Dark Shadows - General Discussion

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

On 1/21/2018 at 7:50 PM, Jan Spears said:

Chris Jennings Werewolf Story

The werewolf story is actually quite compelling, and Don Briscoe and Grayson Hall are good in it. Unfortunately, the storyline is not sustained consistently. It takes center stage at times and then it -- and Don Briscoe -- disappear for long stretches.

Grade: B

I’m completely with you. Next to Vicki’s parentage, the Chris/werewolf story was one I really wish the creators had resolved, even if in an anticlimactic way. There was all this build up for it, but then it repeatedly got put on the back burner, and eventually the story was just dropped. I know that Don Briscoe had to leave the show due to his mental health, and that he was gone by the time Barnabas and Julia returned from 1995, but still, I think the creators could have worked around that and given his character closure. For example, I’ve read that Sam Hall’s TV Guide states that sometime after leaving Collinwood, Chris turns into a werewolf again, kills Sabrina, and then commits suicide. What the creators could have done, as an example, was have the Collins family receive a letter or phone call informing them of Chris’ death and then, for emotional value, have a scene where Quentin, Julia, and Barnabas lament over not finding a cure for him in time. It’s not a dramatic resolution, but it’s still something. :)   

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

So I just finished watching Dark Shadows--minus most of the pre-Barnabas episodes, which I'll probably go back to at some point--and as a new fan, as well as someone who loves discussing mutual interests with people, I'm curious to know what my fellow Dark Shadows fans consider to be some of the show's most memorable scenes. When I say "memorable scenes," I'm referring to scenes that stood out and left an impression. They can be sad, disturbing, funny, exciting, what have you--so long as they're memorable to you. :) 

P.S. I apologize for the title of this topic being boring. I'm not good with witty titles. XD     

Edited February 13, 2018 by TheLovelyAnomaly

[peacheslatour]

When Dr. Hoffman first came to Collinwood and went to bed that night, Barnabas showed up in her room to kill her. She talked him into sparing her because she said she could "fix" him. Both actors were just terrific in that scene and it established a relationship that would last for almost the whole run of the show.
 

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

When Dr. Hoffman first came to Collinwood and went to bed that night, Barnabas showed up in her room to kill her. She talked him into sparing her because she said she could "fix" him. Both actors were just terrific in that scene and it established a relationship that would last for almost the whole run of the show.
 

That's a good one! And I agree, the performances by both actors were superb! :)  

[Jan Spears]

The scene I come back to again and again is in Episode 233, in which Jonathan Frid (as Barnabas) delivers what is now known as the 'Josette Soliloquy'. This is the long monologue Barnabas recites to Vicky and Carolyn recounting Josette's last moments before she killed herself in 1795.

I love this sequence for several reasons. First, I consider it to be Frid's finest moment in the series. He is pitch perfect in his delivery and you can tell what a mesmerizing effect he is having by watching the expressions of Alexandra Moltke and Nancy Barrett as they listen to him. From the rapt expressions on their faces, it's hard to know if Moltke and Barrett are responding in character as Vicky and Carolyn or if it's Alexandra and Nancy responding to the power of Frid's performance.

The second thing I love about this sequence is its setting and mood. A huge storm is raging over Collinwood and the mansion has lost power. The production staff did a tremendous job creating and sustaining the illusion that the lightning from the storm and the candles lit by Vicky and Carolyn are the only sources of illumination in the house as Barnabas tells his story. The excellence of the lighting (or its absence) conveys the impression that this is truly a sprawling mansion beset by storms and smothered by 'dark shadows'.

Finally, I still like the writing for Vicky (and Alexandra) at this point. After Barnabas' story causes Carolyn to flee the room, Vicky asks Barnabas several probing questions as she makes the connection between Josette's death and the events transpiring in Collinsport with Maggie Evans. For this viewer, this is Vicky at her finest; being more perceptive than anyone else at Collinwood.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Jan Spears

[peacheslatour]

They really did do some of the most innovative lighting design and special effects of any day time show at the time. 

I will always remember the scene where Barnabas killed the hated Jason McGuire. Just the feeling of emotional pay off that you don't fuck with the Collins family now that Barnabas was back.

[Jan Spears]

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I will always remember the scene where Barnabas killed the hated Jason McGuire. Just the feeling of emotional pay off that you don't fuck with the Collins family now that Barnabas was back.

What I love about that scene is that there was a slow build-up to it. For a time, the Barnabas story and the Liz/Jason/body in the basement story operated on separate tracks with only Willie Loomis connecting them. But, gradually, the two stories converged and culminated in Jason trying to rob the Old House and having Barnabas kill him for his troubles. (Jason's exit also features one of the last references to Vicky's parentage as he baits her about it at the Blue Whale before he's supposed to leave town.)

[katie9918]

I just watched the hasty retcon episode in the middle of the Leviathan storyline in which Barnabas retsplains to Julia how he came under Leviathan control and I was reminded how, no matter how outlandish everything around them was (and they were always the epicenter), how compelling Frid and Hall were, no matter what.

 

I’ve also just watched the scene where Quentin throws the script out the window (episode 958) and levels with Roger and it reminds me of how compelling Roger was despite his repulsiveness in the first year and wondered what could have been had he been recruited into Barnabas and Julia’s unofficial occult detective agency.

Edited February 19, 2018 by katie9918

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

On 2/15/2018 at 7:48 PM, Jan Spears said:

The scene I come back to again and again is in Episode 233, in which Jonathan Frid (as Barnabas) delivers what is now known as the 'Josette Soliloquy'. This is the long monologue Barnabas recites to Vicky and Carolyn recounting Josette's last moments before she killed herself in 1795.

I love this sequence for several reasons. First, I consider it to be Frid's finest moment in the series. He is pitch perfect in his delivery and you can tell what a mesmerizing effect he is having by watching the expressions of Alexandra Moltke and Nancy Barrett as they listen to him. From the rapt expressions on their faces, it's hard to know if Moltke and Barrett are responding in character as Vicky and Carolyn or if it's Alexandra and Nancy responding to the power of Frid's performance.

The second thing I love about this sequence is its setting and mood. A huge storm is raging over Collinwood and the mansion has lost power. The production staff did a tremendous job creating and sustaining the illusion that the lightning from the storm and the candles lit by Vicky and Carolyn are the only sources of illumination in the house as Barnabas tells his story. The excellence of the lighting (or its absence) conveys the impression that this is truly a sprawling mansion beset by storms and smothered by 'dark shadows'.

Finally, I still like the writing for Vicky (and Alexandra) at this point. After Barnabas' story causes Carolyn to flee the room, Vicky asks Barnabas several probing questions as she makes the connection between Josette's death and the events transpiring in Collinsport with Maggie Evans. For this viewer, this is Vicky at her finest; being more perceptive than anyone else at Collinwood.

 

Oh yes, that's another great one. I remember being drawn to that scene, and especially to Frid as he delivered his lines. It was as if he were picturing the sequence of events as he spoke of them, and putting himself in his characters' shoes. His performance was very organic. 

And I agree with your point about Vicky. I love the show, but I do wish Vicky hadn't devolved the way she did. Even after the show started focusing on the supernatural, I think the writers could have done more with her. She had so much potential; it was a real shame the way she fizzled out.    

Edited February 19, 2018 by TheLovelyAnomaly

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

On 2/16/2018 at 11:04 AM, peacheslatour said:

I will always remember the scene where Barnabas killed the hated Jason McGuire. Just the feeling of emotional pay off that you don't fuck with the Collins family now that Barnabas was back.

Agreed! I felt so much satisfaction when Jason McGuire got his. Pretty sure I cheered, haha.  

[peacheslatour]

I really liked the way people, especially David, could just walk into the Old House at will. With all of his nefarious schemes and machinations, you'd think Barnabas would have had better security.

[Jan Spears]

• 19 hours ago, katie9918 said:

I just watched the hasty retcon episode in the middle of the Leviathan storyline in which Barnabas retsplains to Julia how he came under Leviathan control and I was reminded how, no matter how outlandish everything around them was (and they were always the epicenter), how compelling Frid and Hall were, no matter what.

That episode (938) is extraordinary because it's largely just Jonathan Frid speaking while Grayson Hall listens. But it has an atmospheric quality that is hard to explain.

There are a number of great episodes at this point in the Leviathans storyline, including:

• 948, in which Barnabas, Julia and Maggie contact Josette via séance and Josette says goodbye to Barnabas forever,
• 950-51, in which Jeb transforms Barnbas back into a vampire, and
• 953-54, in which Nicholas Blair returns to assume leadership of the Leviathans cause now that Barnabas has betrayed them.

[azshadowwalker]

See, I don't really care about products of time and all that precisely because they eventually want me to view Barnabas as an exemplary man. An exception. A hero. Fuck that dude. 

I will give you an example of why I disagree that this was always acceptable from my own genealogy. My great-great-great grandmother was born mute and deaf. In her 20s, she became hired help for a neighboring family. The wife was pregnant and sickly. During her time as a servant, my ancestor was raped and impregnated with her only child by the man of the house. Her father and brother took her home and raised her son. They also went back to visit her rapist, killed him, and burned his body. There was no punishment for this. The community accepted it as justice for the man's wrongdoing. They didn't accept a man sexually using or abusing his servant as an act that should go unpunished. This was in the mid-1800s.

While men certainly got away with this behavior too often, it was not considered honorable or right by most people. The show wanted me to ignore it, and consider the woman to b evil and the man virtuous. Not buying it. 

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

My turn! :) I recently finished the series and there were several scenes that stood out to me, for various reasons. Some of the ones that stood out to me the most were:

• During the dream sequence segment, when Vicki tells Barnabas the dream, knowing it will kill him. The dream sequence itself didn’t affect me, but the scene when Barnabas urges Vicki to tell him the dream so it won’t drive her crazy, and she refuses because she knows that if she does he’ll die, got to me. When she finally breaks down and tells him, and he leaves her crying in the drawing room, my heart broke for her. I couldn’t imagine having to make a decision like that.
   
• When Barnabas and Joshua say their goodbyes right before Joshua has Barnabas chained up in his coffin. I think what intrigued me most about this scene was that it showed a softer side to Joshua’s character. Louis Edmonds allowed himself to be vulnerable here, and despite all the unlikeable qualities Joshua had, I found myself sympathizing with him. The look he and Barnabas share before Barnabas leaves is haunting.
   
• Jamison rejecting Quentin after seeing Beth about to commit suicide and learning that Quentin plans to marry Angelique. This was heartbreaking for me because I loved the uncle/nephew bond between Quentin and Jamison. What makes the scene even more painful, in my opinion, is that Quentin’s agreement to marry Angelique was in exchange for her help in saving Jamison’s life. In essence, Quentin loses the person he claims to love the most, for trying to save him.
   
• When, shortly after Jeb’s death, a devastated Carolyn is brought into the house and sat down. Regardless of how one feels about Jeb as a character (I personally found him interesting, especially in his later episodes when he became more conflicted), it’s evident that Carolyn loved him, and you can’t help but feel a portion of her grief. Her pain in this scene is palpable. When Julia offers to give her a sedative and she responds with (and I paraphrase), “I don’t want a sedative, I just want Jeb!” I got the sense that I was looking at a woman who had truly just lost her husband.       

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 6:31 PM, azshadowwalker said:

See, I don't really care about products of time and all that precisely because they eventually want me to view Barnabas as an exemplary man. An exception. A hero. Fuck that dude. 

I will give you an example of why I disagree that this was always acceptable from my own genealogy. My great-great-great grandmother was born mute and deaf. In her 20s, she became hired help for a neighboring family. The wife was pregnant and sickly. During her time as a servant, my ancestor was raped and impregnated with her only child by the man of the house. Her father and brother took her home and raised her son. They also went back to visit her rapist, killed him, and burned his body. There was no punishment for this. The community accepted it as justice for the man's wrongdoing. They didn't accept a man sexually using or abusing his servant as an act that should go unpunished. This was in the mid-1800s.

While men certainly got away with this behavior too often, it was not considered honorable or right by most people. The show wanted me to ignore it, and consider the woman to b evil and the man virtuous. Not buying it. 

I speak for myself, of course, but I never got the impression that I was necessarily supposed to see Barnabas as a hero, just as a main character. He’s given a backstory and becomes more nuanced—that is, he moves away from being a one-note “devil incarnate” character—but that’s a far cry from saying he turns into a hero. Danny Horn, the author of the blog “Dark Shadows Every Day,” actually addresses this when he covers the Count Petofi story:

People are always going on about how the characterization of Barnabas changed at some point — that there’s a period when he stopped being a villain, and became the hero of the show. Describing that process usually involves the words sympathetic, reluctant and/or redeemed. This theory is entirely false.

Because Barnabas didn’t stop being a villain, and he didn’t become the hero of the show. As far as I can figure, there is no hero of this show, because Dark Shadows is a five-year research project to determine if the concepts of “hero” and “villain” are even necessary to tell an engaging story. It turns out they’re not.

Barnabas’ defining characteristic is that he will do absolutely anything he wants to do, if it advances his own interests. He will murder you, hypnotize you, drink your blood, lock you up in a cell, wipe your memory, and help the monster who killed you escape justice. This is true in every period of the show.

The only important thing that really changes in Barnabas’ character over time is that at a certain point, he decides to give a shit whether David Collins lives or dies. As far as I can tell, that is the definition of whether Barnabas is a villain or a hero. But now that he’s crossed that line, he’s doing exactly the same things. He’s still murdering people; he just doesn’t try to murder David Collins. It’s not that big of a difference.

So Barnabas isn’t a hero. He’s a main character, which is even better. Heroes have to be nice all the time; main characters just need to be interesting. Literally the only important quality that a main character needs is that any given scene is more interesting when that character is present. Beyond that, they can do whatever they like.

While I don’t agree that the only change Barnabas makes is deciding he cares about David, or that heroes have to be nice all the time, Barnabas does do morally reprehensible things throughout the show. And even if Dan Curtis did indeed intend for Barnabas to be seen as exemplary (which I would blame the viewers for more than anything; I mean, Barnabas wasn’t even originally supposed to be a long-lasting character. He stayed due to his popularity, and his characterization often followed viewer demand), I wouldn’t say he’s portrayed that way. Jonathan Frid even stated in an interview that he liked to give his characters complexity, whether they were intended as heroes or villains. I can’t remember his exact quote but it was something like, “Give me a good character, and I will find the evil within them. Give me a bad character, and I will find their good.” 

As for what happened to your great-great-great grandmother (I'm sorry to hear about that, by the way), I think rape may have been seen/handled differently from infidelity, which is what I was talking about. Obviously I wasn't around in the 18th or 19th centuries and I'm sure there were times when disapproval was expressed and justice was carried out, but from what I've read, sleeping around was not considered much of a betrayal on a man's part, not nearly as much as when a woman committed adultery. In early 19th century France, for example, a woman convicted of adultery could expect to spend two years in prison, and the sentence was doubled for each subsequent conviction; a man, on the other hand, could expect to pay a fine for adultery, and that was only if he had entertained his mistress within the family home. In other words, outside the home a man could essentially do whatever he liked, as far as sexual affairs were concerned. During 18th century England, wealthy men would openly and proudly flaunt their mistresses at social gatherings, something a woman wouldn't dream of doing. Also, divorce was out of the question for a woman, as she could not legally own property and was financially dependent on her husband, which more or less forced her to overlook his adultery regardless of how intensely she may have disproved of it.

Disapproval of infidelity did exist, but male infidelity was--if not celebrated within certain social circles--generally ignored, or at most, barely punished. Nowadays, according to surveys and polls, people are becoming less and less permissive of it as a whole, and adulterous men are more likely to suffer damage to their reputations.  

Edited February 26, 2018 by TheLovelyAnomaly

[Jan Spears]

Episode 967 is irritating in the extreme. In the run-up to the episode, there is a mysterious supernatural presence working against Jeb and the Leviathans. All signs point to the ghost of Paul Stoddard, who Jeb has killed and whose body Jeb has destroyed. In 967, however, the mysterious presence turns out not to be Paul Stoddard but, instead, is the ghost of Peter Bradford, who Vicky had joined permanently in the late-1790s. If that wasn't out-of-the blue enough, Peter Bradford then reveals that he's seeking revenge on Jeb for killing Vicky in the past!!!

The Peter-rather-than-Paul twist is understandable if Dennis Patrick wasn't available to play Paul and/or the show needed to utilize actor Roger Davis (as Peter) for contractual reasons. But it's a real kick in the teeth for fans of Victoria Winters (and her portrayer, Alexandra Moltke) to find out that she died offscreen at the hands of Jeb who, up to that point in the storyline, hadn't even been mentioned as being active in the 1790s.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Jan Spears

[Geillis]

As far as faulting Barnabas for "discarding Angelique when the rich girl became available..."

First to consider:  We know Angelique was a witch, so she may have taken a fancy to him and seduced him, but not well enough at that time to secure his love.

Second:  Even if he had a natural attraction to her and acted on it, how many people go on to marry the first person with whom they have a romantic encounter?

Third:  As a man of his time and class, he would not even have considered marrying outside his social status, and if I am not mistaken, many marriages were still arranged or at least entered with business and property connections in mind.  So even if he had feelings for her, they would not have been the sort that would have led to a marriage proposal.

 As far as the age difference between Barnabas and his fiancée, that too was not uncommon in the upper classes.  The sons of the upper classes frequently did not marry until they had established themselves in the family business or their own business.  Many times they had spent years abroad.  The age difference between Barnabas and Sarah, is also explainable.   According to the dialogue, he and Jeremiah were supposed to be of a similar age, and the epitaph on the tombstone indicated that Jeremiah was in his early 30's.  While Jonathon Frid was  42-43 when he accepted the role of Barnabas Collins, he was playing younger.  In the days of people having many children, it was quite possible to have an uncle the same age as yourself.  My mother was the youngest of 14 and had a nephew who was a few months older than she was.  Joshua and Naomi never discuss other children and there are none mentioned in the story, but in the days before birth control, prenatal care, vaccinations and antibiotics, it is quite possible that there were multiple miscarriages, stillbirths and children lost to disease between Barnabas and Sarah, so a 20 year age difference is not impossible.  

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

1 hour ago, Geillis said:

As far as faulting Barnabas for "discarding Angelique when the rich girl became available..."

First to consider:  We know Angelique was a witch, so she may have taken a fancy to him and seduced him, but not well enough at that time to secure his love.

Second:  Even if he had a natural attraction to her and acted on it, how many people go on to marry the first person with whom they have a romantic encounter?

Third:  As a man of his time and class, he would not even have considered marrying outside his social status, and if I am not mistaken, many marriages were still arranged or at least entered with business and property connections in mind.  So even if he had feelings for her, they would not have been the sort that would have led to a marriage proposal.

 As far as the age difference between Barnabas and his fiancée, that too was not uncommon in the upper classes.  The sons of the upper classes frequently did not marry until they had established themselves in the family business or their own business.  Many times they had spent years abroad.  The age difference between Barnabas and Sarah, is also explainable.   According to the dialogue, he and Jeremiah were supposed to be of a similar age, and the epitaph on the tombstone indicated that Jeremiah was in his early 30's.  While Jonathon Frid was  42-43 when he accepted the role of Barnabas Collins, he was playing younger.  In the days of people having many children, it was quite possible to have an uncle the same age as yourself.  My mother was the youngest of 14 and had a nephew who was a few months older than she was.  Joshua and Naomi never discuss other children and there are none mentioned in the story, but in the days before birth control, prenatal care, vaccinations and antibiotics, it is quite possible that there were multiple miscarriages, stillbirths and children lost to disease between Barnabas and Sarah, so a 20 year age difference is not impossible.  

Well said!

[Geillis]

Rewatching after all these years on Amazon.  Or maybe you could say watching for the first time again, since I do not remember many of the story lines since I could only watch during summer and school vacations since I rarely got home from school in time to see it.  My teenaged self didn't think much of Julia, but my older self sees Julia as a sad character.  She loves Barnabas and would do anything for him, and while he eventually regards her as a trusted colleague and friend, his feelings do not mirror hers.  So she settles. How sad. 

Having said that, Barnabas is supposed to be in his early to mid 30's based on the 1795 story line. He and Jeremiah were supposed to be of a similar age and Jeremiah's gravestone, puts his age at early 30's.  Julia, to have risen to the post of head administrator of Windcliff, would need to be at least in her early to mid 40's.  While both actors were probably in the same age range, the story line would have put her older than Barnabas. While in the 1960's an older man and younger woman was a common trope in movies and novels, and older woman and a younger man would have not have been accepted by the viewers. 

[Geillis]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 6:06 AM, Kim0820 said:

I agree.  And he seemed to feel entitled to a younger woman.  Though I think he was supposed to be younger than JF looked.  His sister was only 10.   Though he did do right by Vicky in the end.  

He was supposed to be in his early 30's at the time of his "death."  He and Jeremiah were supposed to be of the same age and Jeremiah's tombstone put his age at early 30's.  In those days before prenatal care, antibiotics, vaccinations, and no effective birth control, it was not impossible to have a 20 year span between your first and last child.  While no other children are mentioned, there could have been multiple miscarriages, stillbirths and early childhood losses between Barnabas and Sarah. 

In 1795 a woman would have been seen to be of marriageable age at 18-20ish and if she reached 25 she was starting to be considered an old maid.  It was different with the sons of the wealthy. They frequently did not consider marriage until they were established in the family business or had a business or property of their own which would put them in the late 20's early 30's age range, so not at all uncommon for the age gap between suitor and young women.

Angelique was her own worst enemy. People rarely married outside of their social status, especially the upper classes.  Angelique should have known that and having been a servant, she would have seen that the sons of the employer frequently had affairs with the maids with no lasting relationships developed unless they were to become long term kept mistresses, but not wife.  While I am not saying this is right, it was a common thing in that society. 

Now, the more intelligent thing for Angelique to do would have been to allow Barnabas to marry Josette and hope that he would either tire of her, or Josette would die in childbirth, and then perhaps he would turn to her, but she lacked any patience, and "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."  Had she played her cards right she could possibly have had it all or close to it in the form of a very well kept mistress.  All her machinations managed to keep the memory and love of Josette fresh in the feelings of Barnabas.  If she had been smart, she would have either been patient or moved on and found a better life with someone else, but if she had done that we would not have a story

[peacheslatour]

That and you know, being a witch.

[peacheslatour]

Grayson Hall was 2 years older than Jonathan Frid.  But I get that the audience is supposed to think he's much younger. I too didn't think much of her when I was watching as a kid but now I think she was an amazing actor.

Edited March 18, 2018 by peacheslatour

[Geillis]

Yes, she was able to convey so much in just a change in facial expression.

[JAYJAY1979]

I was always intrigued with Victoria and Angelique's interactions in 1795 and in the modern day storylines... it was the rare time in the later years where Vicki wasn't portrayed as brainless especially when she figured out right away that Cassandra was Angelique.. and figured out the dream curse and told Angelique that she'd continue having the dream without telling Barnabas until she died.  

I always forgot that Barnabas and Angelique did hook up hence her obsession with him.  On the one hand, I did like that she didn't take his rejection lying down.. but she degraded herself by scheming to get him anyway.  

[Geillis]

Angelique is like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Neither of them could see the logic in moving on when the relationship is over.

Angelique, instead of scheming to keep Barnabas and demeaning herself would have served herself better by getting some financial compensation and moving on to set herself up in a nice life.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Geillis said:

Angelique is like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Neither of them could see the logic in moving on when the relationship is over.

Angelique, instead of scheming to keep Barnabas and demeaning herself would have served herself better by getting some financial compensation and moving on to set herself up in a nice life.

That's true but she became a fan favorite and I think the show runners tried to keep her around by giving her such an obsession with Barnabas she would never leave him alone.

[Geillis]

I see the logic in that for the show, but pointing out the long term lack of logic  for someone in her position.

i don’t remember her as a fan favorite but then as a teenager girl I was much more enamored with the male leads

[peacheslatour]

Quote

i don’t remember her as a fan favorite but then as a teenager girl I was much more enamored with the male leads

That was according to Danny Horn, my go-to guy for all things Dark Shadows.

[Geillis]

I believe the statement she was a fan favorite and not doubting you, because I read it too recently. I am just saying that I personally do not remember that from the original airings.

My comments were merely observations on the character and musing on alternative directions for the character

[SweePea59]

Barnabas, Angelique and Josette were my three adult favorites, in that order, when I was a child watching the show. As an adult, let's see, I'd go Barnabas, Angelique, Julia, if I'm only picking my tip top three. It's kinda hard to choose, so many actors brought so much to the show and the show is so dear to me.

[peacheslatour]

Barnabas, Quentin and Caroline were my favs as a kid. Now as an adult I see how fantastic Julia was. And also Elizabeth, she was crucial to the Collins family dynamic.

[WAnglais1]

I remember Roger and David early on having a confrontation. David goes up so bad and Roger gives him the feed along the lines of, "Don't you have something to tell me?" Pause as David looks horrified. "Like how you're sorry?" David then blurts out, "I'm sorry!" and Roger yells, "GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

[SweePea59]

I hated Caroline and Millicent when I was a kid. Rewatching as an adult I surprised myself by liking Caroline a lot. And Quentin? Oh, yeah! He might be #4 on both of my lists. But I sort of have to separate the adults from the child actors. I loved David and thought he was a fantastic actor, both when I was a kid and an adult. And Sarah - as a child she was one of the highlights of the show for me. So she's dear to me, with her South Jersey/Philly accent, even if she's not the best actress. And of course I wanted to be Amy when I was that age. Memories.

[peacheslatour]

I wouldn't have cared who I was if I could have lived at Collinwood.

[SweePea59]

My fantasy house would have their foyer, complete with the same grandfather clock, carpeted stairs and of course a portrait of Barnabas Collins.

[peacheslatour]

I have always wanted to live near the sea, in a stone mansion with windows with those little diamond shaped panes. And of course a drawing room and a tower!

[SweePea59]

Who would you lock in the tower?

(Just kidding!)

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, SweePea59 said:

Who would you lock in the tower?

(Just kidding!)

Victor Newman. ;-)

[Tress]

London bridge is falling down...........gawd, I hated that song.  I would lock that little kid in the tower.  JK ;)

[peacheslatour]

She was a ghost, she would just walk through the walls. How about that annoying idiot Peter Bradford.

Edited April 11, 2018 by peacheslatour

[MarkHB]

On 4/8/2018 at 2:34 PM, peacheslatour said:

I wouldn't have cared who I was if I could have lived at Collinwood.

You could have, or at least within the exterior.  For years it was partially used as a dorm by Salve Regina University.  :)

[Jan Spears]

I'm now 15 episodes (981-995) into the Parallel Time storyline, which is one of my favorites.

I love Angelique's room in the East WIng both when it's in-phase and out-of-phase. The production staff worked wonders designing and lighting the room. I especially like how the room looks out-of-phase. It really makes you feel like you're in the deserted, desolate wing of an enormous mansion.

Dan Curtis and many of the cast members were off filming House of Dark Shadows during this period. Lara Parker, David Selby, Chris Pennock, Lisa RIchards and Michael Stroka definitely earned their keep during this period as they kept the show going while so many other cast members were unavailable.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 1001 -- Don Briscoe's last appearance on the show. Sigh!

[peacheslatour]

I want someone to do a making of Dark Shadows with reenactments like in Ed Wood. Read what Danny Horn says:

At its core, Dark Shadows is actually the story of an over-worked, under-resourced team of lunatics who spend five years desperately struggling to make a daily television show.

[ByaNose]

I’ve been watching Dark Shadows on Amazon Prime. While I was old enough to watch it oringally I never did. I had seen the limited run on DECADES but they kept on ending on the same episode (the diary had been found by Dr. Woodard). I’m currently on Episode 347. I’m assuming that’s an accurate number or it might be an Amazon thing. Anyway, the show is so good and hysterical at the same time. LOL!!!! It’s too bad other soaps were wiped clean in the 60’s & 70’s. 

[JAYJAY1979]

I think Dark Shadows is a perfect lesson that I wish soaps in the mid 90s and thereafter had looked on because had they looked at this show, they might have had longer shelf life's.

Dark Shadows was a niche show (if you loved supernatural, you would love the show), it had short-term payoffs that killed the show long term (supernatural is harder to keep fresh than non supernatural.. hence the retelling of the Taming of the Shrew story twice within 2 years), and the focus on just a few characters at the expense of everyone (Barnbas, Quentin, Angelique... other characters became cardboard and weren't developed after the first year or so).

With that said, I liked the show best up to 1795 since the other characters were given adequate time and focus.. and Victoria was still given good focus that dwindled gradually after 1795.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

supernatural is harder to keep fresh than non supernatural.. 

I don't know about that. Supernatural is on season 13.

[ByaNose]

Just starting to watch Dark Shadows 1795. I always heard about it. They really went all out with the budget. I’m sure the actors had a great time playing different roles. Lara Parker shows up as crazy Angelique. I had read a lot about her but hadn’t seen her work. She really did have expressive eyes. Unfortunately, Alexandra Moltke (still) gets stuck playing dopey Victoria Winters. No wonder she grew tired of the role. That said, she was so good in the role and was the heroine of the show. 

Edited June 23, 2018 by ByaNose

[peacheslatour]

Girl Governess Victoria Winters sucks the air out of every scene she's in.

[Jan Spears]

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 7:26 PM, ByaNose said:

It’s too bad other soaps were wiped clean in the 60’s & 70’s. 

For instance, most of Susan Lucci's work as Erica Kane was not preserved for the first half of the 1970s, when Erica was at her most (self)destructive.

 

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 12:28 PM, JAYJAY1979 said:

Dark Shadows was a niche show (if you loved supernatural, you would love the show), it had short-term payoffs that killed the show long term (supernatural is harder to keep fresh than non supernatural.. hence the retelling of the Taming of the Shrew story twice within 2 years), and the focus on just a few characters at the expense of everyone (Barnbas, Quentin, Angelique... other characters became cardboard and weren't developed after the first year or so).

With that said, I liked the show best up to 1795 since the other characters were given adequate time and focus.. and Victoria was still given good focus that dwindled gradually after 1795.

I couldn't agree more with this. Dark Shadows violated an important rule of soaps: that you allow stories to "breathe" over many months or even years until there's a big payoff, which then results in many more months or even years of new storyline. Dan Curtis & co. understood this during the period that stretched from April 1967 (Willie releases Barnabas from his coffin) to November 1967 (the séance hurls Vicky back to 1795). There was a slow build to that storyline which incorporated numerous twists and turns before the big climax (the séance). In comparison, the Leviathans and Parallel Time storylines from 1970 took half the time and they felt twice as rushed. To put it another way, the 1970 storylines were all climax. The show had gone from a big cliffhanger at the end of the Friday episode to a big cliffhanger at the end of every episode to (by 1970) a big cliffhanger before every commercial break.

 

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 6:37 PM, ByaNose said:

Unfortunately, Alexandra Moltke (still) gets stuck playing dopey Victoria Winters. No wonder she grew tired of the role. That said, she was so good in the role and was the heroine of the show. 

 

Vicky is still my favorite character although I like her best pre-Barnabas and in the period post-Barnabas when she is still more perceptive about things than many of the other characters. (It drives me crazy how Burke is always telling her that she's imagining things.)

I would have liked to see Vicky return in Parallel Time as the life force (Roxanne Drew) Angelique is using to stay alive. What a surprise it would have been for Barnabas to encounter the Parallel Time version of Vicky. Unfortunately, Alexandra Moltke and Dan Curtis couldn't agree on what a returned Vicky should be like and so the moment was lost.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Jan Spears