My journey begins.....Episode 1, the 1991 revival.

[IluvBarnabas]

I have got my DS 1991 revival set and have already watched the first episode.

I looked at the 'another sideshow' thread that Gothick suggested and yes, MGM did cut out a few crucial scenes...the ones that struck to me was Roger telling Elizabeth that he would have let David die if it would have meant saving Laura's sanity....that was the opening of the window into the troubled relationship of Roger and David. Roger's telling Vicki that David would indeed be much of a challenge for her and later telling her he doesn't expect anything from his son so as not to be disappointed is further demonstration of his disdain for his son, and honestly should have been kept it. I don't know why MGM chose to cut that out.

The other cut scenes I don't have so much a problem with. And now to the episode.

Can I just say how much I still adore Joanna Going as VW? She knows she's going to have a tough time winning over David, but she is determined and has a lot of spunk. I also like her scenes with Barnabas and Willie.

David really is a little monster, maybe even more so than in the OS! Perhaps Roger is right when he says the child may need a psychiatrist more than a governess.He vows to keep scaring Vicki again and again, sticks a spider in a box and basically tricks her into opening it, knowing she'll be scared out of her wits and very sinisterly implies she might find one of those in her bed. Vicki, unsettled by this, lets him leave, but if it had been me, I would have said "Try it little boy and you'll be laying on your sides!" Back in the 90's I believe you were still allowed to spank a child without worrying about Child Services to get on your case.

In other deleted scenes, Sheriff Patterson tells Elizabeth he suspects something is up with Willie and in may be in connection with the attacks. Roger encourages this impression when they find Willie's empty room and more of Willie's booze. Now I know that Willie was an annoying schmuck before he comes into Barnabas' power, and yes his sudden disappearance was bound to raise a bit suspicion, but still I didn't see anything in his behavior pre-Barnabas that would strike me he could have gone as far as murder. I know he told Sam he would take a drink any way he could, but I believe that was just Willie talking through his fanny. All talk and no action.

Barnabas comes onto the scene and introduces himself to the family, starts working his charm on Vicki and of course has to satisfy his bloodlust. I know I said that Cross was merely adequate in the past, but I think I've may have sold him short. He can be pitiful, romantic and vicious at different stages in the episode.

And Jim Fyfe.....hard to say at this point. I've been really critical of his work as Willie, but I do admit I felt sorry for him when Barnabas beat the crap out of him with the cane. I have to catch more episodes to form a definite opinion.

Some of the scenes however are almost taken directly out of HODS (Daphne's attack in her car, Willie's reading the poem and going to the mausoleum, Barnabas beating Willie). Unlike the majority on here, I loved HODS but I don't feel that it needed to be rehashed for the new show. Certainly the writers could have come up with something FRESH to start the show.

Julia Hoffman, yes she is intense but she's no fool. She sees how disturbed Daphne is at the sight of Barnabas, she knows there is something to it, but does she suspect vampirism at this point....hard to say.

As for the other characters....Carolyn was quite the tease but I do believe she generally likes Vicki. Elizabeth is very calm but also decisive (by suggesting Julia treat Daphne at Collinwood). Hard to say about Maggie and Joe.

All in all....flaws and all, it's actually a pretty watchable episode. Though I could have done without Barnabas beating Willie....sheesh, it was bad enough in HODS and in the original show....certainly throwing him down the stairs would have been efficient enough to keep Willie in check. Do like how gentle and smitten Barnabas is with Vicki.

Definitely will stick with it.

[KMR]

I looked at the 'another sideshow' thread that Gothick suggested and yes, MGM did cut out a few crucial scenes...the ones that struck to me was Roger telling Elizabeth that he would have let David die if it would have meant saving Laura's sanity....that was the opening of the window into the troubled relationship of Roger and David. Roger's telling Vicki that David would indeed be much of a challenge for her and later telling her he doesn't expect anything from his son so as not to be disappointed is further demonstration of his disdain for his son, and honestly should have been kept it. I don't know why MGM chose to cut that out.

Technically, I don't think that they "cut" anything, they just went with the original broadcast edit. I agree that the extended version helps significantly in developing the characters and their relationships. (Just like I think that most of the deleted scenes on the Tim Burton DVD deserve to be included in the movie, to make it stronger.)

Can I just say how much I still adore Joanna Going as VW? She knows she's going to have a tough time winning over David, but she is determined and has a lot of spunk. I also like her scenes with Barnabas and Willie.

While there are many things to like about DS'91, I think Joanna is probably the top one. She is simply outstanding. (And just wait until the 1790 episodes; she's just fantastic at both expressing Victoria's bewilderment and anguish, and creating a distinct characterization for Josette.)

David really is a little monster, maybe even more so than in the OS!

I don't know about that.  I've been watching the pre-Barnabas episodes of the OS, and I was really shocked by some of David's scenes prior to the arrival of his mother.  The 1991 version was really quite close to the original depiction of the character, I think.

Barnabas comes onto the scene and introduces himself to the family, starts working his charm on Vicki and of course has to satisfy his bloodlust. I know I said that Cross was merely adequate in the past, but I think I've may have sold him short. He can be pitiful, romantic and vicious at different stages in the episode.

At times I think Cross was great.  At other times, meh.  I think a lot of instances of the latter had to do more with direction and script.  (I could do without some of the over-the-top "full vamp mode" moments, which approached camp style.)

And Jim Fyfe.....hard to say at this point. I've been really critical of his work as Willie, but I do admit I felt sorry for him when Barnabas beat the crap out of him with the cane. I have to catch more episodes to form a definite opinion.

I think the way they depicted Willie in this series was one of the biggest problems I had with it. But I have come to appreciate it for its purpose of being the primary comic relief aspect of the show.

Julia Hoffman, yes she is intense but she's no fool. She sees how disturbed Daphne is at the sight of Barnabas, she knows there is something to it, but does she suspect vampirism at this point....hard to say.

I absolutely adore Barbara Steele in this show! While I find her acting style when playing Julia to be a bit on the odd side and not totally believable, she is always riveting. And as the Countess, she is just so much fun!

As for the other characters....Carolyn was quite the tease but I do believe she generally likes Vicki. Elizabeth is very calm but also decisive (by suggesting Julia treat Daphne at Collinwood). Hard to say about Maggie and Joe.

I thought Carolyn was kinda strange. But then again, as an up-to-date version of what Carolyn was like at the beginning of the OS, maybe they nailed it. Elizabeth was a big disappointment; just like in HODS, the character had nothing to do! I really liked the totally new approach to Maggie--worlds away from the original character, but having connections to the supernatural and to the Collins family.

Definitely will stick with it.

Good for you! Even with its flaws, I think it was a very entertaining series.

[Uncle Roger]

After 20 years, this can hardly be called the new show anymore but maybe this incarnation of DS will finally get its due.

Vicki arrives at Collinwood, gets acquainted with the supporting cast and before two many commercials have passed, Barnabas is chomping some serious neck. Yes, a lot of character development is lost but no doubt NBC wanted to get right to the vampire stuff.

Then, as now, I thought that Joanna Going was terrific. She made a convincing ingenue but still came across as intelligent and a little street smart. David was going to find out that this governess was not a pushover. I have a great fondness for Barbara Blackburn's Carolyn, who seems to channeling Mae West at times. Julianna McCarthy is good as Mrs. Johnson but outstanding as Abigail. Ely Pouget, Roy Thinnes, Adrian Paul, Michael T. Weiss, Veronica Lauren, Stefan gierasch and Michael Cavanaugh all do good work. Sadly, Jean Simmons is wasted as Elizabeth.

The other performances are a mixed bag. Lysette Anthony is handicapped by that Pepe LePew French accent. Barbara Steele handles the accent somewhat better. Her Julia seems sad most of the time. Time has been kind to Jim Fyfe's Willie characterization. Since I've seen Fyfe do good work elsewhere, I would blame the direction for any inadequacies in his performance.

Which is what I would say about Ben Cross. Too often, his Barnabas comes across as a pompous ass. The character is so ruthless at times that it was hard to feel sympathy for Barnabas. And someone really should have told him that it's hard to hiss like that and then try to come off as masculine.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Yes, a lot of character development is lost but no doubt NBC wanted to get right to the vampire stuff.

Not to mention add more Dominos commercials because they were the chief sponsor of the miniseries - even so far as having their name appear in some of the print ads.

The character is so ruthless at times that it was hard to feel sympathy for Barnabas. And someone really should have told him that it's hard to hiss like that and then try to come off as masculine.

We can trace all of that directly back to DC.    He wanted Barnabas to be more ruthless, giving him more traits from hoDS than the original series. And DC came up with the whole snarling in the woods. Why? To stress more of Barnabas' animalistic nature when he's all vamped out, I suppose. But as I've often said, I think it diminishes the character rather than enhances him. And it's the one thing I truly dislike about the '91 DS.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I agree, MB.  I love the 1991 series.  Interestingly enough, it's not because of Barnabas.  I love it because it really encapsulates the "love story across time" that was so essential to Dark Shadows.