917

Professor Stokes finds Paul after he has collapsed and takes him to the police.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: The night of the full moon has fallen over Collinwood. At the Inn, Julia Hoffman has discovered, to her horror, that Grant Douglas is missing. And at the great house, Carolyn Stoddard is terribly disturbed about her father, unaware that he and she are important parts of the plan that Barnabas has brought back from the past.
At Collinwood, Carolyn tells Elizabeth that she wishes Julia was still treating Paul. Elizabeth says not to worry about it, and soon Paul will be fine. Elizabeth leaves the house, and Carolyn goes into the Drawing Room and closes the doors. Meanwhile, Paul has broken out of his room.
Act I
Carolyn catches Paul as he tries to escape from Collinwood and takes him to the drawing room. He is still convinced that "they" are trying to harm him, and they have already invaded Collinwood. Carolyn agrees to get him out of the house, and leaves to get his things. While she is gone, Elizabeth returns and Paul collapses. Elizabeth tells Carolyn she needs to accept the fact that Paul is mentally ill and can't leave Collinwood.
Later, Elizabeth tries to get Paul to take his medicine, but he refuses, thinking the medicine is making his condition worse. She leaves, and Mrs. Johnson enters with milk and cookies. Paul asks if the medicine was dropped into the milk, but she says she doesn't believe in medicine, and there is nothing in the milk. She leaves, and Elizabeth and Mrs. Johnson watch from the hallway, revealing that the medicine was indeed put into the milk.
Act II
Elizabeth tells Mrs. Johnson that she plans to move Paul to the Tower Room. Mrs. Johnson heads to the tower to make sure everything is ready, while Elizabeth stays in Paul's room. After a while she leaves, and Paul wakes up, and says to himself, "she is one of them." Paul attempts to get out of bed, but he collapses again. Carolyn rushes in, and Paul again tells her that she has to help him get out of Collinwood. She leaves and later returns with Elizabeth to discover he is gone. Elizabeth discovers all of the milk has been poured into a flower vase.
Elizabeth, Carolyn, and Mrs. Johnson begin searching the grounds for Paul. Meanwhile, Paul is wandering aimlessly through the forest and then collapses. A man then approaches him.
Act III
Professor Stokes finds Paul in the forest. Stokes, recognizing his name, agrees to take him to the police.
Stokes and Paul arrive at the police station. Paul begins to tell the officer everything that has been happening to him, but he has trouble following his story. Paul identifies Elizabeth as "one of them." The officer agrees to keep him safe while he investigates the matter.
Later that night, Paul awakens feeling much better. The officer says someone has come to see him: it's Elizabeth, who gives him the medicine and plans to take him back to Collinwood.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Paul: Is there anything in that milk?
----
: Professor Stokes: You could catch your death of cold lying out here like this.
: Paul: Well, I seem to be marked for death no matter where I turn.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
* ← Clarice Blackburn → as ← Sarah Johnson →
* Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard
* Thayer David as Timothy Eliot Stokes
* Dennis Patrick as Paul Stoddard
* Ed Riley as Sheriff Davenport
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* This episode was recorded out of broadcast sequence. The previous episode to be recorded was 919.
* This was broadcast on New Year's Eve, the final episode of 1969.
* First appearance of Ed Riley as Deputy Davenport (though cast is not credited at closing, the DS Program Guide lists him as 'Deputy' - when we next see him, he'll be Sheriff.)
* Clarice Blackburn returns to the cast after an absence of 121 episodes.
* No cast or crew members are credited.
* Closing credits scene: Sheriff's office.
=== Story ===
* Final episode to take place in 1969.
* Elizabeth is going to the historical society with some silverware; she is expected. She has returned to Collinwood for Carolyn's "great grandmother's sugar bowl". This could refer to either of the following people: 
** Laura Collins (Edward Collins' wife), who, due to the strange nature of the Collins family tree, is also Carolyn's aunt (Roger's wife). 
** Paul Stoddard's grandmother, which would explain why Elizabeth mentioned the relative through Carolyn. It could have been an engagement present and may explain why Elizabeth is so keen to get rid of it, due to her less than rosy past history with the lady's grandson.
* The scene where Paul wakes up after a nap at the Collinsport Police station to discover that his conspiracy theories were not believed by the sherrif, and that the sherrif had called his now-possessed wife to pick him up, is identical to that in , where Rosemary wakes up after a nap at her gynecologist's to discover he had notified her husband and evil Dr. Saperstein to collect her.
* INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Paul: Did I dream it?
* TIMELINE: 9pm: Paul at the police station.
* SEDATIVE: Paul is still sedated (or at least was). Dr. Reeves has prescribed Paul a medicine. Mrs. Johnson believes people take too much medicine. Elizabeth has given Paul a double dose in with the milk and recommends Paul be given a sedative.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* Joan Bennett flubs her line to Paul; “I humored you about your — about Dr. Hoffman.”
* As Carolyn catches Paul attempting to leave Collinwood, a boom mic is briefly seen.
* The medicine looks like water, and much of what Joan Bennett pours in the final scene doesn't stay in the spoon.
* When Paul collapses in his room, marking tape can be seen on the floor both when he falls and as Carolyn helps him to his feet.
* There is a tape edit after Paul falls to the ground in the woods.
* At the beginning of Act 3, Thayer David, who is standing over Paul, briefly looks up for his cue before he bends over.
* The second hand on the clock in the sheriff's office doesn't move at the end of the scene. As well, the minute hand of the clock has not moved during the few minutes Paul was talking to Professor Stokes and the sheriff.
* At the end of the episode when the sheriff grabs Paul, he mistakenly calls him "Mr. Stokes" but immediately corrects himself.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 917 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 917 - The Spoon
== Gallery () ==
917b.jpg|Father & Daughter
917h.jpg|Milk & Cookies
917k.jpg|Dazed & Confused
0917