Favorite Storyline

[Lindsey]

Out of all the storylines on Dark Shadows, which is your favorite and why? Which is your least favorite and why?

SPOILER:

My favorite would definately be 1840 (regular time). I really liked the whole Judah/head/possession thing. I found if fascinating and very enjoyable. Plus, I liked the whole time period. Also, it contains my favorite scenes, such as when Angelique dies (this is such a sad scene!) and other scenes between Angelique and Barnabas, my favorite couple.

My least favorite storylines were the Parallel Time arcs. I just didn't like the characters being completely different and I just wanted to get back to Regular Time. And the 1841 PT especially bothered me because none of the characters were the same! The Leviathan storyline really didn't bother me too much; many people dislike this part of the series, but I don't. It's my sister's favorite because it has Megan and Phillip Todd (her favorite characters) in it. Lol!

Peace,
Lindsey

[Cassandra]

My favorite was the 1795 storyline. It was the first real time that they had ventured back into the past and we also got to see the full story of how Barnabas became to be what he was. We also got to meet Angelique which I felt added alot of exitement to the show with all her spell casting going on. I loved watching all the supernatural elements going on here as well. I loved all the costumes that they wore during that time period, and seeing everyone in a different role was pretty nice.

SPOILER........SPOILER..........SPOILER.........SPOILER...............

S
P
O
I
L
E
R


As for the least favorite, I'd have to say that Leviathan storyline. Between those bratty Levithan kids and Barnabas' strange behavior, I just couldn't get into it. I liked Megan & Phillip as a couple because they seemed so happy when they first arrived there, and I felt it was sad to see how they turned on one another all because of those Levithan brats.  After that it only got worse, between Jeb bossing everyone around Barnabas' wimpish behavior, (not to mention his cold attitude towards Julia), I couldn't wait for this storyline to come to an end.

[ProfStokes]

I have several favorites.  

1795 held the lead for almost three years until I saw the first Laura story line. (1967)  To me, it was the epitome of what DS might have become if it had retained its original, traditional soap plots and casually mingled them with supernatural elements.  It blended the unexplained (mysterious, screaming portraits, unidentified, disappearing dead women) with more mundane problems (child custody battles, blackmail.)  Also, it was original and creepy.  

I also enjoy 1995 and 1897.  1995 was extremely atmospheric and suspenseful; though it was perhaps the shortest story line, I really do feel that it was one of the best.  The 1897 story line, on the other hand, was the longest I think.  Hence, there are many memorable characters, a variety of plot twists, and some incredible dialogue in its first half.

Getting back to 1795, it was well-written (much more exciting than the Barnabas-stalks-David plot, IMHO) and featured some nice acting.  I thought that all of the players seemed rejuvenated in their new roles; they were so much fun to watch!  Also, it marked the time when I truly became interested in the show as something more than background noise while I did my homework, so it's a favorite for sentimental as well as content/quality reasons.

My least favorite story lines are the 1970 Gerard & Daphne haunting, the current Dream Curse/ Adam & Eve shows, and 1841 parallel time.  Boring, bad writing, blecch!  

ProfStokes

[Dr. Eric Lang]

1795 for me too. By 1897 and 1840 the novelty of having the entire cast play different characters had pretty much worn off, but in this original time travel story it was really fun. One of the nice things about it was re-establishing Victoria Winters as our Dark Shadows "tour guide," so to speak. The series had begun as a story told through her perspective, but she had been relegated to a supporting player by the time 1795 rolled around and this gave them an opportunity to recognize her place on the show. Although her involvement in 1795 is somewhat minimal it is still through her journey into the past that we learn what happened. We travel WITH her - and we don't see 1967 again until SHE does. So in a way it's as if we're all trapped in the past with Vicki.

My least favorite is 1841 PT without question. My main problem with it is its divorce from the entire rest of the series. There are no "real time" characters in this story line, and without that "tour guide" to follow into another century or time line there is no one to identify with. Since Barnabas, or Julia, or Victoria hasn't traveled into 1841 PT you have no sense that the story line will ever revert to RT Collinwood. And in fact, it never did.

[jennifer]

I liked 1897,1840,1795 and some of the present
hated the PT ones too plus the Adam storyline and the dream curse

jennifer

[Daphne]

SPOILERS........

1840 was the best!!! I loved that TL! Daphne and Quentin were sooo cute! Of course, I hadn't seen anything before that, so I guess there was no "novelty that had worn off" feeling there ^_^ And of course, I loove Leticia, she's so cute, her and Desmond are adoooorable! The only part I didn't like was that STUPID parellel time room!!! UGHHHH >.<;; that made me sick....people would just be randomly walking around the house and then "HEEEEEY LET'S GO WATCH ANOTHER WORLD!" Blecch. 1841 PT is my least fav TL....even worse than the whole Julia/Barnabus thing. But I'm dying to see 1897.....is that right? The one with Quentin that lasts like a year and a couple months....I really, really, really wanna see that!!!  

[kuanyin]

Oh gosh, I really have a hard time keeping them all straight. I love 1795 except that Vickie Dum-Dum part,  but I think more in characters. I like it when Don Briscoe and David Selby were both on! That may not be as much character influenced as they are just so fun to look at! I like Quentin and Daphne AND I like the PT room. Probably because it was part of the show that I did remember from when I was a kid. (I watched sporadically and missed quite a bit).  Last time around I really enjoyed the Alexis/Angelique bit.

HATE the Leviathans. And definately not crazy about Adam. I do wish Robert Rodan had another role, I suspect that I would have liked him in something else. Without the barbed wire scarring on his face, he would be quite handsome and I think he acted the part nicely, it just isn't my favorite.

[Philippe Cordier]

My favorite storyline is 1840.  Included in that is the 1995 segment immediately followed by what I call the Summer of 1970.  These are a tightly woven unit dependant on each other.

Why is it my favorite?  Here's everything I can think of (if you really want to know  ):

• The historical time period appealed to me in the same way 1795 and 1897 did.  (Not surprisingly, I'm also a fan of "Masterpiece Theatre."   )
  
  
• 1795 is probably as close to a perfect gem as DS gets, but what I like even more about 1840 is that 1840 adds layer upon layer of additional intricacies and puzzles, making it DS's most complex storyline, IMO.  I found 1995 to be the most disturbing segment of the entire series (and I like "disturbing" in my drama ).  The Summer of 1970 adds suspense before we even get into 1940.  So, for me that adds up to:  intricate puzzles, disturbing and suspenseful occult drama.
  
  
• I like the ghost aspect with Daphne and Gerard.  I find ghosts the most believable and possible of all supernatural entities, so I don't have to suspend my disbelief as much as I have to with some of the other storylines.
  
  
• I liked the playroom (though I know others hated it), the parallel lives of Carrie/Hallie Stokes and Tad/David Collins.  Rose Cottage fascinated me, as did the branch of the family residing there.  I loved Joan Bennett's Flora and John Karlen's Desmond, and thought their interaction as mother and son was dramatically very good  .
  
  
• The Stairway Through Time really intrigued me, including Quentin Collins' theories about time and space.
  
  
• I liked the encounters between Barnabas, Julia, and the elderly Ben Stokes. The friendship between the two men was furthered in this new twist.  
  
  
• The entire storyline had a palpable sense of pure evil (similar to the early Barnabas and introduction of Quentin's ghost).
  
  
• I really liked the way Angelique's origins were explained, and I liked how the story brought a thematic completion to Barnabas and Angelique's relationship.
  
  
• I enjoyed B's and Julia's detective work (in contrast to Vicki's cluelessness in 1794), yet there was a terrible sense of fate that overrided their ingenuity.
  
  
• The head of Judah Zachary.  I never thought I'd like this aspect when I first heard about it from a friend.  It sounded cheesey, but it was handled very well and creepily.  I preferred it to the Hand of Count Petofi, which I couldn't take quite as seriously (maybe it was Magda making me laugh! ).
  
  
• Pirates were another element of the story, if I remember correctly (although I don't think there were pirates any more in the 19th century ...).  Anyway, another childhood holdover fascination - nostalgia.
  
  
• The time period is the same as early Dickens, my favorite author.  Though there weren't any "Dickensian" elements, as there were in 1897, the period holds this favorable association for me.
  

[Gerard]

Most definitely my favorite is the 1897 storyline (as well as the severe haunting of contemporary Collinwood by Quentin immediately preceding it).

My least favorite is what we're having to endure right now.

Gerard

[Julianka7]

Hands down my favorite story line is 1897!
So many sub plots, great villians and of course
Quentin  

[MikeS]

My favorite storyline was 1795.  Great acting together with excellent writing.  Highly emotional scenes as well as truly horrrifying ones.  And getting to see the versatility of many of the actors as they got their first chance to portray different characters.  For me, this was the high point of the series.

As for my least favorite, I would have to say 1841PT.  The characters and storyline just didn't hold my interest.  I felt it was a disappointing ending for the series, as I felt cheated that we weren't afforded a last look at the characters in regular time.

[Craig_Slocum]

My favorite storylines are the 1795 Flashback and the Adam storyline because my fave actor (Craig Slocum) is in them. I also like the costumes, romance and suspense in 1795, and learning about how the vampire curse was put on Barnabas by the witch. In the Adam storyline, I like the scenes the most with Harry Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, Carolyn Stoddard, and Nicholas Blair. Other scenes are really good too. I liked today's eps especially. My least favorite storyline is the Leviathans, just couldn't get into that!

[A.I.Collins]

Hey guys!...I agree with Mike S and some of the others that the 1795 storyline was the best one!...At least so far, to me.I haven't been through the entire run of the series yet.The 1795 storyline showed some of the actors/actresses in some of their best days of acting.Plus, it tied up everything at the end and tried to do a good job of showing the fate of everyone.Also, the Phoenix(Laura Collins) storylines was one of my faves also.That's what was happening a little after I began watching the show.The most annoying storyline to me was Jason McGuire's blackmail of Elizabeth.I hated Jason and the way he was decieving her.

Thanks for letting me voice my opinion!   Adra

[ROBINV]

1795, definitely.  I loved watching how Barnabas became a "blood user" simply because he bedded the wrong woman and she turned on him with a vengeance.  As much as I loved DS and Barnabas turned me on to the max, I enjoyed it all the more when Angelique showed up and we had a foil worthy of Barnabas, a witchy woman with human failings who turned Collinwood into a bloodbath.

1795 had the most fully-fleshed characters (although 1897 did a great job in that department, too, but it went on too long, IMHO), with a beginning, middle and end.  All loose ends were neatly tied up and while the final days were DS' saddest, they were also the most real for me.  

I also enjoyed the early Barnabas eps, especially those shows in which Barnabas went head to head with either Jason McGuire or Burke Devlin.  

My least favorite storyline would probably be either the Leviathan or the current one (before Angelique victimizes Barnabas), but even these have their wondrous little gems that have helped to make DS my favorite show of all time.

Love, Robin  

[The Cryptkeeper]

I have a few fav storylines...I liked the 1970 parallel time. I liked the mad doctor Cyruss and his alter ego storyline, Barnabas and Roxanne and how lives are differ. The 1968-71 storylines of the Dream Curse, the creation of Adam and Eve. The intro of the warlock Nicholas Blair.   The Werewolf and the Ghost of Quentin Collins are some of my favs. The 1840 storyline of Judah Zachery and Gerard Stiles' plan to summon the army of the dead! I also liked the 1897 and 1975 storylines.

Guess I have too many huh?!