Barnabas and Quentin Collins

[Captain James Kirk]

Out of all the storylines on Dark Shadows the Quentin Collins storyline has always been one of my favorites. It had everything a good horror story should have. It had a vampire-Barnabas, awitch-Angelique, and a werewolf-Quentin.
This storyline also gave us a look at what a Collins should not be, for instance Barnabas being what a Collins should be always kept his word even when he vowed to kill someone as in the case of Nathan Forbes. on the other hand Quentin did everything the Collins family looked down on, he was a drunkard, and a liar, a womanizer, and an outright cad ( sounds like a fun guy) Barnabas was noble, Quentin was not
I thought Count Petoffi was an excellent character as well, one of Thayer David's best characters.

[Gothick]

Well, Captain, I'm not sure I'd entirely agree with you in that analysis, insofar as the respective moral attributes of Barnabas and Quentin are concerned.

After all,

[spoiler]Barnabas killed Carl, his own flesh and blood, when the latter learned his secret, and did it fairly callously.  If Barnabas felt remorse for having killed Carl, I don't recall having seen it.  Dirk may not have been the most likeable fellow in the world, but he was also sacrificed in a coldly Machiavellian manoeuvre that wound up backfiring on Barn.

As for Quentin, he did offer to sacrifice himself to save Jamison, so he was not entirely free of compassion.[/spoiler]

Glad to hear you enjoy the 1897 story.  It's the top favorite of many fans.

[PennyDreadful]

I agree with you completely Gothick.  Barnabas can often be selfish and evilly cold-blooded.  I've always thought of him more as an anti-hero.  Yes he can be quite noble at times, yet he can be a downright ba$tard at other times.  This duality gives the character more depth and is really the essence of the gothic horror figure.  Quentin has shown that he can be noble.  I think Quentin's character progresses over time.  He starts out as a wickedly sarcastic, self-serving cad and evolves into a wiser, "I've sort of seen the error of my ways" wickedly sarcastic self-serving cad... with a heart.   Angelique too has shown both sides of her nature.  She can be viciously cruel and evil, but can also display a noble compassion and a willingness to help.

 ~Penny Dreadful~

[Ian]

Angelique too has shown both sides of her nature.  She can be viciously cruel and evil, but can also display a noble compassion and a willingness to help.

My thoughts exactly. LP's role as Angelique Rumson during the Leviathan storyline...I pitied her so much then. *shakes fist at Sky*

[TERRY308]

I disagree with you somewhat PennyDreadful, Gothick and James T. Kirk.  I see Barnabas in a different light.  We or I (which ever you want to take)  see a vampire.  Well anyone of us would have been cautions, secretive and I'm sure that every morning he probably cried himself to "sleep" hoping if not wondering that Willie didn't give him up to the police,  or Roger and/or Burke "I'm the mayor of Collinsport" Devlin open up the coffin lid with a stake in one hand and a hammer in the other.


But when he is not a vampire any more, we or I (which ever you want to take) see a man.  A caring, nobel, and yes, even a loving man.  [spoiler]Even when he killed Carl, it seems to me that Quentin should have been, shall I say 'upset'.   [/spoiler]

Angelique, well she's perfect.  She knows what shes that for and is going to get 'it' one way or the other.  Afterall, 'it' was promised to her.  She will do "anything" to get it back.

Then there's Quentin.  God love him.  He too was mean, evil, and very selfish.  But as he continued, we saw a man, like Barnabas, caring, noble and even a 'loving' man.

If I rambled on and on, I'm sorry.  But I'm not sorry that I picture Barnabas in a different light.  To me, that's what makes him sooooo differently.