Would a younger looking Barnabas made a diffence in the story?

[Sara Monster]

Johnny has obviously taken care of himself physically.  People don't seem to quite look there age these days. Even ones who don't have work. And JF was a very heavy smoker who didn't quit until Grayson died.

I think Johnny Depp was known to be quite a heavy smoker as well, I'm guessing the man's just blessed with some good genes.

[Taeylor Collins]

I didn't know that. Maybe he quit as some point?? Thanks Sara!   I meant to add that I do think that when they went back to 1795 the lighting, makeup etc. helped him to look younger.  I don't know what was done exactly but he did look somewhat younger to me. He certainly didn't look 25 though!

[Miss_Winthrop]

I think that Frid looked to be early 40's shortly after he started DS. When he first showed up at Collinwood and Mrs Johnson opened the front door..he looked younger than 42 in my est. He had a fuller face and build.  The make up and comb allowed him to look mid to late 30's for the 1795 storyline IMO.  However, keep in mind that some people have the type of face that is definitely difficult to determine age by. I've been totally shocked to learn that some men that I've met are in their late 20's when I could swear they were closer to 40. 

[MagnusTrask]

40's sort of a midpoint or turning point, where you can seem young or middle-aged, depending on how you're made to look.   You can be a strange combination of young and middle-aged, or perhaps neither, like Tom Baker in Doctor Who.   Jonathan Frid looked like that in his first DS moments.   

I remember that David Letterman kept having to remind guests on his NBC show in the 80s that he was in his 30s (36 when the show started in 1982), because he was a bit baby-faced.   Then I noticed that there was a sudden spurt of aging at 39 for him, and he looked middle-aged and no one called him a kid ever again.    I don't remember a sudden moment for JF, but he did seem to catch up to his age and perhaps overshoot a little....

[michael c]

i'll throw another log on this fire...

in episode 463 after tony peterson follows carolyn to the old house and spys her with barnabas when he confronts her he refers to her as being "in that old man's arms".

i don't think he'd refer to a 25 year old as an "old man".

i think this was a major continuity gaffe on the part of the writers having barnabas "young" in 1795 and middle aged in the present since,as has been noted,vampires do not age.

perhaps i'm too literal minded but unless i'm specifically told otherwise i just assume the characters are close in age to the actors hired to play them.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Yeah, well, as we know only too well, continuity was never DS' strong suit.      And when it comes to the ages of some of the characters, their ages sometimes fluctuated from storyline to storyline - though none more so than Jeremiah. Though apparently Barnabas would come in a strong second...

[Taeylor Collins]

I remember that "old man" line very well M however it was cool to be reminded of it as I hadn't thought of it for this thread! Thanks....

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I still think I remember reading that Barnabas was supposed to be around 35.  Tony definitely wouldn't refer to a 25 yo as an "old man," since he was probably around that age himself. 

So, we could always look at Tony's comment like this.  Carolyn was supposed to be what... 18 around this time?  We know there is underage drinking in Collinsport, so we have to go off of some other evidence...  What was her age in the Collins Family Bible?    I remember this:

 [spoiler] I believe her tombstone in 1968 put her age at 18, but I can't remember.  [/spoiler] 


So, if Barnabas was 35, then he would be nearly twice as old as Carolyn.  Thus, Tony's "old man" comment could be justified for the 35 yo age.  Of course, it could be justified for an older age as well, but considering that Barnabas looks to be around 35 in 1795, I think that Tony's comment was meant in this way.

[Gerard]

I think in a couple story-lines, including the Leviathan one, it was established that Carolyn was born in 1947.

Gerard

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Okay, so, even with that number, Tony's comments could still be justified - at least from his perspective. 

[Garth Blackwood]

i'll throw another log on this fire...

in episode 463 after tony peterson follows carolyn to the old house and spys her with barnabas when he confronts her he refers to her as being "in that old man's arms".

i don't think he'd refer to a 25 year old as an "old man".

i think this was a major continuity gaffe on the part of the writers having barnabas "young" in 1795 and middle aged in the present since,as has been noted,vampires do not age.

Spoiler alert would be nice. I've never seen that episode and didn't even know "1795" had anything to do with anything. Oh well . . . Just thought I'd point that out since it seems every one is so hard up about it at randomly selected times.

Answer to the question: It would have made a huge difference. If the character could remain the same but magically be about 15 years younger, that would be excellent.

[Midnite]

Spoiler alert would be nice. I've never seen that episode and didn't even know "1795" had anything to do with anything. Oh well . . . Just thought I'd point that out since it seems every one is so hard up about it at randomly selected times.

MB and I try to get spoiler warnings in place as a help to our readers who haven't seen all the eps.  Admittedly, we might not catch them all, and my apologies in this instance.  Though in hindsight, it does seem helpful that the poster began his sentence with "in episode 463."

[Sara Monster]

..having barnabas "young" in 1795 and middle aged in the present since,as has been noted,vampires do not age.

Borrowing from other vampire stories/fandoms, I guess it could be possible that Barnabas might look older or different when in need of blood. Case in point, [spoiler]after Julia's injections turned him old, drinking blood revived him back to looking his normal age.[/spoiler] Actually, rather instantly after he turns into a vampire, I think his appearance begins looking a bit more aged. (thanks mostly to a good bit of heavy eye liner)

[michael c]

the big spinning "S" in the topic header is the spoiler alert.

"nice".

[arashi]

I always assumed Barnabas' vampiredom and being stuck in that box for 170 odd years would have worn on his looks just a bit. Even if his face and body stayed the same, with the state of mind he was in when released, it would have shown loud and clear in his eyes and his expressions. I think they did a fantastic job with JF in 1795 in making him look more youthful and lively, and I always assumed he was around 30 or so. I dunno.

[spoiler]
Look how old they made him look in the Levianthan storyline. Gray streaks in the hair and everything![/spoiler]