900

Barnabas reminds Paul of the unusual bargain he made twenty years ago.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: In the great house at Collinwood, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has discovered that her ex-husband is back, and that he has already claimed the affection of their daughter. And in the neighboring village, Paul Stoddard faces a terrifying situation. Furies he does not know insist he must pay them what he owes.
Paul is sitting in the pentagram in his hotel room. He screams as the door opens.
Act I
Carolyn enters the room. She is confused as to what he is doing, but offers to take him back to Collinwood. Carolyn notices he is sitting in the symbol of the pentagram and realizes it is the same symbol on the necklace that Barnabas gave her. Carolyn gives her necklace to Paul, which seems to calm him down. She then offers to take him to Julia for help, but he isn't sure if he should leave.
At the Old House, Julia is explaining to Barnabas her theory that Olivia Corey is actually Amanda Harris, and she is at Collinwood trying to find Quentin's portrait. Barnabas, however, shrugs off Julia's claims and says he is no longer interested in anything to do with Quentin or Amanda. Julia, becoming furious with Barnabas's attitude, asks what he is interested in. At that point, there is a knock on the door. Carolyn rushes in, and wants to see Julia. Barnabas is immediately concerned as to whatever it is Carolyn is concerned about, which answers Julia's question about what he is actually interested in. After Barnabas leaves, Carolyn tells Julia she needs help dealing with her father.
Back in Paul's hotel room, he receives a phone call. A voice on the other end reminds him that his payment is due. Paul asks who he is, to which the only reply is "think." The voice again reminds him his payment is almost due, and hangs up. Paul leaves the phone off the hook, but yet it still rings. He runs out of his hotel room.
Act II
Later that night, Carolyn goes to Paul's hotel room, but discovers he is missing. She calls the front desk, but the clerk says he hasn't seen anything of him.
Julia is preparing to leave Collinwood, but before she can, Paul rushes in, frantically asking where Carolyn is. Julia explains that Carolyn had gone to his hotel room, and Julia was about to join her. She formally introduces himself and says she is going to help him, but Paul is skeptical, saying she might be "one of them." Julia is intrigued by this, and again offers to help him. Paul says he doesn't need any help, as long as he has his pentagram necklace. When he goes to show Julia his necklace, he sees that his pentagram is missing. Suddenly the phone rings. Julia answers it, but the call is for Paul. Paul, thinking it might be Carolyn, grabs the phone. The mysterious voice again is on the other end, saying "We are watching you Mr. Stoddard, and we are waiting." Paul asks what payment is due, and he hears the sound of breathing on the other end. The phone rings again, but Paul runs out of the house.
Paul returns to his hotel room, where the phone is ringing as he walks in. The voice again reminds him his payment is due, but he hangs up and goes to sit in his pentagram. The phone again rings, but he runs out of the room. It's actually Carolyn on the other end this time, but he isn't there to answer.
Paul ends up at the Blue Whale. Upon entering, he notices the sign of the Naga has disappared. After thinking he might be safe at the bar, he spots Barnabas in the corner, staring menacingly at him.
Act III
Barnabas introduces himself, and says they have much to talk about. Paul attempts to leave, but Barnabas appears to put him under his power, and he sits down. Barnabas asks Paul if he remembers anything important to him that happened on a certain day 20 years ago. Barnabas appears to be alluding to a day where he and Jason McGuire were plotting to gain control of the Collins fortune.
In a flashback to 1949, Paul is drinking at the Blue Whale. He meets a man named Strak. Unaware to Paul, Strak is an "agent" for the Leviathans. Paul tells him he has been very unlucky in life lately. Strak asks him if he had the power to give Paul anything he wanted, what would it be. Paul replies money and fame. Strak says that's too easy, so Paul says he will take whatever he can accumulate in the next 20 years, and in return, Paul will give Strak anything in value he has now or then, which is nothing. Paul believes he has won the "game" over Strak, but Strak only laughs at him.
The story returns to 1969, and Barnabas asks Paul what his most precious possession is. Paul begins laughing, saying it's his soul, and that he can have it. But Barnabas says it isn't his most precious possession. Carolyn enters the bar, having been looking for her father. Paul says everything is alright now. Barnabas agrees, saying that Carolyn is Paul's most precious possession. A look of horror comes across Paul's face.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Paul: I will give you anything I have of value, even my most precious possession, collectible in twenty years.
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: Paul: It was a drunken conversation, nothing important.
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: Barnabas: You're your father's most precious possession, you know.
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: Julia: You've just given me a clue, Barnabas, as to what you do care about. We'll see how bad a detective I am.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins
* Grayson Hall as Julia Hoffman
* Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard
* Dennis Patrick as Paul Stoddard
* John Harkins as Mr. Strak
* Jean Pierre Boro as Bartender (uncredited)
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* This is one of only two episodes in the series to be recorded 27 days ahead of broadcast, the longest gap between production and transmission, the other being 931.
* The flashback scene must be an insert because there isn't time for Dennis Patrick to change his appearance back and forth as quickly as the scenes switch.
=== Story ===
* The telephone in Paul's room at the Collinsport Inn reads: Private Line - 1720.
* Carolyn was a baby when Paul left Collinsport.
* Paul invested his money in oil wells and the stock market.
* Barnabas says the date is exactly twenty years after December 4, 1949.
* Julia refers to Olivia as "Amanda". (Although this probably was a mistake on Grayson Hall's part, it can be explained away by the fact that Julia believes Olivia Corey and Amanda Harris to be one and the same.)
* FLASHBACK: Paul remembers the day his pact with the Leviathans began, twenty years ago.
* INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Paul: They're waiting.
* TIMELINE: Today is 4th December 1969, twenty years to the minute that Paul made his pact with the Leviathans. It was earlier tonight when Paul came to Collinwood looking for Carolyn.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* Barnabas asks for the date of the conversation, Paul says December of 1949. Jonathan Frid then mistakenly asks for the month; either that or Dennis Patrick was meant to respond with the month only to Barnabas' first part of the question. [Addendum: Barnabas then asks for the day--the 4th. Perhaps when Barnabas said, "The month?" he was supposed to say, "The day?" then.]
*When Paul rushes into Collinwood early in act II the shadow of a boom microphone can be see on the upper right.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 900 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 900 - The Long Con0900