the audience, though.

Roger and Liz aren't the only ones talking spooks and specters. Victoria has gone full Mulder, announcing with no uncertainty that she saw a ghost while locked away in the West Wing. As usual, nobody believes much of what she's got to say, and she's actually a little disturbed that few people at Collinwood seemed to notice she was missing. Roger throws a cloud of ambiguity over the situation by also denying that David intended any harm to the governess. "He's confused," Roger says of the boy. "We'll never know the truth of it." All of this leads to yet another declaration by Victoria to leave Collinwood, which suits Roger just fine.

Doubting both David and Roger's version of how Victoria became both lost and found in the West Wing, Liz  leads her brother on a search of the crime scene. In the locked room she finds David's drawings, books and toys in the room and calls bullshit on his story about how he and Victoria got "separated" while exploring. The little monster had clearly been nesting in the room and was quite aware of its location.

Further complicating things? Liz finds a pile of wet seaweed on the floor of the room, suggesting that Victoria's close encounter was more than just a hallucination.