1790 – Well the first thing that struck me was that until now I’ve been under the impression that Collinsport was in Maine, however, Abigail clearly and distinctly places it in the “territory of Massachusetts.”  I often thought that was a continuity error on the part of the writers, but after a little Wikipedia search, I discovered that “The District of Maine was a legal designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from American independence until the Missouri Compromise on March 4, 1820, after which it gained its independence from Massachusetts and became the 23rd state in the Union.”  So it’s entirely possible that is why Abagail refers to Collinsport as being in Massachusetts.  Now the only confusion (for me anyway) as why Abigail refers to Massachusetts as a territory when it became the sixth state of the new Union in February of 1788.  Perhaps the only thing she reads is her Bible?

I thought it was interesting that they considered Victoria dressed strangely.  To me it looked like a pretty simple black dress and boots (barely seen) that far more modestly covered her than the dresses she was given by Angelique, which showed much more bosom.  Perhaps that’s what Barnabas meant.  Simply that she seemed out of fashion.  Thank goodness she wasn’t wearing anything more obviously 1980s or she’d have the bailiff called on her before she spoke a word! (grin)

The Rest of the Family –
I like Joshua, firm and harsh, but fair.  I love the bit where he checks Victoria’s teeth!  Though it makes me think a) Victoria has very good teeth indeed (no fillings, otherwise Joshua would surely have asked about the silvery substance on her molars) or b) she’s had her teeth capped (a rare thing for a girl raised in a orphanage).  Anyway, it was funny.

Abigail is creepy and barely tolerated it seems.  I don’t like her very much, but then even as nice Mrs. Johnson, I don’t really care for her.

Naomi, unfortunately, so far is just like Elizabeth, a cipher.  There really isn’t much in the way of script to differentiate the Elizabeth at the costume party from 1790 counterpart.  Unfortunate.  And just how old is she anyway?  She really looks far beyond an age when she could have given birth to Daniel and Sarah.

I LOL’d at the relationship between Barn and his younger brother Jeremiah, the long-suffering never taken seriously kid brother….

Millicent – I remember smiling a bit at her entrance.  Poor Jeremiah!

The Rest of the Characters -
Sigh – The Loomis family seems to have the same problem with their teeth no matter what century they live in and the same skin condition.  Ben at least seems more with it and thankfully not used as rather oversold comic relief.

Victoria – she seems to have already started to sow the seeds of her suspicion without realizing it.  Though as a teacher, I would have hoped that she would have thought a little before attempting to explain a laundry label and a zipper.  I keep thinking that if she’d been a little quicker on her feet, she could have made up some story about a kooky relative who worked metal and invented the metal stitchery.  And a little explanation of the symbols might have diverted some of Abigail’s suspicion for a time.  “The seamstress who made this for me sewed the cleaning instructions into the garment for fear I might forget.  She used pictures to represent words to save space.  This picture is the wash tub, and see that is an iron” and so on …

It’s a good thing she is pretty and the handsome Peter Bradford has “taken a shine to her.”  Otherwise it does seem as if she might have been hauled away as mad.  I can understand Barnabas’ curiosity.  Victoria knew his name and the name of his fiancée, coupled with the fact that she so strongly resembles Josette is an odd confluence of coincidences.  Under the circumstances, I can well understand Abigail’s concerns, even as I scoff at her extremist views.

Speaking of extremist, OMFG, Trask is the scariest of fire and brimstone preachers.  A charletanesque carryover from the Inquisition and the Salem witch trials.  Is he even a real man of the cloth or is it an affectation? You want to scoff at him the way the Collins men do, but my heart goes out to Victoria.  She could be in deep trouble.

Peter – Handsome, kind, and apparently has access to a much better razor than his lookalike 200 years hence….

Last, and unfortunately, least, is Angelique.  It would seem to me that Angelique is an important character and big role and you want someone with the acting chops to get their teeth into.  I suppose she is pretty in an ordinary way but there is no spark whatsoever between her and Barn.  Even lit warmly by the candles and the fire, their was no heat or passion at all in their scenes.  Maybe others feel differently, but to me she has no presence at all.  Perhaps they were going for a blond attractive girl who didn’t look like she could be a witch, but IMO, Lysette Anthony is rather one note, almost as if as an actress she has the talent of an extra suddenly thrust onstage as the star.  I don’t sense any layers, or nuances to her performance, she is exactly the same when she is seducing Barnabas, talking with Victoria, bringing Willie under her power.  It’s a rather empty performance, however, given how much she has worked since, it must not be a lack of talent but perhaps the direction she gets here.  Oh, an’ zee cod Frauch accent eez making me crahzee, sacre bleu!

Likewise with Natalie.  The accent is very distracting and makes me think less of someone speaking English as a second language and more as if they are putting on airs.

A remark on the vagaries of Time Travel.  Barnabas remembers Phyllis Wick now because time is apparently in flux, but will his memories changed and he will remember Victoria when/if she returns?  Or will this create some kind of parallel timeline?

Doug, it's often not as simple as that.  Alcoholism is a disease and a pretty insidious one at that.  My brother and Father suffer(ed) from it and my father drank himself to death never once admitting he had any sort of problem.

Mrs. J suddenly smells the scent of lilac, Vicki's perfume,

[spoiler]Are you sure that isn't some bizarre time paradox thingy and somehow Daphne's perfume haunted the house several years early and David, in a trance, called Amy Hallie as they were fishing out Victoria's clothes for Daphne to wear?  [/spoiler]
I'm in a silly mood today.....

That might have been the one I read.  And a good thing it was a libarary book without the dustjacket.  Being published in 1979 the retail edition seems to have had a blook red dustjacket with publicity still of Frank Langella.  If I'd seen that I might have passed it by. 

However this new edition mention above sounds very intriguing....

Barnabas Frid of course! 

Sorry for the typo 

I don't know for certain, but I suspect the association has to with the color and probably was first used as a insult by bigots - pale purple being a color that sissy boys would like to or are seen wearing....

Well, David could have fallen in love and married an older blonde woman that reminded him of his mother [spoiler]in happier and less infamatory times[/spoiler]