If you could show two consecutive episodes to someone...

[AndreDuPres]

...to get him/her to like the show, which episodes would you choose?  A friend of mine wants me to watch his new Charmed DVD with him, but I told him he'd have to watch a little DS beforehand.  So, which episodes should I pick?  I'm leaning heavily towards 1897, but I'm not sure:  there are so many good episodes!

[Satan]

I think the 1795 story would be better for a newbie to watch. Even though it's not my first favorite story from the show, it is the best fast paced story the show ever had. The 1897 story is great, but it got boring once Petofi started switching bodies with the other characters. That's when I got tired of the story and was excited for the Leviathan story to start. One of my favorite episodes from the 1795 is when [spoiler]Barnabas kills Trask. They made it eerie with Trask's screams echoing through the house.[/spoiler]

[AndreDuPres]

I think the 1795 story would be better for a newbie to watch. Even though it's not my first favorite story from the show, it is the best fast paced story the show ever had. The 1897 story is great, but it got boring once Petofi started switching bodies with the other characters. That's when I got tired of the story and was excited for the Leviathan story to start.

Ah, but the body-switching part is my absolute favourite moment in DS--sheer brilliance, suspense, and interest for over 20 episodes, for it combines a spiritually split and confused Kitty, astral Julia, the very best of Pansity, an evil, manical "Quentin"  or a side of whom we shan't see ever again during the show, a troubled and challenged Angelique, a vindictive Judith, a much-present and ever-aristocratic Edward (in one if not the last of Louis Edmond's "romances" on the show), a vulnerable "Petofi", and even the better (best?) side of the oft derided Roger Davis.  What more could one ask for?  I hooked my little eleven year old cousin onto the show with these episodes, so I might as well use them again.  But maybe I should use a more "normal" plotline on the show--late 1897 is so frenetic and in-your-face.

[ProfStokes]

I think 1995 would offer a great taste of DS at its best.  It has such a moody and ominous atmosphere, and the mystery of why everyone in town--Collins survivors included--is so frightened and crazy is a good hook.

ProfStokes

[Ian]

I'd have to agree with Satan. 1795 is by far one of the better storylines from the series. I would lean towards the END of the storyline, since the action is quite fast-paced in the last....ten or so episodes.

[proudhug]

Haha, so funny because I just got my cousin into the show last night.  As I'm a fan of the early episodes anyway, I decided to start him at the beginning, though.  He doesn't even know anything about Dark Shadows, so he thinks it's just a regular old soap opera, so far.  I told him it gets much "better" later on, but he doesn't know about vampires or witches or time travel yet.  Should be fun... if he stays interested.

[Gothick]

I once introduced someone to the series with the episode from 1897 where Angelique emerges from the fireplace in flames at the beckoning of Quentin and Evan's incantation.  That episode and the one following it are well paced and introduce the main themes of the Barnabas/Angelique/Josette triangle.

Two others that come to mind are the show that starts out with Mrs J telling Nicholas (in 1968) that she thinks there's a curse on the Collins family, and the one following it.  DS at its most baroque, with wonderful performances from everyone!

G.

[Sandor]

The 2 consecutive episodes I'd pick would be from the "Quentin/Beth haunt Collinwood" storyline from early 1969 - specifically where Prof. Stokes performs an exorcism on the house, and the next one where Quentin drives the family from the mansion. In just those 2 episodes, the virgin DS viewer gets to meet:
Elizabeth, Roger, Carolyn, David, Barnabas, Julia, Chris, Quentin, and Prof. Stokes.

[LeFanu]

If I were to choose two consecutive episodes with which to introduce a newbie to "Dark Shadows," I might go with those couple episodes early on in the show (290 and 291) when Barnabas attempts to kill Julia, but she reveals to him that she knows he's a vampire and thinks she may be able to cure him.  Julia and Barnabas first meeting is really pivotal to everything that came after, and this lays the foundation for her whole Girl Friday role, also showing off his not-so-nice side.  Plus there was also stuff about Barnabas's whole Josette/Maggie/Vicki obsession going on, which sets up other exciting storylines.