I don't think they really made Liz a cartoon. Yes, she was certainly, uh, effervescent to say the least in the scene where Liz welcomes Vicki to Collinwood - but that could have simply been due to nerves - after all, the subtext for her was that she was welcoming home her own long-lost daughter. Giddiness due to nerves would be a departure from the seemingly always in control Liz of the daytime show. But keep in mind that the '04 pilot was retooling several of the characters. And truthfully Liz was nothing like the way she was in that scene in any of her subsequent scenes - she was much more regal and dignified, no doubt having regained her composure. But then, having one's daughter (Carolyn) attacked by "a vicious animal" can easily do that. Which leads to the fact that it was Carolyn whom Barnabas swooped down from the tree to grab (in one of the pilot's most effective and innovative scenes). And as for Barnabas, I thought Alec Newman was perfectly cast. In fact, I liked the vast majority of the casting. Unfortunately, though, some characters (like Julia) appeared much too briefly to form much of an opinion one way or the other.
