the witchcraft nonsense in 1840

[DarkLady]

I'm a Barn and Julia shipper too, and I'm sure we would have seen them get together at last if the show hadn't been canceled.

The whole business of Barnabas finally declaring his love for Angelique was pretty irritating and was completely implausible to me from the first time I saw it.

[Gothick]

I actually enjoy watching the zombies demolish Collinwood.  I don't know why; there's just something about that sequence that rings my chimes (as we used to say in the early Bronze Age when the show originally aired).  It was an impossible scene to stage, particularly given that the sets slated to be "destroyed" were going to be needed, probably for the very next day's taping, so I thought what the productiion crew came up with was actually rather imaginative.

As a bonus, you get the extended mix "zombie freakout bongo jive," or whatever the cue is called that plays during the destruction scene.

I thought it was a cheat that Liz's death took place off camera (and pretty much off script--I think there's half a line that mentions attending the funerals of Liz and the children).  There should have been at least a scene of Liz confronting the zombies, perhaps defying them, and then the fadeout as the walking dead closed in on the mistress of Collinwood...  That certainly would have made for a memorable scene.

G.

[Gothick]

And for later 1840... the Barnabas/Julia scenes are among the elements that stand out, for sure,  I particularly like the scenes [spoiler]in the episode when Angelique has lifted the curse from Barnabas; there are a couple of wonderful scenes where Julia is at her most vulnerable and later, with Gerard, her most world-weary and reflective.  Great stuff.[/spoiler]

You'll notice that after Barn has declared his "one true love" for our Favorite Witch, it's still Julia who takes care of Barn and cleans up the mess.

"Faithful old Aunt Julia..."  glad the show never went on long enough for us to hear THAT line.

G.

[DarkLady]

I don't think I could bear to see Liz--let alone David--die at the hands of the zombies.

"zombie freakout bongo jive" 

I also like the scene you mention in your spoiler, Gothick. And I love, love, love Julia's flame-colored gown. It's a color I could never wear, but it's gorgeous.

[Gerard]

I actually enjoy watching the zombies demolish Collinwood.  I don't know why; there's just something about that sequence that rings my chimes (as we used to say in the early Bronze Age when the show originally aired).  It was an impossible scene to stage, particularly given that the sets slated to be "destroyed" were going to be needed, probably for the very next day's taping, so I thought what the productiion crew came up with was actually rather imaginative.

As I stated before, I've always been a zombiephile, as much as I'm a vampirephile.  When Night of the Living Dead came out, I so wanted to see that movie, but my mom wouldn't let me, including through several releases.  The Roger Ebert article (who actually loved the movie) had gone pre-internet "viral" and ended up in the Reader's Digest, chastising the lack of control over ratings when he saw small children at a matinee who were traumatized (and helped lead to the current maturity ratings we now have for movies).  That convinced her not to allow me to see it.  I finally did, in my high-school years in the early seventies, at a midnight showing.

So, I loved the zombie decimation of Collinwood (in my pre-seeing NotLD years).  I loved seeing them tear the place apart (including the "blooper" where one zombie tosses a piece of cloth on another zombie's head - the latter zombie just ripped it off and kept right on decimating).  But it would've been even better if we had seen more characters.  I could picture Liz, feeling angst and guilt after someone had taken control of her, barricading herself and David and Hallie in a room as the things pounded down the door.  They could cut away after that if the results would've been too horrifying.  And also have Carolyn and Quentin, also in guilt and angst, watching it all before escaping.......and escaping into madness.  It would've been great.

But that still doesn't answer the question I asked before:  what happened afterwards, including to the zombies?  Were they still prowling about?  Did they collapse after you-know-who sent them on the rampage?  Did the sheriff and his officers dispatch them with a bullet to the head?  Did they end up working for the IRS?  What?  They could've done a few scenes or episodes, interspliced with Julia's escape to you-know-where, showing why Collinwood became such a place of terror to the populace and what had happened to Carolyn and Quentin.  Both went macadamian, and watching how they were treated and whatelse erstwhile happened to them would've been a treat.

Gerard

[DarkLady]

Quentin and Carolyn both survived the disaster at Collinwood, Quentin because he wasn't there, and Carolyn-- who knows?

We already know that Quentin is to all intents and purposes [spoiler]immortal,[/spoiler] but no explanation is ever given for Carolyn's survival. Maybe her mother sent her away or died saving her and she was able to escape--that would be very characteristic of Elizabeth. In any case, Quentin and Carolyn have had about 25 years in which to go mad. 

[Uncle Roger]

I think that at point Stokes says that Carolyn was found in the tower room after the destruction of Collinwood with no clear memory of what had happened.

I thought that the realization that acting as Gerard's accomplice helped him destroy the house, leading to the deaths of her mother, Hallie and David sent her over the edge.

[dom]

Typical Carolyn, poor dear.