It's fascinating to consider what DS might have been like either without Barnabas or if he had never been released from his coffin (two distinctly different options). The 1795 storyline could still have occurred but probably without Vicki Winters coming from the present day. And some of the later storylines could still have occurred, 1970 Parallel Time and the last storyline, 1841 PT. Things get much trickier trying to figure out what would have happened in the other storylines already mentioned.

It wasn't long ago that I re-watched the episodes where Burk's plane went down. There wasn't any reasonable way the Barnabas could have been involved, it was just a lucky coincidence. I agree that he was surprised by the news and secretly pleased.

He is certainly putting out a lot of movies - I see him mentioned in the subject of about three threads here. I guess I'll try to watch what's available online before purchasing anything. I've heard that "Dr Mabuse" had mixed reviews, to put a positive spin on things -- but I haven't seen it myself.

I hope we'll get to see that clip introduced by Mr. Frid. Bach is probably my favorite composer, although this is not among my favorite works. Would like to hear what Mr. Frid has to say about it.

I happen to be planning a music program for next Spring and am hoping to include Bach's lovely "Air" performed by a string ensemble.

I saw that this was on at the last minute, but was trying to do other things and only saw the very beginning. It looked like the film may have been a little hard to get into. It didn't seem to have the mysterious atmosphere I expected.

My apologies for not responding sooner. When I talked with midnite on the phone, she said she would update this thread, but somehow I missed that. Then, the last two-and-a-half weeks have seen my return to work full time, with catching up to do and back to the same challenging work load. Time has flown and I hadn't gotten back to the forum except for one brief post.

I so much appreciate the goodwill and support of my DS cousins here. It would have been much harder going through something like this without such wonderful friends.

While the ordeal is fading into the background, I'm not quite where I was before in terms of breathing capacity and am still taking over-the-counter pain relievers 24 hours a day. I will be monitored with CAT scans three times a year. The cause of the cancer is unknown since I have never been a smoker. There is every reason to hope that there will be no recurrence.

During my time at home, I was able to watch a bit of DS. The episodes I selected were those leading up to the murder of Dr. Woodard. The moral dilemma and Julia's unwilling complicity still make for intense drama after all these years and viewings.

Thanks again to all, and I'll be back to occasional posting as before. This forum has been almost like a "home" to return to again and again over many years and it would be wonderful, though not always possible, to spend more time here.

I always though Mitch Ryan was a strong actor and was sorry about his departure from DS. Am glad he revived his career and has proven longevity as an actor.

I have seen 1795 at least twice and both times found its conclusion to be the most powerful to any of the timelines in DS. Many of the other storylines had strong endings, but 1795 was tragic in the classic sense, like watching the conclusion to a Shakespearean tragedy. I experienced it as evoking pity and fear - the classic elements of Greek tragedy. I found the end of 1795 to be the most moving on a human scale as well as the most artistically satisfying.