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Angelique burns the tree that will confirm to Reverend Trask that Victoria is a witch.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: A séance was held in the great house of Collinwood, a séance which sent Victoria Winters back on an uncertain and frightening journey to the past, back to the Collins family who lived in the year 1795. An evil woman is at work in the old Collins mansion. She has sown the seeds of intrigue and deceit within the family. She has aroused suspicions of witchcraft, but those suspicions have been directed at one who is innocent.
In the woods, the fanatical Reverend Trask has tied Victoria to a tree. Wrongly believing her to be a witch, Trask performs an exorcism on her, leaving the terrified Victoria bound and alone in the dark forest.
Act I
Meanwhile, Countess Natalie du Prés, having second thoughts about Trask and his actions, frets in the parlor. Angelique Bouchard, having fetched the Countess' tarot cards for her, enters the room. Natalie begins to read the cards in an effort to discover what has become of Victoria. Angelique departs as Barnabas Collins and Lieutenant Nathan Forbes interrupt the Countess. The two men are concerned for Victoria, and are alarmed when Natalie informs them that Trask has taken the governess from the house. Natalie, taking the blame for what has occurred, implores Barnabas and Nathan to find Victoria. She explains how Trask struck Victoria and then bound her. Barnabas, galvanized into action, tells Nathan to find a lantern and together they start to search for the missing governess.
Act II
As Barnabas and Nathan move to leave, Trask returns to the house. Barnabas confronts the reverend, demanding to know of Victoria's whereabouts. Trask refuses to answer, warning Barnabas not to interfere in God's work. Barnabas and Trask have an heated exchange of words before the former departs with Nathan to search for Victoria. After they have gone, the reverend notices Natalie's tarot cards and is openly disgusted by the French woman's reliance on such things to read the future. Angelique carries a tray of tea into the room, and startles when she discovers that Trask is a witch-hunter. She overhears what Trask's test for Victoria entails; he believes that if the tree to which the suspected witch is bound dies by morning, then it will prove she is possessed by the Devil. Angelique leaves the room, smiling as a plan forms in her mind.
Act III
Later that night, Angelique sneaks out of the house. She hides when she hears Nathan and Barnabas searching the woods. The two men are about to give up their search when Victoria's cries reach their ears. Barnabas and Nathan rush toward the sound finding an exhausted Victoria tied to a tree. They release her, and Victoria collapses in Barnabas' arms. Barnabas and Nathan decide to hide her from Trask in the new mansion. Once they're gone, Angelique emerges from hiding. In order to cast blame on Victoria and suspicion off herself, the witch casts a spell that destroys the tree.
Act IV
Morning; Trask leaves the house to return to the spot where he left Victoria. Unbeknown to him, Natalie follows. Elsewhere, Nathan and Barnabas have brought Victoria to the new mansion, which is still under construction. Victoria remains terrified of Trask; Barnabas promises that he will personally see to it that the so-called reverend will be sent away from Collinsport before the day is over. In the woods, Trask catches Natalie following him. He orders her to return to the house, but the Countess refuses. She determines to stay and see the results of Trask's test. They go to the tree, finding it a smoldering wreck and Victoria missing. Trask is more convinced than ever of Victoria's guilt.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Barnabas: Reverend Trask, in your zealous pursuit of nonexistent witches, it perhaps has escaped your memory that we have just fought a war recently...a war to establish certain rights. And I am defending the right of this girl to be judged innocent until she is proved innocent. I am sure that this idea is a little complicated for your mind to absorb.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins
* Grayson Hall as Natalie du Prés
* Joel Crothers as Nathan Forbes
* Lara Parker as Angelique Bouchard
* Jerry Lacy as Reverend Trask
* Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
=== Story ===
* INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Angelique: (recalling Reverend Trask's voice).
* TAROT CARDS: Natalie: (no cards named).
* TIMELINE: It was this afternoon when Reverend Trask questioned Victoria. Day 155 begins, and will end in 390/391. 12 midnight: Natalie and Reverend Trask in the Old House parlor.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* At the end of Act I, when Barnabas tells Nathan to get a lamp from the kitchen, Joel Crothers starts to walk away before Jonathan Frid is finished with his line. Frid presses his hand on Crothers' shoulder to get him to stop momentarily as he finishes his line. Then the camera zooms in on a close-up of Barnabas, but the camera never comes into focus.
*As Barnabas and Reverend Trask argue over the innocence of Victoria, Barnabas reminds the reverend about the recent war that was fought to establish certain rights. Jonathan Frid then declares, "I am defending the right of this girl to be judged innocent until she is proved innocent." What he meant to say was "innocent until she is proven guilty." [Actually, no, the line is correct. He knows she's innocent, not guilty, and he's saying she has a right to be judged as innocent from the outset.]
* When Angelique goes to hide from Barnabas and Nathan in the woods, Lara Parker's movements cause a bush to spin about.
*The prop that Angelique sets on fire seems to be meant to be a branch from the larger tree. But it clearly is a prop sitting on a small round stand. And when Angelique places the branch she will burn on the boulder, she accidentally pushes the boulder prop an inch or two, which of course would be impossible if it were truly a heavy boulder.
* During the scenes between Reverend Trask and Natalie in the woods, the bottom of the background curtain is clearly visible where it touches the floor, making it obvious that these "woods" exist on a soundstage.
*Grayson Hall flubs a line when talking to Trask in the woods: "Then what...why are you afraid of anything?"
*The tree prop that Victoria was tied around had a much greater diameter than the burned tree that Trask discovers (and burning would not have reduced the diameter; the bark around the tree is intact).
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 386 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 386 - Make Like a Tree
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 386: Innocent until proved innocent
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 386: 12/18/67
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