WB 2004 Pilot Redux

[onyx_treasure]

     This is the first time I have seen any portion of the pilot.  I did not realize they were doing the train bit.  I don't think there is any trains running in Maine.  There is the Downeaster that goes from Portland to Boston but I don't know much about it.  A bus would have been more realistic or even a small plane to a local airport.  I know DS has never been  about anything plausible but a train is about as realistic as her coming in a horse drawn carriage or a flying saucer.

[Nightfall59]

Actually, making Vicki blond was really returning to a convention that all the other soaps played by back when DS was originally on. The virtuous heroines were played by blonds, while the villainous bitches were played by dark haired actresses.

Yes. I'm old enough to remember--just barely--when this was usually the case. The blonde haired innocent; the black haired siren.

Anyway, these captures are great. I remember running across a website a few years back that had pictures up of the actors involved in this pilot. There was to be a young Asian Julia. I remember thinking at the time that Grayson probably would have thought that a hoot...a young Julia. 

[michael c]

the image of a beautiful,dark haired girl traveling up the new england coast came to dan curtis in a dream. so victoria's arrival in collinsport by train seems to be an unchangeable element of the DS mythology.

considering that the series main character is a vampire and time travel a frequent occurrence whether or not trains actually run through maine is a minor quibble.

the series skewed convention even more by making josette a readhead. not traditionally a haircolor associated with ingenues but with wickedness and witches.

for me vicki is a fair skinned,dark haired heroine in the "snow white" tradition. i've never seen the 2004 pilot so i can't say if the actress was good or not but it would have taken some getting used to a short haired blond as victoria winters.

[Lydia]

considering that the series main character is a vampire and time travel a frequent occurrence whether or not trains actually run through maine is a minor quibble.

Nice point, although the scenery around the train surprised me.  Yeah, evergreens and coastline should suggest Maine, but that particular picture doesn't - or anyway, not to me.  I saw the 2004 pilot at the 2009 fest, and I didn't see anything beforehand about it being shown, and there are no opening credits, so when it first came on the screen, I didn't know what it was, and the train and its surroundings didn't turn on any lightbulbs in my head.  I realized only gradually what I was seeing.  It was sort of a neat way to approach it.

There was to be a young Asian Julia. I remember thinking at the time that Grayson probably would have thought that a hoot...a young Julia.

I like the idea of an Asian Julia.  I figure Barnabas, as an 18th century New England male, would view the idea of love between himself and an Asian woman to be unthinkable, and I would like to have seen that played out.

[onyx_treasure]

     The only reason I mentioned the train thing was because some people mentioned during the last remake that they saw palm trees in some of the outdoor scenes.  I live in Maine and at the time I did not notice the palm trees.  We don't have passenger trains here.  I guess if you live somewhere else, you can imagine anything you want about Maine.  My father still thinks I have moose in my front yard.  I did 20 years ago.  A moose came out of the woods looking for love in all the wrong places and the police and animal control caught him downtown.  They gave him a lift back to the woods.
     The actress seemed emaciated.  She almost looked like a ghost.  Whatever the hair color, I thought they would have chosen someone more strikingly beautiful.  I did not see the pilot so maybe this was not a good picture of her.  Is there a way to see other stills of her?

[Taeylor Collins]

Thanks MB I know about most all you told me.  I wouldn't trust it unless I knew it was safe.  The only places it can be found is pay sites so I wouldn't dare even think about trying that.  I am wasn't born yesterday.

[Taeylor Collins]

Sorry for the double but I love Marley Shelton. She was hysterical in Planet Terror and I personally love the whole Tippi Hedron look!

[Sara Monster]

Just wanted to bump this old topic on account of the news of some of it's footage being available to view at:

http://www.alecnewman.net/
(Go to media, Show Reel & select 'Dark Shadows')

Although it just shows a rather small clip, gotta say: it looks rather good!
Just wish I could watch it in full some day.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Thanks so much for alerting us to this, Sara! I had no idea that Alec Newman was featuring a clip from the pilot on his Web site. The last time I was there, which was a very long time ago, it wasn't there, and I haven't been back since.

As for the scene, I absolutely loved it when I saw the pilot and I'm really glad that it's featured on the site. The chemistry between Barn and Vicki (and Alec and Marley) is just smoldering! Though I have to admit that the details on the dagger are a bit fuzzy for me right now because I've only seen the pilot once and that was back in '05. I recall that Angelique was responsible for David finding the dagger, but I don't exactly remember how or what her motivation was. Can anyone refresh the details?

[Sara Monster]

Thanks so much for alerting us to this, Sara!

No problem, it was actually up on http://darkshadowsnews.blogspot.com/
& I thought someone else would had mentioned it on here by now.

The chemistry between Barn and Vicki (and Alec and Marley) is just smoldering!

I agree! And I rather like the look of this Barnabas (after seeing him in action) & Vicky's little 'jump' when he held out the knife towards her.  Just little things, I suppose, but effective..

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Well, having never seen the pilot, except for the few clips that are scattered here and there online, I can't make an accurate judgment.  But, from this scene, in particular, it looks like it went for a "COvertly over-the-top" approach.  It's not melodramatic in its presentation, but it is in its idiosyncrasies.  In this regard, the acting seemed the antithesis of the original.  It reminds me of the 1991 series - on steroids.  The sets looked nice, but the direction of the actors seemed unusual for a modern piece of television - the long, drawn out hand kiss (Let's make 'em think he's gonna bite her!), the jump.  I could never see Frid or Moltke doing any of this (And when there was a similar scene, it was downplayed.).  Cross and Going might walk the line, but never go that far.  In terms of acting, I would hope Depp Shadows would be more subtle.    

[arashi]

If this show had aired I would have fallen hard for Alec Newman.

Thank God he's in the audio dramas because he's damn fantastic.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

From what I've seen of his work in other things and especially his work in the '04 pilot, I truly believe Newman was a perfect choice for Barnabas. But alas...

I love this shot from the end of the clip:

In fact, a larger version is currently my computer's wallpaper.  

[Taeylor Collins]

I love the scene. I love the rich reds in the background.  This is nice for someone like me who hasn't seen the pilot.  No it doesn't look like anything Frid or Cross would have done but isn't that the point?