423

Suki discovers Barnabas at the Old House; he kills her, but she is able to speak his name to Nathan before dying.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: A séance has been held in the great house at Collinwood, a séance which has suspended time and space, and sent one woman on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. There, each of the Collins ancestors resembles a present-day member of the Collins family, but the names and relationships have changed, and Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger in a sea of familiar faces. On this night, one man has already made a shocking discovery. Wave upon wave of terror is to follow in its wake, ending, perhaps, in sudden death.
Joshua Collins returns to Collinwood from the mausoleum. Natalie du Prés comes to him seeking his help in convincing Josette Collins to leave Collinwood. Ignoring her pleas, Joshua explains that he has gone to Barnabas Collins' grave and discovered that his coffin is empty.
Act I
Joshua believes Barnabas' body was stolen by grave robbers. Natalie is doubtful of his theory; it offers no explanation as to Josette's possession of Barnabas' ring. Their discussion is interrupted by Suki Forbes who is now staying with the Collins family. She is concerned about Josette who is in her room calling for Barnabas. Joshua and Natalie excuse themselves to go check on Josette. The servant Riggs lets them into her locked bedroom where they discover that Josette is missing. Joshua shows Natalie the secret panel that leads out of Collinwood.
Act II
Lieutenant Nathan Forbes arrives at Collinwood to call on his fiancée, Millicent Collins, but is met at the door by his wife, Suki, instead. Suki will leave Collinsport for $5,000 in gold. If he cannot raise the money, she will show Millicent their marriage license. While they are arguing, Natalie enters the drawing room and interrupts them. She is distraught because Josette is missing and begs Nathan to help search for her. After she leaves, Suki agrees to meet Nathan at the Old House so they may speak in private. Joshua asks Nathan to go into town and notify the constable, thereby delaying his meeting with Suki. Suki enters the parlor of the Old House only to be startled by Barnabas.
Act III
Barnabas demands to know Suki's identity and reason for visiting the Old House. When she claims to be meeting her brother, Nathan, Barnabas calls her a liar. He has deduced that she is really Nathan's wife, and if she values her life she will leave Collinwood and forget what she has seen. Suki is not frightened because she knows he has a secret of his own; he is Barnabas and has not gone to England as everyone believes. He disappears during their conversation and Suki goes looking for him.
Act IV
After Barnabas disappears and Suki is unable to find him, she becomes frightened and leaves. A bat flies towards her and chases her back into the Old House. As Suki cries out for Nathan to come, the bat breaks through the window and enters the parlor, transforming into Barnabas. He begins to strangle her as Nathan arrives. Nathan breaks down the door and finds Suki on the floor. She is able to name Barnabas as her attacker before she dies in Nathan's arms.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Suki: The poor dear Millicent needs to rest a great deal of the time. It would seem that the strain of all that money tires her terribly.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins
* Louis Edmonds as Joshua Collins
* Joel Crothers as Nathan Forbes
* Jane Draper as Suki Forbes
* Grayson Hall as Natalie du Prés
* Dan Morgan as Riggs
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Last appearance of Suki Forbes alive. She will be seen as a ghost along with the other victims of Barnabas Collins in episode 512.
=== Story ===
* In the opening narration, the word "girl" in reference to Victoria Winters has now been changed to "woman."
* According to Joshua, the secret passageway in Josette's room leads to the garden at the end of the house. Collinwood was under construction during the war (Revolutionary War), and Joshua had the passageway built "as a safeguard." The only other people who knew about its existence are both dead: Jeremiah and Barnabas.
* $5,000 in 1796 would be worth around $67,000 at 2013 prices. The Inflation Calculator. However, Suki specifically asked for $5,000 in gold. In 1796, the official price of gold was $18.75/ounce, so $5,000 of gold would be 267 ounces. In 1968, gold was $267/ounce, so the 267 ounces would be valued at $71,289 in 1968. In 2013, gold was $1,350-$1,638/ounce. At those prices, 267 ounces of gold would be worth over $400,000.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* The location on the fireplace where Joshua pushes the button to open the secret passageway in Josette's room is different from the location where Barnabas pushed it in the previous episode.
*Joshua says Collinwood was under construction during the war, but the Revolutionary War ended in 1783. So that means it took at least 12 years (probably more) to build the house. It is a mansion, but it seems a stretch to think it would have taken that long to build it even in the 18th century.
*The edge of the set is visible on the left when Suki and Nathan go into the Collinwood drawing room.
*Suki mistakenly refers to Josette as Joshua's "niece" when in fact she is his sister-in-law.
*Joel Crothers flubs a line when Nathan tells Suki he will meet her at the Old House: "I'll joy you...join you..."
*Nathan, in reference to the Old House, says "No one lives there now." No one knows that Angelique is dead. There has been no mention of Angelique disappearing. Wouldn't the assumption be that Angelique is still living there? [Addendum: Joshua offered Angelique money to leave Collinsport. He likely assumes she has left. It's likely other members of the Collins family also believe this since Angelique was never fully accepted by most members. And it seems that everyone understands no one is living in the Old House; Suki even says Millicent took her there to show her the house.]
*It is February in Maine, yet Suki puts on merely a shoulder wrap when leaving Collinwood for the Old House.
*Suki asks, "Why are you threatening me?" and Barnabas replies, "Don't answer - uh, ask questions."
* Nathan had previously told Barnabas that he had no living relatives. It is unclear how Barnabas knew Suki was Nathan's wife. [Addendum: Barnabas uses "logic" to determine Suki is Forbes's wife. He says that since Nathan has no living relatives, she must be his wife--which of course is a huge leap of logic.]
*When Suki leaves the Old House (before Barnabas as a bat appears to her), she does not close the front door all the way, and it reopens slightly.
*Jonathan Frid flubs his line right before he kills Suki: "It's too late now to offer any...m...mercy to you."
*When Nathan pounds on the door of the Old House in Act IV, the "brick" wall next to the door shakes noticeably.
*It isn't clear why Barnabas disappeared and came back as a bat outside of the house, broke through a window, and let Suki see him transform before he kills her. Did he leave intending to keep her alive and then change his mind, or was he trying to terrorize her before killing her? He strangled her. It appeared that she was dead, yet she regained consciousness long enough to tell Nathan who did it before taking her last breath. Barnabas was slow backing into the parlor of the Old House after strangling Suki. Nathan would have seen him standing over Suki when he broke into the house.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 423 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 423 - Twisted
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 423: A position to threaten me
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 423: 2/7/68
==References==
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