209

Willie makes plans to leave and is further enthralled by the portrait of Barnabas Collins, both for its jewelry and its other characteristics.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. Strangers have come to Collinwood, strangers who threaten to uncover secrets that could destroy the Collins family. But unknown to one of them, he has stumbled onto the darkest and strangest secret of all.
Whilst gazing at the portrait of Barnabas Collins, Willie hears a heartbeat as the eyes of the painting come alive. Jason comes in and a frightened Willie appears entranced. Willie asks if Jason heard the sound from the portrait. McGuire looks suitably perplexed.
Act I
Jason thinks Collinwood must be getting to Willie. Willie questions whether or not he really heard the sound. McGuire pulls him into the Drawing room, but Willie's attention is elsewhere. Jason tells Willie he is to leave today, and Elizabeth is procuring the cash now. Again McGuire promises more money later on. Willie agrees to leave in a couple of days because he's taking McGuire's advice, not because he wants to steal more jewels. Victoria enters and McGuire prevents Willie from molesting her. She asks if Willie's really leaving; McGuire confirms it. Victoria asks if he's leaving as well; he says he plans to stay on for awhile.
Act II
Jason apologizes for Willie and hopes that his own stay at Collinwood hasn't caused Victoria any troubles. He likens himself as a father figure to Willie, a poor fatherless lad. An uneasy truce is formed between them.
In the Study, Willie continues to dig through Collins family volumes, causing a clutter for Mrs. Johnson. Willie doesn't strike Mrs. Johnson as the reading type; Loomis got interested in history thanks to David. They speak of the legend that Naomi Collins received jewelery from a pirate and was buried with them. Mrs. Johnson doesn't concern herself with the dead, she leaves them in peace at the Eagle Hill Cemetery, where Naomi and her family are the only Collinses buried, the rest are in a Collins family cemetery. A slick Willie gets the location of Eagle Hill.
Act III
Later that night, Willie encounters the Caretaker at Eagle Hill Cemetery, where he claims to be a distant relative planning to pay his respects to Naomi Collins before skipping town. There is an evil force in the tomb; Joshua, the husband of Naomi, Collins stated so and passed the secret down. The tomb was to be sealed forever. Even the Caretaker doesn't go near the tomb. The old man points out the tomb but warns Willie away, especially at night. Willie promises to return in the morning.
Act IV
Back at Collinwood, Mrs. Johnson complains to McGuire that Willie didn't pick up his books. He's surprised as he's never known Willie to read a book. She tells him of her conversation with Willie. Back at the graveyard, Willie is attempting to break into the tomb and is stopped by the Caretaker, who successfully shoos him off. As he's leaving, Willie hears the heartbeat again, but the Caretaker can't hear it. The Caretaker convinces Willie that his ears played tricks on him. They leave; the heartbeat continues.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Caretaker: There are stories about the Collins tomb, legends about an evil force that exists there.
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: Mrs. Johnson (to Willie): Somehow you don't strike me as the reading type.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Dennis Patrick as Jason McGuire
* Daniel Keyes as The Caretaker
* John Karlen as Willie Loomis
* Clarice Blackburn as Sarah Johnson
* Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
=== Story ===
* Eagle Hill Cemetery is five miles north of Collinwood. The Collinsport Cemetery is about a mile south of Collinwood. Most of the Collins family is buried in the private Collins cemetery.
* Both Mrs. Johnson and Willie refer to the cemetery at "Eagles Hill," though "Eagles" will later become "Eagle."
*Naomi Collins is stated to have had several children who are buried in the tomb and is stated to have died a very old woman in her sleep. Whilst the fact that Naomi died an "old woman" is explainable as the cover story given to the world by Joshua Collins at the end of the 1795 story line, "several children" seems a bit much. Very soon we will learn that the only child in the tomb (officially) is Sarah Collins is buried in the tomb. Also consider that the average life expectancy for a woman in that time period was much lower than it is today. [Addendum: The life expectancy shouldn't matter that much; many people lived to a ripe old age even in earlier times. Life expectancy averages are low not because people in general only lived to those ages but because of the greater incidence of earlier death.]
* We are told that Naomi Collins and her immediate family in the mausoleum are the only members of the Collins family buried at Eagle Hill, but this will be changed later as we will see many Collins graves at Eagle Hill, many just outside the cemetery.
* "Many men" were in love with Naomi Collins, including the pirate who gave her the jewelry she was buried with.
* Abigail is now called Naomi Collins. Abigail Collins will later turn out to be Joshua Collins' sister, played by Clarice Blackburn.
== End credits announcements ==
* Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* John Karlen stumbles over the word "ancestors" when Willie is talking to Mrs. Johnson in the study.
* When the caretaker confronts Willie at the Collins tomb, a wall of the set (amidst the trees and plants "outside") can be seen behind him.
*Someone in the studio coughs just before Willie says goodnight to the caretaker.
*The caretaker states that the tomb was sealed after Joshua was interred. However, as we see here and in future episodes, that is not the case. The entrance to the tomb is just a metal lattice work door. That is extremely unlikely as that leaves the tomb open to the elements. At the least, the tomb should have a heavy solid door.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 209 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 209: The darkest and strangest secret of all
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 209:4/14/67
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