The Dark Shadows Daybook: August 18

By PATRICK McCRAY

Taped on this day in 1967: Episode 306

When Julia questions Barnabas' plans for Victoria, he brings up her long list of inadequacies, in self-defense. He will deal with Victoria and Devlin as he sees fit. Meanwhile, Sarah takes David to the mausoleum and shows him the secret room and the empty coffin within. Barnabas confides to Vicki that Burke is having him investigated.  She promises to address it, and is none too pleased with her fiancé. Later, Barnabas finds himself in pursuit of Sarah, and is again left in frustrated emptiness.  

This episode shows us Julia in one of her earliest forms. Although she doesn't stay this way for the duration of the show, it's easy to think of her almost exclusively in the mode she occupies in this episode. And why not? In her, Barnabas has both a close friend and a deadly enemy. It takes a vampire soap opera to give us a "real world" example of Inspector Clouseau and Kato in their never ending battle of loyalty and distanced disregard.

The scorecard for Barnabas and women at this point is a strange one. But it always is. No wonder he wants Sarah back, just for her approval. Julia is either trying to help him or kill him. It just depends. He occasionally thinks he's killed Maggie. When he doesn't think that, he's just hoping she won't remember him, which is a tough responsibility to take on when she looks just like the woman he was going to marry a mere and a subjective  year or two ago. Victoria has goo goo eyes for a nouveau riche lout who looks just like his uncle. His best relationship with a woman is (or is going to be) with Carolyn, and I think that’s creepy even for Barnabas. Sarah. Someone from home who doesn't want to kill him or run off with the equivalent of a stable boy who won the lottery.

On this day in 1967, The Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday” peaked on the charts at number three. While the band's contributions to their early recordings are notoriously slight, all four managed to appear on "Sunday." Mickey Dolenz, of course, provides vocals, while Mike Nesmith plays a bit of guitar, Peter Tork is on piano, and Davy Jones ... um, would you believe maracas?  (Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote the song, if you're interested.)