What were they thinking?

[JS]

I am just curious. Last night I watched episode # 70 were the ghost of Josette and the Old House were introduced. I began to wonder what was on the mind of the writers during this period. Were they already thinking of Barnabas at this time?

[Zahir]

I don't think so.  From what I've read, the writers were gradually introducing supernatural elements and eventually crossed the line from what could be seen as hallucination to something that clearly had some kind of reality.  Then they brought in a vampire, and tried to weave his past into what had been already established (and rather sloppily, imho).

Does anyone else have a more detailed answer?

[adamsgirl]

I believe, as Zahir said, the writers were already toying with the idea of introducing supernatural elements to the show, thus the Josette sighting. However, it really took hold with the Phoenix storyline, which came shortly after. When that went over well, it was decided to bring in a vampire. Again, to agree with Zahir, it became a rather sloppy, incongruous mess when it became clear that Barnabas Collins was too popular to kill off as had been originally planned. So, there we went, off to 1795, which is why, despite what Barnabas had said earlier about Josette Collins and why she took a flying leap off Widow's Hill, the whole story changed dramatically. Still, as a kid, I happily went along with everything as it unfolded, and still today, here we are -- rabid fans.

[michael c]

i always think this is one of those funny "chicken or egg" situations.

but josette collins(or at least her ghost)was a firmly established character long before anyone had ever heard of barnabas collins.

what's ironic too is that considering how acrimonious their relationship became in 1795 that josette actually helped vicki out of several scrapes and even saved her life once or twice.she sort of looked out for her.

perhaps she was posthumously trying to correct the wrongs vicki had been done in the past.

[alwaysdavid]

The writers have stated in the DVD interviews that originally Laura was coming from Phoenix to fight for custody of David and they thought it was too run of the mill  so she became a Phoenix

[Doug]

What I found kind of strange is in Episode 215 or 216 when Barnabas was inside the old house for the first time in 175 years. He stood there staring at the portrait of Josette and saying if you are in this house, please leave. I thought he would have been thrilled about it when David told him about Josette's ghost.

[Taeylor Collins]

I never knew that Victoria thought Josette looked like her.  I wonder what the writers were thinking then. I always have said my favorite update for the '91 series was Victoria being Josette's reincarnation.  I don't really know where they were headed with that but of course they forgot about it.

I think Malcom Marmorstein said that THE PHOENIX paved the way for THE VAMPIRE.  So thank you Laura.  I am in the beginning stages of this storyline and it almost feels like I am betraying the latter DS days (by saying this) but this storyline is TIGHT, wonderfully written and beautifully weaved into the regular soapy elements. 

To wrap my head around the sloppy writing with Barney I pretend he was sort of CRAZY when he first came out of the coffin and couldn't remember events correctly!!  It helps!! 

[Gothick]

A number of fans have said that they think the original Laura Collins 1966/67 story was DS' finest hour, bar none.  At this point in the scheme of things, I prefer to think of each storyline having its own special merits (and faults), but there's no doubt that the Laura story represented brilliant storytelling for the series, fascinating characterizations (both Laura herself and the established cast), and a payoff that, for once in DS history, gave everything expected from the buildup and that extra bit more.

Vicki's special connection to Josette does become very important during this storyline.  One of the problems with the Barnabas storyline is that they do not bother to explain what happened to Josette's spirit.  Barnabas has one line of dialogue in one of his very first episodes where he sort of banishes the ghost of Josette, which may be why we don't see her during subsequent events--when, to say the least, judging from how she behaves in the Matthew and Laura stories, you'd expect to see her taking a strong role in things.

G.

[arashi]

And after 1795 she's reduced to [spoiler]letting others know Barnabas is "buried alive" somewhere on the estate..... instead of protecting others from him.[/spoiler]

[Zahir]

My take on it was that Barnabas was indeed virtually insane when he was released--not least because he blamed himself for so much, and was so happy to be released yet totally confused by the modern world.

And he would have profoundly mixed feelings about hearing that Josette's ghost was in the Old House.

Yet I also have to say his words--while not in any sense banishing her, imho--did betray some serious confusion on his part:

"I was a Collins.  Why didn't you protect me when I was turned into something even my own father loathed?"

[MagnusTrask]

As a handy, available explanation for inconsistencies, how about:
Barnabas: "History is always being rewritten."

[Joeytrom]

The payoff for the Barnabas story was to be his staking by Burke & Dr. Woodard and we all know that never could have happened once Barnabas became popular.

The story seemed to get muddled shortly after Willie is sent away, as the expected ending never happened and for the next two months it was just drifting along till the writers could come up with something.

1795 was tightly written and brought everything full circle.

[Gerard]

It would be interesting, if somehow we could see through a parallel time room, how DS would have progressed story-wise if the Barnabas plot had followed its original course, with him getting staked and leaving the show forever.  What would they do afterwards?  Would there have been a mad scientist creating a Frankensteinian monster?  A werewolf?  A Quentinesque haunting?  What would've happened next?  Would Vicki and Burke have finally gotten married, or would they have just strung that along year after year like Anne Marie and Donald Hollinger?

Gerard

[MagnusTrask]

It would be interesting, if somehow we could see through a parallel time room, how DS would have progressed story-wise if the Barnabas plot had followed its original course, with him getting staked and leaving the show forever.  What would they do afterwards?  Would there have been a mad scientist creating a Frankensteinian monster?  A werewolf?

I don't think it would have been interesting, myself.  If things went the same way as with the Barnabas-staking, I think various monsters would have come along, they'd be evil and vanquished, and so on.   However, I don't think that spree of typical television would have happened as the staking didn't happen, because of the writers... and because Dan Curtis left the country occasionally.

The payoff for the Barnabas story was to be his staking by Burke & Dr. Woodard and we all know that never could have happened once Barnabas became popular.

As you said that, I got a flash of what I would have wanted to see... Barnabas learns of their plans (how could he not?), and decides to have a fun night out by getting to Burke first, in bed I suppose, putting him in a coffin, waking him up, and then driving a wooden stake through Burke's heart!   You know we'd get one of those rare moments I like where Barnabas is actually seen to be enjoying himself, because that only happens when he revenges or retaliates, the more ironically the better!

The thing is, I want all that because I'm (historically*) for good-Barnabas-lurking-within-bad-Barnabas, so I want him to win and for his enemies to perish... yet in this alternate storyline "he" doesn't exist, especially if he does something that bloodthirsty.   Okay, GBLWBB did bloodthirsty things (no pun intended strangely enough, that one fell right into my lap), but once you make a bloodthirsty act into such an overwhelming display of horrific, ironic theater, the audience can't really be on your side anymore.  So that kills GBLWBB as an on-air concept, even if GBLWBB would actually do stuff like that, which he would, and I want to see it. 

Let's film it.  I'm starting pre-production work in my living room this afternoon.   Have your agents call me.

****

*-- These days, 1968/9 is undercutting my empathy and identification with Barnabas as a protagonist a little bit more with each day of viewing.  It's going to take a long, long time to dig myself out of this trough and like Barnabas again.   His goodiness seems forced.

[michael c]

i'll further something that gothick said in that the 1966 laura collins storyline was certainly one of the show's very best written periods.

it's very tight.it's very concise.it has a beginning,a middle and an end.it doesn't lose focus,go off on tangents,and fall prey to the unresolved or greatly changed plots that the program suffers in later years.it's conclusion lives up to the buildup it gets and it's deliciously wicked central character doesn't falter or change course because she had become popular.laura was certainly no "guilt ridden" pheonix.

it's brilliant storytelling and i love it.