What? Who said Midnite was allowed to have a barfday?

Ah well....
[size=8]HAPPY BIRTHDAY![/size][/b]

[shadow=navy,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]

It's been a long while, so I'm not sure what episodes they were, but there are times that the door to the cellar of the Old House changes its location. Usually it was roughly opposite the front door, but on occasion, it was angled so that, viewing straight out the cellar door window, you looked toward the entrance to the drawing room. Another time, it was flush with the stairway, which means that the view out would only be the wall across from the stairs.

I have often tried to make one door in my house go different places, but I've yet to discover the secret. Perhaps one must actually reach the top of the Old House stairs and pass beyond to acquire the necessary knowledge.

[shadow=black,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]
http://www.weebl.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/b3ta/pie.html

I remember when I was a kid and DARK SHADOWS came on, they could have had the cleaning crew write every episode and I'd have still tuned in eagerly. I sometimes wonder if, once the show developed its unmistakable mystique (and corresponding jump in ratings), the writers counted on people being hooked to the point of overlooking glaring problems (on and off camera). Hell, look at those of us who've sat through the series countless times and still do, regardless of how we feel about certain particular subplots, characters, etc.

I would be the first one to admit that, at age 11, I figured that DS could absolutely do no wrong. I imagine I was not the only one.

[shadow=navy,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]

You know, I haven't done a major, thorough, professional-grade proofreading on these chapters, but I try to at least catch howling typos. I just glanced back at Chapter 13 to find a reference for Chapter 14, and what do I discover but a statement to the effect that, according to Julia, Professor Stokes is find (as opposed to fine). I haven't heard much hollering from the masses about idiot writers who really need an editor (thank you), but sometimes it's really perturbing that one can read over something a load of times and then, on first glance a little bit later, catch an obvious boo-boo.

I'm sure y'all infer the meaning when the context is pretty obvious, but one of these days, I'm gonna slip a real doozy in there just to see who's paying attention.

[shadow=brown,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]

I don't think Mark has the hots for Willie the way I do!!

No, but I get the Willies pretty often.

[shadow=red,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
BIRTHDAY

Cris!

[shadow=purple,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]

But then, I loved almost everything about the '91 series. Quite a few of the original plot subtleties had to be jettisoned because of primetime TV's time constraints and the network bigwigs' somewhat ridiculous notion that a plot has to rush along or the audience will lose interest and change the channel. But those are just the facts of life when it comes to primetime vs. daytime. I've always thought that in many ways some of the new takes on the storylines/characters improved on the original.

A benefactor after me own heart.

I probably liked a lot of the 91 series less than you, from the sound of things; in fact, there were some things -- particularly the setting and Ben Cross's EVIL DEAD-style vampire make-up -- that I thought flopped beyond belief. But on the whole, I thought the 91 series had decent pacing and some very good characterization. Nothing and no one can ever replace the original, and I don't consider the 91 series a "replacement." It was simply a different animal, and by and large did a lot of things well. It's a pity they didn't do more well; but the show was really starting to hit its stride about the time it was cancelled.

A lot of the fluff that accompanied the daily fare in the original show was gone, and that was a good thing for prime time. Rarely did they cut too far, as far as I was concerned.

It would take pages and pages to go through the "like this," "hated that" list, but suffice it to say that the 91 series had a lot of good going for it, and I really wish it had been given a chance to fly.

[shadow=purple,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]