187

Victoria discovers that it was exactly 100 years ago this night that David Radcliffe died in the fire, and she is certain something will happen to David Collins.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. The night is filled with death and terror at Collinwood. Once again, the flames have reached out and claimed another life. And the voice of the dead has been heard through the lips of a young boy.
Carolyn comes downstairs and enters the darkened Drawing room, turning on some lights. Burke, Victoria, and David return and Victoria delivers the news about Guthrie's death as Burke carries David upstairs to bed.
Act I
Carolyn learns that Guthrie crashed and burst into flames in his car, in which he was pinned. Carolyn remarks on the additional death by fire. Victoria feels it's too much of a coincidence and believes that Laura's directly responsible for his death. Carolyn asks about David, and Victoria relays the events of the seance. Carolyn is beset. Burke returns and takes a drink after Carolyn offers. Burke offers explanations as to his involvement in the whole mess, and states his disbelief in his own beliefs. He admits to having evolving feelings concerning Laura; he finds it difficult to believe Laura's capable of these things. He's also not sure of how much more she is capable and resolves she must be stopped.
Act II
Victoria brings David an extra blanket. David is uneasy despite extreme fatigue. David explains his feelings during the séance, the events of which he does not remember; he begins to ask for his mother rather than the hot chocolate for which he had initially asked. Victoria tries to put him off; David insists he is going to see his mother tomorrow and won't live at Collinwood anymore. Burke and Carolyn talk about Laura's allies, or present lack thereof; Burke doesn't believe, as Carolyn does, that Laura will back down from the fight now. Roger comes home and has already heard the news about Guthrie as well as about the séance. He admits to being shocked by Guthrie's death and laments his own lack of belief in Guthrie's philosophies. Roger and Burke discuss Laura's culpability in the death of Dr. Guthrie as well as in Elizabeth's condition; Roger wonders who will be next.
Act III
Carolyn asks what the police can do; Roger jokes. Burke resolves to do something; Roger wants him to leave it alone, but Burke points out that there are higher stakes involved. He declares an intermission in their fight in order to defeat Laura. Victoria comes in and reports on David. Roger inquires about the séance, and Victoria doesn't know what Guthrie planned next. All of his notes and recordings were destroyed when he died. Roger wonders what David's remarks during the séance meant. Victoria believes it was a vision of the past and of the future. Roger decides to exclude David from seeing his mother, but everyone realizes that will only increase the boy's desire to see her. Roger will speak to Laura if someone else can take David away; Burke offers to take him on a fishing trip as they had discussed in 173. Roger and Burke snap into action.
Act IV
David frets; Burke and Roger enter his room. David's upset that his hot chocolate was sans whipped cream; he's also befuddled by the events of this night. Burke asks David what he’s doing tomorrow, and David admits he's going to tell Laura that he plans to go away with her. Burke and Roger pretend to be nonplussed; Burke says he wishes he could take David along on the fishing trip they talked about. David laments his inability to go. Burke speaks of his cabin on the Canadian border, which is only accessible by a seaplane that lands on the lake. David is excited, but refuses to put off seeing his mother for even a day. David insists he will speak with Laura. Burke continues to pitch the trip, and David gets excited about the possibility of catching the record Muskie. He's sold. They'll leave first thing in the morning. Downstairs, Victoria frets about something in the account of the deaths of the Radcliffes that she can't explain. Roger and Burke announce their success, and Victoria reveals that the Radcliffes died 100 years ago this night, making her believe that David is in danger tonight.
== Memorable quotes ==
== Dramatis personae ==
* ← Mitchell Ryan as Burke Devlin →
* ← Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard →
* ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins →
* ← David Henesy as David Collins →
* ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters →
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
=== Story ===
* TIMELINE: It was the "other day" when Dr. Guthrie and Joe opened up the two graves. 11:50pm at the start of the episode. It was about an hour ago when Guthrie's car crashed. Day 48 begins, and will end in 191. A fishing trip for David is planned for the morning (i.e., later on in Day 48).
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* In the teaser, Carolyn comes downstairs and looks in the drawing room--all the lights are off. The lights are still off when Burke (carrying David) and Vicki enter from outside. They start conversing with Carolyn, and suddenly the studio lights flash on.
*When Carolyn is talking to Burke in the drawing room in Act 1, there is a large boom mic shadow on her face.
* There seems to be a bit of inconsistency in the phoenix events. At the end of this episode, Vicki is looking at the newspaper account of David Radcliffe and Laura Murdoch Radcliffe's death in 1867. She notes that the date was that night and fears that something will happen to their David tonight. It seems that Laura Murdoch Radcliffe and David Radcliffe died together--and subsequently LMR's body disappeared. However, the "real" Laura Collins in 1967 is already dead and her body has already disappeared (from the Phoenix morgue). The Laura Collins we see has already been reincarnated, whereas that didn't seem to be the case when David Radcliffe died in 1867.
== End credits announcement ==
* Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 187 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 187: Exactly one hundred years ago
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 187: 3/14/67
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