Wednesday, July 26, 2017

The Dark Shadows Daybook: July 26



By PATRICK McCRAY

Taped on this date in 1968: Episode 555

Nicholas further champions lying as a central tool for Adam’s burgeoning immorality. He then suggests moving Vicki to his home for safekeeping. He then goes to Carolyn and tries to shift suspicion onto Barnabas. Jeff reports about Tom Jennings’ strange death. As Carolyn joins the search for Vicki, Nicholas paints an increasingly suspicious picture of Barnabas to Jeff. Later, Vicki pleads with Adam to show the gentility that Carolyn reported he had. Nicholas tries to dictate terms to Adam about how to handle Vicki, but Adam is protectively resistant. This is countered by Nicholas with an assertion that Barnabas will soon begin the experiment to create a mate, and he should bring Vicki. She awakens in Nicholas’ home, but is uncertain of the location beyond hearing waves. Elsewhere, in his home, Nicholas opens a coffin that contains an undead Angelique.

Normally, morality plays about lying involve children and adults. But with Adam, you get a very articulate adult, and he provides much more of a force of physicality and conscience against which Nicholas clashes. It’s so tiring to see the devil once again treated as the Prince of Lies, but in this case, the DARK SHADOWS writers present Nicholas’ position as a philosophically valid slice of realpolitik. Adam wrestles with very real issues, and I find myself identifying with him on his journey. Kudos to both Humbert Astredo and Robert Rodan for taking what should be an obvious dilemma and breathing real dimension and unpredictability into it. Poor Adam, caught in such a web of lies. We can see that it pains him, and yet Nicholas is so marvelously sincere that it’s hard to imagine the lug responding any other way.

On this day in 1968, America was intrigued with the replacement series, THE PRISONER, which debuted earlier that summer. Going on to legendary status, it would also be explored by the fine folks at Big Finish. 

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