The Dark Shadows Daybook: February 17

By PATRICK MCCRAY

Jeb begins his quest for revenge by overseeing zombies burying Quentin alive, while Nicholas smashes Julia’s experiment to keep Jeb in his permanent form. Nicholas tries to convince Jeb that he can never be fully human, and that his destiny is to marry Carolyn and then convert her into a Leviathan. After another meeting with Carolyn, however, Jeb’s love and drive to take control of his own destiny is revitalized. Meanwhile, Maggie visits Barnabas and, directed by the tattoo on her hand, draws him with her to the site where she senses Quentin is buried. They unearth him in time to save his life, and she and Quentin acknowledge their feelings for one another. Meanwhile, Jeb approaches Barnabas with Nicholas’ plan to unite him with Carolyn that evening. Later, as Nicholas begins the ceremony at the Leviathan altar, he calls for Barnabas at the last second. Barnabas rescues Carolyn as Jeb pulverizes the Naga Box. Nicholas hurries Jeb out, cursing him, as the Leviathan altar bursts into flames.

This. This is one of those DARK SHADOWS episodes that I love, adore, and fondly remember. Wallace is, as always, right. In his words, DS doesn’t tell a story; it accumulates it. Nevertheless, even such a storytelling model has a climax, and 965 delivers. In maybe the series’ tidiest example, love redeems (and often destroys) evil, and seeing Jeb and Barnabas take violent and definitive action inspired by that is just grand. Chris Pennock is impossible to dislike, and seeing him round the corner from heavy to romantic lead is a superb payoff. It’s a shame that the character won’t last, but with Barnabas and Quentin already on the scene, there’s only so much opposition the writers can throw at the Collins family without introducing Darkseid, Thanos, or a Billy Joel cover artist. I've been immersed in directing DRACULA, so deadlines have become somewhat abstract. It's, if you haven't noticed, no longer the 16th. However, this episode is one of the biggies. Watch! Enjoy!

On this day in 1970, we said goodbye to Hollywood’s great, golden age composer, Alfred Newman. Nominated for a stunning forty-three academy awards, he is also known for writing the 20th Century Fox fanfare, on the shoulders of which, Lucas and Williams merely had to hop to create the emotional high of the beginning of the STAR WARS films.