Dark Shadows: 372

"Time stands still at Collinwood, for one girl has taken a mysterious and dangerous journey into the past. A house she knew as old and deserted is now her home and the home of the Collins family, and under its roof"

Episode 372 of Dark Shadows was directed by Lela Swift and written by Ron Sproat. It first aired on Tuesday, November 28th, 1967. This episode is part of a storyline commonly referred to as the "1795 Flashback" story. In this episode, Victoria Winters is drawn deeper into the intrigues surrounding the Collins family of the year 1795. She meets the indentured servant Ben Stokes and inadvertently gets him into trouble with his master, Joshua Collins. She also pokes around in Anglique's bedroom and comes upon a misplaced handkerchief and toy soldier - both of which are instruments that Anglique uses to enrapture the mind of Ben Stokes.

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is included on disc 1 of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 5 and disc 41 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection.


 * Opening narration: Lara Parker


 * Closing still: Angelique's bedroom.


 * This episode was recorded on November 21st, 1967.


 * There are no cast or production crew credits provided for this episode.


 * First appearance of Ben Stokes. He becomes a recurring supporting character throughout the remainder of the "1795 Flashback" storyline. He appears next in episode 373.

Allusions

 * When Victoria Winters first meets Ben Stokes, she mistakes him for Matthew Morgan. Matthew Morgan is the former Collinwood caretaker from 1967. He kidnapped Vicki after she learned the truth about Morgan murdering Bill Malloy. Both Ben Stokes and Matthew Morgan are played by actor Thayer David.


 * Victoria Winters makes reference to Josette du Près in this episode, who is the mistress of Angelique Bouchard. Josette first appeared in episode 370.


 * Victoria Winters makes numerous references to Sarah Collins in this episode. Sarah is the younger sister of Barnabas Collins. She is fated to die as a child and her ghost will haunt Collinwood in the 1960s. Sarah is the instrument through which Victoria traveled backwards through time to begin with.


 * Joshua Collins makes references to Millicent Collins and her younger brother, Daniel in this episode. They are cousins of the main family and are coming for the wedding of Jeremiah Collins (who is also mentioned but not seen) and Josette du Près. Millicent makes her first appearance next episode, but Daniel does not appear until episode 431.

Character oddities

 * Ben is smart? How in the heck does someone like Ben Stokes know what Nightshade is? While he may not be aware of its usefulness in mystic spells, he does know that it is deadly. He can also apparently identify it on sight.


 * Vickie is rude. Victoria Winters has no reservation about barging through people's rooms and nosing about. One would think that in an environment where people don't trust her to begin with, she would really pay attention to her Ps and Qs.


 * Vickie is dumb: Once again, Victoria Winters expresses her traditional alarmist reaction to seeing someone who reminds her of someone from her own time period. She has been living in the past for a few days now, you would think she would begin to get accustomed to the strangeness. At the very least, you would think that she could stifle her reaction so as to not make a scene. Regardless, Vickie does not immediately make the connection that Ben Stokes is not Matthew Morgan, despite the fact that they look the same.

Quotes

 * Anglique Bouchard: Ben Stokes. You no longer have a will of your own. My will is your will. You shall do whatever I tell you to do. You shall be my slave.