Discuss - Ep #0485

[Watching Project]

Robservations #485

[Lydia]

As I watched the final preparations being made for the Experiment, I thought: No way. I don't care what the alternative is; I would never consent to undergo that procedure.  And anyway, I'm not sure why Barnabas is so sure that Angelique won't figure out that he's inhabiting a new body.  I'm willing to bet that the first thing he'll do once he's in the new body is to go to Angelique and gloat.

EmeraldRose commented the other day that Barnabas had shown the first sign of caring about Julia.  I disagreed with her, but didn't get around to saying so at the time.  At that point Barnabas was still using Julia, and making sure she would stay alive to be used.  Today he said he was glad she was here for the operation.  It can be argued that he was just keeping on her good side, but I think that argument would be weak.  When you're facing the possibility of death in the next few minutes, you can get sentimental about just about anybody.

[Joeytrom]

When these episodes first aired, did anyone think that this was set up for Jonathan Frid to leave DS and another actor to play "Barnabas" in a different body? 

When I first watched these episodes on New Jersey Network in the 80's with my brother, that is what he thought.  He didn't know about DS other then the episodes he was watching.  I was sort of like that too, but knew enough about the show that this wasn't the case.

[MagnusTrask]

I'm not sure why Barnabas is so sure that Angelique won't figure out that he's inhabiting a new body.

I thought that too.   A simple spell to locate Barnabas would have done it I would think.

[EmeraldRose]

EmeraldRose commented the other day that Barnabas had shown the first sign of caring about Julia.  I disagreed with her, but didn't get around to saying so at the time.  At that point Barnabas was still using Julia, and making sure she would stay alive to be used.  Today he said he was glad she was here for the operation.  It can be argued that he was just keeping on her good side, but I think that argument would be weak.  When you're facing the possibility of death in the next few minutes, you can get sentimental about just about anybody.

Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think Barnabas did care for Julia. I think a person can want to keep someone on his/her good side and still care for that person.

Addison Powell wins the overacting award!  Another laughable scene which was supposed to be scary! What Casselique said she was doing and Dr. Lang's reaction were not coinciding!

Ooh! I hate Casselique! She's on the way to killing Dr. Lang before the experiment ends.

----- Sally -----

[MagnusTrask]

Did Barnabas ever think to try just lifting the ugly black wig off of Cassandra, just in case it was a wig, I wonder?   

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When these episodes first aired, did anyone think that this was set up for Jonathan Frid to leave DS and another actor to play "Barnabas" in a different body?

I was wondering about that the other day while I was picking out the captures from this ep for the "Complete this Phrase/Fill in the Blank(s)" board. The truth is that among my friends, at least, I don't remember anyone being in any great panic. I think it was more of a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-waiting-to-see-what-happens sort of situation. And maybe because of the reappearance of RD as Jeff Clark, many felt that if Barn's life force had actually been transferred, Frid would have simply come back as a different character. 

The one thing that was nice back in those days was that the daytime press rarely if ever reported that actors were leaving their soap roles until after it had already taken place, so if they were being killed off, whatever twists were planned for their departures were allowed to play out on the shows without being spoiled. It really was a case that there was actual suspense because anyone could go at any time. Nowadays the audience frequently knows months in advance that an actor is leaving/being killed off. They sometimes even know the exact date/ep it's going to happen. There's barely any suspense about anything any more. And that's sad... (And people wonder why soap ratings might be in decline?)

[Lydia]

Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think Barnabas did care for Julia. I think a person can want to keep someone on his/her good side and still care for that person.

I'm not sure I made myself clear the other day, but I may have changed my mind since then, anyway.  Right now I'm thinking about Magnus's complaint that there was no great watershed for Barnabas, when he saw the light and decided to be good.  I'm wondering if the drugs that Lang was injecting into him weren't enough: they took care of the physical aspect but not the mental aspect of being a vampire, and it wasn't until the Experiment was performed that the evil mojo of being a vampire disappeared, absorbed into Adam.  I'm not saying there's any evidence for this, but I like the theory.

[MagnusTrask]

Well, we do get that moment in the lab before the experiment when Barnabas says twice that at some point one has to cry "enough".... meaning, he decides to stop killing (specifically Jeff Clark) to protect his interests, though the first time he reads it the emphasis isn't on "enough", so it sounds more like he's saying he really needs to do more crying, or something.