Laura makes a desperate final bid for David's acceptance as she is consumed by supernatural flames. Meanwhile, Elizabeth begins to recover and Victoria battles to save the life of David.

DS-191

Mitchell Ryan

Nancy Barrett

Joan Bennett

David Henesy

Dana Elcar

Joel Crothers

Diana Millay

Kathryn Leigh Scott

Louis Edmonds

Clarice Blackburn

David Ford

Alexandra Isles

Malcolm Marmorstein

Lela Swift

Season 3

DS-190

After Matthew's screams of terror, Burke and Roger break into the old house rescuing Victoria. They find Matthew dead from fright. Elizabeth, calls the Sheriff. Victoria comes home and states that the ghost of Josette Collins saved her. Roger thinks she is traumatized and imagined the ghost. Roger takes Sheriff Patterson to the Old House. Elizabeth orders Burke not to hurt Carolyn or Victoria, whom she suspects he is attracted to. Burke visits Victoria in her room and she thanks him. Burke tells her to flee Collinwood; she believes she's safe now that Matthew's dead. Roger comes home and tells the news that there will probably be no inquest. Matthew died of a heart attack most likely brought about by a big fright. Victoria feels Josette watched over her the whole time and she believes she resembles Josette. She thinks Josette is one of her ancestors. Meanwhile, Josette's ghost appears outside the Old House and dances around the columns.

DS-127

Sam reveals to Roger that the stranger who spoke to Maggie was Roger's estranged wife Laura, who has returned to town. Elsewhere, Laura wastes no time in making her presence felt.

DS-128

Elizabeth learns of Laura's return and decides that she must not see David. Meanwhile, Sam finds himself compelled to paint a disturbing picture of a woman burning amidst flames.

DS-129

Laura visits Collinwood and reveals to Roger and Elizabeth that she has intends to gain legal custody of David. Meanwhile, David has a nightmare about his mother.

DS-130/131

David learns the news that his mother has returned to Collinwood. Clearly disturbed by this revelation, he confides to Victoria that he senses Laura's presence watching over him.

DS-132

Burke and Laura meet and discuss their respective agendas against the residents of Collinwood. Meanwhile, Sam finds himself compelled to continue working on the painting.

DS-133

A frosty meeting between Roger and Laura takes place when she visits Collinwood. David is apprehensive about meeting his mother, following his dreams. When the pair meet, he runs away terrified.

DS-134

Elizabeth struggles to comfort David, who hears his mother calling to him in his sleep. While attempts are made to reintroduce the boy to his mother, it is agreed that Laura will live in Matthew's empty cottage.

DS-135

Roger locks horns with Richard Garner, as he attempts to speed up divorce proceedings against Laura. Sam continues to be troubled by his compulsion to paint the fire portrait.

DS-136

Sam's painting is now almost complete, depicting Laura surrounded by flames. Meanwhile, Roger learns that the body from the Phoenix apartment has been positively identified as Laura.

DS-137

The sheriff questions Laura about the body, but can offer no explanation for the mistake in identity. Roger goes to Laura's cottage with a gun and discovers her and Burke there together.

DS-138

Roger demands that Laura tell him what Burke wanted from her. David does not want to meet Laura. When she encounters him by chance at Widows' Hill, he is terrified and almost steps over the edge.

DS-139

Victoria makes an effort to reunite David and Laura, in spite of him not believing that Laura is his mother. Later, Laura tells David the story of a mythical bird, the phoenix which is reborn anew through fire.

DS-140

David shows Laura a picture he has drawn of the phoenix and shows her the Old House. Meanwhile, Laura begins to reveal a darker motivation behind her return and her plans to take David far away.

DS-141

Victoria receives the mysterious painting of Laura from Sam and passes it onto David. That night, the painting gives David a terrible nightmare vision of his mother calling to him.

DS-142

Sam is alarmed to learn of the influence his painting has had on David, but finds himself unable to stop working on a second, identical painting. Lieutenant Riley investigates the fire at Laura's apartment.

DS-143

Victoria looks through the Collins family album and is intrigued when she realises that its illustration of Josette features an identical locket to the one Laura wears. Riley's continues to search for answers.

DS-144

Laura is outraged when she learns of Sam's painting. Later, as Sam sleeps in the living room of his cottage, Laura stares into her fireplace and makes a fire erupt around him.

DS-145

Sam and Maggie put the fire out, leaving the cottage barely damaged. Sam is left with badly burned hands, preventing him from painting. The second painting of Laura has been destroyed by the fire.

DS-146

Laura asks for Burke's help to reclaim David. Burke warms to her proposal, but in return asks for her to help clear him of his manslaughter conviction. David refuses to left Roger take the painting away.

DS-147

Victoria and Frank continue to be concerned by Laura's influence on David and agree that, despite Burke's advice, that the boy should be kept away from her at all costs.

DS-148

The ghost of Josette materialises in David's room and magically completes David's painting, so that it now depicts him and his mother surrounded by a wall of flames.

DS-149

Roger is appalled by the painting and throws it into the fireplace. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tells Laura to stay away from David. Laura vows that she will regain her son.

DS-150

David reveals to Elizabeth that Laura has visited him in the night. Meanwhile, Roger decides to encourage David to forge a closer relationship with his mother.

DS-151

Laura uses her powers of persuasion to make Victoria agree to stand aside from her and David. The body from Phoenix is positively identified as that of Laura Collins.

DS-152

Lieutenant Riley continues to investigate Laura. Meanwhile, Victoria is compelled to take her and Frank to a mysterious building located on the edge of a cemetery.

DS-153

With the help of the caretaker, Victoria and Frank discover that the remains of Laura Murdock Stockbridge are buried in the crypt. Victoria falls into a psychic trance.

DS-154

Elizabeth demands that Laura leaves Collinwood. Laura stares into the flames of the cottage fireplace and uses her supernatural powers to make Elizabeth fall unconscious.

DS-155

Elizabeth regains consciousness, but has no memory of how she fell unconscious. Later, she is visited by a cloaked figure and reacts in terror, talking incoherently about fire.

DS-156

Investigating the crypt at the Eagle Hill Cemetery, Victoria and Frank are intrigued to discover that the remains of two of Laura's ancestors are buried there, both of whom died of fire 100 years apart.

DS-157

Elizabeth's condition continues defy any logical diagnosis. Laura pays Elizabeth a visit, leaving her deeply distressed. Laura uses dark powers to place Elizabeth into a coma.

DS-158

Victoria tells Frank that Elizabeth was determined to ensure that Laura would not take David away. Laura frostily vows to Victoria that she will regain David at any cost.

DS-159

Psychic investigator Dr. Peter Guthrie is called to Collinwood to access Elizabeth's condition. He concludes that she in a trance caused by an extreme case of mental trauma.

DS-160

Guthrie determines that Elizabeth is the victim of a malicious act by an outside influence. Roger objects to Carolyn's attempts to assume the role of head of the household.

DS-161

David tells Guthrie about the legend of Josette and that her ghost haunts Collinwood. David is horrified to see the portrait of Josette change into the painting of him and Laura in the flames.

DS-162

Dr. Guthrie questions David at length. Meanwhile, Laura probes David for information on the investigation at Collinwood. Laura faces a stern interrogation from a suspicious Dr. Guthrie.

DS-163

Dr. Guthrie visits Sam and questions him about how he felt when he was painting Laura. Victoria discovers that Elizabeth's illness came just after a visit from Laura.

DS-164

David goes to the cottage to spend the night with his mother. Later during the night, the ghost of Josette appears to both David and Laura, leaving her frightened.

DS-165

Sam continues to be troubled by recent events. Victoria and David continue to worry about David's welfare, while Burke begins to harbour suspicions about Guthrie.

DS-166

Laura makes plans to take David away before Elizabeth recovers from her illness. Victoria is shocked at Dr. Guthrie's suggestion to hold a séance at Collinwood.

DS-167

An embittered Sam blames Laura for causing all the recent troubles, and confides his fears about her to Dr. Guthrie. Guthrie invites Laura to join the séance.

DS-168

Roger decides to take steps to move his divorce plans forward. Meanwhile, Dr Guthrie comes to the conclusion that there are forces acting at Collinwood beyond anyone's understanding.

DS-169

The séance goes ahead as planned, with Laura present. Victoria falls into a trance and speaks erratically in French, but falls unconscious just as she is about to make an important revelation.

DS-170

Victoria is unable to understand Josette's warming, but Guthrie succeeds in translating it. Later on, Laura appears in Victoria's room and warns her to stop interfering.

DS-171

Mrs Johnson tells Burke about recent events at Collinwood, including the séance. Laura uses magic to erase the audio recording of the séance, disposing of its evidence.

DS-172

Victoria tells Burke of the recent events and their apparent relationship with Laura. As Burke is convinced that he should be cautious, Laura takes new steps to cement her relationship with David.

DS-173

The police are forced to close the case of the corpse found in Phoenix, but are shocked to discover that the remains have vanished from their casket in the mortuary.

DS-174

Guthrie questions Laura at length about the missing body. Later, Laura gazes into the flames of her fireplace intently, causing Guthrie to collapse to the floor.

DS-175

Laura is prevented from finishing her incantation and Guthrie recovers. Though shaken by his experience, he is now convinced that Laura possesses supernatural powers.

DS-176

Guthrie tells Carolyn his surpicionsabout Laura, but decides that further investigation is needed. Guthrie asks Joe to help him to covertly exhume a coffin from the crypt.

DS-177

Carolyn persuades Roger to tolerate Guthrie's investigation of Collinwood. Later, Guthrie and Joe break into the crypt at the Eagle Hill Cemetery and prepare to open Laura Radcliff's coffin.

DS-178

The elderly caretaker intervenes before the coffin can be opened, demanding that Guthrie's party leaves. However, a supernatural force makes the lid open itself, revealing the casket to be empty.

DS-179

Joe, Frank and Guthrie are shocked by the discovery and are confused when they discover that the records for the burial are faded beyond recognition. Later, Laura appears to the caretaker.

DS-180

David sees a strange vision of himself in the flames of the fireplace. Meanwhile, Joe's research uncovers an old newspaper page which tells of a boy called David who died by fire.

DS-181

David tells Victoria that he wants to leave Collinwood to live with his mother. Meanwhile, supernatural forces, bring the newspaper clipping to Roger's attention.

DS-182

Guthrie continues to investigate Collinwood for clues. When Laura refuses to extinguish her fireplace, Guthrie realises that she is one of the undead, who gains her power from the flames.

DS-183

Laura uses her supernatural powers to place Guthrie into a psychic trance. However, the ghost of Josette intervenes and leads David to the rescue.

DS-184

Following his recent experiences, Guthrie is determined to hold another séance. As Guthrie drives to the séance, he loses control of his car, which crashes and is consumed by flames.

DS-185

Despite Guthrie's absence, the séance is conducted as planned. This time, it is David who falls into a trance. Speaking as David Radcliff, he speaks of a terrifying ordeal with his mother in the flames.

DS-186

Burke makes plans to take David away from Collinwood to protect him from Laura's influence. Victoria is concerned to learn that Laura Radcliff died exactly one century ago.

DS-187

Laura surprises her detractors by announcing that she has decided to leave Collinsport without David. However, secretly, she tells David that she intends to take him with her.

DS-188

Victoria, Burke and Joe try to find a strategy to defeat Laura. Mrs Johnson is enlisted to guard David until the danger is over. However, a telephone call provides an ideal diversion for him to slip away.

DS-189

Laura meets David at an abandoned fishing shack and tells him that they will leave soon. As a fire starts to engulf the building, Laura begins to beckon David into the flames.

Dark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was unprecedented in daytime television when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began.

The series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe. A small company of actors each played many roles; indeed, as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. Major writers besides Art Wallace included Malcolm Marmorstein, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles.

DS-191

Seasons12

Season 2 Episodes64

Cast12

Crew2

Discussion

Episode Summary