Looking at the slideshow, I've come to realize, for myself, how rather enjoyable and well-made the PT1841 storyline really was. For many, this final "tale" of Dark Shadows was a disappointment, and I think it might have been because there were no characters who had an attachment with the Collinwood populace of Normal Time (NT). The PT1970 plots did contain "our" Barnabas (and later "our" Julia) thrown in with unfamiliar, albeit fascinating folk (oh, how I loved Will and Carolyn Loomis and how I wished they had more of them), but in PT1841 there were no connections. I remember, as a kid, watching it during its initial run and how I missed Barnabas! We had Jonathan Frid playing his son, Bramwell, but that wasn't Barnabas. I think the storyline would've been more receptive to viewers (both then and now) if maybe they had the character of Bramwell as Barnabas' and Josette's son, but named him Barnabas (Jr.) and kept his hair flat rather than giving him that moussed, blow-dried Elvis 'do. After all, the Quentin of 1840/41 (as well as PT1841) was not the same Quentin of 1897/1969-70, but because the name and pretty much the look remained the same, one could accept totally different characters played by the same actor.
Nevertheless, even as a "disappointed" kid, I subconsciously liked the story and without knowing it, it fascinated me. One thing, in my opinion, that made it work was how the two plots so perfectly coalesced - the curse, and Bramwell's and Catherine's passionate love affair. Most of the other storylines, regardless of when they were set, would have two plots that the writers tried to mesh together and quite often it didn't work - it was "forced." I'm thinking, for example, of the Leviathan story, where you had the Leviathan conspiracy itself, and then Quentin's return. Even though I liked the whole Leviathan thing, it just didn't work trying to bring those two plots together. The same with PT1970. Again, I generally liked it (Will and Carolyn, where are you?), but trying to bring the Angelexis plot together with tragic-mad-scientist Cyrus/Yaeger was like attempting to put two mismatched puzzle pieces together. The same with many other storylines. But for PT1841, it worked brilliantly, the two plots flowing together while maintaining their unique tales.
The writing was well executed, the acting tremendous. If one could move beyond having these "strangers" in our midst, one really felt for the characters. The only thing, for me, that was and remains a disappointment was the resolution to the curse. It seemed muddled and poorly explained. Call me dumb, but to this day I'm still not sure exactly how the hero/heroine were able to end the curse. The last couple episodes had me scratching my head, saying "huh?"
But all things considered, I think PT1841, when taken on its own merits, was a remarkable story. In many ways, it took DS back to its roots of gothic romance, bringing the show full circle to its original purpose, while incorporating the right amount of "spookiness" which eventually made it so unique.
Gerard
