The following is detailed episode information chronicling the televised storylines of the original run of Dark Shadows episodes, broadcast from 1966 to 1971.
No. Title Episodes Broadcast 1 Victoria's Arrival 1 to 6 June 27, 1966, to July 4, 1966 Victoria Winters travels to Collinsport by train from New York, to be the governess of David Collins at Collinwood. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has hired her under mysterious circumstances, against the will of her gruff brother, Roger Collins, who is David's father. Victoria, an orphan, believes the job might lead her to find something about her past. Maggie Evans, a waitress at the local inn, warns Victoria about the Collins family, but Victoria goes to Collinwood anyway. Having arrived at Collinwood, Victoria starts to settle in. During her first night at Collinwood, Victoria is awakened by the sounds of a sobbing woman. While searching for the source of the sound, she meets the mentally disturbed David, who only says, “I hate you."
After her first night at Collinwood, Victoria decides to go back to New York. Near Widows' Hill, Victoria meets Sam Evans, an artist and Maggie's alcoholic father, who tells her about Josette Collins, a Collins family ancestor who jumped to her death. Victoria returns to her room to find David has helped her “pack” while she was out. Victoria changes her mind and decides to stay at Collinwood with renewed hopes that she will find out something about her past. Victoria asks Elizabeth why she was hired and what she might know about her past. Elizabeth tells Victoria she knows nothing about her past, and does not appreciate being interrogated. 2 The Revenge of Burke Devlin 1 to 201 June 26, 1966, to April 3, 1967 Burke Devlin, an ex-convict and successful businessman, returns to Collinsport after several years away. He has a private investigator checking up on the Collins family. Roger Collins becomes agitated when he finds out Burke is back in town. Bill Malloy, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's right-hand man at the family owned cannery, meets with Burke, who admits to Bill he has a grudge against the Collins family. Burke visits Sam Evans, who is very uncomfortable with his return to town. Carolyn Stoddard, Elizabeth's daughter, curious about all the talk of Burke Devlin, goes to his hotel room to meet him and ends up bringing him back to Collinwood. Burke meets Elizabeth and offers to buy Collinwood from her, but she tells him it is not for sale. They discuss the five years he spent in prison, and how he has traveled and made a great deal of money in the five years since he has gotten out of prison. Roger believes Burke blames him for being sent to prison ten years ago. Elizabeth tells Carolyn that Burke was convicted of manslaughter ten years ago, and Roger was a witness at the trial. Roger talks with Sam; he says they are the only two people who know what really happened ten years ago. Elizabeth asks Roger if he did send Burke to prison when he was innocent. Roger claims his truthful testimony on the witness stand sent Burke to prison. Whilst Victoria Winters is at the Evans’ cottage for dinner, Burke's manslaughter case comes up. Sam tells her that Roger and Burke had been out drinking one night. When they decided to go home, Burke had insisted on driving. On the way back, he hit and killed a man. Burke invites himself to dinner with Sam, Maggie, and Victoria. Burke tells his version of the accident that happened ten years ago; he believes that Roger was the one driving the car that night.
Burke tries to 'buy' employees from the Collins cannery, hoping they will help him with his plot to destroy the Collins family. Amos Fitch, one of the Collins cannery employees, makes it clear that he and his colleagues cannot be bought; he then tells Elizabeth of Burke's plan. Elizabeth calls Burke to tell him she is ready for a fight. Burke purchases the Logansport cannery to compete against the Collins cannery. Laura Collins, Roger's estranged wife, returns to Collinsport. Roger and Sam are both concerned, as Laura also knows what happened ten years earlier when Burke was charged with manslaughter. Roger asks Laura where she stands in the Burke's manslaughter case; she claims she has no interest in getting involved. Burke visits Laura at the cottage; he wants Laura to testify that Roger was driving the car the night of the “accident”. Roger, holding a gun, bursts in on Burke and Laura. Roger warns Burke to leave his wife alone. After a brief struggle and a few insults, Burke leaves. Portia Fitzsimmons, an art dealer, visits Sam telling him she wants to arrange a showing of his work, but he needs to get as many samples of his work from ten to twelve years ago. Sam goes to Roger to get some paintings that Roger purchased ten years earlier to buy Sam's silence in Burke's manslaughter case. Sam warns Roger if he does not come up with the paintings, he will go to Burke with the truth. Roger is unable to locate the paintings. Maggie finds out why Roger purchased the paintings from her father; she encourages Sam to tell Burke the truth. Sam invites Burke over and tells him the whole truth about the accident. Burke and Sam confront Roger. Roger finally breaks down and confesses he was responsible for killing the man who Burke went to prison for. Satisfied in knowing the truth, Burke pursues the matter no further. 3 The Murder of Bill Malloy 46 to 126 August 29, 1966, to December 12, 1966 Bill Malloy fails to attend a meeting he set up with Roger Collins, Burke Devlin, and Sam Evans. From atop Widows’ Hill, Victoria Winters and Carolyn Stoddard see a dead body on the shore below. Roger refuses to believe it was a body; they send Matthew Morgan, the Collinwood caretaker, to check. Matthew claims to find nothing and shows Elizabeth Collins Stoddard the spot and says it was just seaweed that must have washed up on the shore. Later, Matthew confesses to Elizabeth that there was a body and it was Bill Malloy. He explains he found the body on the shore and pushed it back out to sea. Elizabeth calls Sheriff George Patterson. Bill Malloy's body is found. Matthew threatens Burke that if he does not leave the Collins family alone, he will kill him; he tries to choke Burke, but Sheriff Patterson walks in.
Victoria finds an expensive-looking fountain pen on the beach not far from where Bill was thought to have died, the same pen Roger was supposed to return to Burke the night of Bill's death. Roger steals the fountain pen from Victoria, as he worries that it will be incriminating evidence. He buries it. Whilst locked in one of the disused rooms in Collinwood, Victoria encounters Bill's ghost, who urges her to leave Collinsport before she is killed like him. Victoria learns that the fountain pen she found belonged to Burke, which leads her to suspect that Burke killed Bill. Carolyn tells Victoria about the pen that Burke gave it her and how Roger lost it the night Bill died. Victoria now suspects Roger. Roger confronts Victoria and swears that he did not kill Bill, but that he found Bill dead when he got to Lookout Point. David Collins tells Matthew that Victoria knows who killed Bill. Victoria is almost killed by someone driving a car on her walk back to Collinwood. Burke tricks Roger into digging up the pen where he buried it; Sheriff Patterson and Burke catch him.
Victoria goes to the Old House, the previous mansion inhabited by the Collins family, also situated on the same grounds as Collinwood, to try to find David. Whilst there, Matthew pushes an urn off of the roof in an attempt to kill her. He then traps Victoria in his cottage to find out how much she knows, but accidentally blurts out the truth that he killed Bill, to her. Matthew admits to Elizabeth that he killed Bill and that he tried to kill Victoria. Matthew flees and hides in a secret room at the Old House. Victoria goes to the Old House to find David; while there, she loses her wallet. Victoria later goes back to find it, and Matthew catches her and takes her prisoner, threatening to kill her. Matthew starts to hear voices while trying to sleep, and then sees a light coming from the portrait of Josette Collins. Bill's ghost appears to David and tells him to help Victoria. The ghosts of Bill and Josette appear to Matthew—causing him to die of a heart attack. 4 Laura the Phoenix 123 to 191 December 14, 1966, to March 21, 1967 Roger's estranged wife, Laura Collins, returns to Collinsport after a ten-year absence. She tells Maggie Evans that she has returned to town after being away for a long time in Phoenix, Arizona. Laura points out that the Phoenix is a mythic bird that rises from the ashes of fire and is reborn. While drunk, Sam Evans paints a portrait of Laura in flames, but does not remember painting it the next day. Laura shows up at Collinwood and announces she wants custody of David Collins. David has a nightmare about his mother in which he sees her engulfed in flames. Victoria Winters brings Sam's unfinished portrait of Laura back to Collinwood, David is awakened by his mother's face coming out of the portrait. The ghost of Josette Collins appears before the portrait and completes it to show David's face is in the picture. Sheriff Patterson questions Laura after the Phoenix police claim they have found the burned body of Laura Collins. Victoria and Frank Garner, the Collins family lawyer, discover a crypt containing a Laura Murdoch Stockbridge—who died by fire 200 years earlier. At the Old House, Josette's portrait turns into the portrait of Laura and David in flames that Sam had painted. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, fearing Laura's mental stability, orders her to leave Collinwood without David. Laura looks into the fire, and Elizabeth falls down the stairs. Laura visits Elizabeth and puts her in a deep trance to keep her from getting in the way of her plans to take David with her.
Dr. Peter Guthrie, a parapsychologist, arrives to assess Elizabeth's condition and has her moved to a hospital. A séance is held; Josette speaks through Victoria, warning there is an evil presence at Collinwood. Dr. Guthrie tells Laura he is aware of her powers, and will expose her for what she is. Laura Murdoch Stockbridge's coffin is exhumed and found to be empty. David sees himself burning in the fireplace. An old newspaper article reports that a Laura Murdoch died in a fire with a boy named David in her arms. Dr. Guthrie confronts Laura, accusing her of being the “undead.” She causes his car to crash and burst into flames, killing him. David goes to the old fishing shack to wait for his mother. Laura arrives and causes the shack to start to burn. Josette's ghost helps Victoria to figure out where David is. As the fishing shack burns around Laura, she beckons David to join her in the flames. Victoria arrives at the shack begging him not to follow his mother into the flames. Laura has David recite the story of the Phoenix; as he finishes the story, Laura calls him to the flames. Elizabeth comes out of the trance as Laura starts to burn. Victoria keeps David from going to his mother as she burns to death. 5 The Blackmailing of Elizabeth 193 to 275 March 22, 1967, to July 14, 1967 Jason McGuire, an old friend of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's long-missing husband Paul Stoddard, shows up at Collinwood. He implies something happened eighteen years earlier, the same time Paul disappeared, then invites himself to stay at Collinwood while he is in town. Jason tells Elizabeth she killed Paul eighteen years ago and he helped her bury him. Jason manages to get Elizabeth to give him a job at the Collins' cannery. As a result, everyone wonders what hold Jason has over Elizabeth. Roger Collins suspects Elizabeth is paying money to Jason because he has something on her. Elizabeth tells Jason she cannot give him any more money as it is starting to attract attention; Jason agrees and decides she should marry him instead. Reluctantly, she agrees.