129

While drunk, Sam paints a portrait of a woman in flames but does not remember painting it the next day.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. Life at Collinwood is serene for me now; danger has passed. But for one member of the Collins family, it's just beginning.
Roger is in a phiff and doesn't believe that Sam has seen Laura. Sam is sure it was Laura, whom Roger hasn't heard from since she was in Phoenix.
Act I
Sam continues to drink despite Roger's concerns; Sam flat-out states that Roger was driving the car in the accident 10 years ago, hence he's in a worse position than Sam. Laura is registered under her maiden name of Murdoch, and Sam suspects that she's biding her time to torture Roger under the orders of Burke Devlin. Roger believes it would have been impossible for Burke to find Laura; he covered her tracks when he committed her. Sam reports on Maggie's sleuthing. Roger says shock hardly describes his feelings. Sam points out that Laura started drinking during her marriage to Roger; she might be back for revenge. Sam wonders if Laura knows he saw the accident. Roger's not sure if Laura knows that Roger paid for Sam's silence.
Act II
Joe and Maggie arrive at the Evans Cottage and Joe wants to know what's eating Maggie. Maggie tells Joe that Sam is hung up on a "woman"; the mystery woman he saw in 123. Maggie reasons that the woman and Sam are not friends; Joe speculates they had a fling when she was his model.
Roger tells Elizabeth he was at the Blue Whale with Sam because Laura is back in town.
Act III
Roger calls and checks if a "Laura Murdoch" is registered. She is. Elizabeth and Roger wonder what Laura may want; she has been receiving ample checks (according to Elizabeth) and hasn't put many financial demands on the family since leaving the sanatorium (per Roger). Elizabeth wonders if she wants to see David.
Roger doesn't care. Elizabeth is concerned that Laura's mental stability could disrupt David's life; Elizabeth tells Roger he's afraid of Laura. Elizabeth hammers Roger, who insists on talking about the situation in the morning. Elizabeth is certain neither one of them will get much sleep.
Maggie and Joe continue to talk and talk on the couch. Sam comes home and Joe offers help before leaving. Sam begins to paint after Maggie goes to bed.
Act IV
The next morning, Roger calls Laura, who's out already. Roger thinks this is odd, as she usually slept until noon. Elizabeth is anxious to see her and discover what's on Laura's mind.
Maggie comes out to leave for work and finds Sam passed out on the couch. Maggie notices Sam's new painting, which she remarks is not his style. It's of a woman standing in flames and gives Maggie the creeps.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Maggie: Don't you think you've had enough, Pop?
: Sam: Enough? What's that?
== Dramatis personae ==
* ← Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard →
* ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins →
* ← David Ford as Sam Evans →
* ← Kathryn Leigh Scott as Maggie Evans →
* ← Joel Crothers as Joe Haskell →
* Bob O'Connell as Bob Rooney (uncredited)
* George McCoy as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited)
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Sam calls the bartender "Bob." The last time he spoke to a bartender it was "Bill". Obviously, this "slip" is intended the demonstrate that Sam was drunk. [I don't think that's obvious at all. The bartender has been called lots of names by now. The only thing obvious is the writers did not consider the bartender to be an important enough character to have an actual name.]
=== Story ===
* Laura receives a generous cheque every month from the Collins family.
* TIMELINE: Day 22 begins, and will end in episode 132.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* Sam says he's certain he saw Laura because he's "got plenty of reason to remember what she looked like." But in earlier episodes, he clearly saw her but could not place who she was. [Addendum: This is not a blooper. Sam saw Laura earlier in only one episode in the coffeeshop, and he saw only from her back. When he sees her in the previous episode when she comes into the Collinsport Inn lobby, it is the first time he's seen her face.]
*While talking to Sam at the Blue Whale, Roger says "Laura may know that I paid for my silence" instead of "your silence".
*Maggie tells Joe that she mentioned Laura’s name to Sam, but at this time, she didn’t know her name yet.
*In past episodes, when someone turned on or off the lamp by Isaac Collins' portrait in the drawing room, the lamps on the mantel piece also turned on or off. In this episode, Roger turns off the lamp but the mantel lamps stay on.
*Confusion over Laura's history begins in this episode. Roger twice refers to Laura having been in a sanatorium, implying she was convalescing from a physical illness, e.g. tuberculosis. This is supported by Elizabeth's claim that Laura was a very sick woman. In the following episode (130), Elizabeth says it was a sanitarium, indicating a mental illness, Burke calls it a sanatorium, and Laura calls it a sanitarium. By this point it's utterly confusing, but when Laura refers to having analysis at the institution it becomes clear that sanitarium is correct. Several of the actors continue to mispronounce it, apparently unaware that a sanatorium is an entirely different kind of institution. [Addendum: This bullet item is inaccurate. "Sanitorium" and "sanitarium" are now interchangeable. "Sanitorium" tends to be an older usage, though it is still used sometimes. In its earliest usage, "sanitarium" tended to mean a health resort. The difference between the two is really in word origin, though the difference is slight (see the links provided). The distinction between physical and mental illnesses that the bullet here makes is inaccurate. See, for example, http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-sanitarium-and-sanitorium/ and https://grammarist.com/usage/sanatorium-vs-sanatarium/ .)
== End credits announcements==
*Come one, come all. Enter into the gaiety of the season. Enjoy the festive fun on "Bewitched," tonight in color here on ABC.
*On behalf of our sponsors, we would like to wish you a very happy holiday season.
*Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 129 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 129: Woman in flames
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 129: 12/22/66
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