random 1897 comments ...

[stefan]

Trask has one of the most fun deaths you're ever going to see.    Charity Fay is always a scream.    I love how everyone's just fine with leaving Charity possessed for the rest of her life, because Pansy Faye was fun, and Charity was lifeless.

Very true! to all of these. Let me rephrase my post in that what I meant is I missed more "normal" scenes in 1897, such as someone having a job, or running a business, or having an engagement, or playing cards etc, or going out shopping etc. One more funny episode (probably unintentionally) is when Judith asks Edward if new Barnabas #2 from England would like to "join them for dinner" after bedridden from being hounded by his twin vampire. Good ol Joan B. and Louise E. combination to lend some normalcy to a situation. I just feel 1897 is too spookridden. I also miss some of the more historically interesting comments such as Joshua had about the war or about someone "affecting a title". Just normal human tidbits that made 1795 so complete a fable.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I missed more "normal" scenes in 1897, such as ... playing cards...

Evan, Tim, Judith, and (most importantly) Minerva played cards. 

[Gothick]

MB, I love the card playing storyline in 1897!  I regard it as DS' very own tribute to one of my favorite films--the John Frankheimer early 1960s Manchurian Candidate (accept NO substitutes or remakes!).

Clarice Blackburn was particularly wonderful in a crucial scene of this storyline...

G.

[MagnusTrask]

Stefan... the source of the historical detail in 1897, for me, is Petofi, with all the Lord Kitchener stuff, and I wish there'd been more of it.

People just couldn't get enough of Minerva's card playing.   She should have sold tickets.    Some found it difficult to take their eyes off her.

[stefan]

People just couldn't get enough of Minerva's card playing.   She should have sold tickets.    Some found it difficult to take their eyes off her.

I rmember Trask was crying for Minerva before he shot himself in that room. Were they married? And,so far, I havn't gotten those card playing 1897 DVDs yet. Not sure when I will as these combo DVDs are pricey. I paid over $40.00 for the 1897 set I have.

[Joeytrom]

Trask and Minerva were married for many years.   1897 was the year Dracula was published, too bad they didn't reference it on DS at the time.

I liked 1897 but it got to be tedious toward the end, I didn't like the plot involving the I Ching, the writers were just stretching the story at that point.  I would have preferred that Rachael leave town for a while and then return after realizing she was Josette's reincarnation instead of KLS playing another character who no one notices looks like Rachael.

As for Roger Davis, well, I would have cast three different actors as Ned Stuart, Dirk Wilkins, and Charles Delaware Tate. 

[MsCriseyde]

Trask and Minerva were married for many years.

Initially, I found it rather odd that the writers chose to give Trask's wife a name taken from Roman mythology rather than a Biblical name or a name associated with a virtue (like Charity) or a saint (like Gregory).

But it does fit the bit with the cards since the Queen of Spades is associated with Minerva.

Had Trask and Evan opted for the same approach with Judith, then the card of choice should've been the Queen of Hearts, which is associated with Judith from the apocryphal Book of Judith.

For Rachel, it should've been the Queen of Diamonds, which is associated with the Old Testament Rachel.

As far as I know, none of the other 1897 character names is associated with a specific card.

[Misa]

I rmember Trask was crying for Minerva before he shot himself in that room. Were they married?

Minerva and Gregory Trask are the parents of Charity Trask, who becomes Pansy Faye.

I'm still not sure that all of Charity was lost completely after she becomes Pansy, because the first time Petofi turns her into Charity, she says that she knows Trask is her father, "but that he's a big bore" or something to that effect. And then when Petofi turns her into Pansy completely, he says "Enjoy this life, some people won't understand, but enjoy it while it lasts." So I think that Charity and Pansy sort of blend or something.

Misa

[MagnusTrask]

I liked 1897 but it got to be tedious toward the end, I didn't like the plot involving the I Ching, the writers were just stretching the story at that point.

Egad... the I Ching was my favorite thing about DS.    I pestered my parents in an airport gift shop to get me a book on the I Ching that was only published, or at least only widely distributed, because of the I Ching content in DS at the time.    I love the experimentation and  wish they'd done much more of it.

[stefan]

I would have preferred that Rachael leave town for a while and then return after realizing she was Josette's reincarnation instead of KLS playing another character who no one notices looks like Rachael. 

I almost seems like the Josette reincarnation story was an afterthought. I would have perferred it to be a front-burner for most of 1897. Seems like it was just stuck at the end and abruptly discontinued for (I guess) the Levinthian storyline. Though, I wonder if a Maggie/Josette reincarnation would have been more interesting. There does seem to be an indication that Barnabas went for the more refined, classy types and looked down on Maggie's plebian upbringing and lifestyle. If Maggie were the Josette reincarnation it might have tested the nature of Barnabas' love for Josette. Would Barnabas' love for Josette be the same if she were a poor working girl as opposed to the 1795 artistocrat? Might have brought up some interesting psyhological stuff and character analysis.

[Misa]

The fact that Rachel and Kitty looked alike and no one mentioned it was rather dumb, but, as to the Maggie/Josette thing that stefan mentioned, this would have worked with Kitty too, she was the governess to the children of the man she married. She married him for his title and wealth, she was after Edward because she mistakenly thinks he has money too. This is certainly an abrupt change from the Josette that Barnabas loved, yet she is the reincarnation of Josette. Rachel was not! Rachel seemed to have the looks of Josette and was closer to her personality than Maggie or Kitty. It has been stated that Kitty was the only true reincarnation of Josette though.

As an interesting character Kitty tops Rachel. Too bad that they didn't  have the Rachel played by someone else.

I also think, that Barnabas constantly falling in love with women who don't resemble Josette, weakens his supposed love for her. ie: Vicki and Roxanne. Although, when they first introduced Barnabas, he said that Maggie reminded him of Josette, not that she looked exactly like her, then when he failed to make her into Josette, he turned to Vicki to be the next Josette. The story wasn't completely fleshed out at this time.

When Barnabas first entered the old house he asked Josette why she hadn't protected him, after all he was a Collins, They must not have had the idea to make her his love interest yet.

Misa

[stefan]

I also think, that Barnabas constantly falling in love with women who don't resemble Josette, weakens his supposed love for her. ie: Vicki and Roxanne.

i agree. That is a problem. They made the same mistake (given if you are a josette/barnabas fan, which i am) with early Luke and Laura. When Laura/Genie Francis left the show they very quickly paired Luke with a bunch of women dissapointing many of their fans and General Hospital viewership in general. But, how are these people to know, except after the fact, that certain romances stick, have weight, depth, and shouldn't be messed with.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

But remember, by the time Barnabas becomes involved with Roxanne, the show had already decided that the Barnabas/Josette relationship should be put behind him. [spoiler]There is a scene in Ep #948 in which Josette's spirirt specifically tells Barnabas that they must release each other and he must move on with his life.[/spoiler]
As for Vicki, as Misa points out, Barnabas first turns to her because he feels she possesses all the qualities that appealed to him in Josette - and, of course, let's not forget that he originally plans on turning Vicki into Josette. Once he drops that idea, one can easily presume that Barnabas is still attracted to Vicki because of her Josette-like qualities.

When Barnabas first entered the old house he asked Josette why she hadn't protected him, after all he was a Collins, They must not have had the idea to make her his love interest yet.

It would seem likely that they had already decided that Josette had been Barnabas' love interest and that Maggie would resemble her because it was only nine episodes after Barnabas spoke to Josette's portrait that he met Maggie at the coffee shop.

[Josette]

Now that you've mentioned Nora, a moment I particularly liked, and I think my favorite Denise Nickerson moment, was when Edward was trying to get Lady Kitty to play with Nora and hoping for them to get along.  Nora had a lot of sharp comments to her.  It was a great scene.

Today's picture from episode #859 with Lady Kitty and Nora must be this scene.  I really love it!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Today's picture from episode #859 with Lady Kitty and Nora must be this scene.  I really love it!!

Yes, it is. 

And I completely agree that it's a great scene. And just look at that expression on Nora's face. If that isn't a girl with an attitude, I don't know what is. One almost feels sorry for Lady Kitty opposite that.