Who was upset that DS ended in 1840 PT?

  Count me among those who cried as I watched the last episode. I was 12 years old and in the 6th grade, and I had watched the show faithfully during the past 3 years. This was like an era in my life coming to an end.

I liked Thayer doing the final voiceover but felt that Melanie being bitten was like a slap in the face, trying to remind us of the good old days on DS when the vampire was so much a part of the show. It made the fact that it was ending even harder to bear. There hadn't been a vampire in the 1841 PT storyline.

The other big beef I have with this ending was that due to David Selby's having to leave the show prior to the end because of appendicitis, it was like they forgot all about Quentin and [spoiler]Bramwell was able to steal his inheritance. Morgan was dead, Gabriel was dead, Melanie was going east with Kendrick so Quentin should have inherited everything at Collinwood. Instead it was all handed to Bramwell on a silver platter, and this was after he was already made rich by his ship coming in.[/spoiler]

Yes the fact that so many threads were left hanging does give us a lot of scope for fan fic. Buzz, if you read this, you mentioned a story you'd written. Can you tell me where it's posted?

Alondra

(edited by mod.)

New posters,

I applaud your enthusiasm, but would you please take the time to add spoiler code?  The mods read all posts in a timely manner and it's additional time to have to edit them, too. 

  Sorry. I'm not used to using that yet. On the DS yahoo groups I own and post on we have no such rule, but I will try to be more careful here. Please be patient with me as I learn the rules.

Alondra

  ME!  I wasn't even expecting it to end when I was watching the last episode!  In fact I was horrified to hear the closing voiceover and watch the credits roled by.  I have to admit though, I started watching DS very late in it's original incarnation and did not read the teen magazines to learn of the demise of the show.  So I was stunned.  I was in my senior year of high school.  I had to readjust my attitude to think maybe it was a blessing in disguise.  I knew I'd have a hard time looking for a job after graduating and wanting to see "my" show if it stayed on.  I never imagined it would come out in syndication.

if I remember password wasn't on long. Then I was off to college and didn't even have a TV. Very few people did. There was a TV room, but people used to fight over it just like we did as kids

PS sorry for not useing the spoilers

Does anyone recall a sort of "coda" to the last episode? Thayer David narrated it, and we find out that, yes, Barnabas and Julia did wind up together. Other things are wrapped up as well, but it's been ages since I've seen it. I do have it somewhere, so I'll view it again and get back to you all. As I recall, though, as Thayer narrates, we see still photography from episodes and DS movies.

It is on the disc set 26, and it is Roger Davis that Narrates it I Believe.

The other big beef I have with this ending was that due to David Selby's having to leave the show prior to the end because of appendicitis, it was like they forgot all about Quentin and [spoiler]Bramwell was able to steal his inheritance. Morgan was dead, Gabriel was dead, Melanie was going east with Kendrick so Quentin should have inherited everything at Collinwood. Instead it was all handed to Bramwell on a silver platter, and this was after he was already made rich by his ship coming in.[/spoiler]

You've got to wonder if, since the Bramwell and Catherine story was pretty much the main focus, [spoiler]that the writers just gave it all to Bramwell for all his years of being the underdog.  Then again, being realistic (to the time and circumstance and not the general subject matter, lol!), if the Collins family wanted their business to be taken seriously by those movers and shakers unimpressed with their money or social standing, it wouldn't have been wise to have the new head of the Collins family be a known murderer even if he had done time for his crime.[/spoiler]

Judy 

It also could be that maybe [spoiler]Quentin didn't want any part in the family business. Maybe he also decided to stay in Boston. Of course with Gabriel and Morgan both dead, he was Flora's only surviving son so I'd think he'd want to stay in Collinsport for her sake.[/spoiler]

Alas we will never know, will we?

You've got to wonder if, since the Bramwell and Catherine story was pretty much the main focus, [spoiler]that the writers just gave it all to Bramwell for all his years of being the underdog.  Then again, being realistic (to the time and circumstance and not the general subject matter, lol!), if the Collins family wanted their business to be taken seriously by those movers and shakers unimpressed with their money or social standing, it wouldn't have been wise to have the new head of the Collins family be a known murderer even if he had done time for his crime.[/spoiler]

Well this is a bit of a sore point with me. Seems that the JF character always had to have the driver's seat in every storyline. I don't like it that [spoiler]he and Catherine were the ones to end the curse when Kendrick had been the one chosen in the lottery to go into the room. Kendrick was not Willie and he was determined to do his duty and do his best to end the curse so that Melanie would be free. But no, the writers have to have the JF character as the hero. Now they also deprived Quentin of his inheritance so again the JF character wins. I hadn't thought about the fact that Quentin had been in prison for murder being a detriment to his inheriting everything, that's a possibility. But they dropped him without a thought, even in the last episode they dropped a character and didn't let us know what had become of him. Maybe he died of appendicitis? In a way it doesn't set well with me either that Bramwell and Catherine who were adulterers were rewarded, but that's just me.[/spoiler]

Alondra

It also could be that maybe [spoiler]Quentin didn't want any part in the family business. Maybe he also decided to stay in Boston. Of course with Gabriel and Morgan both dead, he was Flora's only surviving son so I'd think he'd want to stay in Collinsport for her sake.[/spoiler]

Alas we will never know, will we?

Interesting coincidence hitting this thread.  Last night when I was looking up links on some other DS stories on Fanfiction.net, I had run into one that gave an amusing twist while it explained Quentin's fate. The name of the story is Message Received -- a postscript to 1841PT.
Here's the link, for the curious:  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/847936/1/

Well this is a bit of a sore point with me. Seems that the JF character always had to have the driver's seat in every storyline. I don't like it that [spoiler]he and Catherine were the ones to end the curse when Kendrick had been the one chosen in the lottery to go into the room. Kendrick was not Willie and he was determined to do his duty and do his best to end the curse so that Melanie would be free. But no, the writers have to have the JF character as the hero. Now they also deprived Quentin of his inheritance so again the JF character wins. I hadn't thought about the fact that Quentin had been in prison for murder being a detriment to his inheriting everything, that's a possibility. But they dropped him without a thought, even in the last episode they dropped a character and didn't let us know what had become of him. Maybe he died of appendicitis? In a way it doesn't set well with me either that Bramwell and Catherine who were adulterers were rewarded, but that's just me.[/spoiler]

Well first of all concerning Jonathan being the hero all the time, they probably should have let someone else save the day for once in fairness to the other characters/actors but I won't complain (sorry but Jonathan's my favorite actor on the show and love to see his characters save the day).

 [spoiler]Not to take anything away from Kendrick, he was indeed a very brave and heroic guy, I loved the way he stood up to Julia and stood up for Melanie, he was indeed a selfless guy. I dare say that if Kendrick had gone in the room, he would have been just as capable as Bramwell in breaking the curse.

As for Bramwell and Catherine....I won't deny they were adulterers. But they were more or less also star-crossed lovers for years before they married the wrong people. Catherine was wrong to marry Morgan whom she didn't really love (even though she did keep saying she loved Morgan, I suspect she only did so to try and convince herself more than anyone she loved him and not Bramwell). She thought with her head instead of her heart when she chose to wed him and almost paid for it with her life.

Bramwell was wrong to marry Daphne when he clearly still loved and only wanted Catherine. I do think he did come to love Daphne (even though he did treat her kind of shabby after they first wed) but unfortunately it was too little too late....by the time he realizes this she grows ill and dies.

Bramwell shouldn't have married Daphne and Catherine shouldn't have married Morgan....but call me a hopeless romantic or a fool, I was pleased to see them get together in the end and that love conquered all.....

I must admit I would have liked to have seen Quentin at least be a partner in the business and Kendrick too but one cannot blame Kendrick and Melaine for wanting to get away from Collinwood and find happiness elsewhere.[/spoiler]

I'm a second-generation fan...when I first saw the end of DS, I remember wanting to throw a shoe at the TV. LOL
The way DS ended did bring about a lot of fantastic fanfic, though...

Hugs,

Heather

Well, I didn't find the 1841/PT storyline. It was nice to have something that made sense in and of itself, instead of the everything but the kitchen sink that 1840 was.
But I didn't have the Same emotional investment with those characters that I had in the contemporary ones. I do recall John Karlen saying at a festival, that by this point, the program was no longer in touch with its core audience.