Inside the Great House of Collinwood, a séance has been held in an effort to establish contact with the supernatural. But, at this moment, life for the six members of the séance has suddenly come to a standstill. For one of their number has mysteriously disappeared, and been transported back through time and space. Victoria Winters has begun a terrifying journey into the past.

Episode 366
Series Dark ShadowsSeason 1967, Episode 366
Air date	November 20th, 1967
Writers	Ron Sproat
Director	John Sedwick
Producers	Robert Costello
Starring	Joan Bennett; Jonathan Frid; Joel Crothers; Sharon Smyth; Alexandra Moltke
Episode guide
Previous Episode 365	Next Episode 367

Episode 366 was directed by John Sedwick and written by Ron Sproat. It first aired on ABC on Monday, November 20th, 1967. This episode begins an epic multi-episode story-arc colloquially referred to as the "1795 Flashback". In this episode, Victoria Winters disappears from the present timeline and travels back two-hundred years to the year 1795 where she meets the Collins family of that era. None of them recognize her naturally, but Vicki is surprised to see that each person she comes across bears a remarkable resemblance to someone from her own time era.

Synopsis

Victoria Winters, holding tight to the Collins Family History book, finds herself inexplicably transported two-hundred years into the past, back to the year 1795. Dazed and confused, she has yet to fully comprehend what has happened to her. She walks up to the front doors of the Old House, taking note of the fact that it appears completely different from the building she knew from her own time period. Barnabas Collins exits the house and runs into her. Vicki instantly recognizes him, but Barnabas has no idea who she is. She asks him several questions, but when Barnabas fails to answer them in the manner she would like, grows convinced that he is playing a mean prank on her. Barnabas confesses that he has never met her before in his life.

Just then, Barnabas' young sister, Sarah Collins comes out of the house. Barnabas scolds her for leaving without taking her nap and tells her that she must run along inside. The appearance of Sarah Collins causes Vicki great distress, for she knows that Sarah Collins died a long time ago. Sarah asks Vicki if she is to be her new governess. She tells her that she drew a picture of her. Vicki is more confused than ever and doesn't know how to respond. Barnabas shoos Sarah back inside for her nap. Victoria recalls events of the séance and mentions Roger, Carolyn and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, but these names are completely unfamiliar to Barnabas. She then adds that she lives at Collinwood. Barnabas scoffs at this notion, for in 1795, the Great House of Collinwood is still under construction.

Barnabas invites Victoria inside and offers her a place to lie down until she can come to her senses. Upon stepping into the house, Vicki is shocked once again to see the main drawing room/parlor painted in such fresh and vibrant colors. Barnabas escorts her upstairs to her room. After they leave, Sarah comes out of hiding from a back room. She stands at the foot of the staircase and watches Barnabas lead Victoria away.

Barnabas shows Vicki to a room and encourages her to lie down. He asks her where she came from and why she has no travel belongings. It is then that Vicki realizes that she has been carrying the Collins family history. Unable to make sense of anything, Vicki compares this experience to a nightmare. Barnabas leaves and moments later, Sarah enters the room. Sarah believes that Vicki is to be her new governess and shows her the drawing she made of her. She then hears the downstairs door open and close and, believing it to be her mother returning home, quickly darts out of the room.

Vicki goes downstairs and sees a man standing in the parlor, dressed in a naval uniform. The man looks a lot like Joe Haskell and Vicki refers to him as Joe before giving him a hug. The man corrects her and introduces himself as Lieutenant Nathan Forbes of the United States Navy. Joe tries to guess who Vicki might be and wonders if she might be a member of the Collins family, noting how she shares certain familial traits with members of the family. He then ponders if she might be a cousin named Millicent who has come for the wedding. When Vicki asks what wedding, Nathan tells her that Barnabas Collins is scheduled to marry the wealthy Josette du Près one month from today. Nathan finds Vicki quite attractive and makes his interest very obvious to her. He continues to make advances until Vicki is forced to slap him across the face to get him to back off.

Moments later, family matriarch Naomi Collins enters the house and introduces herself to Vicki. Naomi is the spitting image of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and seeing her convinces Vicki that the people she is meeting are not playing a prank on her after all. Mrs. Stoddard would never engage in such foolishness. Vicki mentions how she had just returned from Boston on a trip with David Collins where they took a bus and then "flew" the rest of the way. This strange talk convinces Naomi that Vicki must be very ill and requires rest.

She then turns toward Nathan and asked him if he picked up the wedding invitations as she asked. He responds in the affirmative and she asks him to read one aloud to see how it sounds. As he reads the date inscribed on the invitation, Vicki learns that it is the year 1795. She is convinced now that she must be having a wild and vivid dream.

Barnabas comes into the room and interrupts the group. He has just received news that the carriage bringing Sarah's new governess to the house has overturned and that three people have been killed. The governess... has simply disappeared. At first they believe that Victoria is the governess from the overturned carriage, which would explain her dazed and erratic behavior, but Naomi corrects Barnabas, citing that the woman she hired to serve as tutor to Sarah Collins was named Phyllis Wick. The strain becomes too much for Vicki and she faints.

Cast

Actor	Role
Joan Bennett	Naomi Collins
Jonathan Frid	Barnabas Collins
Joel Crothers	Lieutenant Nathan Forbes
Sharon Smyth	Sarah Collins
Alexandra Moltke	Victoria Winters

Notes & Trivia

• This episode is included on disc 4 of the Dark Shadows DVD Collection 4 as well as disc 40 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection.

• Opening narration: Joan Bennett

• Closing still: Old House parlor.

• First official episode of the "1795 Flashback" storyline. The first appearance of the year 1795 was actually at the end of episode 365. This storyline follows the "Ghost of Sarah Collins" storyline.

• With the exception of material relating to Barnabas Collins, any previously mentioned information relating to characters from this time period is considered apocryphal. Episode 460 reveals that the family patriarch of this era, Joshua Collins, doctored the Collins family history, so a large amount of previously established information is retroactively rendered inaccurate per this story-arc.

• Being that it is 1795, the Old House is not referred to as the "Old House", but as Collinwood. The Great House at Collinwood, the mansion featured in most episodes of the series is still under construction during this time period. The name "Collinwood" actually refers to the entire estate, including all buildings located on the property.

• First appearance of Naomi Collins and Nathan Forbes.

• This episode begins a casting trend which is maintained throughout several story-arcs in the series. Actors from the present-day storylines assume the roles of characters from the 18th century, many of which are ancestors of the modern-era Collins Family. The one constant in this re-casting is Barnabas Collins, who is the same character from the 18th century as the one that is seen in the present. The physical resemblance between the characters from the different eras is actually part of the storyline as Victoria Winters often mistakes people from the 18th century for people from her own timeline.

• Joan Bennett, who usually plays Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, also plays Naomi Collins.

• Joel Crothers, who usually plays Joe Haskell, also plays Lieutenant Nathan Forbes.

• Barnabas Collins appears next in episode 368/369.

• Naomi Collins appears next in episode 367.

• First appearance of Sarah Collins as a living person. She doesn't appear again until episode 389.

• Nathan Forbes appears next in episode 377.

• Reference is made to a cousin named Millicent in this episode. Millicent Collins, played by Nancy Barrett, will be introduced in episode 373.

• Reference is made to Phyllis Wick in this episode. Phyllis Wick is the only 18th century character from the series who did not appear in any of the 18th century episodes. She appeared in episode 365 and 461.

• Reference is made to Doctor Thornton in this episode. Doctor Thornton will not make an actual appearance until episode 371.

• The knitted quilt seen lying on the bed in Vicki's bedroom is the same one usually seen draped across the couch at the Evans cottage.

Bloopers

• The shadow of a boom mike can be seen moving across the staircase inside the Old House when Barnabas first invites Vicki inside.

• A production crew member can be heard coughing in the scene where Sarah first appears in the Old House parlor room.

• Jonathan Frid accidentally says the word government when he means to say governess.

Quotes

• Victoria Winters: What's happening to me? How did I get out here? It's the Old House, but there's something different about it.

• Barnabas Collins: Now Sarah, you are a very naughty little girl.

• Victoria Winters: Something happened during the séance. Something unnatural.

• Barnabas Collins: Oh, please now, Miss Winters. The Collins name is not the most popular name perhaps in the province of Maine, but I don't think anyone's ever referred to us as being nightmarish.

• Victoria Winters: I must be having a dream. Nothing else makes any sense. The way Barnabas was dressed; the way he took to Sarah... as if she was alive. It can't be real. It has to be a dream.

• Sarah Collins: Of course I'm Sarah Collins. Who else could I be?

• Victoria Winters: Suddenly, everything around me has changed, but I've stayed the same.

• Nathan Forbes: Barnabas Collins is getting married one month from today to a very beautiful and, might I add, very rich young lady named Josette du Près.

• Nathan Forbes: I once knew a scullery maid named Maggie Stuart. A trifle on the plump side, but she knew the way to a man's heart.

• Nathan Forbes: A healthy spirit makes the pursuit worth while.

• Naomi Collins: Good evening, I'm Mrs. Collins. You must be the new governess.

• Nathan Forbes: Mister and Mrs. Joshua Collins request the pleasure of your company on the 20th day of December in the year of our lord seventeen-hundred ninety-five... [brief interruption] ...that the wedding of their son, Mister Barnabas Collins and Miss Josette du Près, to be held on the Collins estate...

• Naomi Collins: Young lady, I think you better explain who you are and what you are doing here.

See also

The World of Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows items Dark Shadows locations Dark Shadows characters

Dark Shadows episodes Dark Shadows storylines Dark Shadows chronologies

Gallery of Shadows

Dark Shadows 1-100 Dark Shadows 101-200 Dark Shadows 201-300 Dark Shadows 301-400 Dark Shadows 401-500 Dark Shadows 501-600

Dark Shadows 601-700 Dark Shadows 701-800 Dark Shadows 801-900 Dark Shadows 901-1000 Dark Shadows 1001-1100 Dark Shadows 1101-1245

Miscellaneous

Dark Shadows portal Dark Shadows images Dark Shadows appearances

Dark Shadows home video Dark Shadows cast & crew Dark Shadows miscellaneous

External Links

• Episode 366 at IMDB
• Episode 366 at TV.com guide
• Episode 366 at TV Rage.com
• Episode 366 at the Horror House
• Episode 366 at the Dark Shadows Wiki

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