Discuss - Ep #0897

Robservations #897

No wonder Dark Shadows lost ratings during the Leviathan storyline.  It's so totally different from 1897!  You couldn't change horses in midstream like that on 1960s TV.  I'm loving these episodes - I loved every moment of Megan's solitary terror today - but they're certainly a different animal from the Pit and the Pendulum ripoff in 1897.
　
Jenny's ghost was in her crazy look today when she appeared to Chris, instead of in the sane look that she showed Quentin back in 1897 when she saved Lenore.  I suppose the reason for that was that it was feared the audience would confuse Jenny with Megan.  It's sort of strange, though.
　
I'll bet they were laughing in Lowell Apothecary today after Megan called.  The locals had probably already noticed that Carolyn was spending less time with Chris these days and more time at the antique shop, and Megan's call would have just fueled the rumors that Philip was cheating on Megan with Carolyn.

So there's a room under the cairn, I didn't remember that... how do you nourish grains of sand?

Carolyn overlooks Chris's comment about how he can't help killing.

Barnabas experiments with electronics, but won't have electricity in the house!   Well, it was an electronics experiment, in the area of mind control.   BC is reckless now about whom he shows the secret room to, showing his priorities really have been over-ridden.   What if someone started investigating his old vampire activities now?  Would he care?   

Why doesn't Barnabas out Chris?   Maybe that would be too disruptive to the whole situation, but it would separate Carolyn from him.

Barnabas to Carolyn: "I feel it, therefore I believe it."   I pictured him saying, "I feel it, therefore I sit it!"

Yes, Jenny's hairdo is crazy again, and Jenny herself seems semi- but not totally crazed.   She gives accurate advice.   Megan then appears within a minute or two, and we're more likely to see her crazed than Jenny at this point, but things seem to have settled down.   If that ep. wasn't edited, retroactive kudoes on the quick costume and wig change Ms. Wallace...   Oooh, black turtleneck.

What did Barnabas do to Philip?   Whatever it was, he's become a good responsible Leviathan Person again.   Maybe Barn just gave him a good fatherly talk.

Closing credits: Stagehand is pouring liquid into a container of dry ice at the right.

Why doesn't Barnabas out Chris?   Maybe that would be too disruptive to the whole situation, but it would separate Carolyn from him.

Not necessarily.  Carolyn might feel sorry for Chris.

"There is no margin for error. Punishment is necessary."
Bill Gates was a DS fan?

"The waters shall nourish" poem must be important since David is the 4th character to recite it.

how do you nourish grains of sand?

The ocean does, apparently.  But I'm positing, based on Leviathan as sea creature.  Humanity is as impermanent as a sandy shore, while the great Old Ones ("wedged between the sacred ancient stones") aren't destroyed by the tides but flourish once the ancient creature has made the way for them.  It's the theme of "The Call of Cthulu."

My understanding is that TCoC was long considered unfilmable by its fans until recently when some Lovecraft devotees made it using stop-action and other sfx.  And here we have DS, a low-budget soap, taking a run at it 40 years ago.  Highly ambitious, and oh-so insane.  I'm guessing (!!) that lots of "Are you nuts?" and "If you can't do it, I'll get somebody who can" came out of the writers' meetings around that time, though these are G-rated versions.

Why doesn't Barnabas out Chris?   Maybe that would be too disruptive to the whole situation, but it would separate Carolyn from him.

Not necessarily.  Carolyn might feel sorry for Chris.

Yeah, if hearing that the HOT man she'd fallen for is emotionally unstable, dangerous, out of control and a monster isn't enough to scare her away, then learning that he was cursed would probably just make him more attractive.  At least that's what happened to little Midnite after she was introduced to Quentin Collins in 1969.  Sigh.

Marie Wallace was so good, she scored separate listings in the credits for her characters.

I still think Barnabas DID want to out Chris...just a few episodes ago, he strongly suggested to Elizabeth that she should have Chris investigated...now from the looks of it, it appears she has either forgotten to do that or just been to busy. Had Barnabas known that Elizabeth was dragging her feet, perhaps he would have taken a more direct, and faster approach, to expose Chris.

Loved seeing Jenny again. Agree that the writers probably didn't want to confuse Megan and Jenny with the audience, considering the same actress played them both.

That "no margin for error, punishment is necessary," playing over and over on the tape recorder, gave me the creeps.

Good point about Barnabas' excuse for dabbling in electronics despite not having any modern conviences in his home. If only Carolyn had asked why he didn't dabble in getting some in-door plumbing while the family was staying at the Old House....

That "no margin for error, punishment is necessary," playing over and over on the tape recorder, gave me the creeps.

It's neat, isn't it?  I once had a "no margin for error" boss.  Luckily she didn't mete out nasty punishments, so the only result was that I became a better worker.

Good point about Barnabas' excuse for dabbling in electronics despite not having any modern conviences in his home. If only Carolyn had asked why he didn't dabble in getting some in-door plumbing while the family was staying at the Old House....

Carolyn can try it if she wants.  I'm not sure I would want to attempt a discussion with Barnabas of bodily functions involving the nether regions.

I loved the scene in the shop, it was scary. Barnabas could have used one of the wall alcoves for
his torture. The line about electricity didn't make since.