Thoughts on the Dream Curse ....

[Birdie]

or how to avoid doing my housework.  

I thought I would comment having never seen these episodes before.  I started watching as a child with the haunting of Quentin story.  I like the premise of the Dream Curse.  The fact that the effects are not that scary to us as adults doesn't take away from the idea.  Dreams often are werid and things that scare us in them when thought about are really kind of funny.  I know I am not being very articulate.  What I am really trying to say is I think it was a good idea.

I am not sure but is it me or does Lange look like a traffic cop or a air traffic controller.   I laughed so hard when he was having the dream, too much.  

Love the chemistry between Cassie and Barney.  In todays episode I didn't know if he was going to kiss, bite or strangle her before Mrs. J. came in.  I think he might have wanted to do all three.  

I agree with everyone else Vicki and Jeff/Peter--no chemistry.   If I were Vicki I would still be hoping the first Burke would come back.

Why would Barnabas think Vicki would want to still marry him for goodness sake he never even kissed her!
He might have been a little more affectionate.  He might have tried some normal courting techniques.  

O.K.  I guess I have put off the laundry as long as I can.  

Birdie--I won't have to worry about a coffin just bury me in my washing machine.  Tie it closed with the clothes line.

[VAM]

or how to avoid doing my housework.  

I thought I would comment having never seen these episodes before.  I started watching as a child with the haunting of Quentin story.  I like the premise of the Dream Curse.  The fact that the effects are not that scary to us as adults doesn't take away from the idea.  Dreams often are werid and things that scare us in them when thought about are really kind of funny.  I know I am not being very articulate.  What I am really trying to say is I think it was a good idea.

I also kinda like the premise...the problem was in the execution...

[MikeS]

I also kinda like the premise...the problem was in the execution...

VAM, those are my thoughts exactly!  And I think the dream Barnabas had where Angelique appeared and described the dream curse and what the outcome would be was very well done.  Like you said, if only the execution was as effective...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Love the chemistry between Cassie and Barney.  In todays episode I didn't know if he was going to kiss, bite or strangle her before Mrs. J. came in.  I think he might have wanted to do all three.

Definitely!

One of the best scenes between Barney and "Cassie," if not one of the best in the entire series, is coming up in episode #548 (which should run on Sci-Fi around July 3rd).

[Craig_Slocum]

I liked that scene too with Cassandra and Barnabas in the drawing room, also Mrs. Johnson's confrontation with Cassandra. That was a good one! Mrs. J doesn't take any rubbish from anyone.  

[Dr. Eric Lang]

My favorite part of the Dream Curse (and this hasn't happened yet - but no spoilers) is when Professor Stokes has it. His reaction is quite satisfying.

(P.S. I hate laundry too.)

[ProfStokes]

My favorite part of the Dream Curse (and this hasn't happened yet - but no spoilers) is when Professor Stokes has it. His reaction is quite satisfying.

That's one of my favorite episodes, Chris_2!  After all of the seemingly endless (and IMHO annoying) dreams, it was so refreshing to see.  From that point, the professor was and still is my favorite character.

ProfStokes

[Cassandra]

I am not sure but is it me or does Lange look like a traffic cop or a air traffic controller.   I laughed so hard when he was having the dream, too much.

LOL!!  I laughed too Birdie! What on earth was all that spinning around about? He was starting to make me dizzy![roll3]  Love the way he kept grabbing his own arm and screaming, "No I don't wanna go in there! Don't make me go in there!!"

I also liked the premise of the Dream Curse as well. After that though, it kind of lost it's appeal.

[Luciaphile]

That's one of my favorite episodes, Chris_2!  After all of the seemingly endless (and IMHO annoying) dreams, it was so refreshing to see.

Oh, good Lord, YES!  I remember watching him tear it apart--he says something snarky about the rhyme (that does not scan to begin with and is made worse when the actors mangle it i.e. "headless terror") and it's just so satisfying to watch.

It would have required a lot more effort on the part of the writers, but I'm wondering if instead of showing us each and every damn time another character has the dream in mind-numbing detail, they could have had the actors describing the dream.  I realize that it's a visual medium, but there's that episode where Barnabas relates the story of Josette's death to Vicki and Carolyn and it's almost chilling.

So instead of subjecting us to seeing characters running around garbage cans of dry ice and opening up doors to reveal stock footage, maybe we could have been regaled with accounts of the dream--of course, the writing would have to be good, but I bet it would have worked better.

Luciaphil

[Philippe Cordier]

or how to avoid doing my housework.  

Birdie, we're suffering from the same syndrome -- I'm told it's procrastination, and I'm a terminal case.  Not laundry but a paper I only have a few days left to write (I did finish one paper last night, but this one is the harder of the two.  They were actually due last December ... ).  

I thought I would comment having never seen these episodes before.  I started watching as a child with the haunting of Quentin story.  I like the premise of the Dream Curse.  

I began watching DS as a youngster at the time of Cassandra's arrival at Collinwood and the start of "The Dream."  (That's what the kids in my neighborhood called it.)  It hooked my young mind in a powerful way since it has stayed in the recesses of my mind all these years, even through the years when I had all but forgotten DS.  So The Dream holds a special place for me.

Your statement ...

The fact that the effects are not that scary to us as adults doesn't take away from the idea.

... is perfectly expressed!  

I also agree with others that the scene where Angelique appeared to Barnabas in the drawing room of the Old House was one of the best moments of DS.  It was so creepy the way he struggled to wake up and stir from his chair, with Angelique standing next to him telling him that he could not, that he was having a dream.

It was brilliant to do the scene that way.

Luciaphil wrote:

there's that episode where Barnabas relates the story of Josette's death to Vicki and Carolyn and it's almost chilling

Almost?!?  That WAS chilling!  Not only that, but Frid's scene and Louis Edmond's recitation of "Dover Beach" were two of the most literate scenes of any TV show I can think of.

And DS wasn't even in the running as one of the Top 50 shows of all time?!!?

Birdie wrote:

O.K.  I guess I have put off the laundry as long as I can.

I'm going to try, try, try to follow your example!

[Barnabas]

The  thing that struck me about the dream curse today was the relative scariness of what was behind the doors depending on who had the dream.  When Maggie has the dream, the skull behind the door was this terrifying spectre, but when Julia opens the same door, it's like, "Oh, someone left their skull in the closet". I guessing that when the next person has the dream the skeleton bride won't elicit the same reaction it got from Julial (which was classic). Anyone else find this somewhat incongruous?

[Lindsey]

I totally agree. Lara Parker and Jonathen Frid have such wonderful chemistry. I love any scene they are in together; you know it will always be great. Angelique and Barnabas are my two favorite characters, they are what attracted me to the show in the first place. There are so many scenes between the two of them that I have missed due to school and I just love discovering all the ones I have never seen!

-Lindsey

[ProfStokes]

Though it's not my favorite storyline, I've found that the Dream Curse does lend itself well to song...

The Dream Curse (To the tune of the Everly Bros.' "All I Have to Do is Dream")
******************
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When you've been cursed by Angelique
You fear the worst--your future's bleak
By tomorrow you will weep because once you fall asleep
You will drea-ea-ea-ea-eam the dream--
the dream, dream, dream curse...

...will force you to tell the next in line
You can't resist the spell as you will find
If you try to break the chain, your fear will drive you insane
Oh, the drea-ea-ea-ea-eam curse

A knocking at your door like so many times before
but your visitor on this particular night
will lead you to your doom in a mist-filled room
where you're in for a terrible fright

Ahead a blazing light will burn
and one door leads to the point of return
Through trial and error, sight, sound, and faceless terror
It's the drea-ea-ea-ea-eam curse
the dream, dream, dream, drea-ea-ea-ea-eam curse

It consumes your every thought, ties your stomach in a knot
and with each night that passes by
the terror will increase, you will never have peace
for when it's your turn to dream, you could die

If giant spiders, wolves, bats, your own tombstone, a guillotine,
a headless body, a skeleton bride, and a skull glowing green
really drive you up the wall, give Professor Stokes a call
to stop the drea-ea-ea--ea-eam
the dream, dream, dream curse, the drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, etc.,
etc.

ProfStokes

[Cassandra]

Prof. Stokes, That was great!! I loved it!

[Midnite]

I love it too, ProfStokes!  You had me singing along, hee hee!!

It's cute to see you so familiar with that song since it was WAY before your time.