197

Roger, desperately seeking the paintings he needs to return to Sam, runs into a snooping McGuire in the basement of Collinwood.
== Synopsis ==
Teaser
: My name is Victoria Winters. There is a guest at Collinwood, a guest whose smile masks the suggestion of evils past, present, and future. But one need only look into his eyes to discover the danger that his smile cannot conceal.
Morning; Jason comes downstairs acting as if he owns the place. He had a great night's sleep; Elizabeth considers him an intruder, not a guest. She pressures him for a decision concerning his length of stay; he stalls and says if she gets difficult, he will retaliate.
Act I
Elizabeth asks if Jason will continue threatening her; why did he return when he promised never to? Jason thinks Elizabeth's life has been pretty good, but her conscience has been bothering her. Jason is glad he doesn't have one, or he would have turned her in already. He points out her hypocrisy. He laments his sad, moneyless life and she reminds him of the generous amount of money she gave him. It's 'gone with the wind'; he wants her to allow him to charge some clothing at the local clothiers. 
Outside in the Foyer, Roger Collins receives a call from an angry Sam Evans, who reiterates his threat of 193 after Roger reports the 'miserable' paintings weren't where he last placed them.
Act II
Roger prowls in the basement, hoping to find his missing paintings. He is unable to enter the locked room; while down there, he hears a noise and hides. He observes Jason prowling by the locked room as well. McGuire, using a lighter to spy, is surprised when Roger shines a flashlight on him. Jason claims to be lost and to having collected old padlocks like the one on the basement door. They spar; Roger asks if McGuire left with Paul Stoddard. McGuire states he and Paul left at the same time, and that the last place he saw him was here (in Collinwood's basement).
Act III
McGuire elaborates that Paul was collecting things as he left; McGuire asks if Roger wants Paul to come back. Roger doesn't, but feels that Paul is one of Collinwood's loose ends. They speak of Elizabeth's being a recluse; Roger refuses to explain why he was in the basement. Roger goes to Elizabeth, desperate to find the unimportant, non-family, partially framed paintings. He's looked everywhere but the locked room, where Elizabeth assures they're not, and bars his access. Roger blabs that McGuire was poking around the basement room as well. Roger vows to find out what it's all about.
Act IV
At the Blue Whale, Sam drinks. Roger enters sans paintings; Roger reports he was unable to find them and speculates that someone must have thrown them out. Sam is appalled that someone would throw out paintings; they trade barbs. Sam again threatens that if he doesn't get the paintings and his chance for recognition, he will start blabbing and stop only when Roger's behind bars. Roger thinks of one place they may be. 
At Collinwood, Jason is preparing to go out to pick up his new clothes; Elizabeth has called and the Haberdashery is expecting him. She confronts him about his activities in the basement. Jason calls the basement room "his stake" and Elizabeth scolds him for drawing attention to it. Elizabeth defends Roger; both McGuire and Elizabeth want the locked door never to be opened. Back in the basement, Roger hacks at the locked door with an axe.
== Memorable quotes ==
: Elizabeth: I have a conscience, you know.
: Jason: Yeah, well, that's your shortcoming.
----
: Jason: Well, it's hypocrisy time at Collinwood.
== Dramatis personae ==
* ← Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard →
* ← Dennis Patrick as Jason McGuire →
* ← Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins →
* ← David Ford as Sam Evans →
* ← George McCoy as Blue Whale Customer (uncredited) →
== Background information and notes ==
=== Production ===
* There is a (rare) tape edit toward the end of the scene with Roger and Jason in the basement, between when Jason observes that the start of Liz's never leaving the Collinwood grounds coincides with Paul Stoddard's going away, and Roger saying "Shall we go?" [there is no tape edit at that point, as evidenced by there being no break in the music].
=== Story ===
* Jason claims that most of his possessions were stolen in .
* According to Elizabeth, most of the Collins family portraits are hanging in the house.
* It's been 18 years since Jason last saw Elizabeth, coinciding with when Paul Stoddard "left" Collinwood.
* TIMELINE: Day 52 begins, and will end in 201.
== Bloopers and continuity errors ==
* When Sam calls Collinwood, it appears he is dialing 1339. But the phone at Collinwood shows the number 4099.
* Significant boom mic shadows play across Liz's face as she looks at the key to the basement at the beginning of the scene between her and Roger in the drawing room.
== End credits announcement ==
* Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.
==External Links ==
Dark Shadows - Episode 197 on the IMDb
Dark Shadows Commentary- Episode 197: Our most prominent loose ends
Dark Shadows Before I Die- Episode 197: 3/28/67
0197