barnabas and elizabeth

[michael c]

of all the characters barnabas had interactions with on the show elizabeth was the one he always treated with the utmost courtesy.at one point or another he threatened nearly everone else and in many cases followed through.never liz.was he simply aknowledging her as his "hostess" at collinwood?or was he kind to her because he had unresolved feelings for his mother naomi,whom liz resembled?

[Maria_Merriweather]

I think Barnabas treated Elizabeth with deference because she was the head of the family, ran the family business and was the mistress of Collinwood. He was a guest of hers. Also she commanded his respect and courtesy by her dignity and bearing. Barnabas was a courtly, polite type anyway (when he wasn't under the vampire curse). I don't think it had anything to do with Naomi.

[TERRY308]

That's a great question.  I think Barnabas was "kind" to Elizabeth because she resembled his mother.  And we all know what happened to her.  I think this had affected him as much, if not more, than Sarah.       Because, he (Barnabas), had killed Nathan Forbes, because, it was really Nathan's fault.  

[The Ghost of Sarah Collins]

I believe Barnabas would never had harmed Elizabeth because she was the matriarch of the current family who also mirrored his beloved Mother, no matter if he were a vampire or mortal... Barnabas was raised to have respect for his elders, besides Liz was very loveable. 

[Angelina]

I see it as a combination.  I'm quite certain he was partly drawn to her because of the resemblence because he looked so vulnerable at the fancy dress party he held.  He very nearly blurted out that she looked like his mother and looked like he'd love nothing more than to hug her.

Also, he respected her matriarchal strength in keeping the family in the best order she could.  She suffered a lot throughout the Jason MacGuire fiasco...keeping such a dark secret and such.  She was certainly worthy of Barnabas' respect and not just for being a matriarch.

[Sandor]

I always felt one of the more suspenseful yet important elements of the show was Barnabas continuously having to hide his supernatural "secret" from Elizabeth. I'm proposing an unexplored subtext, but here goes:
Barnabas blamed himself for his mother's suicide (upon her discovery of his nocturnal hang-up in 1795), so perhaps in seeing Elizabeth's resemblance to Naomi, he subconsciously thought "Well, now it's 1967, and while she's not my mother, she's a dead ringer, and I vow not to repeat the same guilt, shame and tragedy with her - if I can avoid exposure in this century."
If the writers had allowed Elizabeth in on the secret of Barnabas, as they had Julia Hoffman, certainly Joan Bennett would have risen to the challenge. But then the ever-present dread of "Oh, wow, don't let Barnabas' entire family turn against him AGAIN when they learn the (gulp) truth" would have been compromised.
The premise as played out allowed us to fear for Liz (premature burial, werewolf attacks, possession by Leviathans), while still cheering for Barnabas to be loved and accepted by the family that let him down centuries before.
 

[Patti Feinberg]

I concur with Ghost of Sarah...with the addition that since Barn was an 18th century guy, he would've been alot more genteel towards women in general (which doesn't actually fly re: Julia).

I really enjoy Barn's character with Elizabeth's.

Patti

[michael c]

i like barn and elizabeth's characters together too patti.he does aknowledge her as his benifactor in a way and knows his place as her guest.on a practical note,he realizes that liz runs the business that supports the estate that he lives on.if the business were to fall into other hands b. could find himself without a proper home.

also, i think frid the actor paid due respect to a great actress and that shows in the way he treats joan bennett/liz.

[Miss_Winthrop]

I too think that her resemblance to his mother had a great affect on him. She was also the matriarch of the clan and as such, deserved the respect and honor he bestowed upon her. I actually liked the different role Liz played when she was under the spell of the Leviathans.  I particularly like how she acted out with utter coldness, her contempt for Paul Stoddard.  

[Luciaphile]

I think you could explain it a number of different ways. The retcon is that she looks like his beloved mother, which I'll certainly buy.

My other thought is that of most of the women he meets, she's probably the one he would have automatically respected most--probably because he would have been brought up to respect women just like her. She's an older woman, moreover, she's a lady. Although she runs Collinwood and the business, by this point in the story, she's not exactly flaunting it. When he meets her, she's busy being blackmailed by Jason and the writers have really ceased writing her as a powerhouse, so she'd still fit into his notions of proper femininity. And of all of the female characters on the show at that point, she's the one who would most fit his world view.

In short, she's an elegant, non-threatening woman of his own social class and family.

[michael c]

that's a great answer luciaphil.thanks.i never thought about the "non-threatening part".he does meet her when she is a position of submission(jason).although liz becomes subjected to all sorts of supernatural forces i like that it's never at the hands of barnabas.he's always gentlemanly with her.and like vicki,i don't think the audience would take well to liz being killed or turned into some sort of monster.

[IluvBarnabas]

Barnabas would certainly have had to have been drawn to Elizabeth due to her strong resemblence to Naomi, but I believe he came to respect and admire her for who she really was: Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.

I always liked that Barnabas was always treated Elizabeth with such respect, because she deserved it. Anyone who lived with the kind of life she had for many years and still able to maintain such dignity and class is truly one of a kind!