DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '06 I => Topic started by: BuzzH on May 08, 2006, 04:49:59 PM
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Okay, so I'm about a dozen or so eps into Leviathan and I have to say, I'm *liking* it! I like this new side of Barnabas [spoiler]not the 'baddie', we've all seen THAT before. But the funny Barnabas who's laughing and smiling all the time. Granted, he's under a spell of sorts but still, his scenes w/Paul Stoddard are hilarious![/spoiler]
I, like you all, hate Alexander, but I gotta give the kid credit, he can act for one so young. To illicit the ill will we all feel towards him....that's talent. And David Hennesy, well, need I say it? THAT kid could act circles around many of the adults on the show! Too bad he didn't continue acting, he'd have an Oscar on his mantle for sure!
[spoiler]I *love* the dream Liz has before becoming one of them, it was hilarious! And again, WELL acted by David and there's that laughing Barnabas again![/spoiler]
I also really like Paul Stoddard! [spoiler]Too bad he dies in this plotline. I would have like to see him survive and continue on w/the show.[/spoiler]
Now, I'm only guessing about this, but I'm thinking those of you who watched the show originally didn't like this plotline, generally speaking, I know *some* of you did like it, because after a vampire, witch, Frankenstein man, warlock and two werewolves, not to mention all the ghosts, this was too slow and boring? I grew up watching 'traditional' soaps like General Hospital, Guiding Light etc...so this is interesting to me. I like all the mystery and the [spoiler]Who's Grant Douglas'? stuff is fun too--although I must admit, I'd have preferred Quentin coming back and knocking on the Old House front door to see his long-lost 'cousin' Barnabas, only to have Barnabas be cold to him like everyone else, leaving Quentin wondering what the hell is up.[/spoiler]But alas, what are you going to do?
Anyway, wanted to 'ring in' on this plotline. Time will tell if it continues to intrique me. It MAY start to drag at the end I suppose, but didn't ALL the plotlines do this in the end? ;D 8)
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I concur, I thought Paul Stoddard was an awesome character to have around, and even double thrilled that it's Dennis Patrick who plays him. And I really like your idea for the introduction of Grant Douglas, that would have been a neat plotline to follow. From what I remember I really liked this storyline at it's start, I don't remember much though because it gets a bit insane near the end, even more so than the summer of 68 and ADAM. Some of it will have you going Why did they do that?! but generally it's a good bit of fun.
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I loved several things about this plot-line: (BuzzH some of my spoilers are ahead of you so see them later.)
[spoiler]Bad Barnabas and then anti-hero Barnabas. His voice when he was reading the evil incantations was so scary. I think it's really groovy how he used his vampire skills for good later in the plot-line.
The Leviathan Monster we never see. The heavy breathing just is super. How the various characters play off the heavy breathing is spectacular. It gives the green screen a whole new meaning before there was even a green screen.
Bad boy Chris Pennock. His shirtless shadow dance scene is delicious.
The lobby to hell. The use of the juxtaposing colors with parts of the set in no light was just divine. Koodos to the lighting director and Sy Tomasoff.
Mr. Best. He was a really evil bad guy.
The hanging man that you couldn't see was a nice touch even if it was Roger Davis.[/spoiler]
Agreed about all the children in this plot line. All of them truly shined. I'm so glad none of them were my step-children.
I'm sure I'll come up with more later.
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[spoiler]Mr. Best. He was a really evil bad guy.[/spoiler]
I never really thought of him as a bad guy, I'll have to get the DVDs and give that vibe to his character. I loved that set too, but thought it was more like purgatory.
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As i have said before its my fav time period and the best time period in my opinion. there is some boreing parts yes but when jeb hawkes arrives the time period is amazeing. Alexander was annoying at times but he was kool to.
Evan Hanley
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i'm glad you're enjoying these episdoes buzz.
i was fully prepared to despise this storyline but i actually ended up enjoying it too(despite all of the numerous problems with it).
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Please forgive me but for the life of me I have not been able to figure out how to quote spoilers. I totally know what you mean, Buzz, re fun w/ Barn & Liz. I kept replaying those scenes in slo-mo just to watch the new facial expressions appear. Great stuff!
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i'm glad you're enjoying these episdoes buzz. i was fully prepared to despise this storyline but i actually ended up enjoying it too(despite all of the numerous problems with it).
Yeah, I'm still really enjoying it and thus far it hasn't dragged. I've just watched the ep where Bruno is introduced and by the time I finish this boxset I'll be up to 1970 PT, another plotline I've never seen! ;) However, there WAS one BIG continuity blooper that despite the fact that I don't normally let these bother me, this one did. It's when [spoiler]Barnabas is finally giving Julia the 411 on how he became a Leviathan and he's telling her, via flashbacks, that Oberon told him if he didn't comply they'd turn him into a vampire again and kill Josette, whom they were holding hostage in the past. Originally, he didn't know this and it was only after Michael tells him to off Julia, and he refuses, that Adler comes to him in that dream and tells him about Josette and that he'll be turned back into a vampire etc...[/spoiler] That was a frustrating blooper! But still, I'm glad to see [spoiler]Barnabas, Julia and Quentin working as a team to thwart the Cheap Insuffable Pig Jeb[/spoiler]
Please forgive me but for the life of me I have not been able to figure out how to quote spoilers.
Barnabasjr, to do spoilers just type spoiler inside brackets like these [] at the beginning and /spoiler inside the same kind of brackets at the end of what you want to hide. ;)
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for the life of me I have not been able to figure out how to quote spoilers.
Click the Quote button in the post you want quoted. Then edit out the text, including the spoilers, that you're not responding to. Leave everything that's inside the first and last quote tags, and leave the spoiler tags at the start and end of the spoiler that you want quoted. So it might now look like this before you add your reply underneath:
[quote author=BuzzH link=topic=9009.msg75886#msg75886 date=1147103399]
Okay, so I'm about a dozen or so eps into Leviathan and I have to say, I'm *liking* it! I like this new side of Barnabas [spoiler]not the 'baddie', we've all seen THAT before.
But the funny Barnabas who's laughing and smiling all the time. Granted, he's under a spell of sorts but still, his scenes w/Paul Stoddard are hilarious![/spoiler][/quote]
One set of opening and closing quote tags, plus one set of opening and closing spoiler tags (per spoiler that you want quoted), must be in there, and in this order:
[quote][spoiler][/spoiler][/quote]
Ignore "code", btw; it allows all the codes to show up in the post. If the print in the white boxes is too tiny, you could try enlarging your text to read it. If you use Windows, pressing Control and + should work.
Hope that helped. 8)
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i liked this time period most of the time and thought the children were wonderful
it did drag a little but there were some great scenes Jeb needed to be slapped daily
but i quess that was how he was supposed to be >:D
jennifer
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Just watched a third season episode of Emergency! last night w/the now teenaged Michael Maitland in it. Granted, I'd seen this ep many times before but didn't realize he was in it. He looked a little different, older of course (3 years-the ep was filmed/aired in '73 making him 16 I guess) and his hair was now brown and not blond (did he have it colored for DS I wonder) but damn, that kid was CUTE. Bet he's a full on HOTTIE by now. Wish HE'D come to a Fest! :P
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Well, just got to the part where [spoiler]Willie has returned and he and Maggie are trapped in the Tower Room w/Jeb breathing in the hallway and I'm still LOVING it! And I absolutely laughed my ASS off when I saw Paul Stoddard grinning in his coffin! Check out my caption for that! ;)[/spoiler]
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Hey Buzz, I loved LeviaLiz's frosty reception of Willie upon his arrival at Collinwood. Her deadpan looks contrasted with his goofy charm are hysterical! They didn't give Joan many opportunities at this stage of the game to turn on "the freeze" which was an important part of Liz's stock in trade earlier on.
Glad to hear you are enjoying Leviathans! In many respects it is my favorite storyline. The only one that can compete with it is Cassandra and Nicholas in the Summer of 1968 which was my first storyline so will always hold a special place in my heart.
cheers, G.
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Glad to hear you are enjoying Leviathans! In many respects it is my favorite storyline.
I really am, and I'm nearly finished w/it. I just saw the "cheap, insufferable pig" episode and I thought of our Mysterious Benefactor when Roger uttered that immortal line. ;D
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Well, Leviathan is all but over, just a couple eps to go before [spoiler]Barnabas steps into the newly discovered PT room[/spoiler]and I must say I don't know what all the fuss was about! I *loved* this plotline! I didn't think it dragged one bit. It was fast paced from day one to the end and very interesting and intriguing. I DO wish we could have seen Jeb in his 'higher state', but that's not a big deal. The ONLY problems I had w/it, and they are minor really, are [spoiler]1. Paul Stoddard getting killed; 2. the continuity blooper of how and when Barnabas was told they were supposedly holding Josette prisoner and that he'd again become a vampire, and who told him, first it was Adlar, then suddenly it was Oberon; 3. Jeb's complete 180 in the span of 1/2 an episode. Are we REALLY expected to like and cheer for him after only 1/2 an ep of good, heroic behavior? Not me, I'm waiting anxiously for him to die.[/spoiler]
Anyway, I definately liked this plotline and will have NO problem watching it again in the future. Now the Adam/Eve creation plotline is another story! [puke] That's one I'll NEVER watch again. Looking forward to PT and 1995, then summer 1970 before the 1840 plotline, which I've seen, begins. Once I get to 1840 and 1841 PT I'll take a much needed break as I've seen both of these plotlines. I'm getting a little burned out on DS, watching 40 eps or more a week is exhausting! ;) I must add that [spoiler]When Barnabas first discovers the PT room while looking for Megan's coffin in the East Wing, then comes downstairs and tells the newly returned from the Carriage House Julia about it[/spoiler]Jonathan did a fantastic job of acting! [spoiler]He looks, and SOUNDS, sufficiently confused and terrified by what he saw![/spoiler]
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Hi Buzz, I always new you had great taste--after all, look who you chose for your screen name/avatar! Only THE COOLEST dude in C'port! yeah, baby!
Agreed regarding the strength of Frid's performance during Leviathan. There are some brilliant moments in there.
So, what did you think of the scene where [spoiler]Bruno seems to be getting VERY excited flogging the chained up werewolf! That episode is a hoot! Wild and woolly at its best![/spoiler]
Best wishes, Gothick
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Hi Buzz, I always new you had great taste--after all, look who you chose for your screen name/avatar! Only THE COOLEST dude in C'port! yeah, baby!
He IS kool, ain't he? ;D
Agreed regarding the strength of Frid's performance during Leviathan. There are some brilliant moments in there.
I loved how, at the beginning of Leviathan, he's [spoiler]always chuckling at the obvious discomfort of others, particularly Paul Stoddard and again in the dream sequence Liz has to become a Leviathan. But when he descends those stairs after his first glimpse of PT, he seems paralyzed w/fear. It was very well written (probably Violet Welles, but I forgot to check the writing credits for that ep) and acted by both Jonathan and Grayson too. I like the next encounter he has too and when he sneaks into the Drawing Room to tell Julia. He says he couldn't get into the room for some reason and Julia, in PURE Grayson style, shudders and says, "I can't say I'm sorry to hear that Barnabas!" LOL! Classic![/spoiler]
So, what did you think of the scene where [spoiler]Bruno seems to be getting VERY excited flogging the chained up werewolf! That episode is a hoot! Wild and woolly at its best![/spoiler]
It was funny, but also disturbing. [spoiler]I felt sorry for the werewolf as I likened what was happening to him to someone beating a dog or cat. I didn't particularly like that aspect of the scene.[/spoiler]But that aside, Mike Stroka seemed on the verge of orgasm in the act of what he was doing! He was another actor who was larger than life in character, not to mention one hell of a guy at Fests. I still miss his warmth and genuine love of us fans. I remember well the tribute to him at the first Fest after his death. Moving to say the least from beginning to end, but when his wife Karen came on and said how much he loved all of us and looked forward to spending time w/us each summer, well, there wasn't a dry eye in the house after that! :'(
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I attended Mike's last DS Festival. I had no contact with him but did get to hear him read a ghost story. I was really shocked when we heard the news of his death.
I wonder whether anyone has heard how his widow has been getting on?
I thought Stroka's best role on DS was Aristede, but Bruno was a fun part. The PT version of Bruno is really over the top! they did Mike's hair with curlers!
G.
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they did Mike's hair with curlers!
I think they must have in Leviathan too, except his first appearance, that day his hair looked normal and more importantly, NATURAL. But you remind me of a story Mike told once at a Fest, he was onstage w/Lara and was saying one day on the set, during the PT plotline, they were blocking the show and someone in the control booth said, "Uh, you, w/the curlers, move to your left a little." Since both he and Lara had curlers in their hair Mike asked, "Are you talking to me or her?" LOL! ;)
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I am totally bummed that I never got to meet Mike Stroka. I hear he was a total riot, he's one of my favorite actors on the show.
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I am totally bummed that I never got to meet Mike Stroka. I hear he was a total riot, he's one of my favorite actors on the show.
Arashi, Mike was da bomb! He was so sweet and friendly, a true gentleman. He, along w/Marie Wallace, would walk the autograph line so they could meet the fans, take pictures w/us etc...Plus it got them through the line faster which was good for them. ;)
Now, back to Leviathan for a minute, as I said, I'm a handful of eps away from PT and there's one thing about the end of Leviathan that confuses, and frustrates me, but it's not really a plotline problem, it's a SET DESIGN problem. Why the hell did they keep changing how Bruno's house was laid out. In the beginning his front door was stage right and the back room [spoiler]where he was holding Sabrina captive[/spoiler] was stage left. Then the next day they switched this and the front door was stage left and the back room was stage right. Now, I can understand if after one day they decided it worked better the second way (for lighting or camera placement whatever) but they change it back to the front door being stage right and the back room stage left, THEN change it back AGAIN to the front door being stage left and the back room being stage right. It makes absolutely NO SENSE that they kept changing this! Anyone know why they did this! It's driving me nuts! [82b5] [Rant_Emote]
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Lol, Buzz! The instance of this that drives ME crazy is in these two episodes from 1968--they're part of the Adam and Eve storyline, so you'll never watch them again, so you will never have to be bugged by this *wink*--where they're in the parlor at the OH and they've just had a seance (I think it is the one where Barnabas becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of Philippe Cordier). At the end of the first show, Professor Stokes is standing there discoursing on occult metaphysics. Next day we resume and the action is continuous and Stokes... just isn't there! They don't even have any dialogue along the lines of "he suddenly remembered he left his teakettle on the boil!" (or, more likely, his sherry uncooked and his cheese on the sideboard).
It's just... POOF! no Stokes!
I'm sure Cassandra Collins would really have relished being able to get rid of that pestilent Professor so easily!
Cheers, Gothick
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The instance of this that drives ME crazy is in these two episodes from 1968--they're part of the Adam and Eve storyline, so you'll never watch them again, so you will never have to be bugged by this *wink*--where they're in the parlor at the OH and they've just had a seance (I think it is the one where Barnabas becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of Philippe Cordier). At the end of the first show, Professor Stokes is standing there discoursing on occult metaphysics. Next day we resume and the action is continuous and Stokes... just isn't there! They don't even have any dialogue along the lines of "he suddenly remembered he left his teakettle on the boil!" (or, more likely, his sherry uncooked and his cheese on the sideboard).
It's just... POOF! no Stokes!
Oh that is SO funny! I never noticed that! But then, when I was *struggling* through them, I'd watch one or two, a week, then suffer thru another 1 or 2 so my viewing was really sporadic and thus I probably forgot that Stokes was suddenly gone. LOL about the errant cheese on the sideboard! ;D
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This is such a fun bunch of posts. I still haven't added any new DVDs to my piddlely collection, which as of now consists of one DVD, At least I have the forum because reading your opinions is almost as fun as watching them. I'm craving them so badly that I am going to go over my budget and put in a fund to add a Dark Shadows DVD every two months.
I can't wait till I can start watching episodes again.
Misa
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Buzz-- I'm glad all our hoots and catcalls, or whatever, re the Leviathans didn't spoil your enjoyment of it.
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Buzz-- I'm glad all our hoots and catcalls, or whatever, re the Leviathans didn't spoil your enjoyment of it.
Dude, I loved it! It was quick and didn't drag one bit in my opinion. ;)
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BuzzH, Diabolos here (I don't know how to change the name, my chosen name was Diabolos) I know I'm a newbie, but I've been watching DS since I was two, I'm fourteen now, and I totally agree with you, the Leviathan sequence is one of my favorite storylines. I really thought the return of evil Barnabas was just what the show needed, especially since he wasn't a vampire anymore, and you can really see when the show got bogged down when he was cured (re Adam and Eve).
I really thought that the writers had a funny take on Jeb Hawkes been scared of his own own shadow i.e. the shadow monster plotline. Christopher Pennock really rocks in this storyline!
I don't know what everybody's problem is with little Alex, I thought he was a dynamite actor for his age.
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Diabolos here (I don't know how to change the name, my chosen name was Diabolos)
While logged in to your account, select Profile in the horizontal menu at the top. Select Account Related Settings on the left side. Enter the name to be displayed under Name. Enter your Current Password (you're only asked to type it once). Click Change Profile. You will still need to enter your registration name when logging in.
Welcome, Diabolos! :D
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The Leviathan storyline didn't make much sense to me when I watched it as a little girl, but now as an adult I have grown to really like it.
[spoiler]I just wish they hadn't thrown in that stupid twist of Jeb killing Vicki, it really didn't make any sense at all!
As for the sudden 180 turn with Jeb, well I think we already saw signs of his rebelling when he was Michael....after Michael supposedly die he was to change form again and he didn't want to at first but persuaded
to do it anyway. Once he became Jeb his main focus was to make Carolyn his and punish those who got in his way (his fight with Quentin, turning Barnabas back into the vampire). He grew to love Carolyn for who she was and didn't want to make her the monster he was, thus "enlisiting" Julia's services to make him human.
It was great to see Dennis Patrick in a role so different from Jason McGuire. Too bad Paul had to die so early[/spoiler] that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess.
It's too bad that viewers started to turn away from DS at this period, because the Leviathan plot really has much to offer IMO. On the other hand I wouldn't have blamed them for shutting off during the 1970 PT story....heaven knows I nearly turned away from DS during THAT storyline.
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It's too bad that viewers started to turn away from DS at this period, because t [hall2_wink]he Leviathan plot really has much to offer IMO. On the other hand I wouldn't have blamed them for shutting off during the 1970 PT story....heaven knows I nearly turned away from DS during THAT storyline.
It's my understanding that the ratings for 1970PT were better than those for Leviathans. Though that doesn't surprise me because I love 1970PT. [hall2_wink]