Vicki's parentage

And all this time I thought the Hanscombe butler was Betty's father.

in terms of the 1991 series Elizabeth was written as such a nonentity, and Vicki's orphaned backstory merely a passing reference, I never understood what the "emotional impact" of the Liz-as-Vicki's mother "reveal" was supposed to have had. in this iteration of the story Vicki functioned mainly as the modern day "Josette" counterpart. her backstory and parentage were somewhat beside the point.

this theory also introduces the rather icky bug-a-boo of Barnabas and Vicki being blood relations albeit several generations apart.

if this revelation had indeed taken place in a second season it seems more like one of Curtis' clumsy attempts to retroactively "fix" what he saw in hindsight as flaws in the original narrative.

Truthfully, one of the main reasons DC did the '91 series was so that he could fix what he perceived to be flaws in the original series. For example, that sort of thinking on his part was the primary reason Vicki explicitly became Josette's reincarnation.

i can see Curtis' desire to retroactively "fix" what he perceived as flaws in his original story. and certainly fans of the OS coming to the 1991 version wanting "resolution" on this particular plot point might have taken some comfort in this "reveal"...

but as a stand alone series, and for a new viewers coming in "cold", I don't see what dramatic impact this "revelation" would have had as the narrative stood. or even if it makes any sense. the fact that Vicki was an "orphan" was mentioned in passing as a nod to original story. but it wasn't a major plot point by any means. and I don't recall the reason she came to Collinsport being a search for that answer. no sooner did she arrive than Barnabas was released from his coffin and she just became the "new" Josette. the "mystery" surrounding her parentage wasn't even a factor in the story.

and who was Elizabeth? this lady who poured tea, threw costume parties and spoke with a British accent for no apparent reason??? the character was written as a nonentity with no backstory to speak of. so in terms of the story at hand (again with no associations with the OS) what difference does it make if she suddenly announced she was Vicki's mother??? what does that bring to the story???

I don't see the importance of it.

and apart from an ordinary desire for "resolution" of a major story thread left dangling the reason this particular plot point is still so important to fans for all these year was the warmth and chemistry Joan and Alexandra brought to their time together on the series. that's where the "emotional impact" is. those performances. otherwise "Elizabeth" and "Vicki' are just names typed into a script.

and for me the reason this plot point will always remain open to me is we never got to see Joan and Alexandra play those scenes. it was never resolved on the OS...

so all the comic books, audiodramas and festival skits in the world doesn't provide that "closure" at least for me.

and for me the reason this plot point will always remain open to me is we never got to see Joan and Alexandra play those scenes. it was never resolved on the OS...

so all the comic books, audiodramas and festival skits in the world doesn't provide that "closure" at least for me.

I agree. Anything that didn't play out in some way on the original DS isn't canon when it comes to that version.

Fans are so acutely aware of the issue that the only way to work into the story that they are mother and daughter would be to slip it in in an underplayed way.  Perhaps the two of them had developed a shared mutual silent understanding over the years, and then a new event causes it to be spoken.  If DS had continued into the 70s, social changes might have made it more acceptable to admit to the circumstances.

The alternative would be a storyline in which there is some clever twist on it all that would actually surprise and stun us, in a satisfying way.  Fans are unlikely to come up with anything that good, I'd think, though I don't know DS fanfic.

I sometimes wonder if one of the reasons that DS fandom has had such longevity is that so many questions were left unanswered. Elizabeth being Vicki's mother is certainly plausible. And I do like the idea much better than Marilyn Ross' proposed story to make her Barnabas' daughter.
But, as nothing was stated on the actual program, it will always remain an enigma.

i've always figured she was Elizabeth's daughter myself. all the bread crumbs we did get on the show is why i think that. it's been a long time since i last saw the 91 show so i can't say i remember much about it, but i do enjoy it to be honest, after all that's how i got introduced to the show back when that was 1st on in (1991)

what i really wanted Dan Curtis to Answer is where the storyline would have taken had Alexander M. not left the show. would they have revealed that at some point. and i believe he was asked this but from stuff i've read

through the years he never did answer it. i dunno if he remembered anymore or just wanted the fan to keep guessing or both. and it has been awhile since i was last on here. i got a new computer in Early (2014) and this site was bookmarked on that one. but thinking about DS recently i couldn't remember the name of it. i had to do some digging and look up what my screen name was and so forth. and here i am.  as for my collection

well i still only have 5 Volumes to get and than i'll have the whole show. 

Welcome back, B.Collins!!

Great to see you back, B.Collins!

thank you both of you.  i looked back at the last post i made before last nite's and it was made in (2013) July in fact and i didn't realize it had been THAT long since i was last posting on here.  i've been modding on another site in fact. it's a warez site but i enjoy it. recently they promoted me to being a Super mod on there in fact. 

anyways i haven't watched DS in awhile i guess i have't been in the mood for it. i'm weird like that i have to be in the mood to watch something, to read something, or to listen to something. i'm weird like that lol.

and i've been watching Supernatural lately. great show by the way. anyways, if it makes you feel any better i also belong to a Stephen King Website as well. it's a fan site pretty much and other than me posting on there the other nite. i hadn't been on there in months either. so it's not just this wonderful site. i was also looking how long ago i joined on here. and apparently it's been as of this year in i think August it'll be 9 years! man it sure doesn't feel that long. anyways as for the show like i said i've always thought that Vicki was another Collins,
sure you can argue and say she isn't. cause it's kinda like tossing a coin in the air. on one hand you can say no she isn't. cause the writers made you not want to think that. and gives you evidence that she's not. than the other side of the coin is she is. and i think the evidence is more higher on that end in my book.

i wish Dan Curtis would have said at some point yes she is a Collins instead of saying well she may have been. and gave the impression that so many years had passed since the show had aired and yes that does happen with time don't get me wrong. and i may even be wrong on what he said through the years i admit that. but from the interviews i've read that's how i read it. no doubt there's a lot of them i haven't read. 

as i like to say you can correct me if i'm wrong of course i don't mind.