1204

Melanie finds Stella tied up in the tower room.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: A stormy, troubled night at Collinwood in Parallel Time, for this day has exposed another secret of the great house. Catherine has learned that Melanie, ten years before, entered the locked room in the west wing to save her father and ever since she has been given to sudden unpredictable seizures of madness, seizures of which Melanie is quite unaware. But there are other secrets, one of them unknown except to two women as a sane Melanie soon discovers.
Melanie catches Julia sneaking out of the tower room with an empty food tray and asks who is being held there.
Act I
Melanie forces herself past Julia and enters the tower room to find Stella, gagged and tied to a chair. Stella tells her that she was nearly murdered by Justin with a knife (an event that was witnessed by the standard timeline Gabriel), which is confirmed by Julia. The news breaks Melanie’s heart.
Later, Flora and Julia explain to Melanie that they’ve been holding Stella captive to keep her from going to the police, though they admit what they are doing is wrong. Melanie convinces the two that after Justin’s funeral, they must set Stella free.
The next morning, Quentin tells Morgan his belief that Melanie’s attack on Catherine was a result of the family delaying the lottery. Morgan isn’t so sure, but Quentin believes something terrible will soon happen again. Just then, Morgan turns around and finds the vase he was going to use for the lottery sitting on top of Justin’s coffin.
Act II
Quentin notices there is a message inside the vase. On a piece of paper, the names of Quentin, Morgan, Gabriel, Melanie, Flora and Julia are written in Brutus Collins’ handwriting. Quentin deduces these are the people required to participate in the lottery, and remains convinced that if they don’t hold the lottery soon, everyone in the house is at risk.
Meanwhile, Melanie returns to the tower and promises Stella she will be freed in a few hours, and begs her not to go to the police after she leaves. 
In the drawing room, Flora reminisces her wedding day with Justin to Quentin, and wonders what his life would have been like if he wasn’t a Collins. Suddenly, Melanie walks in and appears to be possessed again. She laughs hysterically at Justin’s coffin, and says the lottery must happen again.
Act III
Melanie’s mental state causes Flora to break down in tears, and Quentin drags Melanie out of the room. Morgan walks in and demands that Melanie be taken out of Collinwood, but Flora refuses to entertain the idea, just as Julia did previously. 
Quentin takes Melanie upstairs and locks her in her room as she continues to act hysterically.
That afternoon, Quentin, Flora, Julia and Morgan attend Justin’s funeral. Melanie was kept at Collinwood, and Gabriel was too drunk to show up, much to Flora’s anger. As the funeral ends, Morgan and Julia see the Woman in White off in the distance.
Act IV
Back at Collinwood, a heartbroken Melanie, who has returned to her normal state, cries over missing Justin’s funeral. Quentin explains that she had an attack, but Melanie remembers nothing and isn’t sure she believes him. He holds out hope that if they can find out who possesses her during the attacks, it will help the family defeat the curse. Quentin leaves and locks Melanie in her room. 
In the drawing room, Flora and Julia devise a plan to give Stella $5,000 to leave Collinsport forever and never speak of her experiences in Collinwood. When they arrive at the tower room, they discover that Stella has been stabbed to death, and Flora wonders if Melanie killed her.
Flora and Julia rush to Melanie’s room, but find that she is missing. As they wonder how she might have escaped, Melanie is shown in the West Wing, pounding on the doors to the locked room, screaming, “Let me in, I want to be with you!”
== Memorable quotes ==
: Melanie: I can't stand any more secrets. There are too many secrets in this house!
----
: Quentin: There's not much you can do in prison except watch and listen.
: ____________________________________________________________________
: Flora: We had to lock her up or she would have gone to the police.
: ___________________________________________________________________
Morgan: we’re not going to get off free, are we?
_____________________________________________________________________
Melanie: [possessed] The lottery must happen again and again and again.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Joan Bennett as Flora Collins (PT)
* David Selby as Quentin Collins (1841 PT)
* Nancy Barrett as Melanie Collins
* Grayson Hall as Julia Collins
* Keith Prentice as Morgan Collins
* Gaye Edmond as Stella Young
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Closing credits scene: Hallway at Collinwood.
=== Story ===
* In this episode, Stella is found dead. It is believed that Melanie committed the murder whilst possessed. Although Stella's death will continue to be mentioned for much of this storyline, it is never conclusively revealed if it was in fact Melanie who killed her. 
* It is revealed that Justin Collins attacked Stella with a knife (as witnessed by Gabriel Collins of the main-time band in 1189). Although not fatally wounded, she had been kept in the tower room since then by Julia out of fear that Stella would report the incident to the authorities.
* Quentin has been away for seven years, where he spent time in prison.
* GHOSTWATCH: Morgan and Julia see the Woman in White.
* TIMELINE: Kendrick was at Collinwood yesterday. Day 443 begins, and will end in 1206. Justin's funeral today. 1pm: The funeral will soon begin. 6:45pm: Return from the funeral.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* In Act I as Julia finishes talking to Melanie while there's a close-up on her face, we hear running footsteps, which must be Nancy Barrett running to the next set. When the next scene begins Flora is talking to Melanie, but we see only Flora's face for some time while we hear Nancy Barrett's and Grayson Hall's running footsteps entering the set.
*Joan Bennett flubs a line: "We had to go to the police...we had to lock her up or she would have gone to the police."
*Joan Bennett flubs a line: "So that's how [Gabriel] respay...pays his respects to his father...with brandy."
==External Links==
Dark Shadows - Episode 1204 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Every Day - Episode 1204 - Minimum Security
1204