The payoff for the Barnabas story was to be his staking by Burke & Dr. Woodard and we all know that never could have happened once Barnabas became popular.

The story seemed to get muddled shortly after Willie is sent away, as the expected ending never happened and for the next two months it was just drifting along till the writers could come up with something.

1795 was tightly written and brought everything full circle.

I love the scene when Barnabas meets the caretaker in the cemetary while looking for David. 

Barnabas almost gives himself away there when the caretaker keeps going on about the dead ,and not listening to what Barnabas is saying.  It's like a comedy routine.

If the show returned to the present time, they most likely would have had to recast David.

What was supposed to happen on this episode that the writers had to re-write?

When they first went about casting for Angelique in 1795, did DC ask Diana to return to play her?

Laura apparently is born to some unsuspecting couple and leads a normal life until she is killed in a fire.  Then her Phoenix self rises and tries to take her children with her into a second fire.

correction, it was "As the World Turns"

I also thought Dr. Woodard should have remained on the series and hated what they did to him.  The orignal DS Woodard was a compassionate, friendly guy, who never would have taken the option this Woodard did.  They needed someone like this as the original eventually got Professor Stokes for this role.

I thought killing Dr Guthrie and Dr. Woodard were mistakes the old show made though they couldn't very well have had all three characters on at the same time.

Jim Fyfe was good as Ben in 1790, his Willie Loomis was irritating (especially that scene with his Aunt Mrs. Johnson and the nutloaf!)