GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE

[VAM]

WHAT CHARACTER ON DARK SHADOWS SUFFERED THE MOST TO GAIN THE MOST? Please explain your answer.

[Maria_Merriweather]

Barnabus suffered the most of any character I think.
He was locked in a coffin all those years.  When he
finally was released he had to seek out blood (as a vampire) to survive--and he was a tortured soul over it.
He also suffered at the hands Dr. Lang who attempted to cure him.

MM

[jennifer]

WHAT CHARACTER ON DARK SHADOWS SUFFERED THE MOST TO GAIN THE MOST? Please explain your answer.

I'd say Barnabas too just getting all those injections
from the good old Julia ick!

jennifer

[Cassandra]

I would have to say Barnabas as well. He was once a happy, wealthy young man who was to be marrried to the woman he loved. He made one HUGE mistake by dallying with the wrong women and he practically spent the rest of eternity paying for it. He had to endure the pain of losing his beloved Josette and watching her die tragically right before his eyes. If that wasn't enough, his little sister Sarah along with his mother, died right in his arms. Both of whom he loved deeply. He had to spend almost 200 years trapped in a coffin and when he was finally released, he still couldn't find love. All this because of one mistake.

I also think Julia suffered a bit emotionally. You could see the love she had for Barnabas. She had to watch him time and time again fall in love with these SYT's on the show. She always stood by him no matter what.

[ProfStokes]

WHAT CHARACTER ON DARK SHADOWS SUFFERED THE MOST TO GAIN THE MOST?

Through no fault of his own, I believe that Ben Stokes best fits this category.  For fighting to help the new nation remain free of England, he was rewarded by being made an indentured servant to the Collins family.  Joshua harassed him mercilessly (remember Ben's first scene with Vicki when he claimed that Joshua would have found a reason to punish him even if she hadn't gotten him in trouble?)  When Angelique came on the scene, she impressed him into slavery and forced him to help carry out spells that would hurt Barnabas, who was Ben's friend.  After Barnabas became a vampire, Ben had to shelter him even though he knew that Barnabas was a killer who planned to turn Josette into a vampire.  Joshua and Abigail constantly threatened to send him back to prison if he didn't do as he was told while Barnabas constantly threatened to kill him for the same reason.  Ben Stokes was caught in the center of all the madness at Collinwood and had to do his best to stay sane and help those around him.

Finally, Ben got his freedom, earned $100 and Joshua's respect, became literate, and had a line of descendants culminating in Professor Timothy Eliot Stokes.  He was the only character to end 1795 in a better position than when it began, and he definitely deserved what he got.

ProfStokes

[VAM]

Through no fault of his own, I believe that Ben Stokes best fits this category...He was the only character to end 1795 in a better position than when it began, and he definitely deserved what he got.

ProfStokes

Excellent response, ProfStokes!

[Donna]

My first thought was Barnabas. all those years of being locked up in a coffin.  Then being unchained and having to kill to exsist.  One could see the anguish he went through, the pain of the curse put upon him.

Then again, Ben Stokes for putting up with Joshua in the 1795 storyline and being controlled by Angelique. At the end Ben was set free.  

1. Barnabas
2. Ben Stokes

Not an easy one to do .....they both went through a lot at the hands of others to get to gain what they wanted to.

[Cassandra]

Through no fault of his own, I believe that Ben Stokes best fits this category.  For fighting to help the new nation remain free of England, he was rewarded by being made an indentured servant to the Collins family.  Joshua harassed him mercilessly (remember Ben's first scene with Vicki when he claimed that Joshua would have found a reason to punish him even if she hadn't gotten him in trouble?)  When Angelique came on the scene, she impressed him into slavery and forced him to help carry out spells that would hurt Barnabas, who was Ben's friend.  After Barnabas became a vampire, Ben had to shelter him even though he knew that Barnabas was a killer who planned to turn Josette into a vampire.  Joshua and Abigail constantly threatened to send him back to prison if he didn't do as he was told while Barnabas constantly threatened to kill him for the same reason.  Ben Stokes was caught in the center of all the madness at Collinwood and had to do his best to stay sane and help those around him.


ProfStokes

I agree Prof.Stokes!! Ben certainly did suffer quite a bit on the show.

[CastleBee]

Well, let's face it - the Collins Clan was born to suffer and it seems the rule was - the nicer they are the more pain they can expect.  I do agree Barnabas tended to be the big cheese when it came to this particular family trait (we watched him suffer through the centuries) but I also think there were several others who could give him a run for his money on their worst days.  For instance, I would say that his mother Naomi suffered quite a bit herself.  For whatever reason she married Joshua and after stressing through the realization of that life sentence (which easily explains her magnetism to the sherry decanter) and managing to have children with him ends up having to watch them die off in quick succession. Finally she starts to see a glimmer of hope that her son may still be alive only to find that he is instead one of the living dead. As to what she gained - well since she committed suicide what she could have gained is only speculation.  Her problem at that point was that she obviously didn't see any reason to go on at all.  However, I'm sure had she lived Daniel would have at least had a more tolerable upbringing than he may have had with Joshua alone.  I personally feel that Naomi would have been the type to have realized that and perhaps that thought alone would have kept her from killing herself - which is one reason the suicide never made much sense to me.

[ROBINV]

I agree--Barnabas was the major sufferer on DS, but after watching 1795 again, I have decided that Joshua Collins suffered a great deal, too--and being a stoic 18th century man, he was expected not to show his emotions.

He lost his sister, his son, his daughter, his wife.  He had Nathan's death on his conscience, too, since he knew Barnabas was responsible.  He realized the innocent Vicki was doomed to go to the gallows because he had exhausted all avenues to save her.  He was left alone with an insane Millicent to care for and a young boy to raise, all by himself.  

That he was able to bring himself to give Ben his freedom and the money to get his start was a very generous gesture on his part, since he surely could have used his help with what he had to face.

He went on because he had to, but I bet he no longer had the heart.

For all of Barnabas' many turns of bad luck, he survived the centuries and lived with the hope of eventually finding love.  I bet Joshua never felt much love from Daniel, given the way he turned out.  Lonely, loveless Joshua.  He was one of DS' real tragedies.

Love, Robin  

[Dr. Eric Lang]

My first thought was Barnabas. all those years of being locked up in a coffin.  Then being unchained and having to kill to exsist.  One could see the anguish he went through, the pain of the curse put upon him.

Then again, Ben Stokes for putting up with Joshua in the 1795 storyline and being controlled by Angelique. At the end Ben was set free.  

1. Barnabas
2. Ben Stokes

Not an easy one to do .....they both went through a lot at the hands of others to get to gain what they wanted to.

Donna - I LOVE your sig file - the spinning medallion! Too cool! I want something cool like that.