Discuss - Ep #0595

I think Eltridge was Sam (or somebody) having a bit of fun with that luscious bit of Lovecraftiana, eldritch.  The bit with the letter-set that comes up in an episode or two comes straight out of Rosemary's Baby.  "The name is an anagram!!"  (I saw a theatrical screening of RB recently and was amused to note something I had never remarked upon before--in the world of the Witches of RB, 1966 is Year One!)

I've always thought that Erica was a drag queen who had fairly recently decided to go 24/7.  Check out the movie The Queen from 1967 to get the period context for transgender culture of the late 1960s.  Erica seems just a bit less "real" than Christen Jorgenson, the first public transsexual who was on a lot of talk shows in the 1960s and early 1970s.  Things were a lot different back then than is the case in today's trans world.

Since Leona is a spirit who has become embodied for just a few hours through an rite of Black Magic, it makes a weird kind of sense to me to cast someone who was still in something of an in-between state in terms of gender.  Even if Erica was female-born, she had an edge that made her VERY compelling in the role of Leona.  I know whenever I screen this episode, I can't take my eyes off Leona whenever she's on camera.

cheers, G.

I just saw this.   There does seem to be something odd about her demeanor, or something, but I wouldn't have thought gender was an issue without people here saying so.

I didn't get that she could have been transgender. Anywho!!

I was amazed that Nicholas and her had made such a story up. It was for the most part a believable story. For a second, I thought they might actually used a real disease or say the word cancer. However, I guess that would be too realistic for the world of Dark Shadows. I guess she had one of those Topical Soap Opera Diseases.

I am also doing a mini-happy dance right now. I am glad that finally "Adam needs a mate storyline" is over. I'm so sick of hearing that.

This is my first time seeing the Eve Character.