you're right mysterious.

it must be something of a retroactive description. in the larger sense willie does function as barnabas' handyman. i've just been watching the early episodes and as of episode 210 he was anything but.

since the "regular" dvd releases as opposed to the "beginning" dvd releases skips past the early jason/willie plot and jumps right into the barnabas arrival perhaps they thought it wasn't worth confusing the viewer with too much of willie's backstory since from that point on he basically functions within the context of what's happening with barnabas.

the show has a funny habit. when a storyline is over it's over. it rarely gets mentioned again.

after her storyline laura is never referred to by name again(except during 1897 which is a totally different set of characters). if she's even referenced her name isn't spoken. during the part of the early barnabas storyline where david fears barnabas liz says that she hasn't seen david so frightened since "his mother" tried to come back. during the cassandra storyline when liz objects to roger and cassandra's hasty marriage she reminds roger that technically he's "still married" but again laura's name is not uttered.

think about adam. he dominates the plot for most of 1968 but when he's gone he,and all of the destruction he caused,are never even referred to and the quentin storyline gets underway as if adam(and eve)never existed.

even major,major characters like victoria and joe. when they're gone everyone acts like they were never even part of the story before. does maggie ever even mention her former fiances name?

it's almost like they just wanted to march forward with whatever plot was at hand without alot of tethers to what came before.

Gothick, it was The Secret Storm that JC appeared on briefly replacing Christina.

i wish that "the secret storm" was available on dvd. the dark shadows connection runs deep.

joel crothers,clarice blackburn,diana millay,conard fowkes and james storm(perhaps others as well)were all castmembers.

indeed...

thanks for another great year at the board.

and best wisehes to everyone for the new year!

i thought seaview had alot of intersting potential too.

but wasn't barnabas somehow pivotal to that? was the idea originally for seaview to go forward after barnabas was killed off?

how terribly sad...

another d.s. passing. mr. fowkes was a nice addition to the show's early days. i just rewatched the laura collins story and was reminded of that. frank was sweet with vicki.

we are fortunate those who got to meet mr. fowkes at the brooklyn fest(i believe his only one)in 2006.

yes grayson hall and lovelady powell were certainly "cut from the same cloth" as they say. i can see powell in the doctor hoffman role quite easily.

it would have been nice for an additional appearance of MRS. fitzsimmons but in a rare nod to continuity several episodes later after this subplot is over and the jason mcquire/willie loomis plot is underway maggie tells joe that sam is working on some new paintings for "that art dealer" so perhaps sam got that exhibition after all.

thanks lydia,

for some reason i imagine the young mitch ryan as seeing himself as a rather "serious thespian" and taking himself quite seriously.

i'm trying to picture his reaction when handed the first vampire scripts. probably "what the f***?!?"