Discuss: '91 Series - Pilot - Part 1

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/Opening_1.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/Opening_1.swf</a>

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(More bits to come...)

What fun!!!

Oh, does that bring back memories!  I was living in Alaska at that time, and made sure that night I had my phone unplugged so no one would disturb me.  Was that actually 16 years ago?

Gerard

Hmm...I can't see what's in the first post because my computer won't let me do that sort of thing.  I've tried to reason with it, but it stands fast.

But I trust that this is still place for discussion, and here I am, ready, willing, and able to discuss.

How did Willie figure out the secret of the secret room?  He didn't appear to have the necessary intelligence, and yet he read stuff and put together clues to figure out something that hadn't been figured out in nearly two hundred years.

I like the idea of the Collinwood mansion coming from England to America at about the time that Barnabas went from America to England.  Yes, I know, Barnabas didn't go to England - but I like the idea, even if it wasn't true, of every action having an opposite (if not equal) reaction in Collins family history.  Or maybe it was a trade: "Hey, England, what's the price on that fine old mansion?"  "Nothing less than your first-born son, Joshua Collins."  "Well, then, you've got yourself a deal!"

I don't think the writers of the show understood how the Vice President of the United States was chosen back in 1796.

Overall, this just doesn't feel like my kind of show.  I don't like the look of the characters.   Oh, well, the male characters tend not to bother me so much.  But the female ones are not my preferred style of Hollywood - with the exception of Maggie Evans.  I suppose I should not judge the characters on appearance alone, but I can't help it.  These are not my sort of people.  I have the same feeling about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I've never gotten past the first season of that show.

And the sound quality tends to be harsh.  My ears keep telling me, "You've got better things to do with your time."  I'm watching the DVDs.  Was the sound this harsh on the show as it was broadcast?  Or am I the only one who feels this way?

i wasn't planning on doing the watching project II but since i have the dvds i figured why not.

i have to get a few glaring incongruities out of the way first.the show is set in maine but was obviously filmed in the blazing california sun.the "town" of collinsport is soundstage.it looks too glossy.even with all the dry ice it fails to communicate the proper sense of gothic menace.

the fashions are quite dated.vicki's traveling costume.she's wearing a suit with large shoulder pads.i forgot young women still dressed like that then.when she tops this with a similarly padded coat the effect is a rather "stacked" shoulder.carolyn wears miniskirts and black leather biker jackets.this is meant to convey that she is a "rebel" of some sort.elizabeth gets lots of wide-pleat trousers topped with matching caftan-y things.very bea arthur circa "golden girls"of around this same time.

what was socially acceptable behavior has changed somewhat.roger(portrayed here as a total douche)tells a drinking and obviously drunk willie(portrayed here as a slob and a moron)to go pick vicki up at the blue whale putting not just his life but her's in jeopardy.no one there does anything to stop this either.strange putting a girl in the car with a dangerously drunk idiot but whatever.we also learn around this scene that sam evans is committing tax fraud(aided by daphne)but whatever.business intrigue is not going to be part of the recipe.

vicki can handle willie and also the as yet inexplicably psychopathic david.this is meant to convey that she has "spunk".that she grew up in an orphanage is unmentioned in this episode but she was apparently hired by a lawer.no mystery there.david's "pranks" such as hiding in a closet and shouting "boo" and hiding a spider in his desk are pretty routine and not really that scary.the young actor will grow up to be a real hottie(see "mysterious skin").

i didn't think barnabas was that hot when i first watched this but he does have a certain appeal.

strange that they're already mentioning vampires in the pilot.takes alot of the suspence and mystery out of the proceedings when people are already in on it.

o.k. if perfunctory introductions to most characters with enough hints dropped to imply numerous subplots in the future.

i'm sort of with lydia.this wouldn't normally be my type of show.i'm not into vampire stuff in general.but i'll go with the flow in this.

For those of you watching on DVD, here are several scenes not included in Sony's version that are just from the first hour!  There's some exposition that provides backstory (it certainly did for me the first time I saw the series with these scenes restored) and a bit more character development, especially for Roger and Carolyn.


In an extension of the scene in the drawing room, Elizabeth tells Roger that David needs a family,... and a father!  He reveals that last night, he talked his son into joining him on a walk along the beach at dusk, though he was surprised David agreed.  Roger talked about Europe, about his own childhood-- anything he could think of, but David was silent until he pulled on Roger's arm to ask one question-- if he liked him.  "If I liked him," he repeats.  Elizabeth assures him that in time they'll get to know each other, but Roger says, "I'm not so sure, dear sister."  Then, "I'll try to say this so that I'm still left with a shred of dignity," he adds, and confesses to feeling resentment that his son is alive; "May the Lord forgive me," he says, "but if it would have saved her sanity, I would have left him to die in that burning room."  Elizabeth is speechless.

Joe leaves the Blue Whale to watch Vicki get into Willie's pickup.  Willie: "Night, loverboy.  Hee hee hee."  Vicki waves, and Willie speeds off.  Joe stomps inside, calling Willie a jerk who needs to learn some manners... "especially if he's gonna mess with someone crazier than him."  He makes Daphne giggle, then slings her over his shoulder to carry her to his car for some "night fishing."  Maggie calls it "just another night at the Blue Whale."

The ladies are having tea when Vicki asks how long David has been without his father.  Elizabeth says about 6 years.  She brought him back from England when his mother took ill, and it has been hard on him.  She calls him a bright boy with an amazing imagination, and Carolyn responds, "If you can call putting garter snakes in my dresser imaginative."  Vicki and Roger are introduced, and her compliment of Collinwood prompts Roger to explain that Elizabeth always had a gift for maintaining the house in the grand manner.  Elizabeth says, "Style should be the dress of thought.  It tempers life with grace."  She looks to Vicki, who agrees and then asks if a painting on an easel is a Seurat.  Elizabeth says it's a copy, and Roger interrupts with "it was painted by another artist."  Vicki looks at it more closely and declares that it's very good.  Roger asks if she enjoys art, and she answers that it's one of her favorite teaching subjects; "I think that children express themselves very well through drawing and painting."  Roger says he supposes she gets to know them better, and Vicki says they get to know themselves-- that's the challenge.  Roger tells her he thinks his son is as much a challenge as she can handle; he's certain he is different from any boy she has taught.  Roger excuses himself for the night, and Carolyn smirks.

We see an upstairs light on at Collinwood.  As Vicki unpacks, Carolyn enters with blankets, saying it gets cold at night.  She says the fireplace works and describes the bathroom as big enough for a battalion.  Vicki:  "Thanks.  I really can't wait to meet David."  Carolyn:  "Oh yes, you can."  Vicki hopes he'll like her, and Carolyn says he will or he'll have to answer to her.  Carolyn: "Vicki, I'm really glad you're here."  "So am I."  An animal howls, and Vicki asks what it was.  Carolyn:  "The strange creatures of the Maine woods.  When the moon is full and the wolfbane blooms, they come down from the mountains out of the cold.  Ow-woooooo!"  A dog barks, and Vicki looks out to see a tall figure in old-fashioned clothes standing in the fog.  She says that someone is standing at the edge of the wood.  Carolyn checks but Barnabas is gone.  V:  "I thought I saw someone."  C:  "You're in the boonies, kid.  This place can have that kind of effect on you."  She says Vicki must be tired and suggests she take a bath and rest, and sounding very sincere, she adds that if she needs anything, she need only call.  Alone now, Vicki looks out of the window again.

In addition to the sight of Daphne in her hospital bed, we see the sign outside that reads Collinsport Mercy Hospital.  As a worried Joe keeps vigil at her beside, Hiram tells him there's nothing he can do there now and suggests he head to the lounge and get a cup of coffee, but Joe prefers to stay.  The doc says he'll look in on her later.

After Carolyn and Elizabeth enter the hospital room, the latter strokes Daphne followed by a closeup of Elizabeth's anguished face.

Rain can be heard as Vicki enters the dining room and first greets Mrs. Johnson, who is is putting the final touches on a large breakfast buffet, and then Roger, who is seated at a formally set table.  Vicki asks there's been any word about Daphne, and Roger answers that they were promised a call if there's any change.  Roger puts down his newspaper and says he assumes she has met David by now, asking what she thinks of him.  "To be honest," Vicki replies, "he started by trying to scare the living daylights out of me, and he hit the jackpot."  Roger offers to talk to him, but she says there's no need-- that little boys have terrorized teachers and babysitters forever, and mischief goes with the territory.  Roger tells her that David is a very difficult child.  She says she's sure it hasn't been easy for David, and she asks him to give her some time because she feels it's best to not expect too much too soon.  Roger:  "I learned a long time ago never to expect anything.  That way, I'm never disappointed."

Sheriff Patterson makes the drive in a downpour to Collinwood and tells Roger and Elizabeth that he's looking for Willie Loomis, who was acting strangely at the Blue Whale the previous night.  After an introduction to Vicki, Patterson says she must have witnessed Willie almost taking a swing at Joe Haskell, but she tells him that nothing really happened.  Elizabeth says, "I don't understand;" she thought they were looking for an animal, but Patterson says they were wrong about that.  Elizabeth asks what kind of person could have done such a thing, then questions how he could seriously think that Willie could have anything to do with it.  He tells her he never said that.  Roger offers to accompany Patterson to the stables to look for Willie, and as they leave, Elizabeth and Vicki take each other's hands.  At the stables, the men spot Willie's truck and head upstairs.  They find the empty room in a mess, and Roger says Willie is a strange young man.  He picks up a couple of empties and says he's probably sleeping it off somewhere.  The sheriff tells Roger that when he sees him, he should tell him to come to the station house.

Hey guys.  I wrote two pages (front and back) and set here for the last 45 minutes editing and typing it out.  Well I lost it. So I am gonna come back tomorrow and post my review.  I am so pissed. I have been having internet problems all day or I would have posted earlier.  Here in the south it is late.   

we also learn around this scene that sam evans is committing tax fraud(aided by daphne)but whatever.business intrigue is not going to be part of the recipe.

I personally think your assuming that. I think he was saying he couldn't do his own taxes as she appears to be an accountant. Without an accountant I would probably screw my taxes up as well and be in jail.  Just my opinion though.

i didn't think barnabas was that hot when i first watched this but he does have a certain appeal.

I think Ben is gorgeous then and now.  He has aged well.

strange that they're already mentioning vampires in the pilot.takes a lot of the suspense and mystery out of the proceedings when people are already in on it

Why is it strange?  At this point in time our culture has been inundated with vampire lore. I think it's very natural.

Here are some screencaps I took from the show.  Hope you all enjoy them!! Of course I had to include two of Joanna.  She is one of the most striking woman I have ever seen.  By the way thanks Midnite as I am viewing the DVDS.  You rock!!

i have to get a few glaring incongruities out of the way first.the show is set in maine but was obviously filmed in the blazing california sun.the "town" of collinsport is soundstage.it looks too glossy.

The pilot was filmed in March, when the temps in Southern California are pretty mild-- usually in the 70s, not counting this year.  It can also be our wettest month, again not counting this year.  

Which Collinsport scenes are you thinking about when you say they were shot on a soundstage?  I honestly can't think of one that wasn't shot either on location somewhere or on a backlot.

Letting Willie drive after he's obviously been drinking bugged my more modern sensibility too.  So did Roger smoking at the breakfast table, ugh.

strange that they're already mentioning vampires in the pilot.takes alot of the suspence and mystery out of the proceedings when people are already in on it.

I suspect the issue was addressed quickly because the sheriff was already questioning why the killer extracted 2 liters of blood from Daphne's neck and took it away from the scene, so the writers had Woodard bring up the matter of irrational people who think themselves to be vampires and drink human blood.  (Who knew, back then, that a vampire culture would become mainstream?)  It also lets the viewers know that in the show's universe, clearly the characters are aware that vampirism exists.  What do others think about the mention of the v-word so early?  And did anyone else fine it refreshing to have someone in a vampire movie finally ask where the victim's blood went?

Direction:  First of all, let me say that the direction of this episode was fantastic.  The whole setting seems sort of "dream-like", while maintaining a strict sense of reality.  That balance is very important to maintain.  Secondly, the music is superb, one of the best "mystery/horror" scores I have ever heard.  The direction and music is perfect for what I've watched so far.

Characters:  There are some characters/actors I already know I will like.  Joanna Going as Victoria is definitely going to be one of my favorites, as well as Jean Simmons as Liz, Mrs. Johnson, and little David.  I want to like Barnabas Collins, but I can't say that I do just yet.  Perhaps it's how Ben Cross carries himself that makes me sort of "stand-off-ish" when it comes to this character.  I haven't seen enough of either Cross or Barnabas yet to determine if I will like him.  Some characters I don't really care for right now are Carolyn and Roger.  I'm sort of indifferent towards some of the lesser characters and Willie.  My main problem with Willie is how he is involved in the plot. 

Plot/Story:  The overall premise of this series is a great one, one I really like.  It's got a big mansion, a spooky family, lots of secrets, and a vampire.  I did have a few problems with the storyline for this episode though, mainly how the character of Willie is involved.  First of all, I think the writers made a big mistake having the Collins family send an incompetent drunk to pick up a new employee.  It doesn't seem like something either Elizabeth or Roger would do.  It is classless and senseless.  I understand that the writers wanted to tie the character in with the rest of the story, maybe add a little depth to him, but there had to be a better way.   A family like the Collinses isn't going to do this, no way, no how.  It just wouldn't happen.  I also have a problem with how Victoria would be stupid enough to place her life in danger by riding with Willie when she could clearly see how drunk he was.  I can see how it might show a compassionate, understanding, "give him a chance" type side of Vicki, but it also makes her seem stupid, when the rest of the time, the character is not.  Another problem I had (also involving Willie) was how he figured out that the lion was the central part of the riddle.  Logically, from the way the poem is written, the key to the riddle would be the dove, not the lion's head (especially when it comes to the placement of the dove in the scene.  It was bigger than the lion.)  So, those things made very little sense to me.  I can overlook them though, because the rest of the show is making up for these poorly written character actions. 

My grade of this episode:  B

I haven't finished watching the first episode yet with my new DVDs.  I quickly skimmed through Midnite's summarizing of missing scenes (which had been restored on the VHS release but not on the DVDs).  Wow!  I hadn't realized so much was missing when I began watching earlier this week - a few years have passed since I viewed the series on VHS.  Watching it now, I felt the pacing was good and tight ... but from some of the things Midnite wrote -- for example, Roger telling Elizabeth about his talk with David -- I would agree that much of the backstory and character development got cut before the pilot aired (and restored only on the VHS version).  I remember some of those scenes now from my earlier viewing of the VHS.

Reading other's comments, I find myself nodding in agreement with almost everything.  Then, when I read the next comment taking another view, I also say "uh-huh!"  There's so much here, though, I don't know where to begin ... so I'll try to finish watching and get back here tomorrow night.

The things I had been thinking about so far were as follows:

I like the DVD packaging with its portrayal of Collinwood (but not of Ben Cross - it looks silly).  I wonder what they used for Collinwood for the DVD cover - it looks more like computerized artwork than a real house, but it's very scary looking.  The brief glimpse I've had so far of the actual Collinwood of the series is that it looks fake (I know it's a model, and they put a lot of work into it, but it still looks like a model.  Wish they could have filmed a real house.)

The bats are scary - and, incidentally, are playing a role where I'm living now.  I've never lived anywhere where there were large amounts of bats - until now.  I wouldn't have known what the horrible sound was had not one of the movers told me "it sounds like bats out there."  There must be thousands.  As I left the clubhouse last night and was walking accross the green to my apartment just after dusk, I could see them flitting through the air.  When they fly they make only a few twittering sounds.  One of them brushed the top of my head.  It wasn't scary seeing how small they are - but at night when it's warm, I have to shut my bedroom window because they are so loud when they are in the trees.  It sounds like sort of a rubbery chomping.

Inside the DVD case, the picture of Vicki under the first DVD is really beautiful.  I think she was a nice choice to play Victoria.  I am finding Carolyn less irritating this viewing - in fact, I'm finding her attitude rather amusing.  Stay tuned, because I couldn't stand her when I first watched the series.

The scary scenes seem frightening in a realistic and violent way - like when Daphne gets attacked.  I'm not sure, I think I like a little more distance and unreality in my vampire movies.

Another thought was on the cropping of the top and bottom of the frame on the DVDs.  Something looks strange about it - it doesn't look quite the same as a widescreen movie, something about the composition of the shots.  I would have preferred the full frame as it was shot for TV.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell when the first episode is over.  I was surprised that there weren't any opening credits.  I've gotten to the scene where Barnabas says something like, "Father, I'm home."  I think the first episode on the VHS was about two hours but don't know how long it was in actual broadcast and on the DVDs.

I think the part when Barney arrives at THE OLD HOUSE is actually where we stop watching for our first part.  I need to go announcment page.  Also this looks like LETTERBOX instead of WIDESCREEN although I may be wrong.

we also learn around this scene that sam evans is committing tax fraud(aided by daphne)

Forgive me, but where did you get that impression?!?  The impression I get is that Sam is hopeless at accounting, and without Daphne's help (who seems to be the number cruncher of the Collins family), the books would be so mismanaged that he'd be in trouble (hence the humorous line that that without her help he'd be in jail).  At no point is there any indication (to me anyway) that Sam and Daphne are trying to cheat the government.

Hmm...I can't see what's in the first post because my computer won't let me do that sort of thing.  I've tried to reason with it, but it stands fast.

That video is 12.37MB, so depending on the Internet connection speed, it can take quite a while to download.

I think the part when Barney arrives at THE OLD HOUSE is actually where we stop watching for our first part.

That's where we stop for this topic. 

To give even more of the full original experience, here are Part 1's commercial bumpers that give a peek at what's to come in the next act or simply identify the show:

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_1.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_1.swf</a>

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(Along with Domino's announcing its major sponsorship.)

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_2.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_2.swf</a>

(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_3.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_3.swf</a>

(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_4.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_4.swf</a>

(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)

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<a href="http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_5.swf" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.dsboards.com/1991/0113_Bumper_5.swf</a>

(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)

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MB I wish my original tapes would have held up as well.  When I was young though I wasn't aware you could tape shows on a slower speed.  SILLY ME!  Oh well....I had to throw my tapes out because they were wornout by me in the summer of '91 (when my parents made me quit watching because they thought I was obsessed LOL) and all through the years.  I think they dry rotted!!  I am gonna post later.....I have not rested well and am gonna nap.  I am loving everyones comments so far!  You guys rock.  And once again thank you MB and Midnite for doing this project! I hope we hear some comments from both of you all.  Hope you are able to put your 2 cents in and not just respond to what others have written.  It would be cool to hear a review from either of you.  Or I think it would!