Victoria Winters

Victoria Winters
Dark Shadows character
File:VictoriaWintersDarkShadows.jpg Alexandra Moltke portrays Victoria
Portrayed by	Alexandra Moltke (1966–1968) Betsy Durkin (1968) Carolyn Groves (1968) Joanna Going (1991) Marley Shelton (2004) Bella Heathcote (2012)
First appearance	June 27, 1966
Last appearance	December 20, 1968
Created by	Dan Curtis
In-universe information Occupation Governess Spouse Jeff Clark/Peter Bradford

Victoria Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. The role was originated by Alexandra Moltke on the ABC series from 1966–1968. After Moltke left to raise a family in 1968, actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves briefly replaced her for only a handful of episodes, before Victoria was written out completely. In the 1991 remake, which aired on NBC, actress Joanna Going assumed the part. The character was subsequently portrayed by Marley Shelton in a 2004 pilot. For the 2012 film adaptation, Victoria will be played by Bella Heathcote. A good-natured governess with a mysterious past, she is the de facto female lead in the various incarnations of the story.

1966–1968

Arrival and early days

Vicki was the prominent character on Dark Shadows for its first year of existence. For that year, each episode's opening narration began with, "My name is Victoria Winters..."

Vicki had been left at a foundling home in New York City, and thus, never knew her true parents—although monthly sums of money began to arrive mysteriously when she turned two. Vicki received her surname from the season in which she arrived in New York.

Evidently, Vicki attended some college before accepting the offer of a governess position in Collinsport, Maine. Upon her arrival in Collinsport, she met the brooding Burke Devlin (first played by Mitchell Ryan, later briefly portrayed by Anthony George), with whom she would eventually become romantically involved. During the first episode, she also met a young waitress named Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott) at the Collinsport Inn. Although Maggie derided Vicki for accepting the job at the Collinwood estate, the two girls eventually became very good friends.

Victoria Winters quickly became indispensable to Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (played by Joan Bennett), both as governess to Elizabeth's young nephew David Collins and companion to Elizabeth herself, (although her initial quest to learn her true identity dismayed the family matriarch). Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Stoddard did not wish Vicki to learn the truth because in all likelihood, Vicki was her illegitimate daughter (although never acknowledged or explained). Vicki also became important as family peacemaker, not to mention a stabilizing influence on Elizabeth's daughter, the rebellious Carolyn Stoddard and on the troubled David, son of Elizabeth's pompous and rather emotionally-cold younger brother, Roger (Louis Edmonds).

Slowly but surely, Vicki managed to form a bond with David. As she grew closer to Burke, she became embroiled in his old feud with the Collins family, all while she attempted to discover her origins. One early plotline involved Roger nearly dying in a car accident due to a part being taken from his car. Burke was a key suspect, but when Roger learned his own son David was the culprit, he dropped the investigation.

When fisherman Bill Malloy threatened to reveal Roger Collins's guilt in the manslaughter charge that led to Burke Devlin's wrongful conviction, he was murdered. Eventually, Vicki realized the killer was the disturbed caretaker Matthew Morgan (Thayer David). He kidnapped her and planned to kill her, but was frightened to death by the ghosts of Malloy, the Widows (women who had jumped from the cliffs after their husbands died), and Josette Collins. Josette would later become a key figure in Vicki's life, as well as Dark Shadows history.

Soon after Morgan's death, David's presumed-dead mother, Laura (Diana Millay) arrived, wanting to reunite with her son. Roger was reluctant, but Laura worked her charm on David, who was overjoyed to have a mother again. With the help of Josette's ghost and others, a suspicious Vicki realized Laura was a phoenix who planned to take herself and David to fiery deaths. Vicki saved him just in time. David was safe, the threat was gone, and Burke had settled his vendetta against the Collins family. David truly loved and trusted Vicki now, where before he had been hostile and spiteful toward her. Things were better than they had been for Vicki in some time, but that was not to last.

Enter Barnabas Collins

A mysterious man named Jason McGuire arrived in Collinsport and immediately convinced Elizabeth to let him stay at Collinwood. Vicki and the family were shocked (especially Carolyn), and put on the defensive when his out of control drifter friend Willie Loomis (John Karlen) joined him. Willie (who was a basically a bit of a small-time, two-bit crook) soon proved too much for even Jason to put up with, and he told Willie to get out of town. Before leaving, Willie opened a secret crypt in the family mausoleum which he hoped would contain the long-missing jewels of Naomi Collins. Instead, the figure of Barnabas Collins, a vampire who had been chained up for nearly 200 years, emerged, and bit him. Willie became Barnabas's slave. Barnabas introduced himself to the family as a cousin from England. Vicki was charmed, but more concerned with Jason's hold on Elizabeth. Finally, on their wedding day, Elizabeth could take no more and told everyone that over 18 years prior to Jason's return, she had killed her husband, Paul Stoddard, and Jason had buried his body in the basement. Jason had blackmailed her with this information. However, when they went to the basement, the trunk contained nothing but old clothes. Jason sheepishly revealed that Paul had only been stunned, and Jason had lied to Elizabeth in order to get blackmail money. Elizabeth was furious, and Jason planned to flee town. He tried to rob the Old House, Barnabas's property on Collinwood, and met his end via strangulation at the hands of Barnabas.

Vicki grew concerned about her friend Maggie, who became withdrawn and moody to everyone around her. Maggie was, in actuality, being enslaved by Barnabas due to her strong resemblance to his true love, Josette du Pres Collins. Barnabas kidnapped Maggie and planned to make her his bride by forcibly hypnotizing or brain washing her into being Josette, but with the help of the ghost of his little sister Sarah Collins, Maggie escaped. She was institutionalized and afterward well-guarded for some months. Barnabas gave up on Maggie and began to pursue Vicki. Burke did not trust Barnabas and began an investigation of him which ended only when Vicki begged him to stop. The men reached an uneasy truce, and she and Burke became engaged before Devlin went on an ill-fated plane trip to South America in 1967. Vicki believed that he had somehow survived when they could not locate Burke's body. With Burke gone, Barnabas began to more actively pursue Vicki.

Time travel

During the second year of Dark Shadows, Victoria becomes unwittingly involved in Barnabas's sinister plans. After a séance to contact Barnabas' sister, Sarah Collins, Victoria is magically transported to an alternate past in 1795. A time paradox between the years 1795 and 1967 causes a rift in the timeband; a carriage overturns in 1795, exchanging Victoria with its occupant, Phyllis Wick, a governess hired by Naomi Collins. Victoria arrives at the Old Collins House and meets Collins ancestors who look just like the family she knows, but with different names, personalities, and relationships.

During this storyline, the truth behind Barnabas's unwilling transformation into a vampire is revealed. Unfortunately, Victoria makes the mistake of describing the future to the denizens of the past; she is soon seized by the fanatical Reverend Trask and accused of witchcraft. Despite the best efforts of Peter Bradford, a law student and jailer who came to know Vicki and defended her at her trial, Victoria is sentenced to hang in 1796.

Though five months pass for Victoria in the past, Phyllis Wick experiences only five minutes in 1967. Realizing she is from the 18th century, the 20th century Collins family bombards her with questions, but Phyllis soon collapses in pain, clutching at her throat. At the exact time of Victoria's "execution" she once again changes places with Phyllis, who dies in her place.

Jeff Clark, goodbye

When Vicki returned, a worried Barnabas bit her before she could tell anyone of her memories of 1795. He convinced her to elope with him, even though she still had feelings for Peter Bradford. On their way out of town, Vicki and Barnabas were involved in a car accident after seeing a man (Roger Davis) who resembled Peter. After the accident, the mysterious Dr. Eric Lang (Addison Powell) cured Barnabas of his vampirism, and Barnabas's hold over Vicki's mind was gone.

Now known as Jeff Clark, Peter worked for Lang and became involved with Vicki before learning his true identity. Peter/Jeff helped Lang build a Frankenstein-like creature named Adam who tried to kidnap Vicki and make her his monster bride. During this time, Roger's new wife Cassandra (actually Angelique in disguise) created a Dream Curse that one person would pass on to another by telling them the dream. The dream would get worse for each person until finally Barnabas would be told. When Vicki had the dream, she did her best to keep it from Barnabas, but to stop her pain, Barnabas made her tell him. He then had the dream, woke up, and was bitten by a vampire bat, but survived.

After Dr. Lang was killed, Barnabas and his ally Dr. Julia Hoffman were forced to make a mate for Adam. That mate, Eve (Marie Wallace), had the life force of Peter's evil lover from the 18th century. She made him realize his true identity and planned to reunite with him, but Adam strangled her. After finding out he was Peter, Jeff faded away into 1795. A despondent Vicki soon followed. Barnabas rescued them both from the machinations of Reverend Trask and the evil witch Angelique.

It was later hinted at one point that Vicki married Peter Bradford in the past, and that the two of them had a child who would eventually become an ancestor of the present day Collins Family. Thus Vicki would've really and truly been part of the Collins Family. Vicki was thought to have lived happily ever after, but in 1970, the ghost of Peter Bradford appeared and told antique store owner Phillip Todd that Vicki had apparently been killed by the Leviathans, the same otherworldly creatures which were battling Barnabas Collins at that time. The ghost tried to convince Todd to destroy the Leviathan leader, Jeb Hawkes. Angelique found out about what was going on and told Peter Bradford to return to his grave, as she was going to get her own vengeance against Jeb and the Leviathans (which she did).

Vicki's position as governess went to the former waitress, Maggie Evans. She was last mentioned in 1970 when the ghost of Gerard Stiles haunted Collinwood. Barnabas asked a possessed David to name the governess he had had before Maggie (David couldn't). David and Hallie Stokes then gave ghost Daphne Harridge, recently come to life, some of Vicki's old clothes to wear.

1991 revival

In the NBC primetime revival of the series, Victoria Winters was played by Joanna Going. The first and only season consisted of a retelling of the early Barnabas and 1795 saga, with the main difference being that this time, Vicki, not Maggie, was the spitting-image of Josette. If the series had continued, there were plans to reveal that Victoria was Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's illegitimate daughter.

Return to Collinwood

In 2003 Dan Curtis Productions approved a full-cast audio drama. During the reading of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's will, the mystery surrounding Victoria Winters (which was never revealed in the TV series) is finally resolved. Carolyn learns that her mother had a child out of wedlock; Victoria is actually Carolyn's older sister. In the late 1960s, Victoria was transported into the past and has not been seen since. In the will, Elizabeth implores Carolyn to find Victoria and bring her home.

2004 pilot

In the unaired WB pilot episode for a potential new series, Victoria Winters was played by Marley Shelton. For the first time, the character was depicted as a blond. As with the 1991 series, Victoria was identical to Josette.

2012 feature film

In the upcoming Tim Burton-Johnny Depp big screen adaptation of Dark Shadows, Victoria Winters will be played by Bella Heathcote. As with the subsequent incarnations of the series, Vicki will be the spitting-image of Josette.

Character Development

Dan Curtis first dreamed of a dark-haired girl riding a train to an estate, which was the inspiration for Dark Shadows. In Shadows on the Wall, the series' bible, Victoria was initially called Sheila March until the name was changed to suggest a more regal, older time. Her search for answers to her mysterious past, which was the driving force behind her accepting the governess position at Collinwood, would have originally led to the revelation that Victoria was the product of an affair between Paul Stoddard and Betty Hanscomb. Elizabeth was to have discovered Victoria's existence the night she "murdered" Paul, and her guilt over his death prompted her to send money to the Foundling Home. However, these plans were eventually scrapped--despite early references to Betty (which can be seen as red herrings)--when the Dark Shadows production team decided that Victoria would be Elizabeth's illegitimate daughter instead. This was due, in part, to Alexandra Moltke's close resemblance to Joan Bennett--so much so that when Bennett first saw Moltke (at a distance) she thought it was one of her own daughters!

As the Adam/Eve storyline of 1968 began to wind down, Ron Sproat was in the stages of slanting the plot to reveal Victoria's lineage when Moltke left the series due to her pregnancy. She was briefly replaced twice, but neither actress was (reportedly) accepted by the audience. Attempts were made to persuade Moltke to return, but, unhappy with her diminished role and content to be a stay-at-home mother to her new son, she declined. Any and all plans for the character were ultimately shelved, and Victoria Winters was unceremoniously written out with an off-screen death, leaving her as much of a mystery as when she first arrived.

It is also worth mentioning that there are numerous early hints of there being some connection between Vicki and Josette. It is unknown, however, if anything was ever meant to come of this. Many characters remark upon their resemblance to one another (including Vicki herself); Josette's ghost not only actively protects and guides Vicki but also uses her as a medium on several occasions; at one point, Vicki wears a dress that had belonged to Josette at a costume party and claims to feel as if she has worn it before. Although discarded in the original series, these aspects would be built upon and expanded in all subsequent versions of Dark Shadows.

Big Finish Audio Dramas

Although Victoria herself has not yet appeared in any of the Big Finish audio plays to date, the character has been mentioned in passing. In House of Despair, Ed Griffin tells Quentin Collins that the people of Collinsport have not forgotten how "that Winters girl" inexplicably disappeared. While, in Curse of the Pharaoh, Carolyn recalls Vicki having once dated Frank Garner.