Favorite Aired Season

[dvlvan26]

Hello Cousins!

Please vote for your favorite aired season of DS.

[Ian]

Most definitely the 4th season. What do you get in the 4th season? Why you get 1897 of course!

[Barnabas'sBride]

By that scale....mine would be the second or the fourth season.

The second being Barnabas' arrival through most of 1795. And the fourth would cover the 1897 storyline. Those are far and away my favorites.

[Misa]

Definitely the 4th season, 1897 is Great!

Misa

[Satan]

Whichever season had the Leviathan storyline, that is my favorite season. After that is the second season. I love the beginning episodes with Barnabas.

[Raineypark]

The original sequence from the opening of the casket to the shooting of Willie Loomis.
That establishes who and what Barnabas is, brings new blood (you should pardon the expression... ) to the Collins family, creates the anticipation of an unknown factor and leads to the rollercoaster of fear and dread that is "The kidnapping of Maggie Evans".  After that, all the "hopeful/fearful" situations were simply variations on the original theme.

[Patti Feinberg]

Most definitely the 4th season. What do you get in the 4th season? Why you get 1897 of course!

Isn't 1897 really in '68-'69...which according to this, would be 3rd season? (That's why I voted for third season...)

Patti

[AndreDuPres]

I thought 1897 occurred in '69-'70.  It began in late winter/early spring of 1969 and continued onward till the fall of that year.  I definitely went with Season Four if that's the case.

[Ian]

I thought 1897 occurred in '69-'70.  It began in late winter/early spring of 1969 and continued onward till the fall of that year.  I definitely went with Season Four if that's the case.

You're right. I double-checked the original air dates on DarkShadows.com.

[Gothick]

How bizarre about what that site says.  1897 began in March of 1969 and wrapped in November of the same year.  (which is why dear Count Petofi was endlessly trying to get to the year 1969.)

I personally find it too jarring to my worldview (and Hell, haven't you figured out that I'm the *sensitive* one here??) to analyse the show in terms of "seasons."  I've often thought it would have ran forever if they had given the cast and crew a three to four month hiatus, but it was a soap opera and it ran day in, day out for five years from June of '66 through April 2, 1971.

but please, don't let me spoil your fun...

[The Ghost of Sarah Collins]

My favorite Aired Season must be the second season, it being the first time that we travel to the past, how beautiful Naomi was in her gown, and of course the men so handsomely dressed so charming and proper....watching Vickie wonder whom is whom, and always making the same mistake... poor girl.

[Ian]

I personally find it too jarring to my worldview (and Hell, haven't you figured out that I'm the *sensitive* one here??) to analyse the show in terms of "seasons."

You're right. I would probably break it down like this:

Present Time
1795
Present Time
1897
Present Time
Present Time PT
1995
Present Time
1840
1840PT

[Gothick]

Hmmm... that's a good start, Ian.  This is how I divide up the series:

1966: June-Dec.  (includes to the end of the Matthew Morgan story)
Laura Collins (mid Dec '66--March 1967)
Jason MacGuire/The Introduction of Barnabas (March-November 1967)
1795 (Nov. 1967-April 1968)
1968 (April 1968-November 1968)
The Haunting of Collinwood/Introduction of Quentin (December 1968-March 1969)
1897 (March-November 1969)
Leviathan (November 1969-March 1970)
Parallel Time 1970 (March-July 1970)
1995/The Summer of 1970 (Introduction of Daphne and Gerard) July-October 1970
1840 October 1970-Jan. 1971
Parallel Time 1841 Jan-April 1971

Further refinements can be made, and I would make them if I were discussing this at greater length--The Intro of Barnabas, 1968, and 1897 storylines are all normally divided into two parts, for example.

G.

[Ian]

Well...if you want to be technical...

You can take each specific storyline... Just in case, I'll spoiler cut these.

[spoiler]Who are Vicki's parents?
Burke's Revenge
The Car Crash
Bill Malloy's Murder
The Phoenix
Jason McGuire
Maggie's Kidnapping
Julia Attempting to Cure Barnabas
Barnabas Terrorizing Julia
The Vampire Curse on Barnabas
Vicki's Witchcraft Trial
Trask vs. Barnabas
Millicent and Nathan
Peter/Jeff and Vicki
Adam and Eve
The Dream Curse
The Premature Burial
Quentin and Beth Haunting Collinwood
Quentin's Portrait
The Hand of Count Petofi
Quentin and Amanda in Hell
The Leviathans
Angelique's Hold on Collinwood
Barnabas Entombed
Cyrus's Experiment
Collinwood Destroyed
Gerard, Daphne, Tad, and Carrie haunting Collinwood/Rose Cottage
Judah's Head
Gerard Possessed
Quentin's Witchcraft Trial
The Lottery
Bramwell and Catherine
[/spoiler]

I THINK that's it...correct me if I'm wrong.

[Gothick]

Very cool!  I'd quibble over a couple of those, but overall, that's a great way of schematizing the series.

I had never thought of graphing DS along the "season" model, but I do note that several of the storylines begin in early Spring and end in late Fall.

G.