Why The Results In Frid's "Game"? / was Fest Report

[Gothick]

Not that I'm into lists or top tens, but out of idle curiosity, what were the top three "all time best" scenes chosen in Jonathan Frid's "Game"?

I view this sort of thing as completely subjective, and my own list would change depending upon what I had been watching lately.  Having Mrs J hand an open-mouthed Maggie Evans a ten cent tip because "you're a nice girl" would definitely be on my top ten list, for example...

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I view this sort of thing as completely subjective

Well, that fact that no scenes between Barnabas and any of KLS' "Josette" personas - particularly the lady herself - makes the final result very questionable.    But it would still be nice to know what the scenes were - particularly when apparently there were several Barnabas/Julia scenes.

[jimbo]

Thanks.

I also have to question the final results. I believe the scene where Julia confronts Barnabas with the line "I know what you are" was chosen number one? My mind is shot already. lol The scene with Angelique placing the curse on Barnabas came in the top 5 I believe.

[4everfridean]

True, and I was one of the first to vote.  I am not a Barn-Julia fan at all, so none of those were in my top 5.  There are SO many more deserving scenes, but yes, the B-J fans turned up in force for the vote.  There should have been so many more votes than there were.

[borgosi]

I think a big part of the reason the vote went the way it did is because of it being J.F.'s site. If the voting were held here or on the fest site the numbers may have been very different.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, that fact that no scenes between Barnabas and any of KLS' "Josette" personas - particularly the lady herself - makes the final result very questionable.

Actually, it suddenly hit me that perhaps I really shouldn't have been surprised by the results. Why? Well, back in '98 AOL's now defunct DS Online held a sort of Emmy/Oscars type of ceremony with categories specific to DS (not just awards for favorite actor, actress, supporting and the like, but also for things like favorite severed body part, frightening moment and monster ). Voting was not just open to AOL members but to all DS fans who were then currently online, and the response was overwhelming with hundreds of fans having responded. The interesting thing as it pertains to this discussion is that favorite actress turned out to be a tie between Grayson Hall and Lara Parker - the third nominee, KLS, was a very distant third when the results were tabulated. And now when it comes to the results of Frid's "game," the results are very much the same, with KLS not making any sort of showing at all in the results. Apparently not much seems to have changed in over ten years - it would certainly appear that Grayson Hall and Lara Parker had, have, and perhaps always will have huge fan contingents online. Not that that's in any way a bad thing.    It's simply an interesting circumstance in online fandom...

[ProfStokes]

I also have to question the final results. I believe the scene where Julia confronts Barnabas with the line "I know what you are" was chosen number one? My mind is shot already. lol The scene with Angelique placing the curse on Barnabas came in the top 5 I believe.

The top three scenes all favored Grayson Hall more than Frid.  The confrontation was voted Number 1, which shocked me because it must have been all of 45 seconds long.  Second place was the scene when Willie goads Barnabas into admitting that he cares more deeply for Julia than he'd like to admit after she's disappeared to meet Tom Jennings.  Third place was the scene from 1995 [spoiler]where Julia admits that she is under Gerard's spell and begs Barnabas to return to 1970 alone.  He refuses, vowing, "Never without you!"[/spoiler]

A majority of the scenes were from Barnabas's first year on the show.  Not only did none of the clips feature KLS, but there were no scenes of Barnabas with Quentin either, which I found to be surprising since he's one of the "main" characters on the show.  

Frid played each clip in chronological order and ended by replaying them in a countdown format from 10 to 1 to show us where each scene had placed with the voters.  We saw Barnabas's first meeting with David at the Old House and heard him address the portrait of Josette.  We watched Barnabas recount to Vicki and Carolyn the story of Josette's death on a stormy night (knowing what an iconic scene this is considered to be here on the board, I was sure it would be named Number 1 or 2; instead I think it made the list at 5 or 6).  As mentioned, we saw the scene where Barnabas shoots Angelique and is cursed, as well as Barnabas's final scene with Angelique in 1840. The scene where Julia returns to Collinwood after getting her hair cut and Barnabas pleads with her to help him find out what Vicki remembers from 1795 also placed on the list, though I don't recall exactly where. The countdown recap also included the "duel" discussion between Barnabas and Anthony George's Burke Devlin; however, this scene was not played during the introductory screening.

I hope to be able to write a more detailed recap of the Fest over the weekend.  In the meantime, it was delightful to see old friends again, and to meet new people face to face for the first time.  How I wish the fun didn't have to end!

ProfStokes

[KajunDC]

After much internal deliberation, I have decided that my favorite Dark Shadows scene of all time is the scene where [spoiler]Barnabas first rises in 1795 and confronts and "kills" Angelique at the masoleum.[/spoiler] That is far and away the most intense scene of the series to me.  It would have been made even better if the fat guy had not been in the shot in the background at one point, but that not-withstanding, the best scene of the show.

[Janet the Wicked]

It would have been made even better if the fat guy had not been in the shot in the background at one point, but that not-withstanding, the best scene of the show.

The fat guy... LOL!!! Wicked!

[Gothick]

I never know how to react to these top ten lists.  It seems really weird to me that people would be able to make these lists in the first place.  I must be from another planet because I could never put my finger on "the best of the best" and then work my way down from there, especially with DS--it's all so juicy and layered, who can choose?

I personally VASTLY prefer the scene between B & J down in the Collinwood drawing room BEFORE the confrontation in Julia's bedroom.  The two are playing cat and mouse with one another or maybe little cat and big cat and Julia pretty much gets away with murder throughout.  Not only are both actors much more on their respective marks in that drawing room scene, the scene itself is much better shot than the bedroom sequence.

And that scene betwen Willie and Barnabas during Tom Jennings just wasn't very well written or played.  Yeah, it's cool that Barnabas admitted that he does "care for" Julia, but as theater the scene is way below par for the general tone of DS.  YMMV of course and always.

Reading this list makes me realize how strongly people project their own narratives onto the series.  I suppose that's why after all these years we keep watching and talking about it.  It's no longer really about anything that happened on the show--it's much more about the show as a vehicle for our own fantasy lives.

It does seem odd that there are so few KLS and Josette fans online.  In the old zines from the early 90s, I remember endless adverts for "Barnabas and Josette Forever" pillow--heart-shaped, to be scattered over the sofa.  

G.

[Gerard]

I've never really compiled a top-ten list of favorite scenes; maybe I should.  To me, more than just content has to go into it; I'd take into account things as writing, directing, acting, etc.  Based on that, off the top, I'd have to say my two favorites were from 1897 and had nothing to do with supernatural things, but rather interactions between the characters (and included all the afore-mentioned things).

The first would be when Judith reads Grandmamama's will to her three stunned brothers.  The sibling rivalry comes pouring out and all four of them really get into it.  The second would be when Edward and Laura verbally duke it out, each accusing the other of being the most rotten, lousy parent on the face of the Earth when neither one would get the Ward and June prize; heck, they wouldn't even have qualified for the Al and Peg honorable mention.

Gerard

[Gothick]

Those are both excellent choices, Gerard!  Somewhere in one of the interviews, I think Louis Edmonds referred to the first scene as "our very own version of the Little Foxes."  If you've ever seen the Bette Davis film, you'll know what his context was for that observation.

I also love a couple of the scenes between Quentin and Laura--they're both so deliciously venomous with one another.  There's also a quietly hysterical scene where Laura and Minerva Trask are comparing notes on child-rearing.  Just excellent.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It does seem odd that there are so few KLS and Josette fans online.  In the old zines from the early 90s, I remember endless adverts for "Barnabas and Josette Forever" pillow--heart-shaped, to be scattered over the sofa.

Exactly. Given that, it seems very odd. But perhaps things change over the years - and suddenly forever isn't quite as long as it once was...

[Julia99]

I was surprised that the scene in which Barnabas tells Angelique (after Josette is a no-show at their wedding) that he still loves Josette, whatever she has done, was not among the Top Ten.  It's not a particular favorite of mine, but I thought it was for some other people.  And while I love the scene in episode 290 in which Julia confronts Barnabas, which was voted #1, it really was Grayson Hall's big scene, not Jonathan Frid’s.

Lydia. . fun write up.  I did hear the #1 clip was ended prematurely purely by accident, it was supposed to go more of the scene where Barnabas threatened Julia and tried to strangle her. 

And for those doubting Thomases writing elsewhere, you simply had to be in the room.  The Legion was relatively  calm but the rest of the audience roared with approval whenever Grayson came on screen.  I fail to understand why this critically acclaimed actress whom the shows creator adored, continues to receive such disrespect in fandom?

[Julia99]

Actually, it suddenly hit me that perhaps I really shouldn't have been surprised by the results. Why? Well, back in '98 AOL's now defunct DS Online held a sort of Emmy/Oscars type of ceremony with categories specific to DS (not just awards for favorite actor, actress, supporting and the like, but also for things like favorite severed body part, frightening moment and monster ). Voting was not just open to AOL members but to all DS fans who were then currently online, and the response was overwhelming with hundreds of fans having responded. The interesting thing as it pertains to this discussion is that favorite actress turned out to be a tie between Grayson Hall and Lara Parker - the third nominee, KLS, was a very distant third when the results were tabulated. And now when it comes to the results of Frid's "game," the results are very much the same, with KLS not making any

As noted in my book even back in the day, when the show was on and 6 months after it was off, Grayson was voted in the Top 10 or 5 of daytime actresses; Lara was always there but not KLS.  6 months after the show was off air Grayson was still on the list, Lara had fallen off.