Hey gang,
One aspect of Dark Shadows that I've always enjoyed is the interaction between the lordly Collinses and the "common-folk" staff of the great house of Collinwood. In fact, Dark Shadows presented this intriguing "upstairs, downstairs" dichotomy between the rich and the poor a number of years before Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh originated the superb "Upstairs, Downstairs" BBC series.
It's been great fun to see the hired help cope with life while serving under the high-and-mighty Collins family. From the 1960s' crabby (but lovable) Mrs. Sarah Johnson and her ne'er-do-well son, Harry, the sociopathic Morgan Morgan and the lovely and gentle governess Vicky Winters (also Vicky's successor, waitress-turned-teacher Maggie Evans) to 1797's gruff (but extremely loyal and good-hearted) Ben Stokes, the cunning and beautiful Angelique Bouchard, and once again, the ingenuous Victoria Winters, they've all been such engrossing and wonderfully fleshed-out characters. (Of course, Barnabas' servant/handy man, Willie Loomis, is Dark Shadows' "man for all seasons," imho.)
And, let's not forget 1897's comely and kindly chambermaid, Beth Chavez, the thoroughly wacked-out head groundskeeper, Dirk Wilkins or Barnabas' two incorrigible but always likable Old House servants, Magda and Sandor Racosi (the original 19th century grifters!).
I suppose in appreciation of all of these "regular folk," I'm somewhat disappointed that we do not get to see more of the ill-fated 1840 housemaid, Hortense (O'Hearn?). In fact, I believe that Hortense may be the only member of the 1840 Collinwood house staff whom we get to see during this storyline.
In the brief time that we get to see Hortense, with that seemingly perpetually tremulous facial expression of hers, Hortense sort of reminds me of Dark Shadows' answer to Deputy Barney Fife! I, for one, would have liked to have seen Hortense continue as Samantha Collins' faithful servant (much like PT Angelique's eternally loyal "Miss" Julia Hoffman).
Perhaps, we might of learned about how Hortense and her family boarded a ship in Limerick harbor to come to America (Boston, most likely), in an attempt to escape the despair and poverty of the soon-to-be famine-ravaged Ireland. No doubt, Hortense must have been extremely grateful to secure even the humble position of Collinwood housemaid as she she strove to achieve/discover, what Vito Corleone so accurately described to Americo Bonasera, (as finding) "America to be a paradise."
Oh well, Hortense joins that pantheon of relatively short-lived Dark Shadows characters (along with Sheriff George Paterson, Buzz Hackett, Portia Fitzsimmons, "King" Johnny Romano, Buffie Harrington and a certain ubiquitous and silent saloon keeper) who we never really get to learn much about on the show. C'est la vie!
Bob the Bartender
