Lets talk about the dumbest things the writers ever did.

[Angelique Wins]

Thank you for checking, AngelqueWins! 

You're very welcome!   (Tombstones, I can do, and buttons! Just don't ask me to figure out that 'Quick Reply' thingy tonight, and I'm fine!  LOL!)

Judy

[sallycollins]

I never quite understood why poor Sam lost one of his five senses. Wasn't he tormented enough getting burned by Laura?

Sally

[MagnusTrask]

Sam was blinded so that he could then become the blind old man from Frankenstein who befriends the monster.    Sam was blinded then killed because of DS's insistence on stealing plots.

[Lydia]

I always figure Sam was blinded so Dan Curtis could add The Light That Failed by Rudyard Kipling to the list of distinguished Dark Shadows sources.  Perhaps they were killing two birds with one stone.

[sallycollins]

Magnus,
Thank you for that great answer. Of course that explains Sam's blindness. I remember that very touching part of the Frankenstein Karloff movie. I should have made the connection.

Sally

[IluvBarnabas]

1. Killing Angelique.
no explanation as to how this affected 1897,  1968 & 1970 stories.

2. Killing Edith.
see above.

3. Killing Roxanne.
see above.

4. No explanation as to how Gerard got so involved with Tad & Carrie, or how the kids were supposed to have died.
Even though a big deal was made of this in 1995 & summer 1970.

Did Curtis & the writers even care at this point?
After the brilliance of 1795 & 1897, & the sheer terror of 1995, 1840 was a disgrace.
A slap in the face to long time viewers.

I'll have to agree to disagree with you on this one. I LOVED 1840 (though I do agree about Angelique, Edith, Roxanne and the absence of the children for most of the storyline).

[MagnusTrask]

And Magnus, you're tempting me practically irresistibly.  How egregious a mistake would I have to make in order to shake your resolve?

Well, Lydia, give it your best shot, but I can't guarantee I'll notice.  I'm only now trying to get rid of my split infinitives.   By the way, these days I'm grateful to be corrected in a friendly way, because in my better-functioning moments, I'm trying to do bits of writing.   Besides, honestly, I shouldn't be making any mistakes in my grammar at this point in life.   

[loril54]

Dear Editors:
...  I am wondering if the writers of Dark Shadows realize that Josette has lost appeal to many D.S. viewers and has become almost a figurative character. Although she was an integral part of the story originally, it has since evolved into a more central theme in which Barnabas and Julia hold the spotlight as hero and heroine. I believe that most D.S. viewers idenitfy more strongly with these two and that their relationship should be emphasized, and that of Barnabas and Josette de-emphasized. Barnabas is living in the present now. Josette is part of his past but should not become a vaguely-defined future. Julia's love for Barnabas has already been established. Now it's time to make him deal with that love realistically. If this does not occur in the near future, I'm afraid many viewers will become frustrated and eventually disinterested. I have spoken to several people who feel this way--most of them teenagers.

Lets hear it for Barnabas and Julia Fans. They left the present totally unresolved. I would have loved to see the story
go to current time instead of PT 1840. Or at least 1840 had been as long.

I must admit I have never been a Barn and Roxanne fan.  I always thought it was just a  moment of Barn flipping out. Maybe a midlife crissis. But then where was Barnabas' mid life?

[Brandon Collins]

I'm right there with ya Lori. I never got the attraction between Barnabas and Roxanne, unless he was just attracted to her assets.

[loril54]

Sam was blinded so that he could then become the blind old man from Frankenstein who befriends the monster.    Sam was blinded then killed because of DS's insistence on stealing plots.

I wonder if David Ford could see the tele-prompter with the dark glasses? How many times did Angelique take back on what she did? Was it only once with Barnabas?

[loril54]

I'm right there with ya Lori. I never got the attraction between Barnabas and Roxanne, unless he was just attracted to her assets.

LOL, that is why I was thinking mid-life crisis. Were the writers wanting to go along with all the young girls crushes?

I guess they were trying to replace some of the gals that left the show.

They started out with Vickie, Maggie, and Carolyn.  They ended with Amanda, Roxanne, and Carolyn.

[IluvBarnabas]

I never understood Barnabas' attraction to Roxanne either. She was hardly a raving beauty.

I'm not saying she was ugly, she just didn't strike me as the type he'd fall for.

[Doug]

I don't know if somebody has already mentioned this before, but the one thing that I has always bothered
me is the main front door of Collinwood. I'm sure alot of you have noticed the outside of the front door is
always nearly covered with bushes, scrubs, tree limbs and vines. It looks like the front of Collinwood is nothing
but a forest there.

It would seem to me the production designers should have made the outside of the front door with front
steps and main drive way or maybe use a fake picture of a landscape when you see the characters walking
in.

[Angelique Wins]

I don't know if somebody has already mentioned this before, but the one thing that I has always bothered
me is the main front door of Collinwood. I'm sure alot of you have noticed the outside of the front door is
always nearly covered with bushes, scrubs, tree limbs and vines. It looks like the front of Collinwood is nothing
but a forest there.

It would seem to me the production designers should have made the outside of the front door with front
steps and main drive way or maybe use a fake picture of a landscape when you see the characters walking
in.

I think one of the problems was when they switched from black and white to color.  They had actually filmed around the house at the front door, the covered walk/drive through.  I haven't seen the beginings much, but I believe there's one scene with the sheriff's car there and Roger is talking to him.  After they went to color, they didn't shoot the outside scenes again. 

And then, of course, there's the fact that they pretty much gave up showing the outside of the FRONT of the house.  The back is much more picturesque with the tower and all and that is SOOO Collinwood for me.  They did come up with a terrace for the back and a fountain (no, not a Grecian urn, just a fountain trickle, trickle, trickle...)  But yeah.  You open the front door when the world is in color and the woods are smack in your face!  LOL!  That made it so funny after they stopped showing the driveway.  Much more believeable for Carolyn to slam the door and immediately speed off when her car could be right there instead of the woods.

I remember another time when the sheriff was coming.  I won't say why because I'm not up to date on the spoiler thingy and don't know if it's working.  Anyway, they were looking OUT the French doors at the back of the drawing room.  "Oh.  The sheriff's here!"  Then they turned completely around, walked back out into the foyer and opened the door and sure enough, the sheriff was there.  I thought the French doors looked out on the terrace and the woods beyond.  Hmmm...maybe Patterson was taking a short cut.

Judy

[MagnusTrask]

Are we saying that the main entrance to the house is supposed to be on the back of the house?    I'm slow tonight, maybe more so than I realize.