The Levithins Are The Best Time Period!!!

Does anyone like the leivithin time period???

Evan Hanley

No.  I like to be succinct.

j/k.

It's been over 10 years since I saw that, but I seem to remember that whole storyline never really had any payoff.  I don't remember being too terribly bored during it though;  must have been some interesting things going on in other storylines or something.

I do *love* the early part of the storyline for its creepiness, but it falls apart as it progresses.  I'm relieved when Barnabas discovers the Parallel Time room, because I know it heralds the end of a storyline that had overstayed its welcome.

After being spoiled with the dense story of 1897 we get the same simple menace month after month, an asthmatic snake who is deathly afraid of television cameras.    People made fun of soap operas for staying forever at the same point in the story, and DS was supposed to be different by this point.   I know it had to be exhausting to keep the full-tilt action of 1897 going, but becoming static wasn't the answer.

BTW Evan, I think you mean the Leviathan, as Levi Thins are those tasty new Kosher matzos in regular, unsalted, onion and chicken soup flavors. 
Actually I think this story is typical of DS writing, you have this exciting opening with the creepy, ancient altar, the gothic ghoulie druid types, and then some bumps in the road before it wears out its welcome. (Adam and Eve did this the most, IMHO)I think we have a serious bump in Alexander ("Thank youmistahstoddahhd") and then some highlights with Paul Stoddard and Michael Maitland, who has a great other wordly, Christopher Walken at 12 thing going. I rather like the idea of the creature being offscreen, ( ?  ? or ? ) as it makes us work our imaginations and falls into traditional Lovecraftian lore that even glimpsing an "ancient one" could cost you to lose part of your sanity. I thought it was pretty cool-scary at 9 especially.

Michael

I LOVE the Leviathans and their story.  I am probably the only fan on the planet who regrets that Dan Curtis cut the original 6 month story arc in half due to all the hate mail.  The hate mail had mainly one cause--people did not want to see Barnabas being an evil, creepy menace.  The later part of the storyline has its ups and downs--the ups include Megan as a vampire and Bruno's strange excitement at flogging the captive werewolf; the downs, for me at least, included practically every other scene involving Bruno, and Barnabas's Grampa Munster hair hairlights after a certain event in the story.  And then there's the truly horrifying return of Peter Bradford...

I agree with Michael; the story has just as many pluses and minuses as the other storylines.  I know others disagree, but if we all felt the same way about everything, think how boring it would make life!

G.

For all its shortcomings, I enjoyed the Leviathans, at least in the beginning. There was a creepy edge there, and having Barnabas back as a meanie was much-needed at the time. I've always disliked the fact that he was -forced- to be wicked. He had plenty of ruthlessness inside anyway, and I prefer his natural vampiric evil to his being a pawn any day. I admit to some prejudice in this regard, though; as I've said here plenty of times, when I first got to watch DS on a regular basis back in its original run, the Leviathans episodes were just starting up. I look back on these with great fondness, and it was only later -- in the mid-70s -- that I got to see the earlier episodes. I'll take the Leviathans over Adam any day... Never was there a more tedious subplot, though I give Robert Rodan a lot of credit for playing the part better than it deserved.

My Apologies in advance: In honor of my writing muses, I had to correct the spelling of "Leviathans" in the subject line for my reply...it was driving me nuts. 

Forgive me...I'm in "everything's gotta be perfect for final projects" mode right now... 

Anyway--one big highlight (for me) in the Leviathan time period has to be Julia's role in the whole situation. The way she juggles everything, playing master detective while her "good friend" is under the faceless terror's evil influence is just...inspiring.

I know, go figure...  

 I liked the Leviathan storyline a great deal.  It wasn't my favorite storyline but it was very enjoyable, suspenseful and featured so many great scary moments.  The earlier portion of the storyline was great. The latter portion was fun too albeit less eerie as the first half.  I'd very happily watch it all over again, and plan on doing so eventually.

The Adam storyline gets a bad rap too, but that storyline also featured many great, memorable episodes.  I thought Robert Rodan was fantastic, especially when he was in child-like mode (before he went into "teen" mode).

 I am very fond of both storylines.  Early Barnabas, 1795, 1897, and 1968 Quentin's Ghost take the cake (for me anyway) as the best DS storylines but I love all the others too.

BCs "certain event" was profoundly sad and tragic (maybe literally), and the Pauley hair helped convey that something big had changed.

There are more cons than pros when it comes to Leviathans for me, but I can't dislike it too much because it's really the last major storyline that takes place in the present day - sadly. I honestly don't care for the storylines that come after it - far too much time jumping - so I guess that makes me appreciate it a bit.

I don't mind mean Barnabas, I just wish they had come up with a different way to make it happen - a different plot. The antique shop, Megan & Phillip, and the kids drove me absolutely mad. Characters were wasted - Paul & Quentin.

I did like seeing Quentin, Chris and Julia working together. I liked seeing the interaction between Carolyn & her Paul - Nancy Barrett really did great work as Carolyn (her cluelessness about Jeb not withstanding).

I do not like the leviathin storyline.  It was to me first of all quite unnessecary as a way of concluding the 1897 arc; there were already many interesting possibilities to build on from that in the present time without going back to 1795 and having Barnabas abducted by a cult.  I never will understand the seemingly suicidal anxiety with which those later storylines were stacked onto each other.   Ultimately, though, after being hooked to seeing dark shadows every day on scifi, I stopped watching during the leviathin episodes, because it all became extremely boring.  For instance, the episodes that dealt with Jeb's younger incarnations just dragged on needlessly; like those 1968 episodes that only featured Adam in his room in the west wing, but worse.  I also think some of the show just declined in quality; compare any of the dream sequences in 1987 to the leviathin dreams (such as the ridiulous one which turned Liz over.) If Jeb had just come along as an isolated character who happened to be able to turn into a monster when the box was opened but, like Chris the werewolf, didn't act as the obsession of every other character around him, it would have been interesting.   But there is an entire feel that the storyline has which is so off that it really is no surprise this was the beginning of the end. 

There's actually things  I like and love about each storyline. I am probably one of the few people here who can say the reason I was irreversibly hooked was during the original Phoenix story, because I so wanted to be David Collins, even with the danger. What drags out to me about Adam and Eve is when Adam becomes dislikable after Nicholas evil twisting of his naive good nature. I love Marie as a person and an actress but Eve is not a likable character. She to me is more evil than Angelique. I do love any scenes with Nicholas in any story. I think one thing that would have improved the Leviathans was better special effects, Chris Bernau (sp?) a little less consistently wooden because when he had some good moments he was good although most of the time i couldn't see much difference in him and the furniture most especially the Shadow thingy, [spoiler]not bringing in Peter Bradford to create some awful backstory about the 18th century that was the worst contrived plot twist ever perhaps[/spoiler], and not trying the kitchen sink thing with the werewolf v/s Leviathans business,   although it rather oddly foreshadows the Kate Beckinsale "Underwear" er um "Underworld" goth films. Actually, although I know in my gut feeling that 1795 is the true heart of the series, I also have such a special place for 1840, just as it pulls together a lot of the essential themes of the series so well, plus I gotta love the "head in the Box Judah" and Gerard workings. Then again Quentin's ghost was soooooo cool....
Michael

i certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that i thought leviathan was the best storyline but i did,having just completed it,enjoy it more than i thought i would.

like most here i prefered the early part of it.i thought it was creepy and atmospheric and unique.the antique shop set joined my list of favorites.i thought it was really well done.

it certaily had it's flaws as well.

clocking in at just about three months i thought it lasted just the right amount of time.longer and i can see it becoming quite wearisome.