Characters, Setting, & More in 1840

[Philippe Cordier]

contains some vague spoilers

That destruction of Collinwood scene has to be one of the silliest scenes DS ever staged ... It's difficult to take seriously, but I just sat there grinning and bearing it, since it's what propels Julia into the Stairway through Time and into the fascinating world of 1840 ...

I'd forgotten what rich characterizations 1840 has.  The elderly Ben Stokes is a poignant figure, embracing dignity and respect within this class-driven early Victorian society, and there are some well-done scenes up ahead between Thayer David and Jonathan Frid.  So far Samantha and Gabriel are very interesting, and from what I'm beginning to remember, most of the characters in this storyline are, including Gerard Stiles and Quentin.

In another thread Arashi mentioned especially liking John Karlen in this storyline, and if I had to choose I would say that Desmond Collins is my favorite among his many well-defined and individualized characters ... each one of them different -- thank goodness the powers that be recognized his talent and kept him throughout the majority of the series.  Flora Collins is also one of my favorite of Joan Bennett's roles and I'm looking forward to her appearance.

My least favorite character in this storyline in terms of effectiveness in its portrayal is probably the Joanna character -- a stronger actress was needed.  Another actor appears who so far seems to have played every character exactly the same way, but I think his role here is brief and less painful than some of the others.  And I wish they had chosen a different head for a certain head that will pop up along the way ... although its powerful voice (Keene Curtis) is all-to-briefly effective.

The sets (e.g., Rose Cottage interiors), lighting, and costumes of this period are all very evocative of the period, enhancing the dark theme ...

This storyline is so dark ... the overriding evil goes far beyond Gerard, who, as we shall see, is only an instrument of something greater and stretching even further back into the past ...

The 1840 storyline invites comparison with 1897 with its 19th century setting and the mystery of the ghosts who haunt the present-day children, but 1840 really is completely different and entirely unique.  The story concept as it plays out is highly original.  Although 1897 has some of my favorite moments of DS, in the final analysis I prefer 1840 largely because it holds together better and seems to have basically followed the original story arc that was mapped out for it.

[Patti Feinberg]

Vlad...one thing I noticed today was the foyer.

Did not like the flower (too much like 1970). Also, really hated the circa 1969 sculpture too.

Desmond is very good.

Here's a thought; while watching Lamar Trask, wondered to myself, how interesting it would've been to see someone like Quentin in a low-life type roll.

Missing KITTEN already.

Patti

[Cassandra Blair]

May contain spoilers -

I agree Vlad, the 1840 storyline is wonderful.  It's like a dark flower that just keeps closing in on itself.

Many of the characters are wonderfully realized, and showcase the DS actors at their best.  Nancy Barrett as Pansy Faye comes to mind, and you have to sort of love Lara Parker's Angelique, who redeems herself in this storyline (well, kinda).

Desmond and Flora DO showcase Karlen and Bennett at their best, and I think that James Storm is really strong as Gerard.  Of course Chris Pennock is wicked good as Gabriel, and although Virginia Vestoff's Samantha Collins is a nasty piece of work, you have to admit she was amazing in the role.

1840 is scarier and more bleak than many of the previous storylines, and I love how it hints that the darkness always goes deeper at Collinwood than you first think it does.  Maybe the very ground on which the house was built was cursed even before the first Collins ever set foot in Maine.

That being said, the nonsense about the head of Judah Zachary just sends me ROTFLMAO, but in a good way.  And I'm always wondering if they really did adequately wrap up all loose ends, like that thing with the kids.  Does anyone remember Judah/Gerard going after Tad and Carrie?  What about Edith?  And did there end up being Collinses at Rose Cottage after Barnabas and Julia changed the past?

Would have loved to see more of the return to 1970.  Can you imagine?  What if that trip to 1840 royally screwed up present day Collinwood?

[Happybat]

Vlad,

I laughed when one of those zombies below the staircase accidentally tossed a sheet over a fellow-zombie's head!  It is all very silly, but I really liked the scene for all its campiness.  And Julia fleeing the calamity through the mysterious staircase while Barnabas battles the zombie boys is very dramatic.  I also love Julia's arrival in 1840 and how Ben Stokes chooses to trust her and hide her.

Watching Virginia Vestoff as Samantha I am again reminded of what a comparatively excellent job the wardrobe department did with the 1840 storyline.  Almost amazingly for DS, there is nothing 1970-ish about Samantha's slicked down hairstyle with its side curls, which is spot-on for the period.  I know we will not be able to say as much for most of the other women's coiffures, but at least they got it right once! 

[Birdie]

I also have to agree I really enjoy l840.  As Vlad has stated the charactors are very rich.  Chris P. acting ablitiy seemed to have matured when taking on the role of Gabriel.  I like the idea of Barnabas not knowing Julia and reverting to a little bit of the old Barnabas.  I know what is to come so, I won't throw any spoilers out there.

Birdie

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In another thread Arashi mentioned especially liking John Karlen in this storyline, and if I had to choose I would say that Desmond Collins is my favorite among his many well-defined and individualized characters ... each one of them different -- thank goodness the powers that be recognized his talent and kept him throughout the majority of the series.

Just imagine what Desmond might have been like had he been played by the actor the role was originally created for: Roger Davis!!

       

[franimal]

And Julia fleeing the calamity through the mysterious staircase while Barnabas battles the zombie boys is very dramatic. 

I wondered about that....Barn's a vampire, right?  Why did he let them hold him like that?  He could have just dematerialized and reappeared on the staircase.

Zombies - 1, Vampires - 0?

c'ya

Franimal

[Julian]

1840 starts out with a great deal of promise - I love Flora Collins and Desmond, and the whole family dynamic between Daniel, his sons and their wives provide a great opportunity that is not fully exploited IMO.  Unfortunately the writers fall back on things that were done before.

[spoiler][Letitia Faye is a Pansy Faye retread.  The whole Trask thing is long past its sell by date, there is another trial for witchcraft that is completely ridiculous, another character gets bricked up.  There are some wonderful moments - Julia doing her mad scientist thing again is a big treat, but I think the writers missed some great opportunites and fell instead into retreading old plots.]

[Bobubas]

The elderly Ben Stokes is a poignant figure, embracing dignity and respect within this class-driven early Victorian society, and there are some well-done scenes up ahead between Thayer David and Jonathan Frid

I agree Vlad. I really enjoyed the scene where Julia released Barnabas from his coffin and Ben stopped him from strangling her. Talk about a poignant moment- When Barnabas discovered he was addressing an aged Ben Stokes, you can sense the despair in his voice upon the realization he has spent the past 45 years chained in a coffin. It's a very defining moment of mortality that Barnabas faces, and I thought Frid played it fabulously.   
                            Bob

[Miss_Winthrop]

Gotta respond and say that 1840 is one of my favorite storylines! Dark and complex and many terrific, scene stealing performances. Absolutely loved Chris Pennock's performances as Gabriel. I actually thought James Storm's portrayal of the Jerard Stiles character was meaner and more evil than that of Selby's Quentin.

[Philippe Cordier]

What great comments everyone has ... I'm going to try to save this thread!

I agree Vlad, the 1840 storyline is wonderful.  It's like a dark flower that just keeps closing in on itself.

Your image is one to savor, CassandraBlair ...

Lara Parker's Angelique, who redeems herself in this storyline (well, kinda).

The redemption theme does bring a note of hopefullness at the end ...

Desmond and Flora DO showcase Karlen and Bennett at their best, and I think that James Storm is really strong as Gerard.  Of course Chris Pennock is wicked good as Gabriel, and although Virginia Vestoff's Samantha Collins is a nasty piece of work, you have to admit she was amazing in the role.

James Storm really is very good and becomes even better as he becomes a more confident actor, I think.  To me, his evil is portrayed far more realistically than DS' other villains, who tend to arch an eyebrow and wink at the audience.  The only other thing I've seen Mr. Storm do was a short scene in a soap opera about a year ago that someone here kindly alerted us to.  Though his appearance was brief, his acting showed him to be an accomplished and experienced actor.  Here, he's a little less experienced.

Christopher Pennock has developed as an actor at this point, too, as Birdie says.

Maybe the very ground on which the house was built was cursed even before the first Collins ever set foot in Maine.

There is a "fan" novel (which I haven't read yet, and -- of course, now it's in storage  ) that deals with this premise.  Can't think of the writer's name at this time ...

And did there end up being Collinses at Rose Cottage after Barnabas and Julia changed the past?

I would imagine that it remained the Magruder place.  Perhaps Flora Magruder remained unmarried, living there alone upon the death of her parents until her own childless death.  Just a small note to point out a plausibility that I detected (we know there are plenty of implausibilities ...).

At first I thought it unlikely that Flora Collins would not have known about Angelique when Gabriel mentioned her in the drawing room at Collinwood.  But Flora Magruder would have been about 10 years old, perhaps, in 1795 (or 1797); the Magruder estate would seem to have been rather isolated from Collinwood; and we know how the Collins family kept a tight wrap on things ... Joshua didn't want anyone outside the family at the time to know about Barnabas' and Angelique's marriage, so Flora would not likely have heard about the serving girl from the French West Indies among the servants at nearby yet remote Collinwood ....

[IluvBarnabas]

Even though I feel it had more continuity problems than all the other stories on the show (which I have already gone over again and again in other threads and I won't bother to repeat myself here) I still loved 1840.

[spoiler]From Gabriel and Samantha's bickering, to the possession of Gerard by Judah Zachery, Angelique making Roxanne a vampire and trying to inflict the same fate on Julia, Angelique's removing the curse from Barnabas, Leticia and Desmond's and Daphne and Quentin's budding romances, to flighty Flora, heck I even enjoyed Quentin's witchcraft trial (as silly as it was depicting a witchcraft trial in the 19th century, I still liked it a lot more than Vicki's trial in 1795). The one thing I did NOT like was Barnabas declaring he only loved Angelique, like he had forgotten what she had done to him and his family in 1795.[/spoiler]That was really mind-boggling.