Episode #1.35 (1966) User Reviews (3)

"Either Cure it or Drown It"

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 12 August 2011]

After a nice filmed opening, David (David Henesy) fearfully descends the foyer staircase to eavesdrop on his sister's telephone call from Joe (Joel Crothers). Joe tells Carolyn (Nancy Barrett) he saw Vicki in Burke's hotel room, after Joe stopped by to clear a bar tab. Still nursing his hangover, Joe is eating a hamburger when David Ford (as Sam Evans) arrives at the hotel restaurant, looking for daughter Maggie and Burke (Mitchell Ryan). Sam tries to renegade on his agreement to paint Burke's portrait. Carolyn reveals her jealousy to Vicki (Alexandra Moltke)...

Over the opening, we are advised, "The character of Sam Evans will be played by David Ford." This was the series' first major re-casting. Advising viewers over the opening title was a common way of alerting viewers about casting changes. With his red hair and stubble, previous "Sam" Mark Allen was cast to last, but he apparently found more regular work elsewhere. Interestingly, Mr. Ford would begin courting Ms. Barrett. The unlikely romantic pair would have a brief marriage during the show's run. The characters "Carolyn" and "Sam" barely crossed paths...

**** Dark Shadows 1966 ABC #35 (8/12/66) Lela Swift ~ Nancy Barrett, David Ford, Alexandra Moltke, Mitchell Ryan...

It's never felt more like a soap opera

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 11 March 2018]

Episode 35 is another middling episode of the series, where it very much feels like an average soap opera rather than anything more interesting. There's some rivalry and very subtle bitchiness between Carolyn and Victoria of which plenty is made of very little. The characters of Sam and Joe get a lot of screen time but do very little. Burke is a welcome presence but underutilised here.

More sides to Carolyn are revealed.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 29 October 2019]

Several years before giving us his John Hancock in the stage and screen versions of "1776", character actor David Ford was the first recast on "Dark Shadows", less Irish in tone as Sam Evans, but every inch the character actor and equally dark. This episode deals with Sam's decision not to paint Burke's portrait, as well as Carolyn's insistance that she's not jealous of Victoria spending time with Burke even though her face says otherwise, and her coldness to Victoria confirms that. It's very clear that in David Collins' first episode since being exposed that there is no love lost between him and his cousin with David taking great pleasure in gently taunting Carolyn. The only really good scene is between Carolyn and Victoria, although it's quite obvious that Nancy Barrett has more acting chops than Alexandra Moltke. I'm hoping that there was more meat on the two steaks that Burke was stuck with because this episode, like the previous one, is mostly grisle.