345

News of Burke's plane crashing in the reaches Collinwood.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: The night at Collinwood is deceptively quiet and calm. Our thoughts take wing and fly in many directions. At the Old House on the Collinwood estate, there is one who dreams of taking a bride one day soon and recapturing all the glory of the past, while at the great house, we think only of the future and pray for the safe return of one who has left us.
Mrs. Johnson hurries into the drawing room to tell Elizabeth Collins Stoddard terrible news: Burke Devlin's airplane has crashed over the Amazon. Elizabeth orders the housekeeper not to say a word to Victoria Winters until she finds out the truth of the matter. She quickly makes a telephone call.
Act I
Elizabeth has contacted an airport in Brazil, but, amidst the confusion, there is no passenger list at hand. Elizabeth informs Mrs. Johnson they will have to wait for news.
Meanwhile, at the Old House, Dr. Julia Hoffman is making a record of Barnabas Collins' latest treatment in her notebook. Barnabas paces the parlor restlessly. He is becoming ever more anxious for the day when Victoria will be his bride. Julia, jealous of Barnabas' affection for the governess, wonders how he intends to achieve this. She takes pleasure in pointing out Victoria is in love with Burke, not him. Barnabas assures her Victoria will come to him willingly. Julia wonders if Josette Collins ever came to him in the same way. His silence speaks volumes. But it is clear to Barnabas, from Julia's constant questioning of Josette, that the doctor sees his lost love as a rival. She denies this. Barnabas plans to tell her everything about Josette, but he will only do so at one place: Widows' Hill.
Act II
Back at Collinwood, Elizabeth and Mrs. Johnson continue to wait for news when Victoria comes into the room. She is going out for a stroll but notices Elizabeth has found the floor plan for the West Wing. It clearly breaks both Elizabeth and Mrs. Johnson's hearts to hear Victoria's future plans with Burke. Victoria wants badly to belong in Collinwood, and she thanks Elizabeth for her generosity. She notices how upset Elizabeth appears to be, but, just then, the telephone rings. It is the airline official, who confirms the bad news. Elizabeth tells Victoria Burke's plane has crashed in the Amazon jungle. Victoria almost faints, and Elizabeth helps her to her bedroom.
Act III
Later, Mrs. Johnson has given Victoria something to help her rest. The housekeeper rejoins Elizabeth in the drawing room, and the two women decide to stay up in case Victoria needs them, and to hear any more news from Brazil. They are startled when Victoria comes downstairs. Victoria, believing that Burke will find a way to come back to her, decides to go out for her walk.
Meanwhile, Barnabas is relating the story of Josette to Julia at the edge of Widows' Hill. He first met Josette when she arrived from France as Jeremiah Collins' bride. Barnabas fell in love with her instantly, and vowed to win her away from his middle-aged uncle. As with Victoria, Josette only saw him as a good friend. But, as the years passed, Josette came to realize she had married an old man and felt as if she had wasted her life. This gave Barnabas the opportunity to make her his forever... His story trails off. Julia finally realizes how much Barnabas loved Josette. But she points out that Josette is gone, and it would be best if he stopped measuring her against everyone he meets. At that moment, Victoria stumbles upon them. She tells them about the plane crash and that something drew her out to Widows' Hill. Seizing his chance, Barnabas suggests Julia return to Collinwood while he remains with Victoria. Julia reluctantly agrees.
Act IV
Victoria is grateful for Barnabas' company. She talks of her future plans with Burke and her belief that her fiancé is still alive. She thanks Barnabas for being a good friend to her. They hear the Widows' wail, and Victoria steps toward the edge of the cliff. When she moves too close to danger, Barnabas stops her. Breaking off before he can speak Josette's name, he tells Victoria to never do anything as foolish as kill herself. Barnabas promises her that, one day soon, she will be a bride.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Barnabas: (to Victoria) My dear, if I think it were me, nothing on heaven or Earth could stop me from coming back to you.
----
: Julia (to Barnabas): Then why is Josette so important to you when you were never very important to her?
----
: Julia: I just don't want you to build your life on a self-deception.
: Barnabas: A self-deception, you call it? Oh, you do amuse me, you and your modern scientific words, you and your cold, clinical thinking.
: Julia: My thinking is neither cold nor clinical, believe me. 
: Barnabas: And your curiosity amuses me too as well. You're so curious to know everything. Whatever I tell you, it isn't enough, and it's always Josette, always curious about Josette...as if she were, what shall we say, a rival of yours?
----
: Julia: Barnabas, when you talked about Josette, you never seemed more human. I understand now how much you really loved her.
: Barnabas: How much I loved her...yes.
: Julia: But she's gone now, and you will be happier if you stop measuring her against everybody you meet.
: Barnabas: I'll be happier. What a quaint thought.
----
: Barnabas: Vicki, no matter what anyone else says, no matter how much they try to soften your loss or comfort you, I believe deep in my heart that you will be a bride one day very soon.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
* Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins
* Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman
* Clarice Blackburn as Sarah Johnson
* Alexandra Moltke as Victoria Winters
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* With this episode, Grayson Hall begins an unbroken run of 21 consecutive appearances, which ends in 365, the longest of any actor to appear in the original series.
* This episode is the first that is Copyright 1967 in the closing credits.
=== Story ===
* When they used to steer a ship by the stars, they dreaded a moonless, starless night because they couldn't see where they were going. They said the ship on such a night doing "the widow's dance."
*Mrs. Johnson had a sister who lost her husband on a ship a long time ago.
*Even at this late stage, the series maintains its original continuity concerning the marriage of Josette Collins and Jeremiah Collins. This backstory would soon see a radical change, commencing from 366, during the '1795' storyline, but, like other inconsistencies, it can be viewed as an altered timeline.
** When Barnabas is telling his story to Julia, he refers to Jeremiah as his "middle-aged uncle." In 371, Jeremiah says that they are the same age. In 391, Jeremiah's birth year is given as 1763, making him 32 years old at time of death in the year 1795. Barnabas also mentions that "as the years passed, Josette came to realize she had married an old man and felt as if she had wasted her life." In 370, Josette is shown on-screen to arrive at Collinwood in the year 1795, her marriage to Jeremiah takes place in 383, and her death at Widows' Hill takes place the following year in 425. (If anything, it only proves that Barnabas is an unreliable narrator.)
* Sedative: Elizabeth tells Mrs. Johnson that there is a small bottle of pink pills on her bureau and that Vicki should have one (after hearing of Burke's plane crash).
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* Alexandra Moltke states the opening narration in the first person ("us," "our," "we") as if she is in character as Victoria Winters, but by this time in the series, the opening narrations were no longer given in character. 
*At the end of the teaser, the camera appears to be focused on the chair in the foreground and not Elizabeth and Mrs. Johnson behind it. They are slightly out of focus. 
*Elizabeth, Julia, and Barnabas all mention that it is a cold night; however, there is no fire in the drawing room. The fire is usually lit all the time.
*When Elizabeth first calls the airline, Joan Bennett forgets the name of the city in twice, which results in a long pause.
*After Jonathan Frid mentions Josette in Act I, he walks towards the camera and the shadow of the boom microphone moves across his chest.
*During the scene in Act II when Elizabeth and Mrs. Johnson are waiting in the drawing room to hear word of Burke's fate, after Victoria walks into the room, the telephone rings. Elizabeth answers the phone, but it continues to ring.
*Joan Bennett flubs a line when Victoria nearly faints at the news of Burke's plane crash: "She'd be better off lying downstairs--upstairs in her room."
*In Act III, after Victoria says, "You shouldn't say that, Mrs. Johnson," the shadow of the boom microphone passes over her coat.
* First Barnabas and later Elizabeth state that it is a moonless and starless night, but the scene on Widow's Hill is brightly lit. [It would be rather difficult to film the scene in dark conditions.]
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 345 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Everyday - Episode 345 - Rest in Pieces0345
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 345: 10/20/67