Someone here, either Gothick or Gerard, wrote a story that explains all the loose ends and shows how 1840 changed things in 1971.
After 1841PT, why couldn't we have had a week or two of such things onscreen before the show ended?
Then the story would have truly been concluded.
I wish I could get that fanfic on tape.
After 1841 PT they were cancelled. I have heard mixed information but I get the impression the cancellation happened with little warning beforehand. Thus you see them beginning a new storyline onscreen with the bite marks, last episode, then Thayer has to explain it away in such a contrived way that it made me groan as a twelve-year-old.
So planning for a couple final weeks to do a big finale... I don't think they could, yes, many didn't care, maybe they thought they had no viewers, but the main reason is that they went out of their way to wrap up 1971 the way they did, I think, because the plot fallout scared the hell out of them. It couldn't be done and they knew it.
They basically ran for the hills as fast as they could, after getting BC and JH and ES home. They dropped the present like a hot potato.
The biggest, most glaring problem for 1971 is something that stands out a mile to me, but not to thers, I guess. [spoiler]If Barnabas doesn't climb back into the box in 1897 AND 1840, his body doesn't pass through time in the usual way to reach 1967 and Willie. I know he'd be reluctant to do that, but now I find that he did so in 1796/1968. I don't understand that whole thing, by the way. When the chains reappeared on the coffin, I threw up my hands and gave up.
His 1970 and 1969 spirit(s) can get I Chinged back home, but the body, which is his earlier body his present self is merely inhabiting, has to stay back in the past where it was the first time around.
Ang lifting the curse... bad too, but people seem to understand that one well enough.
No vampire in 1967, or 1897. No witch. No Julia coming to Collinwood.[/spoiler]
