Discuss - Ep #0569

[Roland]

Come on, folks.  You gotta have a little weirdness sometimes.  I think always having him lurking in the shadows, so that sometimes only his arm is visible in the background adds an aura of eeriness and suspense often lacking in the otherwise rather cerebral horror that is DS (it probably would have been more effective in the black and white episodes). 

He reminds me a bit of that creepy zombie in the opening scene of "Night of the Living Dead." 

[MagnusTrask]

the steam rising through the tweeds.

Small audible chuckle.

[Taeylor Collins]

Well  Roland I never cared for where he was standing.  Or how they blocked the filiming or anything to do with that.  I just hated the way he played the vampire.  THERE IS NO MALICE intended in the following sentence, however, he reminded me of a mentally disable person who was turned into a vampire.  That's all.

[Joy Collins]

Personally, I think the Tom episodes are hilarious! I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional, but I can probably guess... This is Dark Shadows after all. But it doesn't matter - Tom is too funny! I crack up just thinking about him calling Julia. "Juuuuuuuuuuuliaaa!"

You're all right, though. Tom is most definitely in his own class of camp. As far as quality, he's one of the worst vampires on the show. (I mean no disrespect whatsoever to anyone by that - especially not to Don Briscoe, whom I love dearly.)
[spoiler]Although, as Magnus Trask mentioned, in Joe's dream about Tom and Chris, Tom is played normal instead of over the top. (Possibly because we were all supposed to think it was Chris until the last minute?) If they'd played him like that the whole time it would have been much better, I'm sure... but far less entertaining![/spoiler]
But to me, it's a so-bad-it's-good sort of thing.

Julia was great as his victim. She was absolutely smitten!

I love Elizabeth in this episode as well. Particularly when she follows Julia and sees Tom's coffin. "Whose coffin is this? Is it mine?" It's also enjoy seeing Roger so concerned about Liz, since we all know he isn't always so nice.

[MagnusTrask]

I enjoy Julia shouting her head off at Liz to GET OUT!!  GET OUT!!... but I'm not sure if I'm laughing or not.

As for camp and hilarious Count Tom, I can't switch back and forth between taking a show seriously and laughing at its expense.  Either I'm doing one or the other, for the entire run of the series.   I can't see drama one minute and camp the next... instead the "camp" is bad drama to me and depressing.    I don't know if this is a limitation in me, or not.

[Taeylor Collins]

I laughed my arse off at TOM.  I just think it's BEYOND campy. I don't really wanna say it takes away from the show because IMO their are far worst actors than Donald. 

Side note:   I wish he would have let us in his world more. I would have liked to have "known" Don Briscoe better. The day I heard he passed I BAWLED like a baby and Don had never been a favorite.  I think it was more of me hoping that he had enjoyed his life after he left NYC and that he had attained some sort of peace while living in TN.  It would be nice to talk to those few people who let Don in his world. I can't remember their names. I hope I didn't say anything that is not permittable.  Some times its hard to walk a fine line here but I think everyone knows Don battled his demons like everyone does in some way shape or form in their life.

And Julia makes me laugh when she tells Liz to get out and poor Liz is just off her rocker too thinking that is her casket!! Those two poor crazy women!!

[MagnusTrask]

I heard here a bit about Don Briscoe when he died. 
Frankly, it overloads me emotionally, and I can't have useful thoughts on these things.  I only heard a bit of it, but it sounded awful.  I'm going to drink some more now.

[Taeylor Collins]

Pass me a shot!!

[Joy Collins]

I can't switch back and forth between taking a show seriously and laughing at its expense.  Either I'm doing one or the other, for the entire run of the series.   I can't see drama one minute and camp the next... instead the "camp" is bad drama to me and depressing.

Really? I seem to be able to do both, sometimes all in the same episode... But I don't really like to think of it as laughing at the show's expense. I guess you could call it that but the things that make me laugh are part of why I love DS so much. The camp (along with all the left-in bloopers and such) give it a certain charm, I think. But I still take it seriously for all of that. I guess it just depends on how you look at it.

Side note:   I wish he would have let us in his world more. I would have liked to have "known" Don Briscoe better. The day I heard he passed I BAWLED like a baby and Don had never been a favorite.  I think it was more of me hoping that he had enjoyed his life after he left NYC and that he had attained some sort of peace while living in TN.  It would be nice to talk to those few people who let Don in his world. I can't remember their names. I hope I didn't say anything that is not permittable.  Some times its hard to walk a fine line here but I think everyone knows Don battled his demons like everyone does in some way shape or form in their life.

Definitely agreed!
Of course he is a favorite of mine. A few of episodes of Chris Jennings and I was completely sold.

[MagnusTrask]

I remember talk about Don's sad life situation at the time of his death here, Taeylor, and that should be in the archives somewhere.   I'm not sure where the line was considered to be at point, but it was talked about to some extent.