Barnabas' restoration of the Old House...

You know it was always interesting to me that when Barnabas had Willie to restore the Old House. They repaired the stairs and, what would be called, the drawing room/living room area was also restored. They definately restored Josette's room, but...

Sarah was suppose to mean as much to Barnabas as Josette did. So it would seem that once Sarah was brought into the story. We would have seen her room also at the Old House also. But they never showed Barnabas in a room that could have been his sister's room and I don't ever remember seeing Sarah in a room at the Old House that could have been her room. I think when Sarah found her party dress. It was in the trunk in Josette's room. If I remember correctly.

It was just abit odd that Barnabas would fail to restore his sister Sarah's room as he had Josette's room.

FireRose

DS was always at the mercy of a small budget and even smaller studio facilities.  Space and money was always in short supply.  I also think it was a better plot device to have Sara come to Barnabas than to have him go looking for her in one part of the house.

You know, I've often wondered about this too.  You'd think they'd have shown Sarah's ghost playing in her room.  Did they ever show any rooms other than Josette's, the drawing room and the cellar in the present day?  I don't recall seeing Barnabas's room either.

And talking of the old house, just how big was it anyway?  When you think of how many people were staying there in the 1790s, there had to be at least nine bedrooms.  It would certainly have been a job of work for poor Willie to restore all of that on his own, while Barnabas slumbered in the cellar.  

 Perhaps it was too painful for Barnabas to see his little sister's room again.  Maybe he didn't even want Willie in there.  He'd often become angry when Willie or Julia would dare even mention her name in his presence.  Maybe he kept it locked up? 

If I were writing the story, I wouldn't want Sarah to show up in the room in which she died.  That would imply that she was trapped there forever and that's just too sad to contemplate.  Better to find her playing with her ball out in the gardens. That scenario implies hope.

And yes, I agree with PennyDreadful.  Barnabas would surely have kept that room safely locked.  Even more so than Josette's room, Sarah's would have been too sacred a place for mere mortals to disturb.

 Perhaps it was too painful for Barnabas to see his little sister's room again. Maybe he didn't even want Willie in there. He'd often become angry when Willie or Julia would dare even mention her name in his presence. Maybe he kept it locked up?

If I were writing the story, I wouldn't want Sarah to show up in the room in which she died. That would imply that she was trapped there forever and that's just too sad to contemplate. Better to find her playing with her ball out in the gardens. That scenario implies hope.

And yes, I agree with PennyDreadful. Barnabas would surely have kept that room safely locked. Even more so than Josette's room, Sarah's would have been too sacred a place for mere mortals to disturb.

Yes and that would have been an interesting story idea to have restored the room. Locked and forbid anyone to enter it.

It would have been a great mystery had they thought to do that before Sarah appeared on the show.

I understand what you are saying, but... and there is always a but.

One thing about Dark Shadows is they didn't stick to the rules. So having Sarah's room showed. Didn't necessary mean she would have been trapped there. Because Dan Curtis and the writer's didn't stick to traditional rules of how ghost/spirits behaved in the way we always read about in books and saw them portrayed in movies and other tv shows that dealt with spirits.

[spoiler]Sarah died inside the Old House. So most stories I've seen that involve spirits/ghost had it where they were bound not to go beyond the threshold of the place they died. Sarah should have been confined to the Old House by that rule and not been able to go anywhere beyond the walls of the Old House. But Sarah seemed to go pretty much where she wanted to go outside the Old House. She went outside to play with David. She went to Collinwood. She went to Sam Evans'. She went to Wyndcliffe.[/spoiler]

I just think it would have been interesting to see how it would have played out had Barnabas  restored the child's room too.
It would have made an interesting story plot had they thought to do that before we knew who Sarah was.

FireRose   

Judging from 1795, I just don't seem to remember Barnabas and Sara being very close.  I mean, Josette was his entire life, he was completely devoted to her.  After that it was Jeremiah, his best friend, and then probably his mother.  Sara seemed to rank only above Abigail and Joshua.

Judging from 1795, I just don't seem to remember Barnabas and Sara being very close.  I mean, Josette was his entire life, he was completely devoted to her.  After that it was Jeremiah, his best friend, and then probably his mother.  Sara seemed to rank only above Abigail and Joshua.

Actually, from watching 1795 I was under the impression Barnabas absolutely adored Sarah. He was devastated when she died (this is why I have a really hard time accepting Barnabas forgiving Anglique for the damage she inadvertently caused). Barnabas actually agreed to marry Angelique if she could cure Sarah of her chest pains which Angelique was responsible for in the first place (remember the doll and pins?). ..nice lady Angelique.
He almost seemed more like her father than Joshua did. I felt that Joshua was probably more uncomfortable with his young daughter and didn't quite know how to react towards her and it was this void which brought Sarah and Barnabas much closer. But, everyone sees things differently 

[spoiler]Actually, the main family had moved to Collinwood by Sara's death.  (Remember Barnabas wasn't cursed until after they had all left.)  She died from pneumonia from going to the Mausoleum to find vampire Barnabas but instead getting caught in the rain.  Thus, she died in the main house.  I believe Barnabas was very close to his sister.[/spoiler]

She really is out of bounds with the ghost thing.  However, I never mind it really.  She came in handy in several situations this way.

[spoiler]Actually, the main family had moved to Collinwood by Sara's death.  (Remember Barnabas wasn't cursed until after they had all left.)  She died from pneumonia from going to the Mausoleum to find vampire Barnabas but instead getting caught in the rain.  Thus, she died in the main house.  I believe Barnabas was very close to his sister.[/spoiler]

I remember now that you pointed that out.

Which proves I'm as confused as the writer's were on the show. So I can't complain about them messing up. When I did it myself.

FireRose

Actually, from watching 1795 I was under the impression Barnabas absolutely adored Sarah. He was devastated when she died.

This is very true.  [spoiler]he was distraught when she died, especially since he blamed himself.  He would have died in her place if he could have.[/spoiler]

He almost seemed more like her father than Joshua did. I felt that Joshua was probably more uncomfortable with his young daughter and didn't quite know how to react towards her and it was this void which brought Sarah and Barnabas much closer.

I agree w/this as well.  He was more 'fatherly' towards her than brotherly.  I mean, in the very first episode of 1795 when [spoiler]he encounters Vickie on the front porch of the Old House when she's just arrived in the past, Sarah comes out and he, surprised to see her says, "Sarah, what are you doing up?  I thought I just tucked you in for your nap."[/spoiler]What brother does that?  I actually wrote a story once where it was revealed he was actually her father.  Not that I'm saying he was really, just something to think about!   

I just think it would have been interesting to see how it would have played out had Barnabas  restored the child's room too.
It would have made an interesting story plot had they thought to do that before we knew who Sarah was.

Again, very true.  It would have added to the already growing mystery about who Sarah was and what did she have to do w/Barnabas.  I love that scene in 1967 when [spoiler]she comes to Maggie in her basement cell and says, "If you see my big brother, DON'T tell him you saw me!  He doesn't like it when ppl come down here!"  Then she skips away.[/spoiler]

when barnabas wasn't in the vampire state(which ended up being a considerable period of time)i doubt he slept in that dark and dank basement.

he must have demanded very comfortably appointed gentlemen's quarters upstairs.that would have been a great set to see.

I'll tell you what room I REALLY would have loved to see: a bathroom in the Old House completely renovated in the ornate Victorian style, with claw-foot tub, silver fixtures and roaring fireplace.

Oh, and Willie....having a soak after a hard day of bleeding cattle.....

they did show willie's bedroom set on at least one occasion.

[spoiler]when the police were investigating maggie's disappearance in 1967 barnabas being the nice guy that he was at the time planted maggie's ring in willie's room in order to frame him for her kidnapping.[/spoiler]

Here it is: