266

Elizabeth is tormented by dreams of the three widows and appears troubled and preoccupied as the wedding to Jason approaches.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. On this night, a pale moon illuminates the walls of Collinwood, only to pass periodically behind masses of clouds, leaving the great house in total darkness. A night wind blows in from the sea, past the cliffs where many have died, to Collinwood itself. And as it rushes past the great house, a sighing can be heard. Some say it is the call from the dead to the living. For one woman, there is terror in the night, for the dead are calling to her, beckoning her to the cliffs where others have died before. And in a dream, she's having a premonition of her own death.
Elizabeth is sleeping restlessly in her room at Collinwood. As the night air billows through an open window, she is drawn into a nightmare in which she is standing on the cliff at Widows' Hill. She can hear the Widows calling her name over and over until she falls to her death.
Act I
The following day, Victoria checks on Elizabeth and finds her in an unresponsive daze. It is one o'clock in the afternoon and Elizabeth hasn't been out of her bedroom. Victoria tries to coax Elizabeth into having lunch, then going out to walk through the garden. But Elizabeth would rather be alone. It seems that Jason has taken over the wedding preparations, and has even gone so far as to order Victoria to purchase a new dress and charge it to Elizabeth's account. Numbly, Elizabeth has no objections. Not even Victoria's news that Carolyn is planning on acquiring a marriage license can stir the Mistress of Collinwood. She's not worried, not now. Things have a way of working out, she says. Although Elizabeth insists that she's fine, Victoria remains worried.
Act II
Later that afternoon, Elizabeth has dressed for taking a walk around the grounds. Jason meets her in the foyer and he insists on speaking to her alone in the drawing room. He wants to hold the wedding at Collinwood; Elizabeth doesn't care one way or the other. Judge Crathorne is the most prominent official in Collinsport, and Jason would like him to perform the ceremony. Again, Elizabeth is detached and gives in to McGuire's demands without protest. She leaves all the preparations for the reception up to Jason. It doesn't take him long to bring the subject around to money, and he none-too-subtly hints at needing a new wardrobe for the occasion. Elizabeth, anxious to leave for her walk, acquiesces to his desires. Jason is immediately suspicious and threatens her with blackmail once more. Acting like the cat who swallowed the canary, he smirks as Elizabeth heads outside.
Act III
Elizabeth has wandered to the place of her dream: the edge of the cliff high atop Widows' Hill. She wrings her hands as she gazes down at the ocean waves crashing against the jagged rocks below. Mrs. Johnson emerges breathless from the woods. She startles Elizabeth whom she was looking for. It's seven o'clock and Elizabeth has been outside for hours. She promises to return to Collinwood in a little while. Mrs. Johnson inquires about the grand wedding reception; Elizabeth tells her she'll employ some extra help. The howling of the wind brings the Legend of the Widows to Mrs. Johnson's mind. She doesn't believe in the story, but Elizabeth insists that it is true and goes on to relate the legend. Three women--who all lost their loved ones at sea--jumped to their deaths at Widows' Hill. According to the legend, the Widows are waiting for a fourth one to join them. Elizabeth feels faint and Mrs. Johnson prevents her from tumbling over the edge of the cliff. Mrs. Johnson helps Elizabeth, who cannot stop peering at the cliff edge, back to Collinwood.
Act IV
Back home safely, Elizabeth has to deal with another unpleasant encounter with Jason. He presents her with a necklace he claims belonged to his mother. Elizabeth continues to be distant and uncaring, whilst Victoria is disgusted by Jason's supposed affection. McGuire goes to the study to read the evening newspaper as Mrs. Johnson enters the drawing room. She confides in Victoria about the incident with Elizabeth. Upstairs in her room, Elizabeth hears the Widows calling to her. She rushes to the window and opens it, acknowledging the cries.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Elizabeth: The sea is my grave; my grave is the sea.
== Dramatis personae ==
* ← Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard →
* ← Dennis Patrick as Jason McGuire
* ← Clarice Blackburn as Sarah Johnson
* ← Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters →
* Joy Nicholson as Widow
* Bridget O'Donnell as Widow
* Marin Riley as Widow
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Clarice Blackburn returns to the cast after an absence of 53 episodes.
* There are no cast or crew credited for this episode.
*The waves scene in this episode would later be used as the title color opening sequence in episode 295.
*This is the seventh episode since Barnabas' introduction in 210 not to contribute to the vampire storyline instead focusing solely on the blackmail storyline.
=== Story ===
* The names of the three widows are revealed as Rachel Comstock, Abigail Tolliver, and Margaret Findley. Comstock was the wife of a fisherman and had five sons. All three women jumped from Widows' Hill. A fourth death has been prophesied.
* It was established in previous episodes that Josette Collins was said to have jumped to her death from Widows' Hill (233). However, no mention was made that she was the widow of Jeremiah at the time of her death.
* The legend of the widows is said to consist of three women, who are waiting for a fourth to join them. However, previously the ghosts of four widows (126) attacked Matthew on Josette's command.
* GHOSTWATCH: The ghosts of the widows call to Elizabeth.
* DREAM SEQUENCE: Elizabeth dreams that the widows are calling her to jump from Widows' Hill.
* TIMELINE: Day 92 begins, and will end in 267. 1pm at the start of the episode.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* When Elizabeth walks down to the foyer, the camera approaches her. The camera dolly hits something, and the camera shakes.
* As Joan Bennett relates the story of Rachel Comstock, she flubs a line, saying, "Her five sail... sons, all of them sailors, were lost at sea too".
* There is the legend of the three sea widows falling to their deaths, but Josette Collins' suicide from the same cliff in 1797 is not mentioned.
*In Act IV the audio playback of the widows' calls is briefly cut off in midcall when Elizabeth begins to open the window.
== End credits announcements ==
* Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
==External links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 266 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 266 - Jump Start
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 266: The sea is my grave. My grave is the sea. 
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 266: 7/3/67
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