Boardindex Page Montage/aka 'Book 1'?

[Josette]

Did all of this come from the show?  I don't recall any of this Julia story.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Julia's background in Barrettstown is completely made up for the comics.

[Josette]

Thank you, MB.  I figured it must have been, but I was under the impression that the comic was depicting the show.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The comics have included some bits of material from the show (or close to it), but that's been so that non-viewers of the show would be brought up to speed with some important points they would have missed. For the most part, Book 1 is exploring new material that we didn't see on the show and as David Campiti put it, it "takes place in the continuity of the third hour of the mini-series, where Julia says 'It's been 10 weeks since we started Barnabas' cure.' A lot could happen in 10 weeks - and did."

[Gothick]

With regards to today's snippet, did Mrs J actually address Barn as "Barnabas" on this series? In the original show, she'd have called him Mr. Collins.

From what I have seen to date, this confection's relationship to the "continuity" of the 1991 series seems tenuous, at best. And as previously stated, I'm not all that familiar with the canon of the 1991 show, so if I have noticed so many discrepancies that thinking of this as somehow taking place in the same universe as 1991 canon seems fanciful at best--I can just imagine how an actual fan of that series would have reacted, at this point.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

It's been some time since I've seen the actual episode but I would think that she would have addressed as Mr. Collins on the first meeting, maybe evolving to the somewhat less formal but still respectful Mr. Barnabas later on.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I don't ever remember the '91 Mrs. Johnson addressing or referring to Barnabas as anything but "Mr. Collins." It was quite a surprise when this issue had her address him by his first name. That was simply something that a servant would never do - well, unless the person in question expressly told the servant to please do so - but we never saw Barnabas ever say that to Mrs. J. Though if any fan had ever complained to Mr. Campiti, I have no doubt whatsoever that he would have claimed that Barnabas probably did so at some point we didn't see. That was the way he always explained away similar goofs - even the ones, like this one, that completely flew in the face of how things were done on the series...

In this case, TPTB behind the comics really needed some sort of etiquette adviser to school them on how a wealthy family and their servants interact...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Here's the thirteenth page:

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version)

And notice that it features both dialogue and panels that the slideshow skipped over.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Actually, I just remembered that there is one instance on the '91 series in which Mrs. J. doesn't simply refer to Barnabas as "Mr. Collins," and that's when she exclaims admiringly, "Barnabas Collins must be a wonderful man." But that's immediately after she's just learned that Barnabas is willing to take her nephew Willie on and has given him a new job. But, of course, it's an example of her using his entire name out of respect, not of her simply using his first name...

That moment with Mrs. J. was even featured in some of the promos. Unfortunately though, the only version that I made a video of back when we were doing the '91 Series Watching Project was the 2 minute trailer, which is 9.56MB in size. But if you're game to watch it, you can do so by clicking here.

[Uncle Roger]

In my opinion, the side trip into Barrettstown was an unnecessary one. Yes, Julia's background has always been somewhat sketchy in most versions of DS but this really doesn't add much to defining the character or her motivations. Plus, if Julia is indeed from Massachusetts, that doesn't really mesh with Barbara Steele's accent. Some insight into her past with Michael Woodard or the failed marriage that was never mentioned on screen would have been preferable.
I have other issues with this story which I will mention as the slideshow proceeds.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Some insight into her past with Michael Woodard or the failed marriage that was never mentioned on screen would have been preferable.

Exactly!

Though to their minds the comics needed something that I won't get into yet but they felt Barrettstown provided. I'd argue it wasn't needed at all - at least not for DS fans. Though maybe they were right and it was needed to attract a general audience. 


And just to go back to my previous post, I forgot to mention that I always thought that anyone who saw the 2 minute trailer (which I think was only run twice) would have instantly been hooked into having to watch the show. I know I could not wait to see the show after having seen the trailer!

[Gothick]

1991 Julia had a failed marriage? I presume this was mentioned in that book that KLS published.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

Gothick, I was unaware of Julia having a failed marriage until MB mentioned it in the slideshow related to the NBC series.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The first hint to Julia's failed marriage pops up in the pilot's script here:

Those with good memories will have already realized that today's quote -

Page 79C/Scene 177 - Julia: 'On the contrary, I owe you Michael. Besides the obligation, I'm intrigued.'

- is not what Julia says in the pilot - she actually says "On the contrary, I'm quite intrigued." There's no reference to any obligation that Julia may owe Woodard. And that's because the scene that explains Julia's perceived obligation to Woodard was never shot. But the scene that will explain it will be coming up in the slideshow/script shortly after the current scene concludes...

And here are the posts detailing the scenes that explain all about it:

Setting up the new sequence:

177A  EXT. COLLINSPORT INN - DAY       A quaint, New Englandy bed and breakfast. 177B  INT. COLLINSPORT INN - JULIA'S ROOM - DAY       Woodard is pouring a drink into a glass at a small bar. He       looks over his shoulder.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 79C/Scene 177B - Woodard: 'That's really all I can tell you. It's all very strange.'

- comes up.

And keep in mind that the reason this sequence takes place during the day is because Scene 177 is originally scripted to have taken place during the day.

Also, it's interesting to note that had this sequence been shot as scripted, not only would it have been the only time we might have seen the outside of the Collinsport Inn in the '91 series, it would have been the only time the Collinsport Inn location would have factored into anything on the series because, unlike the original series, the Collinsport Inn never once shows up. I don't think it's ever even referred to...

Moving on to the next scene:

177C  ANOTHER ANGLE       To show Julia stepping out of the bathroom. She's changed her       clothes and is buttoning as she exits.                                               (CONTINUED)       Revised 2/28/90 177C  CONTINUED:                           JULIA                 Yes, but quite intriguing.       Woodard hands her the drink and Julia accepts with a small       toast. She takes a sip.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 79D/Scene 177C - Woodard: 'Have you heard from Donald?'

- comes up.

Think of what sort of message the outset of Scene 177C might have sent if it wasn't shot correctly! 

And just who is Donald? Well, we'll learn that very shortly...

Continuing on:

Today's first quote picks up with Julia's response to Woodard's question about Donald -

Page 79D/Scene 177C - Julia: 'A Christmas card. He's moved to Los Angeles... where all divorced men go. (a beat) I never properly thanked you for all the times I cried on your shoulder when Donald and I broke up.'

- and then today's second quote -

Page 79D/Scene 177C - Woodard: 'You don't have to.'

- is his reply.

So, the '91 Julia was supposed to have been married and divorced - who knew? And quite the departure from the original Julia.

And this scene also deepens the Julia/Woodard relationship beyond what we knew. Probably even beyond the close relationship of Julia and Dr. Woodard in the original series...

And wrapping up the scene we begin with Tuesday's quote -

Page 79D/Scene 177C - Julia: 'I know, but you were there, and it's appreciated professor. Now just keep me away from decadent losers pining away for their mothers.'

- followed by the script indicating:

She takes another drink as Woodard watches her.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 79D/Scene 177C - Woodard: 'Figure out a way to give me back twenty years and your problems are over.'

- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:

A moment, as she looks at him, a long, warm look.                           JULIA                 A nice thought.                      (a beat)                 Now, I think we better get over                 to the hospital...       She turns to leave. Woodard stares after her a beat, then       follows.

End of scene and end of sequence.

I do have to say that the Donald character intrigues me - particularly the description of him as a "decadent loser" - and especially the "decadent" part. Makes one wonder if he had shown up, just what he might have been like and what sort of havoc might he have created. And as Uncle Roger suggests, his possible arrival in Collinsport could have opened up all sorts of stroyline possibilities. And if the show had actually been brought back as a daytime soap (which was a possibility at one time - but DC was adamantly against it) rather than a primetime show, meaning there would have been an opportunity for much more story, it probably would have almost been a certainty that Donald would have shown up. Plus, given some of the seeming hints given in the direction for Scene 177C, one also has to wonder if Woodard was in some way pining for Julia and, if the show had been revived as a soap, if he might have tried acting on it (think of the complications of a Barnabas/Julia/Woodard triangle, even if all of it had simply remained unrequited on Julia's part with Barnabas and Woodard's part with Julia!). But of course, we'll never know the answers to any of that...

And up next, one more short bit before we get back to stuff that actually was in the pilot. Though fairly soon afterward things will deviate from the pilot because some scenes will be playing out in a different order in the script than they appear in the pilot. But more on that when they come up...

As I've alluded to, in an upcoming issue a scene that was shot for the pilot but cut from the NBC version will be depicted in the comic. (Though the great thing is the scene was restored for the MPI version of the pilot.) Unfortunately though, there was never any indication that the comic might have ever expanded on this never shot material concerning Julia's past marriage. But most likely that was because they were more interested in introducing their own Barrettstown story.

[Uncle Roger]

Just a random thought here: I wonder if Donald might have eventually taken over the place in the story originally filled by Paul Stoddard.