Leviathan story vs 1970PT story

[michael c]

i'm in the camp that enjoyed both storylines.

while they are both deeply flawed i found enough there to hold my attention.perhaps that each of these storylines lasted for only about three months makes them easy to take.longer and i'm sure i would have lost interest.

there was something visually interesting and atmospheric about each of them.

if i had been an original viewer back "then" and not have seen these storylines coming i'm sure i would have been infuriated.but as a contemporary viewer involved in fandom for a few years i sort of knew what i was in for here and thus didn't have huge expectations.i just took them for what they were worth which isn't to say that while i was actually watching them i wasn't periodically maddened by all the plot inconcistensies and wasted opportunities.

that said in general i much prefer the earlier more "soap opera-ish" part of the show.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I guess it's no secret that I feel almost exactly the opposite of the original premise of this topic. 1970PT is one of my favorite DS storylines, while Leviathans is probably my least favorite. However, the operative word there is "favorite" - it's not at all that I think Leviathans has nothing to offer. The beginning of the storyline is really something quite wonderful - very atmospheric and moody. It might have been extremely interesting had Curtis stuck to his guns and Leviathans had been allowed to play out the way he might have originally envisioned it instead of everything along with the kitchen sink () having been thrown into it in a doomed effort to reverse the extremely vocally negative fan reaction. The biggest accomplishment of all that was to dilute what had been great about Leviathans and to all too often introduce incoherent and self-contradictory elements into the mix.    (Other soap producers have had the fortitude to do exactly that when the audiences for their shows have expressed dissatisfaction and those producers have often been greatly rewarded with the eventual outcome once their audiences finally saw how things turned out. But alas, Curtis was ruled by audience response and all too often tweaked the plots accordingly.  :- )

But so far as 1970PT goes, I've made several recent posts about the things I really love about it, so I won't repeat myself by going into any of that again.    But I will say that one of the things I really enjoy is that it has a cohesive beginning, middle and end - and what I most love about it is how its focus is more deeply rooted in human drama and manipulation. And one of the best episodes to showcase that is Ep #1055, which is featured in today's slideshow. As I posted last year:

... I love Love LOVE Ep #1055! Joe Caldwell's dialogue is absolutely wonderful, running the gamut from the sublime (ANGELIQUE: "You introduced me to the cold of the tomb, Roger Collins. I felt I could do no less for you." and "Peace? I don't want peace! I want his destruction! And I will have it!") to the sort of absurdity that could only make sense and be said with a straight face on a show like DS (BARNABAS (to Anglelique): "In a matter of minutes you are going to be destroyed. But before you go..."), and the suspense is edge of your seat maddening. I remember being absolutely enthralled when I first watched it back on this day in 1970. Would Roger kill Maggie? What would Angelique do to Roger? Would Roxanne speak? Would Angelique be destroyed? Would Maggie shoot Quentin? And even though I now know what's going to happen, the ep still never fails to be a thrill to watch. Ep #1055 definitely ranks as one of my ten most favorite DS eps.

[BuzzH]

(BARNABAS (to Anglelique): "In a matter of minutes you are going to be destroyed. But before you go".

This line reminds me of that scene in 1840 when [spoiler]Lamar Trask walls Barnabas up in the wall of his funeral chapel but he's been freed w/the help of Angelique.  He presents himself to Trask and absolutely GLOATS over the fact he didn't die.  I love it when he says, "I'll see you tomorrow in court Mr. Trask.  Goodnight!" and w/a grin on his face so canary-eating you can practically see yellow feathers coming out of his mouth![/spoiler]That whole dialog is something that only makes sense on a show like DS! 

[Brian]

But alas, Curtis was ruled by audience response and all too often tweaked the plots accordingly.

Of course, I can't speak for others soaps of yesteryear, but it's common knowledge that DS was usually (though not always) taped one week before the air date, and it would have been much easier to adjust the story in response to fan reactions than it is nowadays, when soaps (at least ONE LIFE TO LIFE, the only one I watch) are taped as much as 6 weeks before airing.

Also, please don't get me wrong: I don't hate 1970PT--I do like the "bad guys," (Angelique, Hoffman, esp. Timothy Stokes)--but the Jekyll/Hyde was too obvious to me, even in 1970.  I didn't know anything about REBECCA back then though (the NODS line about Mrs. Danvers meant nothing to me when I first saw that movie), but now that I've read the book and seen the classic film, the DS version seems more obviously a rip-off than a homage (yes, I know DC admits to "ripping off" the classics, but that's anothetr thread.)

Of course, I could take this in a whole different direction by comparing either of these story lines to 1897--which is my all-time favorite--or the 1840 period, which is second to 1897, to me, anyway.  But those are discussion for even yet another thread.

Brian

[Gothick]

I've posted here so many times about my fondness for Leviathan, but I'm almost as fond of PT 1970.  I particularly like the set-up of PT 1970 with the beautifully re-dressed sets and the crisp, fruity dialogue (hmmm makes it sound like granola--aaaanyway), and "Ode to Angelique" makes a great theme for the storyline.  I have mixed feelings about the Cyrus/Yeagar storyline, and the haunting of Damian Edwards subplot also does not seem to come off very successfully.  But Aunt Hannah makes a great partner in crime for Ange/Lexis when the rest of the gang is out partying at T'town (haha).

When everybody comes back it turns into a wild ride and some of the best episodes in the series, as MB has commented.  I really liked the English actor who played the Inspector (although why C'port should have an English police inspector right out of the pages of Aggie Christie is beyond me).  Too bad they did not bring him back later on.  Probably the weakest elements of the conclusion of the story is the fact that neither Quentin nor Maggie come off as a very attractive characters, nor is Barnabas' motivation in helping them at all well established.  But, if you want to watch Dark Shadows, sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride, and there's certainly plenty of great sights along the way on this one.

G.

[AndreDuPres]

I like PT better.  Both have good elements, but PT is far more enticing and cohesive.  Leviathans falls apart near the end (even though it's got some terrific scenes i.e. Angelique and Nicholas' reunion; Carolyn screaming at Julia that she doesn't want a sedative; Roger's "cheap, insufferable pig" remark; etc.), but it's also less visually appealing than PT:  while Leviathans has grimy, dark sets with unattractive costumes (Bruno's hideous fur coat, Angie's tacky hausfrau gowns) and even uglier characters (Sabrina...ugh), PT has bright and airy sets with pretty furniture and flowers which set the mood instantly.  Everything's so gauzy and rich and becoming...and superficial.  PT feels more like a Gothic soap opera than Leviathans, IMO.  And the Rebecca stuff?  Personally, after reading the novel, I don't think it's a direct rip off at all.  [spoiler]Angie comes back in PT; Rebecca stays dead in Rebecca.[/spoiler]That alone makes a world of difference.

[IluvBarnabas]

I didn't think the Leviathan story was all that bad (except for a certain plot twist that I won't go into). It wasn't the best story on the show but it certainly was watchable. Sadly I can't say the same for 1970 PT.....Barnabas was gone for a lot of the story, as was Elizabeth, Roger, Carolyn, Willie, Julia, Maggie (I am aware they were filming House of Dark Shadows at this time). a lot of the characters left to fill the void weren't up to the task. Or maybe I should say the writers. I wasn't crazy about the Jekyll/Hyde story or the Rebecca type-story, they just weren't satisfying to me.

I almost lost interest in the show at this point, but the  trip to 1995 for Barnabas and Julia  and the Gerard and Daphne haunting story plus 1840 rekindled my interest.

[Alondra]

1970 parallel time was one of my favorite storylines. I have recently finished watching the Leviathan storyline for the first time since it was last aired on the scifi channel and this time I enjoyed it more than I ever have before. Maybe having the DVD's makes a difference, I could sit and watch many episodes in a row rather than two a day and this makes a difference.

When it comes to the parallel time storyline, though I like it a lot, my favorite aspect of it is the lead up. I love the whole concept of opening a door and seeing a different world with the same people living different lives. As a kid I dreamed of such a thing happening and wanted a room in our house to be the parallel time room. I found the whole thing fascinating. Imagine finding yourself there, your own counterpart and seeing what other choices could have been made in your own life.

I liked the atmosphere at Collinwood during parallel time, the brighter sets as someone has mentioned, especially Angelique's room. I love "Angelique's theme," that is one piece of music I never get tired of hearing, not like so many others. I love [spoiler]Quentin as master of Collinwood. I did not like Maggie being a doormat, and like others have said, I wanted to infuse her with backbone. She really needed to stand up to Quentin and to Hoffman and all the others who kept comparing her unfavorably with Angelique. If Quentin had let her know at some point during their courtship how he really felt about Angelique a lot of the grief could have been averted. Certainly in their private moments he could have let her know how he felt about her? This would have helped her overcome what anyone else had to say. She should have stood up to all of them and said, "*I* am the mistress of Collinwood now and Quentin loves me. I may or may not do things as Angelique did. She is gone and I am here, and I am not leaving!"[/spoiler]

It grieved me that when [spoiler]she was kidnapped Quentin didn't lift a finger to help, and if it hadn't been for Barnabas who knows what would have happened to her? Angelique had them continually distrusting each other and believing each other guilty of murder and witchcraft.[/spoiler]

I really liked the character of Buffy and felt it was such a shame she had no self esteem. She should have sent John Yeager packing instead of humbly hoping he still liked her even after [spoiler]he raped her. There is no doubt in my mind that in that one scene he raped her. And then he insulted her by saying he wouldn't take her out since she looked terrible.[/spoiler] I think she and Maggie both deserve a good shaking and a lecture on self respect!

It doesn't bother me that they used the story of Rebecca or Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde for the story, in fact none of these "rip offs" bother me. If anything it makes me more interested to read those books or see those movies because of what DS did with it.

Alondra