1236

Morgan and Julia find the bodies of Amanda Collins and James Forsythe to be perfectly preserved in the locked room.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: Collinwood stands shrouded in horror tonight. In the Old House, Daphne Collins has fallen into a heavy coma and been given almost no chance of coming out of it. And in Brutus Collins' bedroom, the frightening locked room, two people are about to encounter death and find grim evidence of a hatred that will not rest until every Collins is mercilessly destroyed.
Morgan and Julia decide to search the locked room for clues. Upon reaching the records room, Julia looks inside and screams.
Act I
Inside the records room, Julia sees the corpses of James and Amanda, but interestingly enough, they are both perfectly preserved. Julia wants to take the bodies out of the room and give them a proper burial, but Morgan says they must not touch them because they will become possessed. Suddenly, the lights go out and the door slams, trapping them inside. Julia turns around and notices one of the bodies moving.
Meanwhile, Catherine awakens from a nightmare and is consoled by Melanie. Catherine is heartbroken over Daphne and blames herself for her condition. As Melanie tries to cheer her up, Catherine implies that something else has happened to complicate matters, but doesn’t divulge any details. Catherine falls back onto the bed, calling for Bramwell.
Back in the records room, Julia panics and yells out for help. Upstairs, in the locked room, the ghost of Brutus appears, laughing menacingly.
Act II
In the master bedroom, Catherine collects herself and falls back asleep. Melanie steps away for a few moments, unaware that Gabriel is hiding in the hallway. Once Melanie is out of sight, Gabriel sneaks into the bedroom and approaches Catherine, but she wakes up just in time. Gabriel says he’s leaving Collinwood, and begs her for money. When she says she doesn’t have any, he accuses her of lying and pulls out a knife. She offers him jewelry in exchange for his knife, to which he agrees.
In the records room, Morgan lights a lamp, as Julia grows increasingly hysterical. He resorts to slapping her to get her to calm down.
Act III
Melanie hears Morgan’s calls for help, and she enters the locked room. She slowly walks down the stairs and releases Morgan and Julia.
With the jewelry in hand, Gabriel prepares to leave Collinwood, but hears Brutus calling for him. Brutus tells him it’s not yet time for him to leave, and orders Gabriel to come to him. Now seemingly in a trance, Gabriel slowly walks back upstairs.
Later, in the drawing room, Morgan wants to do something about James and Amanda’s bodies in the records room. Melanie warns him against doing something, thinking it could upset Brutus even more.
Gabriel enters the West Wing, and Brutus’ voice implores him to enter the locked room. Once inside, he finds a knife on a table. Brutus appears to him and declares Gabriel to be his “servant.” He orders Gabriel to take the knife and kill everyone at Collinwood one by one.
Act IV
Gabriel takes the knife and leaves the locked room.
In the master bedroom, Catherine begs Morgan to take her away from Collinwood forever. Morgan reminds her the curse will follow them wherever they go, then wonders aloud if Catherine really loves him or not, which shocks her. He brings up the idea that if Daphne dies, Bramwell will be free to pursue her, but Catherine promises Morgan she has no feelings towards him. Morgan says if she is telling the truth him, she will stay with him at Collinwood.
In the drawing room, Melanie informs Julia of her intentions to marry Kendrick. The two argue before Julia gives up and leaves the room. As Melanie looks away, Gabriel enters through the secret panel in the wall, knife in hand. Wasting no time, he rushes towards Melanie and stabs her.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Morgan: What I have to say to you may sound very cruel.
: Catherine: Cruelty is nothing new at Collinwood.
== Dramatis personae ==
* Louis Edmonds as Brutus Collins
* Grayson Hall as Julia Collins
* Nancy Barrett as Melanie Collins/Amanda Collins
* Lara Parker as Catherine Harridge Collins
* Christopher Pennock as Gabriel Collins (PT)
* Keith Prentice as Morgan Collins/James Forsythe
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* Closing credits scene: Records room.
=== Story ===
* Julia mentions that Amanda Collins and James Forsythe should be given a burial, giving a clue to the possible religion of the Collins family of Parallel Time.
* GHOSTWATCH: Brutus' ghost appears in the locked room. Later, Brutus calls to Gabriel and then appears to him inside the locked room.
* TIMELINE: 10:40pm at the end of the episode and start of the next.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* When Brutus speaks to Gabriel in the foyer, his ghostly voice reverberates. Oddly, so does Gabriel's non-ghostly voice.
* There's a shiny spot on Louis Edmonds' forehead, reflecting a studio light; it causes a 'burn hole' in Brutus' ghost when he speaks to Gabriel. Also the camera focused on Christopher Pennock is out of focus while the camera on Louis Edmonds is in focus and the resulting chromakey effect has a combination of out of focus and in focus characters.
*After Gabriel leaves the lottery room with the knife at Brutus's command, Brutus begins laughing as the scene fades out, though his laughter seems delayed. As the next scene with Catherine and Morgan fades in we can still hear Louis Edmonds laughing (without the echoey reverberation of the previous scene). However, when Catherine begins speaking the sound has more reverb again. Lara Parker hesitates to continue speaking as if she realizes something has gone wrong.
*At the end of the episode Nancy Barrett screams too soon, covering up when Christopher Pennock says he (Gabriel) is to going to kill Melanie.
==External Links==
Dark Shadows - Episode 1236 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Every Day - Episode 1236 - Infrequently Asked Questions About the Collins Family Curse
1236