Audio - Dark Shadows: Kingdom of the Dead Part 4
Susan Omand descends into the Dark Shadows once more to listen to the final part of Kingdom of the Dead...
A new dawn approaches Collinwood as an age old evil prepares to wage its final battle against the Collins family. For one man must deliver an innocent into the jaws of death or pay a terrible price. Meanwhile in the nearby town of Collinsport, a woman faces a choice that could change her destiny... forever.
The demon Seraph is stumbling around the Collinsport Inn and Reverend Trask tries to help his ailing master. Up at Collinwood, David and Quentin are discussing what’s going to happen that night if Quentin doesn’t deliver on his deal with Seraph. Quentin advises David to leave town but David refuses. Maggie finds Trask at the Inn and he asks about Quentin. Maggie says they used to be close. Later, Quentin and Susan Griffin are walking down by the harbour where the freshly caught fish are rotting and the leaves are turning brown on the trees, as if the place is dying. Quentin advises Susan to go back to the Blue Whale and gives her a crucifix to wear to keep her safe from Barnabas. Susan asks if this is goodbye but Quentin ignores the question.
Quentin then meets with Seraph where Quentin tells him the deal is off and that he is offering himself in exchange saying that he would guard the gates of the Kingdom of the Dead, although Seraph refuses and says that Quentin has until midnight to deliver his “innocent”. Meanwhile David talks to Angelique, saying he needs her help. Angelique is panicked by David’s explanation that something is happening that night and says that they only have a few hours left. David asks what they are going to do about it.
At the Blue Whale, Ed and Susan talk about where she has been. Meanwhile Willie and Quentin talk and Willie says he’s tried to warn Maggie about her uncle Charles although Quentin urges him to make sure Maggie is safe that night because “something is going to happen”. Reverend Trask interrupts their conversation and Trask taunts Quentin to the point that Quentin lashes out, saying for Trask to tell his master that he’s next.
Barnabas returns to the Old House and Angelique explains about David’s visit, saying they are running out of time. Barnabas insists they need to speak to Quentin. Meanwhile Willie is trying to persuade Maggie to leave town but she refuses. Quentin has explained his deal with Seraph to Angelique and Barnabas and, drunk, says that he can’t go through with the sacrifice. Angelique tries to persuade Quentin that all might not be lost and invites him up to the Old House after he has sobered up.
As Maggie closes up the Inn for the night, Charles/Seraph tells her he is leaving but that he will come back for her when the time is right. He lifts the spell on Maggie and explains who he really is, that he came to settle a score and needed a base, choosing the Inn and giving her false memories. He rewards her by showing her the truth. The truth about Angelique, about Barnabas, about Quentin...
What will Maggie do now she knows the truth? What kind of plan does Angelique have? And will Quentin really go through with a sacrifice for Seraph? If so... who?
Well! I said in my review of episode three that I wasn’t sure where they could take the story after the final battle in that episode but I was very pleasantly surprised by this final chapter. Lots of questions got answered and lots of loose ends were tied up, leaving just one major cliff hanger at the end which has really intrigued me. The story was a lot easier to follow too in this episode as everything was leading up to one final climactic event which, when it came, had a fantastic twist to it that I never really saw coming although it made perfect sense looking back on it. The acting and writing were both superb, with the right amount of first tension then resignation see-sawing the emotions throughout the episode before it tidied everything up and explained a lot of loose ends in a way that was highly satisfactory but didn’t feel at all redundant or patronising to the audience. I think, having listened to all four parts separately though, it would be worth a return to the start of the story and listening to them all together, now that I know the format to expect and how the plot fits together, just to get the full experience of the drama. However, special mention must be made for the sound design throughout as the music and effects really helped to set the scene changes and maintain the suspense as the story moved on.
While it took a bit of getting used to before I could follow it properly, Kingdom of the Dead turned into a really good multi-part story from the Dark Shadows team and a great way to round off the year in Collinsport. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s to come as, next time, I delve into Bloodlust.
Well! I said in my review of episode three that I wasn’t sure where they could take the story after the final battle in that episode but I was very pleasantly surprised by this final chapter. Lots of questions got answered and lots of loose ends were tied up, leaving just one major cliff hanger at the end which has really intrigued me. The story was a lot easier to follow too in this episode as everything was leading up to one final climactic event which, when it came, had a fantastic twist to it that I never really saw coming although it made perfect sense looking back on it. The acting and writing were both superb, with the right amount of first tension then resignation see-sawing the emotions throughout the episode before it tidied everything up and explained a lot of loose ends in a way that was highly satisfactory but didn’t feel at all redundant or patronising to the audience. I think, having listened to all four parts separately though, it would be worth a return to the start of the story and listening to them all together, now that I know the format to expect and how the plot fits together, just to get the full experience of the drama. However, special mention must be made for the sound design throughout as the music and effects really helped to set the scene changes and maintain the suspense as the story moved on.
While it took a bit of getting used to before I could follow it properly, Kingdom of the Dead turned into a really good multi-part story from the Dark Shadows team and a great way to round off the year in Collinsport. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s to come as, next time, I delve into Bloodlust.
Image - Dark Shadows
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