I've been away far too long! Oy!...I accidentally deleted my account but thankfully it has been restored plus we have had problems with our computer and FINALLY got a new one....I want to continue my reviews on the 1991 DS episode from episode.
I left off on episode 2 and just finished watching 3....mercifully there is no more HODS retreads in here. The episode concentrates mainly on Julia beginning her treatments on Barnabas and Barnabas starting to pursue Vicki romantically.
The episode begins with Barnabas, feeling the effects of the the injections, demands Julia get on with it. It's nice to see in this incarnation that Barnabas does indeed has to deal with the side effects of the treatments. In the OS he pretty much went about his business as if nothing was happening inside him. At least in the 91 version we see that his submitting to Julia's experiments is not going to be a painless experience altogether.
Barnabas and Vicki go walking out to Widows' Hill one night. She playfully goes running off farther away, but this triggers a most painful memory for Barnabas....Josette's running off from him and jumping off the cliff. Vicki pulls him out of it he informs her this was the exact spot where Josette had died. He and Vicki grab on to each other tight.
The injections start to get easier to put up with for Barnabas....Julia notices that he has a gray hair and informs him that growing older isn't much fun but Barnabas insists that NOT growing older has been far worse. I say one can make an argument for both points of views.
When a mirror is brought into the room and the curtain is removed, Barnabas finally gets to see his reflection again after 2 long centuries. A certain sign that he is getting more and more human. Ecstatic, Barnabas informs Willie that they will have mirrors in every room of the house. Frankly, I think I would have waited until after I was totally and 100 percent cured, but I can't begrudge the guy his excitement. He probably thought he'd never, ever get to see himself in a mirror again.
Barnabas informs Julia that he will show her his graditude when the time comes....did he lead her on without realizing it? I didn't think so the first time, but watching it again now, I'm not so sure....
There are other little tiblets dealing with the other characters in here. Joe is still troubled by nightmares of his experience as the victim of his beloved Daphne, the vampire. We see Carolyn is already trying to move in on him. Sheesh, her cousin is barely cold in the grayve and she's already trying to get it on with her guy. And David also has frightening dreams of Daphne coming back to terrorize him....not only her, but Carolyn and Vicki as vamps too. He wakes screaming and Vicki comforts him. She keeps telling him that Daphne is dead and gone, but David is unconvinced. It is nice to see him finally starting to warm up to Vicki as he allows her to stay with him until he falls asleep.
David goes to the mausoleum and Sarah's ghost appears to him and reassures him that Daphne is indeed gone forever and won't be back. But she warns him there is another in pain and needs help. David asks her who it is but she runs off and vanishes rather than tell him.
Barnabas is reading a poem to Vicki...they start to embrace and kiss, but quite unexpectedly Barnabas begins to feel the bloodlust overwhelm him. He pulls away from her and for her own safety, sends her back to Collinwood. He has Willie bring Julia to the Old House and he demands that they finish the treatments that will make him human once and for all. Julia insists they cannot rush the experiments, but Barnabas is adamant...he wants the experiments completed NOW. This really reminds me in the OS when Barnabas forced Julia to hurry on with the experiments that ended up aging him. It doesn't happen in here....but it does have other consequences.
Taking the curtain away from the window....Barnabas is able to face the sunrise....however, the blood sample that Julia had been taking on him to determine the effects of the sun on it suddenly shatters. Barnabas collapses in pain, and she and Willie take him to his bed.
Dr. Woodard, Roger and the Sheriff arrive, insisting on seeing Barnabas. Willie is reluctant, and obviously not very good at playing for time. Julia comes and also insists that Barnabas can't be disturbed, but Patterson provides a search warrant allowing him to come and search. To the surprise of Julia and Willie (and Woodard too) Barnabas suddenly appears at the top of the stairs and looking very much sick and weak. Roger and Sheriff Patterson insist to Woodard that they should leave and let Barnabas get back to bed but Woodard basically challenges Barnabas to step out and get some more sunshine, which he suggest might be his problem...not enough sunshine. Barnabas does and steps out into the light....still looking sick and sweat rolling down his face. Julia tells Willie to take him back to bed, which he does. Roger and the sheriff apologize and walk out of the house. Before leaving Woodard warns Julia that Barnabas will destroy her like he does with everything he touches. She closes the door on him.
Even though they have seen Barnabas in the sunlight, (very sick true, but still able to stand in it) Roger and Patterson conclude that Barnabas is innocent but Woodard refuses to concede. But the sheriff refuses to hear any more unless the doctor can come up with any stronger evidence and until then, he must leave Barnabas alone.
This is already a lengthy review, so I'll have to leave other things that I would like to comment on out and address at a later time (such as Willie's ridiculous, out-of-the blue devotion to Barnabas and I can't find much to say about the interaction between Willie and Mrs. Johnson). I'll try and cut down to the chase.
Woodard goes into Collinwood, breaks into Julia's room and takes photos of her notes in her diary. He leaves, after apologizing to Elizabeth about the earlier incident with Barnabas). Julia finds out that Woodard was looking for her....she goes to her room and sees the evidence that he was there....and that he knows all about her experiments.
Julia informs Barnabas and insists that she be allowed to talked to Woodard to make him understand. Now if she didn't want Woodard in any danger, why the heck did she tell Baranbas in the first place? Why not go to Woodard first...probably wouldn't have done any good but still.....Barnabas dismisses her and says good night to her....and manages to get to Woodard before Woodard can successfully get hold of the sheriff. Have to say the cat coming out of the dark did get me a jolt...
I know it's a lengthy review of the episode...but I was so eager to get with it after having been off the forum for so long. The show is wisely moving away from being a remake of House of Dark Shadows and coming onto its own. Thank heavens, I say.
