Barnabas or no Barnabas?

[Nancy]

I saw several of the pre-Barn episodes because DS during its original airing led into an afternoon program I regularly watched.  I turned the TV on when I got home from school and waited for the program I wanted to see.  The atmosphere of the pre-Barn eps did interest me to a point but it wasn't until Barnabas came on that I really watched the show.  I don't think I would have watched the show as an earnest view but for Barnabas. My dislike of soaps in general was apparent even in my youth.

Nancy

[Nancy]

I also want to add that I was more of a fan of Jonathan Frid's than I was of DS.  That fact dictated much of my watching and when JF was off on vacation I didn't watch the show until I heard at school he had returned.  I wanted to study "voice" because of listening to JF as Barnabas and acting too.  It was a very wild coincidence many years later that I would be hired to work with JF on his one man shows and be a creative consultant and editor to the many projects he was involved in. That was a big trip.  The fact that I came to find out what a great person he was in real life was an added bonus.

Nancy

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I think this poll sets up a hard choice because it all depends on how one interprets the word quality.

If one goes with a meaning of quality as the general standard or grade of something, well then the pre-Barn eps could win hands down because there was a much stronger emphasis on character, continuity and general story telling at that time than there was on DS in later years when certainly, as ProfStokes quite rightly points out, things like continuity went out the window and character was sometimes sacrificed in favor of plot.

However, if one interprets quality as the show's essence, then the post-Barn period could win out because the predominant supernatural themes brought an excitment to the show that was certainly different and probably more heightened than it had been previously to turning supernatural. Though to complicate matters, the supernatural elements were introduced on the show prior to Barnabas' arrival and they were well incorporated into the show during that time, which wasn't always the case post-Barn. 

I believe that the epitome of the series was the 1967 phoenix storyline.  It successfully blended realistic reactions and day-to-day issues with a compelling supernatural mystery.  The early Barnabas episodes are like this too.  I think if the writers could have maintained this level of writing, with attention to character and detail, DS could have been even better than what it actually was.

I agree that if DS had only maintained that level of writing, it could have been even better. But sadly, once Art Wallace left the scene, none of the other writers could stand up to DC in the way that Wallace was apparently able to. 

[Raineypark]

Yes, DS was better with Barnabas than I think it would have been without him.

Which kills me to admit because, as most of you know already.....I deteste, loathe, and despise Barnabas.  

[michael c]

i'm definitely in two minds about this.

while i like barnabas...i don't need barnabas.i enjoyed the show just as much before him and also enjoy episodes where he is not featured as well.for me the sun just doesn't rise and set to him(no pun intended).

in fact i'm currently watching the laura collins story and i think it's perhaps the most well produced storyline ever on the show.here the cast functions as a true ensemble and each character is given some of their best material ever to work with.later on the cast functions as satellites to barnabas' sun.

i thought that the barnabas/julia dynamic was interesting and organic for the first couple of years but by 1970 the formula was becoming cliche'd.as barnabas' bride and profstokes mentioned the monster-of-the-week thing got stale fast and having a single character(and his sidekick)dominate the plot also i think contributed to it's burning out in just a few years.the ensemble approach might have lengthened it's life.

[Jackie]

I somehow missed this thread therefore I didn't vote ...     If I had, I would have voted "for Barnabas".  He's one of my favorite characters [I have a few] and love all the scenes with him in them.  I don't always like Barnabas, and sometimes I want to slap him so bad but he makes the other characters that much more interesting to watch.  The chemistry between Barnabas and some are just so riveting to watch.  Yeah, my vote is ON him!

Recently I had the opportunity to see the pre-Barnabas episodes and I'm very glad I did.  It had more of a "soap opera" feeling but with an extra twist to it... it held my interest more.  Vicki being "Nancy Drew" and bad-boy David terrorizing his father while befriending Burke were great parts.  Having the ghost of Bill Malloy and Josette show up added some supernatural elements while still being down-to-earth... sort of. 

[Willie]

Definitely with Barnabas.  I haven't seen the pre-Barn' shows in years, but I mostly remember agonizingly dull scenes of Vicki putting David to bed, David saying he's not tired, Vicki telling him he needs his sleep, etc.  The Laura Collins storyline was really the only thing of interest in that whole period.  Vicki's romance with what's-his-face was dull as dirt as well.  I was so happy the day the news came about the plane crash 

[Barnabas'sBride]

It's interesting....I've been on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer kick, having purchased some of the dvds (finally). And I'm remembering why I used to sing this show's praises until I nearly lost my voice....

There's no doubt who the star/main character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is. She'd the lead. She's the one that brought the Scooby Gang together, the one that the villains are after....the show revolves around her. To use mscbryk's analogy: the others are satellites to Buffy's sun. Almost everything that happens to the characters (development- good or bad) goes back to Buffy existing in their world. They change, grow, and contribute. They each have their own individual backgrounds and storylines, but they orbit seamlessly around Buffy while bringing their own strengths and weaknesses to the table (the show). The show is an example of an ensemble used very well, while still obviously having a star.

In Dark Shadows, most of the characters are still. That's the difference. They don't change with the experiences Barnabas brings upon them. And their interaction with him is limited to surface scratching because they're not allowed to develop. For example: Vicki stayed the clueless ingenue until she left. Compare that with Willow, who went from a wallflower to a powerful witch. There were a few good instances of development for other characters on DS - Quentin and Willie immediately come to mind. Unfortunately, though, they weren't really utilized afterward. They were just 'there' like everyone else that wasn't Julia.

Imagine BTVS with just Buffy and Giles solving issue after issue on the Hellmouth - everyone else still there, but not actively participating in the plots unless they're in a clueless victim role. That's my problem with the Barnabas/Julia dynamic.

[adamsgirl]

Well, I voted with Barnabas, because as someone else said, he put the show on the map and saved it from cancellation. However, I enjoyed the pre-Barnabas episodes immensely and I did start watching the series from day one when I was a kid. The supernatural came into it fairly quickly, even before the Laura/Phoenix storyline. There was Bill Malloy's ghost haunting Vicki when David locked her in a room in the West Wing. As a kid, I found that super-spooky. No, in my opinion, Dark Shadows wasn't your typical soap opera before Barnabas. It was more of a Gothic novel kind of thing.

[Alondra]

Was is your opinion about Dark Shadows, pre and post Barnabas? Did the show get better or worse with the addition of the show's resident bloodsucker or did it stay the same in terms of quality....

Since Barnabas was the reason I started I started watching the show in the first place, you all know what my answer is gonna be....what is your view? Did you like the show better with or without him?

Definitely with Barnabas if for no other reason than the fact that the show was fixing to be cancelled and he was just the shot in the arm that it needed. The fact that he was so popular was what kept the show going another 4 years. If there had been no Barnabas or if the producers had made the mistake of going with their first intention of having him staked after 13 weeks the show would have bit the dust long before I ever began to watch it. That would have been a shame since I have such fond memories of watching the show with my mom and brother and then rediscovering the show in 1996 on the scifi channel and consequently searching out and making friends with other fans when I got online. So definitely with Barnabas.

Alondra

[Alondra]

Yes, DS was better with Barnabas than I think it would have been without him.

Which kills me to admit because, as most of you know already.....I deteste, loathe, and despise Barnabas.   

Is that right? I have very complex feelings regarding Barnabas. I guess it depends on the episode and what point we are at in the show. I detest the early Barnabas who [spoiler]beat Willie with his cane, enslaved him and tormented Maggie.[/spoiler] But I begin to like him and sympathize with him in the 1795 storyline when we see how he became a vampire, and see all the suffering he went through. Not that it excuses his behavior in the pre 1795 storyline, not a bit. As time goes on, there are times I still hate him, mostly for how he treats Willie, though he becomes human his treatment of Willie remains the same. He may not continue to beat him with his cane but he still plays mind games with him and expects him to do the dirty work, the gross nasty jobs like [spoiler]digging up cadavers for Julia's experiments and shows no sympathy whatsoever for what Willie suffered during the dream curse for his sake.[/spoiler]

I begin to like him again when [spoiler]I see how sensitively he treated Chris and wanted to help him, and was willing to go to the past, even becoming a vampire again to save David's life. Throughout the 1897 storyline, I like him as he tried to help his family, especially Quentin, though gak if I don't hate him for his murder of Carl.[/spoiler]

My feelings go back and forth through the whole show, it's like he takes one step forward and two steps back or two steps forward and one step back. I am not at all attracted to him but some of his scenes are so compelling, they have me on the edge of my seat.

What are your reasons for despising Barnabas, are they similar to mine?

Alondra

[kidnotorious]

  I voted with Barnabas.  The show just wouldn't be the same without him in my opinion.