Oct 2018 *
It's the greatest story ever told, the most legendary Soap Opera in history, the peak of the Horror genre... Well, maybe Dark Shadows has never been called any of those things, but then again, it's never been called "the death of continuity", but that wouldn't be much of a stretch, either, now would it? Dark Shadows has left an impact on many of us. Perhaps the biggest impact made some 50 years ago, before episodes could be rewatched, but an ongoing impact, just the same. I'm of the 90's/Sci-fi Channel generation of DS fans, and I've waited a long time to fully express my feelings on what is still my all-time favorite TV show. This isn't an easy story to tell, at least while doing it justice, I mean. However, a necessary one for me. Today, Trash Epics celebrates the original Dark Shadows, broken up into three different sections: The pre-Horror/pre-Barnabas era, the peak of the show's popularity, and of course, the inevitable decline. This is Dark Shadows!
While it didn't start out as as a Horror series, Dark Shadows' originally actually comes from that of a dream. One night, a man named Dan Curtis had a dream. This writer/director/producer could not get said dream out of his head, and would eventually go on to use it as inspiration for an idea involving a Gothic Mystery/Thriller Soap Opera Curtis wanted ABC to get off the ground. Once it Debuted, it instantly started flirting with the Horror genre, but wasn't quite there, and wouldn't be for at least the first year.
Phase One: The Beginning - Originally, Dark Shadows was about a girl named Victoria Winters. Victoria is on a train, headed to a small, fishing village in Maine called Collinsport. Victoria doesn't know where she comes from, or where she's going, exactly. All Victoria knows is that there is a mansion on a hill called Collinwood, and the mistress of that house has personally requested she become her nephew, David's, governess. Besides offering good pay, Victoria feels drawn to this house, as if deep down, she knows this may provide answers she has always wanted. Answers about her identity and her history. She doesn't know how she knows, but Victoria knows this is where she needs to go. As Victoria meets the Collins family, she realizes this is one gloomy, tortured bunch. Mirroring their surroundings, perfectly. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard owns the place, and for an unknown reason, has not left her property in nearly 20 years. And as you could guess, Elizabeth does not respond well when asked about this. So, don't worry about Elizabeth. She'll be fine.
Elizabeth's daughter, Carolyn, is the friendliest, most normal person in the house, and close in age with Victoria. Carolyn is also in need of a friend, so, this will be the high point of Vicki's stay for a while. The reason Victoria is here, though, is, little David Collins. Son of Elizabeth's Brother, Roger. David is a difficult little bastard, at best, and is not one bit welcoming to Victoria, even going so far as to try and scare her off. Speaking of scaring people off, David's dad, Roger, who would rather not be living with his sister, is not a hell of a lot more pleasant than the boy. Victoria isn't given many reasons to stick around in the beginning, but she sticks with it, as she truly feels this will be worth it... someday.
Roger isn't so bad, but he seems to be hiding something that Victoria might unintentionally be getting too close to. That's where Burke Devlin comes in. In what was the original Dark Shadows storyline, Buke Devlin has recently returned to town after many years in prison. After riding into Collinsport on the same train, Burke makes fast friends with Victoria, and is pretty blunt about having no use for her new employers. Burke later reveals a long-standing grudge which is the only reason he even came back to this town. Burke feels like a certain member of the Collins family should have gone to prison in his place, and he's either going to prove this or just go ahead and take down the entire family and their business. How do you beat a bunch of rich assholes? You become a bigger, richer asshole!
After much drama involving Burke, a jealous Carolyn, a psychotic David, and a murder mystery, ratings continue to go south. This is good stuff, but people aren't getting it, and we know how impatient networks can be. There's been a ghost or two, already, but something needs to drastically change, and fast! David's mother, Laura Collins, is back. Back home, back to reclaim her son, and back from the grave. Laura Collins actually died some time ago. That's a fact, but here she is. Part of David's problems had to do with his mother's absence, but now that she's back, perhaps things were better when she was gone. Laura isn't the same, and the longer she sticks around, the more obvious it becomes that she is after something. As this goes on, we also oversee what is known as the final non-Horror storyline, where we finally find out Elizabeth's secret. The Mistress of Colinwood is being blackmailed by Jason McGuire, an old friend of her late husband. And Elizabeth is willing to pay or do just about anything to keep Jason Quiet. Meanwhile, Jason's partner-in-crime, Willie, is pissing everyone off, but is about to unintentionally change everything forever.
Phase 2: The Peak - One day, Dan Curtis said what needed to be said. He said what everyone else was probably thinking, but didn't have the guts. Dan Curtis just came out and said it: "We need a fucking Vampire!" And you know what? Dan Curtis was right. An actor was soon hired to play this vampire, who greedy troublemaker, Willie Loomis, accidentally let out of a coffin he was locked in over 150 years ago. Theater actor, Jonathan Frid, gave life/death to Barnabas Collins, and at the same time, gave the Collins family a long, rich history, which we can now explore. All Dark Shadows needed was a vampire, and now, the sky is the limit! The thing is, though, Barnabas is actually the villain. While portraying himself to the family as the identical descendant of "the original Barnabas Collins, he's actually a vicious, obsessive monster, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. And right now, Barnabas wants a girlfriend. Although Blood would be nice, too.
History Lesson: In the pre-Barnabas days, vague mentions were made of the Collins family history, but nothing said ever had much to do with storylines. So, it was all pretty meaningless. There was a ghost named Josette Collins who helped Vicki out, but she didn't have much of an identity back then. Once Barnabas showed up, the writers started establishing a definitive Collins family history which contradicted several claims made during the early episodes. Barnabas tells people that his ancestor moved to England in 1795, which is where he is claiming to come from. Originally, Isaac Collins moved the family to America in the 17th Century, so, I guess it's believable to them that there was a whole other branch they didn't know about.
While abusing and traumatizing his new servant, Willie, a friend of the family catches Barnabas' eye. Maggie Evans is the spitting image of his lost love, Josette, who committed suicide shortly before Barnabas's enclosure. Being a Vampire, Barnabas is confident he can simply kidnap Maggie and brainwash her into becoming Josette. Barnabas attempts to erase Maggie in order to resurrect the love he once felt. He wants her to be the reincartation of Josette so bad, he convinces himself of this, and almost succeeds in convincing Maggie. However, while being held in the old Collins house by Barnabas and Willie, Maggie gains an unlikely ally: The ghost of Sarah Collins.
Sarah Collins is Barnabas' little sister who died shortly before his enclosure. Sarah appears to everyone she can, offering hints of Maggie's whereabouts, eventually leading her to freedom. Maggie isn't the only one who gains an ally, as Barnabas begins what starts out as a rocky relationship with Dr. Julia Hoffman. First allies, then enemies, then sort of both, back to enemies, and much later, dear friends, Julia is offering Barnabas a way out. She is confident that she can cure this disease. Yes, we're going to call it a disease, now. Long story short, this does not go at all as planned because one mistake looks like it might cost Julia her life. Possibly Maggie's and everyone's at Collinwood, too. Barnabas is a bastard but not impossible to get through to. One night, Sarah finally appears to Barnabas, letting him know how disappointed she is with him, and that she will never appear to him again. And she never did. What Barnabas does with that is up to him.
As we see start to see glimmers of good in the heartbroken Barnabas, a new storyline is about to begin. The Collins family holds a seance to contact Sarah's spirit so she can hopefully shed some light on the mystery behind Maggie's disappearance. Instead of that happening, something else went down: Victoria Winters has been transported back to 1795. And in Vicki's place, the Collins governess of that time sits. For the next six or seven months, we, the viewer, will get to know a whole new generation of the Collins family. Make that an old generation. Vicki is about to live through the months leading up to Barnabas' death, resurrection, eventual enclosure, and everything in between. Posing as a governess won't be hard for Vicki since she is one, and what better student than her cooperative pal, Sarah? This version of the Collins family isn't so bad, but the trouble soon starts, as Josette and her family arrive for the wedding.
Barnabas and Josette are getting married, and seemingly nothing is going to stand in the way of their love. This is where Angelique Bouchard comes in. Josette's personal maid has a thing for Barnabas. Actually, it's more than that. They, at one time, had a little something going on. However, to Angeligue, it was more than "a little something". Barnabas makes it clear nothing will ever come of what happened as he will be faithful to Josette for the rest of his days. So, naturally, Angelique now feels screwed over. When wronged, some people let it go and move on, and some people don't. Some people are witches who are just looking for a reason to practice their craft. First, Angelique casts a spell to make Josette and Uncle Jeremiah fall in love and secretly get married. Feelings get hurt, one thing leads to another, and Barnabas ends up marrying Angelique out of spite. This was Barnabas' biggest mistake, at least as far as the 18th century goes. With the help of Ben Stokes, Angelique eventually gets found out as Barnabas gets his revenge. Then, Angelique gets her's, hence the vampire problem in 1967. And with oblivious Vic hanging around, who better to pin all this witchcraft on?
Victoria manages to make it back to the present without a scratch, but barely. With all the hints staring her dead in the face, Victoria still didn't manage to figure out that Barnabas of the past is Barnabas of the present. That's fortunate for her as Barnabas of the present hasn't quite become a good guy yet, though pretty close. Another potential cure is finally discovered for Barnabas, and this one is a little more complicated. This cure involves bringing an artificial human to life, using Barnabas' life force to kick start it, and at the same time, sucking the "disease" from him. This SHOULD make Barnabas human again. Still with me? No, seriously. This actually works. Not anywhere near as planned, but Barnabas, Julia and Willie now have a new friend. Adam is here and he's gigantic, infantile and scared shitless. Nobody really knows what to do with Adam. Just keep him locked up, I guess. As long as no one at Collinwood finds out about him, it'll probably be fine...
This is where they just try and fit anything and everything Horror into the show, making 1968 one kickass year for Dark Shadows. With a new Frankenstein monster-ripoff guy wreaking havoc, we also get to meet Roger's new wife, Cassandra, who is really Angelique in disguise. Thanks to Victoria, Angelique has discovered that Barnabas has been freed from his coffin, and even managed to ditch the curse she placed on him so long ago. Desperate to banish Barnabas back to the night, Cassandra comes up with a dream curse meant to culminate with Barnabas dying and returning as a vampire. Ultimately, this curse only served to scare the hell out of the rest of the cast. A big waste of time for Cassandra, but when she and her partner-in-crime, Nicholas Blair, find out the truth behind Barnabas' new-found immunity, it might be a game changer.
As it would turn out, Adam's existence is the only thing keeping Barnabas human. If he were to die, Barnabas would revert back to what he was, and nobody wants that. Except maybe Angelique, who is now a vampire, herself. Actually, Nicholas made that happen, as these two aren't exactly on the same page after learning the big news. So, Nicholas now has control over Angelique, which gives him time to also get control over Adam. What Nicholas is ultimately after is far more important than Angelique's petty grudge, but she doesn't necessarily agree. Angelique is going to do whatever she wants, regardless of the consequences. She just can't help herself.
Well, that escalated like a sonofabitch, didn't it? When it's all said and done, the Agelique/Nicholas/Adam problem somehow turns into a Werewolf problem. This show really knows how to mess with your head, sometimes. New in town, Chris Jennings wants to find out what happened to his brother, Tom. I'm sure if Angelique was still around, she'd let him know how she made Tom a vampire, which later led to his "true death". Well, Chris has bigger problems at the moment, as his presence in town has already led to a couple of deaths. That's right. Chris is the werewolf. He lives under a curse that makes him more deadly than Barnabas ever was. At least Barnabas had a choice. This guy is going to tear everyone apart whether he likes it or not. Manwhile, David and Chris' sister, Amy, have become partially possessed by the ghost of Quentin Collins, who was a real dick licker in his day. However, that was nothing compared to what death has done to him.
With Barnabas as the new hero and main character, we see Victoria Winters fading more and more into the background. One day, Vicki literally just disappears back into 1795, now referred to 1796 for some reason. Barnabas finds a way to make it back to his original time to make sure Vicki doesn't hang for Angelique's crimes. I love how these people can figure everything out so effortlessly, all in the name of moving the story along. Barnabas returns home to save the day and finds a pissed off Angelique, who is back in her original witch form. Let's just say Barnabas knows exactly how to handle the wife, this time. Victoria Winters had originally met Peter Bradford during her first stay and the two fell in love. Now, that they have been reunited, they will plan a life together in the 18th century. Sadly, this is the last we would ever see of Victoria Winters. I'm sure Elzabeth will always regret not telling her that she was her mother.
Not long after Barnabas returns to the present, it is decided he must travel back to Quentin's time of 1897, because this problem is only getting worse. Even Professor Stokes is all out of ideas. Maybe Quentin can be reasoned with, maybe something can be worked out or history can be changed. David is dead and Collinwood has been abandoned, so, it's worth a shot. Using the I-Ching method, Barnabas isn't physically traveling back in time. He's more like transporting his spirit into his 1897 body. And yeah. In 1897, Barnabas was still a vampire. Hell, he was still in his coffin, wasn't he? Well, as soon as someone lets him out again, Barnabas will need to reclaim the old house, introduce himself to yet another generation, and maybe see what can be done about Quentin. And if there's time, maybe learn a little self-control. Hopefully, another Josette look-alike doesn't show up...
As an arrogant bastard of a human, Quentin is all kinds of entertaining, and we soon forget the villain he is supposed to be. Well, I guess he's not such a villain, after all. Just misunderstood. You want to know who IS a villain? Laura Collins! David's mother from like years ago/years later has been revealed to also be the mother of Jamison Collins, who was David's grandfather and Quentin's nephew. This is pretty much a rehash of the original Laura storyline, except this time, Laura has a worthy opponent. Nope, not Barnabas. Angelique has returned from the flames, and, for some reason, is slightly more reasonable than before. Angelique is aware of everything that has been going on and is willing to help out if certain needs are met. This storyline has barely begun and here we are, about to see Laura vs. Angelique! They don't call it "the peak" for nothing!
History Lesson: Hey, I totally forgot to touch on a key member of the 1795 storyline. A guy called Reverend Trask who was more or less a crazy person who got tricked into thinking Victoria Winters was the witch. The witch hunter caused a lot of problems but ended up paying for it dearly. So, a century later, and we have Trask's grandson (?), Gregory, who isn't one bit crazy, but rather a genuine snake in the grass. Gregory Trask has recently married the new mistress of Collinwood, Quentin's sister, Judith. Preying on the old spinster's loneliness, Gregory has become a very wealthy man, not to mention master of Collinwood. Not good enough, says Trask. He then puts a plan into action to drive Judith insane so she can be put away. Then, it will all be his. This is Jerry Lacy at his best!
While 1969 was the height of the show's popularity, 1897 was a long year for the Collins family. This WAS the year Quentin was meant to die, but history has been changed. Well, not changed so much as Quentin's ghost has merely vanished back in the present. I'm not convinced the writers were fully grasping what it would mean if someone were to CHANGE history, but that's OK. The inconsistencies are fun, too. And the fun keeps on coming as a new character is introduced. One of the more popular villains in the show's history, Count Petofi. When Petofi learns of a certain curse Quentin now lives under, he concocts a master plan to use it to his advantage. This could ultimately threaten the safety of those in the present who are still awaiting Barnabas' return.
In order to help out, Julia travels back into the past as well. And with her help, Barnabas and Angelique put their own plan into motion as a last ditch effort to save Quentin. These altered 1897 events have turned him into a pretty swell guy, and someone worth saving. The rest of these people can fuck right off as far as Barnabas is concerned, but Quentin has grown on pretty much all of us by now, including Angelique. In the end, we learn Barnabas somehow has even more unfinished business in 1795, which we're now calling 1797. Now that things are about as fixed as they can be in 1897, Barnabas has stumbled upon some rare good luck which may provide the happy ending he's always yearned for. And as things seem to go in a positive direction, a new problem arises...
Phase 3: The Decline - Seriously? As one problem ends, a much bigger one follows. So close to reuniting with Josette, yet so far, Barnabas was brainwashed, de-vamped and sent to the present by some weird cult who have made him their leader. The Leviathans are much more than a cult. They're... I'm not even sure what they are, but they're not human. They're Leviathans and they are apparently some very ambitious creatures. These Leviathans are in the early stages of world domination, and they feel like Collinsport, Maine is the best place to get the ball rolling. A good portion of the cast have been brain washed and are being used to do the Leviathan's bidding, as Barnabas shows not a hint of the Barnabas we once knew. Even the vicious vampire who kidnapped Maggie seemed more human than this Leviathan ghoul he has become. Some say this version of Barnabas and this storyline, in general, is where the peak ended and the cracks began to form.
Barnabas was never the true leader of the Leviathans. Just the guy who helped them get their foot in the door. The one who is to lead them to the promised land isn't even grown up yet, but he's about to be. And when Jeb Hawkes arrives, we learn an unfortunate truth about Carolyn's father and a deal he made with these creatures, years earlier. As Barnabas comes to his senses and, once again, fights the evil with Julia, he is punished for his betrayal with a new vampire curse, and replaced by Nicholas Blair. Wait a minute! Whatever became of Quentin? And wasn't there a werewolf, or something?
What we just saw was what is considered the least popular storyline in this show's history. I liked it OK, but nobody can say it's not a step down from 1897 awesomeness. So, one "miss" isn't the end of the world, but everyone knew something different was very much needed, so, another time traveling storyline was planned. This time, Barnabas wouldn't travel back in time, or forward. Barnabas has found a passage way into a parallel dimension which can be found in a room up in the east wing of Collinwood. Sometimes, this room changes. Sometimes, familiar people can be seen in this room, living different lives, discussing unfamiliar subjects. This room cannot be entered when this is going on, and the people inside have no idea they are being watched. These people are identical counterparts to the Collins' we know. They have their own Collinwood and their own supernatural issues. They even have their own Angelique, though, this one has recently died. Angelique was the mistress of Collinwood until she was murdered by an unknown assailant. Dead, but not forgotten, Angelique is very much on everyone's minds. Seemingly every male character was in love with her, Hoffman, the maid, is lost without her, her husband, Quentin, loses it if anyone even mentions her name. And Barnabas is all like "This place kicks ass".
Actually, Barnabas thinks it might be a good idea to check out this world just to get away from his Collinwood for a while because the urges are becoming unbearable. Barnabas is determined for things to not get out of hand like they did a couple years ago with Maggie. I guess he figures that if anything happens, it might as well happen to these people, who, at the end of the day, don't really matter. The room changes with Barnabas in it, and just like that, he's in another universe. Free to leave the room and explore this nearly identical existence. Barnabas gets Carolyn under his power after drinking her blood, though he would have rather it have not come to that. Sometimes, you just really need to shut someone up, and sometimes, fangs really come in handy for that. Barnabas soon regrets this even more when Carolyn's husband, Will Loomis, traps him in a coffin. You heard me. Willie's counterpart, Will, is putting Barnabas BACK into the coffin. Oh, sweet irony!
I believe there has been a bit of a misunderstanding. This Will Loomis guy is an author who once wrote a very successful novel about a guy named Barnabas Collins. This Barnabas lived a normal life and died at a normal age. It is never revealed what was so interesting about him to warrant a book, but he must have had something going on. Will has had writer's block for a while, and believes he has found a way to get things back on track. Will thinks OUR Barnabas is THAT Barnabas, and that what we know about Barnabas is true about his counterpart. So, Will stuffs him into a coffin and forces him to start talking so the "real story" can finally be told. And at this point, Barnabas would be written out of the show completely to go film House Of Dark Shadows.
While Barnabas is away, we are left to become acquainted with the inhabitants of parallel Collinwood. Here, we learn that Quentin has just arrived home with his new bride, Maggie. We also learn he's nothing like the Quentin we once knew. This Quentin is stern and serious with possible anger issues, possibly brought on by the dead wife. There is more talk of Angelique in this house than Maggie would probably prefer, but she's a good sport just like her counterpart. When Angelique's twin sister, Alexis, arrives, Maggie isn't the only one who gets suspicious. Meanwhile, Jeb Hawkes' counterpart is a Dr. Jekyll ripoff who ends up making things way more difficult than they need to be. Then again, this world could use a Mr. Hyde ripoff. Parallel Time plods along while key cast members are off filming the movie, but we know Barnabas is getting out of that coffin sooner or later. And when that happens, we know all wrongs will be righted and everything will be as it should be in Parallel Time.
After all hell quite literally broke loose, Barnabas and Julia, who later joined him, bail, and instead of being sent back to their own time, end up in 1995 (normal time). 25 years in the future, Collinwood is basically no more. In ruins and abandoned, something horrible happened, here. Something so horrible, either everyone is dead or everyone sees it as a good idea to stay away from this place. Carolyn is alive and hanging around near by, but has lost her mind. Professor Stokes, too. Even Quentin. Long story, there. Barnabas and Julia manage to get some answers out of these people they once knew, but not enough to be able to make much of a difference. Once Barnabas and Julia make it back home, it is discovered that whatever happened to Collinwood, is going to happen this year. It's just a matter of time. In 1995, a couple of ghosts were discovered. Gerard Stiles and Daphne Harridge lived in 19th century Collinwood, where something else really bad happened. Supposedly, Gerard was the reason for this, and for some reason, he isn't done with the Collins family. Not even close. Who is Gerard Stiles, really? And where does Daphne fit in? Besides being a Victoria replacement, I mean. David and his new friend, Hallie Stokes, also fit in somewhere in all of this. Well, when all else fails, there's always time travel. So, let's do this shit!
History Lesson: Back in 1795 (or whenever), after Angelique indirectly caused almost everyone to die, all that was left was Barnabas' father, Joshua. A cold-hearted man who was left broken and defeated by all of this. After locking Barnabas in his coffin, Joshua adopts his own nephew, Daniel, who all future Collins' come from. Basically, Daniel took Barnabas' place.
In 1840, which is where we're headed, there lives Daniel's sons. One of which is named Quentin, who is master of Collinwood. The other one is a jealous dick in a wheelchair. Seemingly harmless, Gabriel might prove to be quite dangerous. Julia arrives in 1840 via "the stairway in time", supposedly created by 1840 Quentin at some point. Julia manages to convince everyone she is a memeber of the family before Barnabas can even join her. An overzealous Julia decides to let Barnabas out of his coffin, thinking he must have joined her by now. Big mistake! Julia is now stuck with the Barnabas we originally knew. Evil Barnabas with no knowledge of the present. Not a good time for this!
Eventually, Barnabas of old is possessed by his present self, but not before he causes a little old school havoc. In 1840, we have old Ben Stokes and old Daniel Collins from 1795, as well as young Edith Collins from 1897. So, that's fun. I'll say this is one gloomy generation we have here, but one of the most entertaining. Especially Gabriel. It seems like there was a completely different turn of events getting ready to be put into action, but we'll never know how that might have gone. Gerard Stiles is not a good guy. Not necessarily evil, but he has his best friend, Quentin, fooled. Gerard seemed to have made plans to steal Quentin's wife, house and money. Though after getting possessed by Warlock, Judah Zachery, it seems like all that is still going to happen. However, something more sinster is now brewing underneath. Quentin, the future of the Collins family, is being framed for witchcraft. And if found guilty, he will be beheaded just like in the good old days. And if that happens, everything that belongs to Daniel goes to Gerard. Because Daniel is an idiot.
The stakes have never been higher, as Barnabas and Julia realize if they don't get it right this time, it's over. If Quentin dies, all is lost, and Collinwood is destroyed. Gerard is actually a victim in all of this, too, come to find out. Not that it matters at this point. To complicate things further, Angelique is still around. Unfortunately, not the semi-reasonable Angelique who helped out in 1897. Rather the Angelique of 1795 who only has those events to go on. So, to say Barnabas and Julia need to handle this carefully would be an understatement. During this time, we learn a lot about Angelique, and are shown sides of her never seen even in the present. Angelique has some difficult decisions to make, but ultimately, will be given the chance to prove, once and for all, that she still has some human left in her.
In a lot of ways, this storyline, which is the last great one of the series, brought everything full circle. It was originally an attempt at getting back some of that past glory 1897 provided, as there were many similarities. However, I think this one might have turned out a bit more epic. Definitely darker. Just a damn good finale... that is, if it had been the finale. 1840 sure felt like the final storyline there for a minute, but there is one more. A storyline that should have never happened, but things got throw a little off course in the latter part of 1840. Jonathan Frid's contract ran out and he refused to resign if the Barnabas character wasn't put on the shelf. Did he go crazy or did he just want to make us all sad? Serious question. I don't know, but 1840 turned out to be the last storyline involving ANYONE we associate with this show. Because, without Barnabas, the writers probably didn't know what the hell to do, so, they winged it. We get to see one last scene, showing us how happy everyone is that the present has been restored, and then it happens: We, the viewer, are sent back to 1840 and locked in the Parallel Time room where we shall remain. We will never know what became of the Collins' we know and love, but instead, are stuck with this weird, transitional period. Or at least that's what it was meant to be.
So, we've just about reached the end. 1841 Parallel Time is indeed a lousy time to be alive. It's a decent storyline which continues the same DS brilliance, but without Barnabas and pals, we're given little reason to get invested. Although we might as well make the best of it, right? So, this Collins family has lived under a curse since 1680, and it was placed upon them by ancestor, Brutus Collins, for reasons. The curse is as followed: A lottery must be held once every generation with the lucky winner having to spend the entire night in a cursed room without dying or going crazy. If that can happen, then, curse over. Obviously, this has never been accomplished. If they refuse, you ask? Well, don't.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to Jonathan Frid's new character, Bramwell. Bramwell is the son of Parallel Barnabas and Josette. That's right. In this time, those two had the normal life they expected. I'm sure real time Barabas would be just thrilled to know that. Although at least he's alive. Parallel Barnabas has actually been dead for a while. Barnabas' son is the poor, resentful outcast of the family. The black sheep, I guess. Bramwell is in love with Catherine Harridge (Lara Parker), and he knows the feeling is mutual, but she's about to marry Morgan Collins instead. This love triangle storyline is a bit of a throwback to the non-Horror romance that was once more common on this show. And pretty amusing watching a Jonathan Frid character chasing after a Lara Parker character. I can't imagine where the show was headed after this storyline, but unfortunately, we will never know that either. After a few weeks of 1841 PT, Dark Shadows was cancelled, significantly speeding up it's culmination. The final episode was treated merely like the end of another storyline, with a cliffhanger ruined by a voiceover, confirming that it is indeed the end.
Yeah, that happened! A little slip in the ratings and gone forever! ABC didn't even give them a chance to get their shit together. Us Dark Shadows fans will forever be haunted by this unfair turn of events, and will always wonder what else was about to go down because it had to be something. While we could have used an actual finale with actual closure, we are still so lucky Dan Curtis had that dream. And we're lucky he didn't give up until this show was a reality, and once again, didn't give up until the show was what it was meant to be.
And would you believe everything I've told you doesn't even scratch the surface? I mean that about covers it, storyline-wise, but I won't talk your ear off with every little detail. And yeah. I did fail to mention SO many characters. So, shout-out to Joe Haskell, Lamar Trask, Eve, Aristede, Carl, Jenny, and Melanie Collins. And so many more who made this show what it was. So much great material which the writers deserve full credit. However, this show would have been nothing without such tremendous actors as Thayer David and John Karlen, who must have played at least half a dozen characters each. Same for Joan Bennett, who was hardly in her prime, here. More of an expensive piece of furniture than a main character, but still the mother of the DS family, just the same. Oh, and those wonderful screw ups! If you've seen this show, you knew I had to mention the fact it was never afforded the luxury of a second take. So, Boom mics in plain view, crew members wandering on set, forgotten lines. The entertainment just never ends... Much like this review. Just kidding. I'm almost done. Just a few more words if you don't mind.
It's funny to think about how Dark Shadows started out, but only if you consider how it later ended up. A Soap Opera Mystery/Thriller about an orphan searching for herself in an unfamiliar and haunting environment. An environment which is only a reflection of the tortured family who finds a place in her heart. As does their gloomy, old house, which holds an endless amount of secrets. It's hard to think of a show like that becoming anything else, but some things must evolve or die, and Dark Shadows chose to evolve. Somehow, the show I just described turned into a seemingly endless cornucopia of supernatural intrigue. More specifically, the story of a time traveling vampire with a guilty-conscience, who will do literally anything to keep his relatives safe. A vampire being stalked and tormented through the centuries by a heartbroken witch, not out of hate, but love. That's good shit, is it not? Of course, none of this is to be overshadowed by Collinwood, itself, which, at times, seems like the uncredited main character. It began with Victoria and ended with a bunch of imposters, but this is the story of Barnabas Collins. it just is. A man who had his whole life ahead of him. A man who had Collinwood coming to him, as well as the Collins fortune, yet all Barnabas ever found was dark shadows. 10/10
It's the greatest story ever told, the most legendary Soap Opera in history, the peak of the Horror genre... Well, maybe Dark Shadows has never been called any of those things, but then again, it's never been called "the death of continuity", but that wouldn't be much of a stretch, either, now would it? Dark Shadows has left an impact on many of us. Perhaps the biggest impact made some 50 years ago, before episodes could be rewatched, but an ongoing impact, just the same. I'm of the 90's/Sci-fi Channel generation of DS fans, and I've waited a long time to fully express my feelings on what is still my all-time favorite TV show. This isn't an easy story to tell, at least while doing it justice, I mean. However, a necessary one for me. Today, Trash Epics celebrates the original Dark Shadows, broken up into three different sections: The pre-Horror/pre-Barnabas era, the peak of the show's popularity, and of course, the inevitable decline. This is Dark Shadows!
While it didn't start out as as a Horror series, Dark Shadows' originally actually comes from that of a dream. One night, a man named Dan Curtis had a dream. This writer/director/producer could not get said dream out of his head, and would eventually go on to use it as inspiration for an idea involving a Gothic Mystery/Thriller Soap Opera Curtis wanted ABC to get off the ground. Once it Debuted, it instantly started flirting with the Horror genre, but wasn't quite there, and wouldn't be for at least the first year.
Phase One: The Beginning - Originally, Dark Shadows was about a girl named Victoria Winters. Victoria is on a train, headed to a small, fishing village in Maine called Collinsport. Victoria doesn't know where she comes from, or where she's going, exactly. All Victoria knows is that there is a mansion on a hill called Collinwood, and the mistress of that house has personally requested she become her nephew, David's, governess. Besides offering good pay, Victoria feels drawn to this house, as if deep down, she knows this may provide answers she has always wanted. Answers about her identity and her history. She doesn't know how she knows, but Victoria knows this is where she needs to go. As Victoria meets the Collins family, she realizes this is one gloomy, tortured bunch. Mirroring their surroundings, perfectly. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard owns the place, and for an unknown reason, has not left her property in nearly 20 years. And as you could guess, Elizabeth does not respond well when asked about this. So, don't worry about Elizabeth. She'll be fine. Elizabeth's daughter, Carolyn, is the friendliest, most normal person in the house, and close in age with Victoria. Carolyn is also in need of a friend, so, this will be the high point of Vicki's stay for a while. The reason Victoria is here, though, is, little David Collins. Son of Elizabeth's Brother, Roger. David is a difficult little bastard, at best, and is not one bit welcoming to Victoria, even going so far as to try and scare her off. Speaking of scaring people off, David's dad, Roger, who would rather not be living with his sister, is not a hell of a lot more pleasant than the boy. Victoria isn't given many reasons to stick around in the beginning, but she sticks with it, as she truly feels this will be worth it... someday. Roger isn't so bad, but he seems to be hiding something that Victoria might unintentionally be getting too close to. That's where Burke Devlin comes in. In what was the original Dark Shadows storyline, Buke Devlin has recently returned to town after many years in prison. After riding into Collinsport on the same train, Burke makes fast friends with Victoria, and is pretty blunt about having no use for her new employers. Burke later reveals a long-standing grudge which is the only reason he even came back to this town. Burke feels like a certain member of the Collins family should have gone to prison in his place, and he's either going to prove this or just go ahead and take down the entire family and their business. How do you beat a bunch of rich assholes? You become a bigger, richer asshole! After much drama involving Burke, a jealous Carolyn, a psychotic David, and a murder mystery, ratings continue to go south. This is good stuff, but people aren't getting it, and we know how impatient networks can be. There's been a ghost or two, already, but something needs to drastically change, and fast! David's mother, Laura Collins, is back. Back home, back to reclaim her son, and back from the grave. Laura Collins actually died some time ago. That's a fact, but here she is. Part of David's problems had to do with his mother's absence, but now that she's back, perhaps things were better when she was gone. Laura isn't the same, and the longer she sticks around, the more obvious it becomes that she is after something. As this goes on, we also oversee what is known as the final non-Horror storyline, where we finally find out Elizabeth's secret. The Mistress of Colinwood is being blackmailed by Jason McGuire, an old friend of her late husband. And Elizabeth is willing to pay or do just about anything to keep Jason Quiet. Meanwhile, Jason's partner-in-crime, Willie, is pissing everyone off, but is about to unintentionally change everything forever. Phase 2: The Peak - One day, Dan Curtis said what needed to be said. He said what everyone else was probably thinking, but didn't have the guts. Dan Curtis just came out and said it: "We need a fucking Vampire!" And you know what? Dan Curtis was right. An actor was soon hired to play this vampire, who greedy troublemaker, Willie Loomis, accidentally let out of a coffin he was locked in over 150 years ago. Theater actor, Jonathan Frid, gave life/death to Barnabas Collins, and at the same time, gave the Collins family a long, rich history, which we can now explore. All Dark Shadows needed was a vampire, and now, the sky is the limit! The thing is, though, Barnabas is actually the villain. While portraying himself to the family as the identical descendant of "the original Barnabas Collins, he's actually a vicious, obsessive monster, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. And right now, Barnabas wants a girlfriend. Although Blood would be nice, too. History Lesson: In the pre-Barnabas days, vague mentions were made of the Collins family history, but nothing said ever had much to do with storylines. So, it was all pretty meaningless. There was a ghost named Josette Collins who helped Vicki out, but she didn't have much of an identity back then. Once Barnabas showed up, the writers started establishing a definitive Collins family history which contradicted several claims made during the early episodes. Barnabas tells people that his ancestor moved to England in 1795, which is where he is claiming to come from. Originally, Isaac Collins moved the family to America in the 17th Century, so, I guess it's believable to them that there was a whole other branch they didn't know about. While abusing and traumatizing his new servant, Willie, a friend of the family catches Barnabas' eye. Maggie Evans is the spitting image of his lost love, Josette, who committed suicide shortly before Barnabas's enclosure. Being a Vampire, Barnabas is confident he can simply kidnap Maggie and brainwash her into becoming Josette. Barnabas attempts to erase Maggie in order to resurrect the love he once felt. He wants her to be the reincartation of Josette so bad, he convinces himself of this, and almost succeeds in convincing Maggie. However, while being held in the old Collins house by Barnabas and Willie, Maggie gains an unlikely ally: The ghost of Sarah Collins. Sarah Collins is Barnabas' little sister who died shortly before his enclosure. Sarah appears to everyone she can, offering hints of Maggie's whereabouts, eventually leading her to freedom. Maggie isn't the only one who gains an ally, as Barnabas begins what starts out as a rocky relationship with Dr. Julia Hoffman. First allies, then enemies, then sort of both, back to enemies, and much later, dear friends, Julia is offering Barnabas a way out. She is confident that she can cure this disease. Yes, we're going to call it a disease, now. Long story short, this does not go at all as planned because one mistake looks like it might cost Julia her life. Possibly Maggie's and everyone's at Collinwood, too. Barnabas is a bastard but not impossible to get through to. One night, Sarah finally appears to Barnabas, letting him know how disappointed she is with him, and that she will never appear to him again. And she never did. What Barnabas does with that is up to him. As we see start to see glimmers of good in the heartbroken Barnabas, a new storyline is about to begin. The Collins family holds a seance to contact Sarah's spirit so she can hopefully shed some light on the mystery behind Maggie's disappearance. Instead of that happening, something else went down: Victoria Winters has been transported back to 1795. And in Vicki's place, the Collins governess of that time sits. For the next six or seven months, we, the viewer, will get to know a whole new generation of the Collins family. Make that an old generation. Vicki is about to live through the months leading up to Barnabas' death, resurrection, eventual enclosure, and everything in between. Posing as a governess won't be hard for Vicki since she is one, and what better student than her cooperative pal, Sarah? This version of the Collins family isn't so bad, but the trouble soon starts, as Josette and her family arrive for the wedding. Barnabas and Josette are getting married, and seemingly nothing is going to stand in the way of their love. This is where Angelique Bouchard comes in. Josette's personal maid has a thing for Barnabas. Actually, it's more than that. They, at one time, had a little something going on. However, to Angeligue, it was more than "a little something". Barnabas makes it clear nothing will ever come of what happened as he will be faithful to Josette for the rest of his days. So, naturally, Angelique now feels screwed over. When wronged, some people let it go and move on, and some people don't. Some people are witches who are just looking for a reason to practice their craft. First, Angelique casts a spell to make Josette and Uncle Jeremiah fall in love and secretly get married. Feelings get hurt, one thing leads to another, and Barnabas ends up marrying Angelique out of spite. This was Barnabas' biggest mistake, at least as far as the 18th century goes. With the help of Ben Stokes, Angelique eventually gets found out as Barnabas gets his revenge. Then, Angelique gets her's, hence the vampire problem in 1967. And with oblivious Vic hanging around, who better to pin all this witchcraft on? Victoria manages to make it back to the present without a scratch, but barely. With all the hints staring her dead in the face, Victoria still didn't manage to figure out that Barnabas of the past is Barnabas of the present. That's fortunate for her as Barnabas of the present hasn't quite become a good guy yet, though pretty close. Another potential cure is finally discovered for Barnabas, and this one is a little more complicated. This cure involves bringing an artificial human to life, using Barnabas' life force to kick start it, and at the same time, sucking the "disease" from him. This SHOULD make Barnabas human again. Still with me? No, seriously. This actually works. Not anywhere near as planned, but Barnabas, Julia and Willie now have a new friend. Adam is here and he's gigantic, infantile and scared shitless. Nobody really knows what to do with Adam. Just keep him locked up, I guess. As long as no one at Collinwood finds out about him, it'll probably be fine... This is where they just try and fit anything and everything Horror into the show, making 1968 one kickass year for Dark Shadows. With a new Frankenstein monster-ripoff guy wreaking havoc, we also get to meet Roger's new wife, Cassandra, who is really Angelique in disguise. Thanks to Victoria, Angelique has discovered that Barnabas has been freed from his coffin, and even managed to ditch the curse she placed on him so long ago. Desperate to banish Barnabas back to the night, Cassandra comes up with a dream curse meant to culminate with Barnabas dying and returning as a vampire. Ultimately, this curse only served to scare the hell out of the rest of the cast. A big waste of time for Cassandra, but when she and her partner-in-crime, Nicholas Blair, find out the truth behind Barnabas' new-found immunity, it might be a game changer. As it would turn out, Adam's existence is the only thing keeping Barnabas human. If he were to die, Barnabas would revert back to what he was, and nobody wants that. Except maybe Angelique, who is now a vampire, herself. Actually, Nicholas made that happen, as these two aren't exactly on the same page after learning the big news. So, Nicholas now has control over Angelique, which gives him time to also get control over Adam. What Nicholas is ultimately after is far more important than Angelique's petty grudge, but she doesn't necessarily agree. Angelique is going to do whatever she wants, regardless of the consequences. She just can't help herself. Well, that escalated like a sonofabitch, didn't it? When it's all said and done, the Agelique/Nicholas/Adam problem somehow turns into a Werewolf problem. This show really knows how to mess with your head, sometimes. New in town, Chris Jennings wants to find out what happened to his brother, Tom. I'm sure if Angelique was still around, she'd let him know how she made Tom a vampire, which later led to his "true death". Well, Chris has bigger problems at the moment, as his presence in town has already led to a couple of deaths. That's right. Chris is the werewolf. He lives under a curse that makes him more deadly than Barnabas ever was. At least Barnabas had a choice. This guy is going to tear everyone apart whether he likes it or not. Manwhile, David and Chris' sister, Amy, have become partially possessed by the ghost of Quentin Collins, who was a real dick licker in his day. However, that was nothing compared to what death has done to him. With Barnabas as the new hero and main character, we see Victoria Winters fading more and more into the background. One day, Vicki literally just disappears back into 1795, now referred to 1796 for some reason. Barnabas finds a way to make it back to his original time to make sure Vicki doesn't hang for Angelique's crimes. I love how these people can figure everything out so effortlessly, all in the name of moving the story along. Barnabas returns home to save the day and finds a pissed off Angelique, who is back in her original witch form. Let's just say Barnabas knows exactly how to handle the wife, this time. Victoria Winters had originally met Peter Bradford during her first stay and the two fell in love. Now, that they have been reunited, they will plan a life together in the 18th century. Sadly, this is the last we would ever see of Victoria Winters. I'm sure Elzabeth will always regret not telling her that she was her mother. Not long after Barnabas returns to the present, it is decided he must travel back to Quentin's time of 1897, because this problem is only getting worse. Even Professor Stokes is all out of ideas. Maybe Quentin can be reasoned with, maybe something can be worked out or history can be changed. David is dead and Collinwood has been abandoned, so, it's worth a shot. Using the I-Ching method, Barnabas isn't physically traveling back in time. He's more like transporting his spirit into his 1897 body. And yeah. In 1897, Barnabas was still a vampire. Hell, he was still in his coffin, wasn't he? Well, as soon as someone lets him out again, Barnabas will need to reclaim the old house, introduce himself to yet another generation, and maybe see what can be done about Quentin. And if there's time, maybe learn a little self-control. Hopefully, another Josette look-alike doesn't show up... As an arrogant bastard of a human, Quentin is all kinds of entertaining, and we soon forget the villain he is supposed to be. Well, I guess he's not such a villain, after all. Just misunderstood. You want to know who IS a villain? Laura Collins! David's mother from like years ago/years later has been revealed to also be the mother of Jamison Collins, who was David's grandfather and Quentin's nephew. This is pretty much a rehash of the original Laura storyline, except this time, Laura has a worthy opponent. Nope, not Barnabas. Angelique has returned from the flames, and, for some reason, is slightly more reasonable than before. Angelique is aware of everything that has been going on and is willing to help out if certain needs are met. This storyline has barely begun and here we are, about to see Laura vs. Angelique! They don't call it "the peak" for nothing! History Lesson: Hey, I totally forgot to touch on a key member of the 1795 storyline. A guy called Reverend Trask who was more or less a crazy person who got tricked into thinking Victoria Winters was the witch. The witch hunter caused a lot of problems but ended up paying for it dearly. So, a century later, and we have Trask's grandson (?), Gregory, who isn't one bit crazy, but rather a genuine snake in the grass. Gregory Trask has recently married the new mistress of Collinwood, Quentin's sister, Judith. Preying on the old spinster's loneliness, Gregory has become a very wealthy man, not to mention master of Collinwood. Not good enough, says Trask. He then puts a plan into action to drive Judith insane so she can be put away. Then, it will all be his. This is Jerry Lacy at his best! While 1969 was the height of the show's popularity, 1897 was a long year for the Collins family. This WAS the year Quentin was meant to die, but history has been changed. Well, not changed so much as Quentin's ghost has merely vanished back in the present. I'm not convinced the writers were fully grasping what it would mean if someone were to CHANGE history, but that's OK. The inconsistencies are fun, too. And the fun keeps on coming as a new character is introduced. One of the more popular villains in the show's history, Count Petofi. When Petofi learns of a certain curse Quentin now lives under, he concocts a master plan to use it to his advantage. This could ultimately threaten the safety of those in the present who are still awaiting Barnabas' return. In order to help out, Julia travels back into the past as well. And with her help, Barnabas and Angelique put their own plan into motion as a last ditch effort to save Quentin. These altered 1897 events have turned him into a pretty swell guy, and someone worth saving. The rest of these people can fuck right off as far as Barnabas is concerned, but Quentin has grown on pretty much all of us by now, including Angelique. In the end, we learn Barnabas somehow has even more unfinished business in 1795, which we're now calling 1797. Now that things are about as fixed as they can be in 1897, Barnabas has stumbled upon some rare good luck which may provide the happy ending he's always yearned for. And as things seem to go in a positive direction, a new problem arises... Phase 3: The Decline - Seriously? As one problem ends, a much bigger one follows. So close to reuniting with Josette, yet so far, Barnabas was brainwashed, de-vamped and sent to the present by some weird cult who have made him their leader. The Leviathans are much more than a cult. They're... I'm not even sure what they are, but they're not human. They're Leviathans and they are apparently some very ambitious creatures. These Leviathans are in the early stages of world domination, and they feel like Collinsport, Maine is the best place to get the ball rolling. A good portion of the cast have been brain washed and are being used to do the Leviathan's bidding, as Barnabas shows not a hint of the Barnabas we once knew. Even the vicious vampire who kidnapped Maggie seemed more human than this Leviathan ghoul he has become. Some say this version of Barnabas and this storyline, in general, is where the peak ended and the cracks began to form. Barnabas was never the true leader of the Leviathans. Just the guy who helped them get their foot in the door. The one who is to lead them to the promised land isn't even grown up yet, but he's about to be. And when Jeb Hawkes arrives, we learn an unfortunate truth about Carolyn's father and a deal he made with these creatures, years earlier. As Barnabas comes to his senses and, once again, fights the evil with Julia, he is punished for his betrayal with a new vampire curse, and replaced by Nicholas Blair. Wait a minute! Whatever became of Quentin? And wasn't there a werewolf, or something? What we just saw was what is considered the least popular storyline in this show's history. I liked it OK, but nobody can say it's not a step down from 1897 awesomeness. So, one "miss" isn't the end of the world, but everyone knew something different was very much needed, so, another time traveling storyline was planned. This time, Barnabas wouldn't travel back in time, or forward. Barnabas has found a passage way into a parallel dimension which can be found in a room up in the east wing of Collinwood. Sometimes, this room changes. Sometimes, familiar people can be seen in this room, living different lives, discussing unfamiliar subjects. This room cannot be entered when this is going on, and the people inside have no idea they are being watched. These people are identical counterparts to the Collins' we know. They have their own Collinwood and their own supernatural issues. They even have their own Angelique, though, this one has recently died. Angelique was the mistress of Collinwood until she was murdered by an unknown assailant. Dead, but not forgotten, Angelique is very much on everyone's minds. Seemingly every male character was in love with her, Hoffman, the maid, is lost without her, her husband, Quentin, loses it if anyone even mentions her name. And Barnabas is all like "This place kicks ass". Actually, Barnabas thinks it might be a good idea to check out this world just to get away from his Collinwood for a while because the urges are becoming unbearable. Barnabas is determined for things to not get out of hand like they did a couple years ago with Maggie. I guess he figures that if anything happens, it might as well happen to these people, who, at the end of the day, don't really matter. The room changes with Barnabas in it, and just like that, he's in another universe. Free to leave the room and explore this nearly identical existence. Barnabas gets Carolyn under his power after drinking her blood, though he would have rather it have not come to that. Sometimes, you just really need to shut someone up, and sometimes, fangs really come in handy for that. Barnabas soon regrets this even more when Carolyn's husband, Will Loomis, traps him in a coffin. You heard me. Willie's counterpart, Will, is putting Barnabas BACK into the coffin. Oh, sweet irony! I believe there has been a bit of a misunderstanding. This Will Loomis guy is an author who once wrote a very successful novel about a guy named Barnabas Collins. This Barnabas lived a normal life and died at a normal age. It is never revealed what was so interesting about him to warrant a book, but he must have had something going on. Will has had writer's block for a while, and believes he has found a way to get things back on track. Will thinks OUR Barnabas is THAT Barnabas, and that what we know about Barnabas is true about his counterpart. So, Will stuffs him into a coffin and forces him to start talking so the "real story" can finally be told. And at this point, Barnabas would be written out of the show completely to go film House Of Dark Shadows. While Barnabas is away, we are left to become acquainted with the inhabitants of parallel Collinwood. Here, we learn that Quentin has just arrived home with his new bride, Maggie. We also learn he's nothing like the Quentin we once knew. This Quentin is stern and serious with possible anger issues, possibly brought on by the dead wife. There is more talk of Angelique in this house than Maggie would probably prefer, but she's a good sport just like her counterpart. When Angelique's twin sister, Alexis, arrives, Maggie isn't the only one who gets suspicious. Meanwhile, Jeb Hawkes' counterpart is a Dr. Jekyll ripoff who ends up making things way more difficult than they need to be. Then again, this world could use a Mr. Hyde ripoff. Parallel Time plods along while key cast members are off filming the movie, but we know Barnabas is getting out of that coffin sooner or later. And when that happens, we know all wrongs will be righted and everything will be as it should be in Parallel Time. After all hell quite literally broke loose, Barnabas and Julia, who later joined him, bail, and instead of being sent back to their own time, end up in 1995 (normal time). 25 years in the future, Collinwood is basically no more. In ruins and abandoned, something horrible happened, here. Something so horrible, either everyone is dead or everyone sees it as a good idea to stay away from this place. Carolyn is alive and hanging around near by, but has lost her mind. Professor Stokes, too. Even Quentin. Long story, there. Barnabas and Julia manage to get some answers out of these people they once knew, but not enough to be able to make much of a difference. Once Barnabas and Julia make it back home, it is discovered that whatever happened to Collinwood, is going to happen this year. It's just a matter of time. In 1995, a couple of ghosts were discovered. Gerard Stiles and Daphne Harridge lived in 19th century Collinwood, where something else really bad happened. Supposedly, Gerard was the reason for this, and for some reason, he isn't done with the Collins family. Not even close. Who is Gerard Stiles, really? And where does Daphne fit in? Besides being a Victoria replacement, I mean. David and his new friend, Hallie Stokes, also fit in somewhere in all of this. Well, when all else fails, there's always time travel. So, let's do this shit! History Lesson: Back in 1795 (or whenever), after Angelique indirectly caused almost everyone to die, all that was left was Barnabas' father, Joshua. A cold-hearted man who was left broken and defeated by all of this. After locking Barnabas in his coffin, Joshua adopts his own nephew, Daniel, who all future Collins' come from. Basically, Daniel took Barnabas' place. In 1840, which is where we're headed, there lives Daniel's sons. One of which is named Quentin, who is master of Collinwood. The other one is a jealous dick in a wheelchair. Seemingly harmless, Gabriel might prove to be quite dangerous. Julia arrives in 1840 via "the stairway in time", supposedly created by 1840 Quentin at some point. Julia manages to convince everyone she is a memeber of the family before Barnabas can even join her. An overzealous Julia decides to let Barnabas out of his coffin, thinking he must have joined her by now. Big mistake! Julia is now stuck with the Barnabas we originally knew. Evil Barnabas with no knowledge of the present. Not a good time for this! Eventually, Barnabas of old is possessed by his present self, but not before he causes a little old school havoc. In 1840, we have old Ben Stokes and old Daniel Collins from 1795, as well as young Edith Collins from 1897. So, that's fun. I'll say this is one gloomy generation we have here, but one of the most entertaining. Especially Gabriel. It seems like there was a completely different turn of events getting ready to be put into action, but we'll never know how that might have gone. Gerard Stiles is not a good guy. Not necessarily evil, but he has his best friend, Quentin, fooled. Gerard seemed to have made plans to steal Quentin's wife, house and money. Though after getting possessed by Warlock, Judah Zachery, it seems like all that is still going to happen. However, something more sinster is now brewing underneath. Quentin, the future of the Collins family, is being framed for witchcraft. And if found guilty, he will be beheaded just like in the good old days. And if that happens, everything that belongs to Daniel goes to Gerard. Because Daniel is an idiot. The stakes have never been higher, as Barnabas and Julia realize if they don't get it right this time, it's over. If Quentin dies, all is lost, and Collinwood is destroyed. Gerard is actually a victim in all of this, too, come to find out. Not that it matters at this point. To complicate things further, Angelique is still around. Unfortunately, not the semi-reasonable Angelique who helped out in 1897. Rather the Angelique of 1795 who only has those events to go on. So, to say Barnabas and Julia need to handle this carefully would be an understatement. During this time, we learn a lot about Angelique, and are shown sides of her never seen even in the present. Angelique has some difficult decisions to make, but ultimately, will be given the chance to prove, once and for all, that she still has some human left in her. In a lot of ways, this storyline, which is the last great one of the series, brought everything full circle. It was originally an attempt at getting back some of that past glory 1897 provided, as there were many similarities. However, I think this one might have turned out a bit more epic. Definitely darker. Just a damn good finale... that is, if it had been the finale. 1840 sure felt like the final storyline there for a minute, but there is one more. A storyline that should have never happened, but things got throw a little off course in the latter part of 1840. Jonathan Frid's contract ran out and he refused to resign if the Barnabas character wasn't put on the shelf. Did he go crazy or did he just want to make us all sad? Serious question. I don't know, but 1840 turned out to be the last storyline involving ANYONE we associate with this show. Because, without Barnabas, the writers probably didn't know what the hell to do, so, they winged it. We get to see one last scene, showing us how happy everyone is that the present has been restored, and then it happens: We, the viewer, are sent back to 1840 and locked in the Parallel Time room where we shall remain. We will never know what became of the Collins' we know and love, but instead, are stuck with this weird, transitional period. Or at least that's what it was meant to be. So, we've just about reached the end. 1841 Parallel Time is indeed a lousy time to be alive. It's a decent storyline which continues the same DS brilliance, but without Barnabas and pals, we're given little reason to get invested. Although we might as well make the best of it, right? So, this Collins family has lived under a curse since 1680, and it was placed upon them by ancestor, Brutus Collins, for reasons. The curse is as followed: A lottery must be held once every generation with the lucky winner having to spend the entire night in a cursed room without dying or going crazy. If that can happen, then, curse over. Obviously, this has never been accomplished. If they refuse, you ask? Well, don't. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Jonathan Frid's new character, Bramwell. Bramwell is the son of Parallel Barnabas and Josette. That's right. In this time, those two had the normal life they expected. I'm sure real time Barabas would be just thrilled to know that. Although at least he's alive. Parallel Barnabas has actually been dead for a while. Barnabas' son is the poor, resentful outcast of the family. The black sheep, I guess. Bramwell is in love with Catherine Harridge (Lara Parker), and he knows the feeling is mutual, but she's about to marry Morgan Collins instead. This love triangle storyline is a bit of a throwback to the non-Horror romance that was once more common on this show. And pretty amusing watching a Jonathan Frid character chasing after a Lara Parker character. I can't imagine where the show was headed after this storyline, but unfortunately, we will never know that either. After a few weeks of 1841 PT, Dark Shadows was cancelled, significantly speeding up it's culmination. The final episode was treated merely like the end of another storyline, with a cliffhanger ruined by a voiceover, confirming that it is indeed the end. Yeah, that happened! A little slip in the ratings and gone forever! ABC didn't even give them a chance to get their shit together. Us Dark Shadows fans will forever be haunted by this unfair turn of events, and will always wonder what else was about to go down because it had to be something. While we could have used an actual finale with actual closure, we are still so lucky Dan Curtis had that dream. And we're lucky he didn't give up until this show was a reality, and once again, didn't give up until the show was what it was meant to be.And would you believe everything I've told you doesn't even scratch the surface? I mean that about covers it, storyline-wise, but I won't talk your ear off with every little detail. And yeah. I did fail to mention SO many characters. So, shout-out to Joe Haskell, Lamar Trask, Eve, Aristede, Carl, Jenny, and Melanie Collins. And so many more who made this show what it was. So much great material which the writers deserve full credit. However, this show would have been nothing without such tremendous actors as Thayer David and John Karlen, who must have played at least half a dozen characters each. Same for Joan Bennett, who was hardly in her prime, here. More of an expensive piece of furniture than a main character, but still the mother of the DS family, just the same. Oh, and those wonderful screw ups! If you've seen this show, you knew I had to mention the fact it was never afforded the luxury of a second take. So, Boom mics in plain view, crew members wandering on set, forgotten lines. The entertainment just never ends... Much like this review. Just kidding. I'm almost done. Just a few more words if you don't mind.
It's funny to think about how Dark Shadows started out, but only if you consider how it later ended up. A Soap Opera Mystery/Thriller about an orphan searching for herself in an unfamiliar and haunting environment. An environment which is only a reflection of the tortured family who finds a place in her heart. As does their gloomy, old house, which holds an endless amount of secrets. It's hard to think of a show like that becoming anything else, but some things must evolve or die, and Dark Shadows chose to evolve. Somehow, the show I just described turned into a seemingly endless cornucopia of supernatural intrigue. More specifically, the story of a time traveling vampire with a guilty-conscience, who will do literally anything to keep his relatives safe. A vampire being stalked and tormented through the centuries by a heartbroken witch, not out of hate, but love. That's good shit, is it not? Of course, none of this is to be overshadowed by Collinwood, itself, which, at times, seems like the uncredited main character. It began with Victoria and ended with a bunch of imposters, but this is the story of Barnabas Collins. it just is. A man who had his whole life ahead of him. A man who had Collinwood coming to him, as well as the Collins fortune, yet all Barnabas ever found was dark shadows. 10/10
That being said, this was both a fun and emotional read for me. I was introduced as a child to Dark Shadows by my adopted aunt Glenda. She LOVED this show. I have so many fond memories of watching this with her. It became a tradition for us to hang out and watch it. It was one of the happiest times in my childhood. Sadly, my aunt passed away 13 years ago.
I wish she was still around because she would have adored your review. You outdid yourself with this one. It's a beautiful review for one of the most beautiful (if not the most beautiful) tv shows ever created.
Thank you for taking the time to write this and thank you for the happy memories you brought back to me while reading it.