The Dark Shadows Daybook: August 30

By PATRICK McCRAY

Taped on this day in 1968: Episode 578

Tony visits Collinwood to revise Liz’s will as her new attorney. Carolyn takes advantage of his visit to explore her romantic feelings for him, but when Adam sees this, he later attacks Tony. This moves Carolyn to again explain to Adam that she only wants to be friends. Worried about Adam, she hires Harry Johnson to babysit Adam for $100 a day. The sight of Harry Johnson drives Adam into a slow-burning rage. He writes a goodbye note, breaks down the door, and escapes. Meanwhile, Roger reports that Liz will keep the family in her will only if they agree to support her new mausoleum. It’s equipped with a button that will allow her to escape if she should ever be buried alive. Roger feels that she should be sent back to Windcliff immediately.

It’s Earth 2 Carolyn! Another actress plays Carolyn in this one, and it’s a little like having a substitute teacher. Refreshing, but it makes you appreciate the real deal, too. Louis Edmonds sounds thoroughly disgusted when he informs viewers in a voiceover that “the part of Carolyn will be played by Diana Walker.” So, Nancy took a sick day. So what, Louis? Not Diana’s fault. There’s an especially odd sequence where you have the substitute Carolyn speaking with Harry, who’s like the substitute Willie. If only Betsy Durkin had been in this one, I think we all would have been sucked into Parallel Time. Diana is, you know, fine. But she really makes you appreciate the talent of Nancy Barrett, whose acting is so marvelously honest and seemingly effortless. Diana Walker was a capable soap actress, who also appeared on AS THE WORLD TURNS and WHERE THE HEART IS. On stage, her career was more interesting. She appeared with future nighttime TV hunk, Bea Arthur, in the original cast of MAME and also co-starred with Jerry Lacy (also in this episode) in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM.

As for the episode? Whether it’s PC to invoke the phrase or not, one thing is true; don’t friendzone Adam.

On this day in history, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s appointment to the Supreme Court as well as the birthday of, more-or-less, Adam creator, Mary Shelley. So, go watch GOTHIC!