DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '02 I => Topic started by: arashi on June 25, 2002, 05:46:50 PM
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Pass the ham please! My goodness! Despite the situation at hand on the show I was laughing hysterically through the last 15 minutes of the first episode today! I missed the first half, but....
... and were Willie and Julia smoking crack? Willie was looking forward to working for Barnabas again? After all Barnabas had put him through and done to him, Willie was looking forward to returning to his job? There must be something seriously wrong with that boy.
~Arashi
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There must be something seriously wrong with that boy.
I believe he has a bad case of the "Willies". At least, that's what he said the other day as he giggled in front of the Trask Wall. [heh]
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D'oh! Today was the "But remember Julia.... I gotta do what you tell me?" wasn't it? (or something to that effect). Gotta break out the bloopers tape again.
Hey everyone who is making the Fest this year, have a great time!
;D
~Arashi
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Monday & Tuesday's eps were immensely satisfying and lots of fun. Not only were G. Hall & J. Frid battling drama queens, Hall & J. Karlen flubbed more lines in those scenes where they bury Barnabas than everyone else in all 1200+ episodes combined. ;)
WILLIE:"Wh-Wh-Wh-What're we gonna tell ev-ev-ev'rybody at the Old House--er, Big House?"
Planning a trip to prison, Willie...? :)
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::Laughing:: I forgot about that one!
Oh lordy. And what was poor Kathryn Leigh Scott wearing today? Did people actually dress like that?!
(Don't answer that. I have the teen magazines to prove it).
~Arashi
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Hey Arashi!...I thought that dress was cute. :'(
Adra ;D
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Willie and Julia's "funeral in miniature" for Barnabas was really great to watch. I think both Julia and Willie have selective memories, forgetting the chokings and beatings, attributing them to a Barnabas that is long gone since he became human.
And wasn't that bitch-slap Julia gave Cassandra SO satisfying?
Love, Robin
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I think both Julia and Willie have selective memories, forgetting the chokings and beatings...
So true!! :D How many times did Barnabas try to kill Julia? Worse yet, how many times did he manipulate her or trifle with her obvious feelings for him--to the point even clueless Carolyn calls him on it.
And how many times did he belittle Willie's intense feelings for Maggie? Not to mention setting him up for her kidnapping!
And wasn't that bitch-slap Julia gave Cassandra SO satisfying?
Immensely. And this exchange (paraphrased):
CASSANDRA: I think you're in love with him.
JULIA: Not nearly as much as you.
Duh and duh!
Too bad TV shows didn't do "special" episodes back then, like the Buffy musical. I'd love to hear Julia break into a rousing version of "Stand By Your Man"!
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How many times did Barnabas try to kill Julia? Worse yet, how many times did he manipulate her or trifle with her obvious feelings for him--to the point even clueless Carolyn calls him on it.
And how many times did he belittle Willie's intense feelings for Maggie? Not to mention setting him up for her kidnapping!
These facts have always made me wonder just how DID Barnabas inspire such dedication - even from his closest buds! You'd think this crotchty 200 year old guy's life was more important than anyone else in the world. It's gotta be Supernaturally ispired.
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It's interesting to read these reactions to people watching these shows for the first time now. (I assume that you're all discussing the episode where Julia discovers Barnabas' body, and tries and fails to drive a stake through his heart to prevent him from rising as a vampire.) When I first saw this show back in the Summer of 1968, I was still pretty much a new viewer, and I remember that the show had me struggling to hold back tears of sadness (bear in mind that I was 9 going on 10 at that point).
I obviously did not know the previous history Barnabas had with Julia and Willie, and how odd it was for Willie to be reactiing the way he was to the situation.
Watching it as an adult, it seems like a very odd episode indeed. It seems as if Grayson and Johnny had barely had the chance to rehearse their scenes in the early part. You get the feeling that it was one of those "off" days in the studio. Strangely, though, the awkwardness and jerkiness of the two characters' behavior makes a weird kind of sense, given their emotional state as written in the script. At least, that's how I see it.
The script is beyond bizarre in places, though. How goofy is it to think that burying someone would keep him from rising as a vampire? Someone as knowledgeable about that particular as "affliction" as Julia Hoffman was, would know just how ridiculous that idea was.
Gothick
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....How goofy is it to think that burying someone would keep him from rising as a vampire? Someone as knowledgeable about that particular as "affliction" as Julia Hoffman was, would know just how ridiculous that idea was.
::laughing:: Yeah, the whole burying thing was kind of odd. And I still find Willie's "I'm going to miss him" speech weird. The whole "I wasn't a really nice person until I met Barnabas." was odd too. The only reason Barnabas got Willie to behave was because Willie was terrified of him, and had the crap beaten out of him if he didn't do what Barnabas wanted.
Ahhh!! I missed the Cassandra/Julia bitch slap!! I did catch the You love him, you do too line. That was great! Too bad the writers didn't throw little zingers in like that more often.
~Arashi
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I agree....this was pretty funny stuff. I like that they had a perfectly dug out grave - into which someone? had placed a coffin containing a dead 6 ft tall person. Hmmmm....only Willie & Julia were there. Who carried that thing?
AND......neither one had a smudge of dirt on them and neither one seemed to have even broken a sweat!!!
But the best - absolutely BEST line for me was when Willie did that bit about "oh no! now the dogs are gonna start howling again"
Thought I'd just about fall off the couch!
Franimal
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...the awkwardness and jerkiness of the two characters' behavior makes a weird kind of sense, given their emotional state as written in the script...(which) is beyond bizarre in places...
Ain't it though? :)
I'll also go with the awkwardness and jerkiness of both Julia and Willie making sense--given that they have never been really all that close up until now.
Willie is even suspicious of Julia when she offers him a job at Wyndcliff; of course Julia does freely admit that she made the offer only because Barnabas would want Willie "taken care of"--in his own weird Barnabas kind of way...
Despite those scenes being something of a train wreck, they are compelling--as are Grayson Hall & John Karlen, of course...
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My psychobabble for today - Willie seems to be a person who needed/wanted a strong male figure in his life (issues with his father?). Witness his relationship with Jason McGuire.
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...the awkwardness and jerkiness of the two characters' behavior makes a weird kind of sense, given their emotional state as written in the script....(which) is beyond bizarre in places...
You think Grayson Hall ever went home after taping an episode and said: "Sam, what the hell was that script all about?!" ;)
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I agree....this was pretty funny stuff. I like that they had a perfectly dug out grave - into which someone? had placed a coffin containing a dead 6 ft tall person. Hmmmm....only Willie & Julia were there. Who carried that thing?
AND......neither one had a smudge of dirt on them and neither one seemed to have even broken a sweat!!!
It's inconceivable to me that Willie alone could have dug such a massive grave with nothing more than a shovel and his bare hands in such a short time period. This was one of the more absurd moments in the series.
:P
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You think Grayson Hall ever went home after taping an episode and said: "Sam, what the hell was that script all about?!" ;)
I think she went home, took the cocktail out of his hand and said. . "no more for you, after what your stupid script made me do today!"
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My psychobabble for today - Willie seems to be a person who needed/wanted a strong male figure in his life (issues with his father?). Witness his relationship with Jason McGuire.
I've always been a strong believer in this line of thought.
Even tho Willie was a wild card, Jason had some control over him(the scene where Willie says to Jason, "Are you gonna get rough with me?" hints to previous "do as I say or I'll beat the crap out of you or worse". Only someone who felt that they "deserved" this kind of treatment would stay.
I also think that Willie wanted to leave that kind of lifestyle by stealing the jewels from the mausoleum. He saw Jason setting himself up for an easy life with no guarantees that he'd be included. A few jewels that he could fence would enable him to leave Jason. Unfortunately, he was caught in another man's evil web that stripped what was left of his independent streak.
S
P
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Giving up his Roxanne to help Barnabas(once again) was the final nail in his coffin to live his own life.
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Watching it as an adult, it seems like a very odd episode indeed. It seems as if Grayson and Johnny had barely had the chance to rehearse their scenes in the early part. You get the feeling that it was one of those "off" days in the studio. Strangely, though, the awkwardness and jerkiness of the two characters' behavior makes a weird kind of sense, given their emotional state as written in the script. At least, that's how I see it.
I kind of enjoyed this episode. Probably for all the wrong reasons. I always start laughing when Willie moans, "oh, no, we're gonna start hearing the dogs howling."
The script is beyond bizarre in places, though. How goofy is it to think that burying someone would keep him from rising as a vampire? Someone as knowledgeable about that particular as "affliction" as Julia Hoffman was, would know just how ridiculous that idea was.
This blew my mind the first time I saw it and it still does now. Maybe it's because I just watched about 6 days of DS in one sitting, but oh dear God, what were they smoking?
Luciaphil
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I like that they had a perfectly dug out grave - into which someone? had placed a coffin containing a dead 6 ft tall person. Hmmmm....only Willie & Julia were there. Who carried that thing?
Franimal
LOL!!! I was wondering the same thing! Is Willie really that strong?
I also find it strange as to why Julia thought that burying Barnabas would prevent him from rising as a vampire. The only logical thing I can think of is perhaps in Julia's own mind, (since she couldn't bring herself to stake him) she knew this really wouldn't work and that he WOULD come back again. It's hard to believe and accept the fact that Julia was really saying goodbye to him for good. As much as she hated what he was before, I think she felt that at least he was there and it was better to have him like he was than not to have him around at all. Also, I believe she felt that with him being "alive" as a vampire, there was still some measure of hope that he could still be cured again. Julia just doesn't give up that easy, so IMO I felt that this is what she might have been thinking in the back of her mind. This way when he goes to "strangle" her letting him come back this way, she could always say that "she tried to comply with his wishes" by burying him. ;)
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I when Willie moans, "oh, no, we're gonna start hearing the dogs howling."
what were they smoking?
Luciaphil
gotta be the best laugh of the month!
"and everyone's gonna start wearing neck scarves again"
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And wasn't that bitch-slap Julia gave Cassandra SO satisfying?
Immensely. And this exchange (paraphrased):
CASSANDRA: I think you're in love with him.
JULIA: Not nearly as much as you.
Duh and duh!
Too bad TV shows didn't do "special" episodes back then, like the Buffy musical. I'd love to hear Julia break into a rousing version of "Stand By Your Man"!
LMAO. That was truly HIGHlarious!! Thanks for the laugh. And yeah it is too bad they didn't do musicals. Like Joss said about Buffy "they all seem as if any minute there gonna break out in song" that is not verbatim, but he said something along those lines. And I feel the same way about DS as he does about Buffy!! AGAIN thanks for the laugh!!
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As I have mentioned before, we really should have seen more scenes between Barnabas and Willie that would believably convince the viewers why Willie would get so choked up over Barnabas' "death" despite Barnabas' mistreatment of him in the past.
At least with Julia, we did get to see her and Barnabas' relationship slowly but nicely progress from battling enemies to friendly confidents.
And yes, I so do enjoy watching Julia slap Cassandra a hard one very much, every time.