Good choice, dom! I think we only hear him. Starting with the Quentin story, many ghosts in the Collinwood universe are either seen or heard--but almost never both at once.

This episode has a few firsts:

Welcome, Julia's basement laboratory! Though the equipment seems to run on electricity, torches in sconces provide the lighting. Perhaps Julia has gotten a portable generator. She uses tongs to lob what looks like a chunk of dry ice into a small kettle. A chair stands nearby, but seems unconnected to the apparatus even though it’s part of the equipment.

Also for what I think is the first time, Barnabas appears without his usual heavy eye makeup. Perhaps this is a result of Julia's treatments.

Julia wants to stop the experiment, but Barnabas torments her by reminding her of her part in Woodard's murder. He orders her to begin, then he picks up a chunk of dry ice with his cold, undead, bare hand and adds it to the pot.

Later, for the first time Julia sees the ghost of Dave Woodard.

The last scene is one of Julia's most painful moments. For the first time, she all but says out loud that she loves Barnabas and accepts him as he is. Talking about a supposedly hypothetical someone, Julia says, She might accept you, even love you. What good is that if I can’t accept or love myself? Barnabas replies bitterly. Julia warns him one last time, Remember, Barnabas, human beings don’t often love without destroying. Seating himself in the chair, he replies, Remember what I said earlier: I’m willing to take the chance. Begin. Julia reluctantly starts up the apparatus again and chucks more dry ice into her kettle.

Interesting observation, Joeytrom. Does anyone have any idea as to why most of the male characters fall off the Collins planet for a while?

A very busy episode for both Barnabas and Julia: Barnabas because he is flying everywhere in bat mode, eavesdropping on the investigation and people's conversations; Julia because she has to act shocked at the news of her old friend's death.

In another example of the Collinsport constabulary's fine police work, Sam and the sheriff ransack Dave's office looking for Julia's red notebook. Sheesh.

I don't think Sarah needed to create Dave's voice for Julia to hear. I'm sure it was her own conscience.

And I still think that Sarah is a free agent who was awakened, so to speak, when Barnabas was freed from his coffin.

I don't think we're meant to feel sorry for Barnabas and his pain. I think his mentioning it shows us the big reason that Julia is in love with him and why she's trying to cure him: She somehow sees the humanity that is hidden far, far beneath his vampirism.

We get another example of the Collinsport police department's exemplary detective work when Sam Evans and Sheriff No. 3 rummage around in Dave's office.

One reason he might be getting more evil is that the writers want to show the contrast between now--well, 1968, anyway--and 1795. They have to maximize the difference so that we see the real horror of the change that happens in 1795.

I think Julia's attraction to Barnabas started when she eavesdropped on him and Vicki talking by the fountain. They both leave, and the last shot in the scene shows us Julia's shocked expression. Maybe it's just my overactive imagination, but I've always thought that was the moment when Julia realized that Barnabas was more to her than a scientific experiment.