Dark Shadows: 276

"Collinwood is a legend for those who know it. The Great House represents a heritage of fabulous wealth. There have been many men driven by avarice who have wished to plunder its walls. Such a man has attempted to seize a large part of the Collins' fortune. But through his own avarice, has failed. Now, in another house on the great estate, he is engaged in a last desperate plot to satisfy his greed. And in doing so, he is courting his own destruction."

Episode 276 is the untitled 276th episode of the daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. The episode was directed by Lela Swift with a script written by Ron Sproat. It first aired on ABC on Monday, July 17th, 1967. This episode is part of the "Jason McGuire's Blackmail Scheme" storyline. It is also part of "The Ghost of Sarah Collins" storyline.

Synopsis
Jason McGuire goes down to the basement of the Old House. Willie Loomis tries to get him to leave, but Jason thinks that Willie is holding out on him and that the Collins family fortune is locked away inside of a coffin. He opens the coffin, but Barnabas Collins reaches out and strangles him. Jason falls to the floor, dead.

Willie is in great shock. Barnabas admonishes him for letting Jason into the house, and warns him that betrayal will be met with swift punishment. He cannot understand why Willie would lament the passing of someone like McGuire. As they take Jason's body away, the ghost of Sarah Collins appears. She picks up Jason's cap and places it onto Barnabas' coffin. At Windcliff Sanitarium, Doctor Julia Hoffman consults with Doctor Dave Woodard over the state of Maggie Evans. Woodard doesn't agree with Julia's assessment and feels that she is trying to impede his work with Maggie. Maggie is brought into the room and Woodard shows her a sketch of Sarah Collins. Maggie begins to remember things and starts singing "London Bridges". This gives way to a fit of hysteria and she begins shouting "Lock her up!" over and over again. Julia has Nurse Jackson take Maggie out of the room.

Barnabas and Willie Loomis go to Eagle Hill Cemetery to dispose of Jason McGuire's body. They bring him into the secret room in the Collins family mausoleum where he has Willie bury him beneath the stones of the floor. As they start to leave, Barnabas pauses at the plaques of his deceased family members on the wall. He ruminates about his beloved sister Sarah, who died when she was only nine-years-old. They leave the mausoleum and the ghost of Sarah appears.

Notes & Trivia

 * Dark Shadows was created by Dan Curtis. Story written and developed by Art Wallace. Copyright Dan Curtis Productions, Inc., 1966.


 * "DS 276" serves as a shortcut to this page.


 * Opening narration: Kathryn Leigh Scott.


 * Opening still: Collinwood exterior, night. Close-up alternate shot from standard. Transitions to exterior of the Old House, night.


 * Closing still: Collins family mausoleum; Interior with three coffins.


 * This episode was recorded on Thursday, June 29th, 1967.


 * This episode is included on disc three of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 2 and disc thirty-one of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection by MPI Media Group.


 * This episode is the final chapter in the "Jason McGuire's Blackmail Scheme" storyline.


 * This is the 91st episode of Dark Shadows written by Ron Sproat.


 * Willie Loomis is the first character seen in this episode.


 * Final appearance of Jason McGuire; dies in this episode.


 * The hand that comes up out of the coffin in the opening teaser is actually that of Timothy Gordon who was a stand-in on many episodes of Dark Shadows.


 * This is the eleventh appearance of Doctor Dave Woodard.


 * This is the sixth appearance of Sarah Collins.


 * This is the second appearance of Alice Drummond as Nurse Jackson. This is Drummond's first professional work on television.

Allusions

 * Sarah Collins' theme song is "London Bridges", which is played on a flute in this episode.


 * Reference is made to Sam Evans in this episode. Sam is the father of Maggie Evans.


 * Julia Hoffman makes reference to Joe Haskell in this episode. Joe is Maggie Evans' boyfriend.

Quotes

 * Willie Loomis: You killed him. You... you killed him.
 * Barnabas Collins: How could I let him live? He knew too much.

....
 * Barnabas Collins: You know I'm vulnerable here before the sun goes down. And yet you brought him here.
 * Willie Loomis: The sun was about to set!
 * Barnabas Collins: I should punish you, Willie.
 * Willie Loomis: No, Barnabas.
 * Barnabas Collins: Your job is to guard me and you placed me in danger.
 * Willie Loomis: I couldn't help it. He made me bring him here. He'd have killed me if I hadn't.
 * Barnabas Collins: If you betray me again, you'll me a far worse punishment! You understand?

....
 * Julia Hoffman: Well, I hope you're satisfied. You managed to impede the progress I made with Maggie once again, just as you did when you brought her father and young Haskell to see her.

....
 * Dave Woodard: I tell you, I'm convinced that this child is going to give us the clue that is going to break this whole thing wide open.

....
 * Barnabas Collins: Goodbye, McGuire. You might have lived. But your greed destroyed you.