Could the rumor that KJ was replacing KLS on the show in every way be true?

I hadn't paid much attention to that speculation in the past, but after watching Kate Jackson in this role for the second time now -- gritting my teeth and bearing it -- the idea of Kathryn Leigh Scott in the role is a breath of fresh air just to imagine ...

I'm not sure how it would have worked with KLS in the part ... wasn't Maggie still on the scene, for one thing, when Daphne's ghost first showed up in 1970?  The logistics sound too confusing.

I keep waiting for Kate Jackson to finish her "sneeze" but she never does ... 

(I'm talking about her annoying habit of placing her hands over her nose and mouth like she's about to ker-choo!  I was really puzzled the first time she did this ... ]

I think they mean Bedford, NY.  It was founded in the 1680s.  It might have been named after an English town.  A lot of those New England towns were named after English towns or Indian tribes.  Bedford wasn't originally part of NY (in case there are sticklers for what New England means out there).

In one episode, I think another town was named where everything with Judah Zachary happened, and that town (whose name I couldn't make out) was said to be "near Bedford."

I've never heard or read anyone else say this, but in my opinion "Othello" is basically and essentially a soap opera.  The academicians would probably be shocked by this assertion ... but that particular play, IMO, doesn't come close to the greater tragedies, like Lear or Hamlet.  Those two were based on older plays and/or legendary material.

I agree that Shakespeare has eclipsed scores of other worthy Elizabethan era poets and dramatists, some of whose works I enjoy more than some of WS's, but possibly none of these others matched the scope of Shakespeare's canon.     The medieval playing field has fewer names to choose from, but here I do tend to give Chaucer credit as "greatest" both for the vast scope of his work but also for the level of his poetry.  But some individual lyric works of the Middle Ages by other poets, often anonymous, are matchless.

Another delayed reaction, but ...

I happened to come across something called the "Dark Shadows FAQ."  I'm not sure where it is or how I found it -- I think it used to be linked on Mr. Juggins' webpage ... I know I saved it on disks a few years back.  This is an excellent compendium of knowledge, with some of the best material on DS I've read.

Any way, according to the FAQ, the image on Gerard's watch fob stolen by Lazlo represents the Colussus of Rhodes -- one of the Seven Wonders of the (Ancient) World.  I'm amazed that someone was able to identify this ... I know I looked at it but couldn't identify the image ... to me it looked like possibly a religious medallion.

At any rate, the FAQ author points out that the Colussus itself is a representation of Helios, the god of the sun (later Apollo).  Somehow I find this very interesting ... maybe because Apollo, as the patron and inspirer of reason, order, and poetry (if I'm remembering my Greek mythology) has always been my favorite among the Greek pantheon.  I seem to remember that he was often seen as the direct opposite of Dionysus -- god of unreason, licensiousness, etc.

Interesting if the icon of Apollo was carefully selected for Gerard.  In some ways, it does fit him ... the original Gerard, that is.  Despite his gun running, opportunism, and other exploits, Gerard also was a man of some culture and sophistication ... he plays the piano, for instance; and appears to fit in comfortably with the aristocratic Collins family.

Yet the danger Gerard represented, which has magnified a thousandfold with his possession by Judah Zachary, makes the iconic image of Apollo an ironic representation.  Given the destruction with which Gerard is now associated, perhaps the proper symbol for Gerard/Judah would be the opposing force of Dionysis, destructive and seductive ...

I find myself agreeing with all of the views expressed here -- and I'm developing a split personality as a result!   

Miss Winthrop expresses what I fear most:

please, please don't Hollywoodize it with 'butt' kicking 14 yr old females or another glossy remake of the 1991 series. And for the love of macaroni and cheese, don't film it in California.

But I'm cautiously optimistic after reading comments like CassandraBlair's:

of course none of us wants to see a new version of our favorite show that's total crap.

That aside, the WB would be a fine place to see a new Dark Shadows series.  I'm sure they could do a rendition that didn't dumb things down.  And so what if they retell some of the story we're already familiar with?  As long as it's good writing, good acting and compelling storytelling I'll be watching.

Ms. Crisyde makes an excellent point about originality -- Shakespeare is a good example of someone whose work was almost entirely based on other works (old plays, literary works from Italy and France, legends, historical chronicles, etc.), but which he always transformed these into something new and original in their own rights.

Raholt, you've probably seen the brief writeup from "Variety" by now (since it's in the online Shadowgram announcement), but anyway, Dan Curtis is involved in the project -- as co-executive producer, I think it says.

It's hard to choose which performance of Karlen's is best -- Karl Collins is certainly the quirkiest!  But I tend to like Desmond's character the best over all ... so well done by Mr. Karlen.

I'm not sure if my cloudy, sleep-deprived mind is resulting in bizarre posts.  If so, just disregard anything that doesn't make sense ... 

I think this thread ended up being more about reconciling (or not) the 1795 and 1840 backgrounds of Angelique.

To address the subject heading, here was the most recent relevant information about HOW Angelique became a witch, according to the 1840 storyline (which some viewers choose to reject).

Lazlo:  "So you became what you are because of Judah Zachary."

Angelique:  "Yes, his powers are awesome."

That's a bit sketchy, but it does indicate that Angelique was an ordinary girl who became a witch -- and immortal -- "because of" Judah Zachary.

I think Midnite quoted some more relevant material in an earlier post, which hasn't occurred yet on the show, that's in the same vein.

It would seem that, according to 1840 Miranda did not become immortal until sometime after Judah Zachary's beheading, though.

As I posted above, I feel this point actually is compatible with the the 1795 events, too.