199

Sam comes clean to Maggie and Burke; Jason's scuzzy friend Willie comes to town.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. The cold night wind howls around Collinwood. But inside the great house, all is quiet and serene. No one knows what is happening now, far away from the great house. But it will change the life for at least one member of the Collins family.
Sam tries to keep Maggie from uncovering the truth, but she does quickly. She realizes the money wasn't for the paintings. Sam demands she tell him what she thinks it was for then; she doesn't want to know and even offers to believe him if he lies to her again. Maggie realizes that Sam was paid not to testify; Roger is guilty. Distraught, she wants to know why Sam did it.
Act I
Sam explains that Maggie's mother was sick and that the family needed money and admits his weakness. The money was impossible to resist; Maggie recaps Sam's guilt. Sam recaps the accident. The next morning, Roger came to the house and offered Sam $15,000 for "the paintings." Maggie is appalled that Sam let Burke stay in prison for 5 years. He tells her of his guilt and the need the family had for the money in his wife's final years. Maggie realizes that he speaks the truth; he asks her to understand why he took the bribe and kept quiet. Sam can't say any more; an upset Maggie needs to take a walk.
Act II
On a date at the Blue Whale, Victoria and Burke talk about Jason McGuire, the mysterious drifter who is staying indefinitely at Collinwood. Victoria worries about Elizabeth, who has been nearly inconsolable since her return from the hospital. Burke speculates he's giving her a run for her money in the business game; Victoria doesn't think it's business. McGuire shows up at the Blue Whale and Victoria introduces them. While they chat, a friend of Jason's named Willie Loomis shows up and wedges himself into the conversation. Jason scuttles Willie away; Willie leers at Victoria. Victoria thinks it's odd that Jason, who previously stated he had no friends in town, knows Willie. Burke nearly confronts Willie over his leering. Jason tells Willie that they're going to do all right; Elizabeth has come around. Willie wants half of whatever McGuire gets. Willie doesn't know what McGuire has on Elizabeth, and McGuire wants to keep it that way. Willie pressures Jason to get Elizabeth to let him stay at Collinwood; impatient Willie doesn't like living in a rooming house in a "hick town." A stranger bumps Willie and he blows up, requiring restraint. After observing the near-fight, Burke remarks on McGuire's strange choice of friends.
Act III
At the Evans Cottage, Sam is sobering up. He tells Maggie he's going on the wagon; she hopes it's for good. She plans to make him dinner and then go on a date with Joe. Sam wants Maggie to tell him what to do; what can he do to make things right? Maggie suggests going to Burke; Sam fears being jailed. Maggie doesn't want him to go to jail, just to be himself again. Maggie is disappointed and Sam doesn't have a clear idea of what to do. Maggie doesn't know what to say and goes to change for her date. Alone, Sam calls Burke.
Act IV
After a bit, Burke rushes over to the Cottage, having gotten Sam's emergency message that he needed to talk to him. Sam wants to booze it up before he tells Burke the news. After some delay, Sam admits he needed to talk to Burke about the accident. Sam admits he saw the car killing the man, stopping for an instant, and seeing the occupants. Sam reveals Burke was in the back seat, passed out, and, after some rough-housing with Burke, that Roger Collins was driving.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Burke (re: Jason): Well, I should think any friend of Paul Stoddard's would be as welcome at Collinwood as poison ivy.
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: Willie: I don't like living in a rooming house in a hick town. It's not Willie's style.
== Dramatis personae ==
* ← Mitchell Ryan as Burke Devlin →
* ← Dennis Patrick as Jason McGuire →
* ← Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans →
* ← David Ford as Sam Evans →
* James Hall as Willie Loomis →
* ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters →
* ← Bob O'Connell as Bob Rooney (uncredited)→
* ← George McCoy as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited)→
* Frank Reich as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited)
* Ann Ruggiero as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited)
* Anthony Goodstone → as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited)
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Kathryn Leigh Scott holds the recording slate for this episode.
* This episode marks the first appearance of James Hall as Willie Loomis.
=== Story ===
* After nearly 200 episodes, Burke finally learns the truth regarding the manslaughter case.
* Roger offered Sam $15,000 the morning after the accident. Adjusted for inflation, $15,000 in the summer of 1956 would have the same purchasing power as $165,904.41 in March of 2023.
* Sam's wife was still alive when the accident happened. She was ill at the time and died shortly after.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* James Hall calls Collinwood "Collingwood" when speaking to Jason McGuire at the Blue Whale in Act II,
*Dennis Patrick flubs a line (to Willie in Act II): "I'm not forgetting you. You're in for a part of the share . . . a share of the part."
*David Ford flubs a line (to Maggie in Act III): "Try not to hurt . . . hate me . . . or hurt me."
*At the end of Act III David Ford mistakenly says "Collinport Inn?" on the telephone rather than 'Collinsport Inn.'
*The short music indicating the end of Act IV played too soon. After it stopped, there was silence as Burke backed away from Sam, and then played a second time as the scene actually ended.
== End credits announcements ==
* Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 199 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 199: About as welcome as poison ivy
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 199:3/30/67
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