Dark Shadows Audio Book 50 - …And Red All Over

Dark Shadows hits a big mark with its 50^th audio story, and boy, do they make it worth the celebration.  Not only do we get the return of Mitchell Ryan, who originated the role of Burke Devlin in the 1960s’ television show, but it also provides its audience with a reference or two to young Miss Victoria Winters, who was always my favorite character on the show! And to top it all off, the audio was released during the 50-year anniversary of the television show.

…And Red All Over, written by Cody Schell (who also wrote the audio story The Flip Side), tells the story of Maggie Evans, now Maggie Haskell after her marriage to Joe Haskell.  She is on her honeymoon – or, rather, was on her honeymoon. For Maggie has awoken in a strange bed in a strange house in the middle of a snowstorm.  And she’s not alone.  Someone else is in the house with her – a man who looks strangely familiar.  A man who’s supposed to be dead!

Schell ties up some unresolved loose ends from the television show with the return of Mitchell Ryan.  In the original series, Burke Devlin’s character disappeared after the plane he was on crashed in the Brazilian jungles.  While his character was a double for the Jeremiah Collins character in the past, upon the return to the present, Burke was never seen nor heard from again, and his “death” was never resolved.  Well, with this story, that changes…

The man Maggie mistakes for Burke turns out to be Burke’s cousin, Finnegan.  And while Finn first pretends he doesn’t know Maggie’s reason for being there, a mysterious note indicating that “they” have Joe and will only release him, and her, if she gives them what they want by sunset.  The only problem is, Maggie has no idea what these men want.  Finnegan claims he doesn’t know either, but he says that it has something to do with Burke Devlin and a deal he made with The Ink.

Schell provides a plausible explanation for Burke’s survival from the plane crash, said explanation including the fiery powers of Laura Collins.  Schell also plays up a story referenced only one time in the show, when Burke mentions in passing about a deal he made in Montevideo. Finally, Schell also re-uses a phrase that Burke once said to Carolyn Stoddard about lying to a lot of people in his day.  It’s clear the author either has a true love for Dark Shadows lore, or he simply did some very thorough research to ensure this story fit nicely into the continuity of the show as well as with the audio stories (since Maggie has no belief in the supernatural in this story, which places it after the events of Bloodlust, where her memories were altered).

The lines of reality and supernatural are blurred, and for both Maggie and Devlin, they are never really quite sure if they encountered the supernatural or merely imagined exaggerated events due to being drugged.  Either way, the story is solid, moves at a nice pace, and provides a nice, happy ending (which is befitting, since this is the final audio book in this “series” – the next audio is a 50^th anniversary special, and then the audio stories return the numbering to one with a new series of audios containing short stories on each CD).

I am thankful to Big Finish, the numerous writers, and the cast and crew for keeping Dark Shadows alive and continuing the stories of these wonderful characters over the years, and I look forward to many, many, MANY more to come!

RATING:  9 Rorschach ink blots out of 10 for bringing back Burke Devlin, for at least mentioning Victoria Winters, and for giving this fan hope that maybe one day we’ll get an audio that will see the return of Victoria!