the parallel-time "tease"

[Miss_Winthrop]

I loved Paula Lawrence and I wish they had done more with her.

I have to agree here.  I loved her character and wished that the storyline had been expanded.

[michael c]

i first watched this storyline about five or six years ago...

two characters that loomed large in my memories of it were paula lawrence as hannah stokes and elizabeth eis as buffie harrington. they left a big impression.

so during this second go round i'm surprised to be reminded that both characters barely appear in a dozen episodes. for me they were a bigger "presence" during this time period than those numbers would suggest.

they both disappear abruptly mid-storyline. but what's notable here is that they both survived. during the time travel storylines as we all know those characters specific to the period, who do not need to survive to return to "the present" or to carry on some continuity issues, tend to get pegged off one-by-one.

hannah and buffie just walk away. quite remarkable with buffie considering how embroiled in the plot she was. barnabas just bit her an episode or two before she was written out which is odd because that usually implied a character(if they were not killed outright)would have some major moments in the near future.

but perhaps with the main cast back from the HODS filming by this point they just decided to refocus the storyline and they were superfluous.

[DarkLady]

My private hypotheses for Hannah and Buffie were that [spoiler]Hannah fled far, far away from Angelique and that Barnabas released Buffie from his thrall, then advised her to sell the painting that Yaeger gave her and move to New York. But that's just my own idea with no basis whatever.[/spoiler]

[Joeytrom]

This storyline is also notable that a Trask survives it!

[michael c]

This storyline is also notable that a Trask survives it!

few things on the series have struck me so much as filler as the trask/bruno/damien edwards subplot. pure soy protein. it killed a week or so of episodes while frid and company were off making HODS.

in fact trask and chris and amy collins were so peripheral to the plot that my impression of it has always been that they were just finishing out the actors contracts.

[MagnusTrask]

I think Hannah went to Sweden, had a certain operation, came back by way of Paris filling up on the great food, and came back to Collinsport to her/his old home and bird, as Evil Tim.   And took up drinking.   Doesn't he seem to be living in Hannah's place?   I forget.

[Josette]

few things on the series have struck me so much as filler as the trask/bruno/damien edwards subplot. pure soy protein. it killed a week or so of episodes while frid and company were off making HODS.

in fact trask and chris and amy collins were so peripheral to the plot that my impression of it has always been that they were just finishing out the actors contracts.

That story WAS disappointing and peripheral, but at the time it is unfolding one doesn't know that.  There is mystery and suspense about it and it does give [spoiler]Angelique a chance to demonstrate some of her powers as she deals with the situation.[/spoiler]

[DarkLady]

Yes, Magnus, I think Tim Stokes moved into Hannah's house--but maybe it was his all along and she was just staying there.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas to all!

[loril54]

We didn't ever see Don Briscoe playing someone on Dark Shadows who was thoroughly different from his other characters, the way many other actors on Dark Shadows did, so I don't think we have enough evidence to make a fair judgment of his acting ability.  I think, however, that if Dan Curtis and the writers had seen great ability in him, we would have seen him playing different personalities.

Not trying to beat a dead horse.  But you can be a great actor, and get lousy writen parts. Then that
doesn't show your talent.  You can be a bad actor, and have great material, and look great.  IMO, it comes
down to luck and sparkle, and having great and giving actors to work with.