Question about Summer 1970

[BuzzH]

Can anyone tell me why it is that [spoiler]David seems to forget that he and Amy were once possessed by children from a past Collinwood?  He seems to be turning into his father when Carolyn & Hallie insist there's someone in the room w/them.  Why would he think Tad and Carrie couldn't harm them given his past at being possessed.  And another thing, did anyone get a little tired of the "David will die unless we go back to the past and change events"?[/spoiler]

Just wondering....

[CyrusL]

   Hi Buzz,
      If might add my speculations. I think David was always considered THE heir to the family name and legacy. I kind of smile when I remember realizing Barnabas might kill any number of people to prevent harm to David, especially since [spoiler]he was almost intent on doing away with David in the 1967 present day era.[/spoiler]  Ultimately Barnabas is about family, and David becomes a kind of priority to him after a while. Likewise, Barnabas the "anti-hero" really seems to respect Elizabeth and therefore her goals for the Collins family future. While Elizabeth is no doubt preparing for Carolyn's Trust, there is also that expectations of the show's era that Carolyn will marry at least moderately well and will be provided for. I think Elizabeth liked Joe both for his integrity and honesty as well as for a sincere and realistic ambition.

Now, [spoiler]I think there were always time paradoxes. The people who made the changes in the past were aware of what had happened and the changes. But admittedly, the effect on the people of the present was inconsistent. Amy fears Quentin in 1969, but at the end of 1840, it was as if most of 1970 had not happened. Its the old, if you could time travel and kill your grandfather, would you cease to exist conundrum.  If I might speculate, that being possessed by Tad, whom he may have been in a previous incarnation, affects him differently than being possessed by Quentin, who was basically an angry ghost. Hope this is food for thought.[/spoiler]

Michael 

[BuzzH]

  Ultimately Barnabas is about family, and David becomes a kind of priority to him after a while.

Hmm, you make some good points, thanks!    As for Barnabas, I agree he sorta became a surrogate father to David.  I mean, he had all that practice fawning over Sarah back in the day.  I just watched the scene where [spoiler]he tells David it's good to see him (after being in PT and 1995) and that he looks taller.  David replies he is, he thinks.[/spoiler]

I feel this scene was more about Jonathan chatting w/David Hennessy rather than Barnabas chatting w/David Collins. 

[michael c]

i can't believe that the writers themselves didn't see the similarities here to the quentin hauntings of 1968/69.
sometimes i feel like i'm having deja vu when i'm watching this.

another problem with the storyline here is that both david and hallie are too old for it with it's talk of playrooms and dollhouses.they're constantly refered to as "children" even though they seem more like young teenagers.

[BuzzH]

Just a comment about Hallie.  She's so annoying, she's like Jan Brady on Crack!  

[arashi]

i can't believe that the writers themselves didn't see the similarities here to the quentin hauntings of 1968/69.
sometimes i feel like i'm having deja vu when i'm watching this.

another problem with the storyline here is that both david and hallie are too old for it with it's talk of playrooms and dollhouses.they're constantly refered to as "children" even though they seem more like young teenagers.

That was quite ridiculous wasn't it? I think they could have come up with a better way to move this plot forward. David and Hallie, as well as Tad and Carrie were FAR too old for this. If Tad was old enough to spend time away from home at sea, I sincerely doubt he would be cavorting about with girls in the playroom on his return.

They never did explain the whole closet = huge room thing either.

[BuzzH]

They never did explain the whole closet = huge room thing either.

I think of the 'vanishing' playroom/closet thing the way I think of the parallel time room.  Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it's not.    Now, why the playroom is BIGGER than the closet, well, that just smacks of Dr. Who and his police call box/Tartis.  

[BuzzH]

Just watched the ep where [spoiler]Hallie and David have the same dream where they are seemingly in 1840 and go down to the foyer.  Outside you hear a carriage race up to the front doors and Flora bursts in demanding to see the children.  Quentin comes out of the closed drawing room to comfort her and take her to see their bodies, but he doesn't call her Flora, he calls her Elizabeth.  Hmmm, interesting.  Blooper on Selby's part?  Or had they not come up w/the name Flora yet?[/spoiler]
And while we're at it, does anyone else think that the name Flora was used as a sort of 'inside joke' as that was Jonathan's mother's name?  Or merely coincidence?

[jennifer]

Just a comment about Hallie.  She's so annoying, she's like Jan Brady on Crack!   

  thats so funny

jennifer
hope you make it to 2000 Buzz

[michael c]

buzz,

i just saw that episode recently myself and i did notice that quentin called joan bennett "elizabeth".i haven't seen 1840 but i do know that bennett's character there is called "flora".

funny,i noticed something else during these episodes.i haven't heard "liz" in a long time.barnabas,julia and quentin call her "elizabeth".carolyn calls her "mother".david calls her "aunt elizabeth".maggie,mrs.johnson,hallie,sebastian and others call her "mrs.stoddard".

then it hit me that roger is not present during this storyline and he is primarily the one who called her "liz".it's sort of a brother/sister thing.most of the other characters speak to her more formally.

[BuzzH]

funny,i noticed something else during these episodes.i haven't heard "liz" in a long time.barnabas,julia and quentin call her "elizabeth".carolyn calls her "mother".david calls her "aunt elizabeth".maggie,mrs.johnson,hallie,sebastian and others call her "mrs.stoddard".

then it hit me that roger is not present during this storyline and he is primarily the one who called her "liz".it's sort of a brother/sister thing.most of the other characters speak to her more formally.

Jason called her Liz too.  But I think they are the only 2. 

[Joeytrom]

The fact that Roger is absent seems to indicate they didn't know what to do with him anymore, especially since Quentin is there.

If the show had continued in the present time after 1840, we may have still seen Roger but David, Maggie, & Mrs. Johnson would be gone.  Perhaps they would have done the "kid trick" as other soaps and aged David into his 20's.

[BuzzH]

The fact that Roger is absent seems to indicate they didn't know what to do with him anymore, especially since Quentin is there.

I'm sure Louie was just doing a play.    They'd often have a character be idle or off somewhere, in this case, to Europe, when one of the actor's was off 'walking the boards'. 

[michael c]

perhaps it's just this unrelenting heat that's got me crabby but there are some continuity gaffes here that are very jarring.for instance...

[spoiler]when maggie is bitten by "an animal" carolyn reminds her that there were similar attacks in town about "a year earlier".perhaps i'm forgetting something but the last time i recall unexplained attacks was during the tom jennings/angelique storyline of 1968.[/spoiler]

then...

[spoiler]when gerard summons carolyn to the playroom he does so using the theme from josette's music box.which if you think about it really had no signifigance for her(maggie and vicki being it's recipients).
later when she performs her "recital" it's pansey faye's theme.[/spoiler]

call me cynical but i feel as if this was an attempt to remind viewers of two of the show's most popular storylines at a time when the ratings were in decline.

speaking of that music box does anyone remember what ultimately became of it?the last time i recall seeing it barnabas had mrs.johnson throw it into a cardboard box full of sleeveless dresses to be stored in the basement when vicki disappeared into the past.

[arashi]

perhaps it's just this unrelenting heat that's got me crabby but there are some continuity gaffes here that are very jarring.for instance...

[spoiler]when maggie is bitten by "an animal" carolyn reminds her that there were similar attacks in town about "a year earlier".perhaps i'm forgetting something but the last time i recall unexplained attacks was during the tom jennings/angelique storyline of 1968.[/spoiler]

then...

[spoiler]when gerard summons carolyn to the playroom he does so using the theme from josette's music box.which if you think about it really had no signifigance for her(maggie and vicki being it's recipients).
later when she performs her "recital" it's pansey faye's theme.[/spoiler]

call me cynical but i feel as if this was an attempt to remind viewers of two of the show's most popular storylines at a time when the ratings were in decline.

From what I remember a LOT of the summer 0f 70 storyline was unbearable plotwise. It's like they had these ideas for 1840, but weren't quite sure how to get there. They set stuff up in 1995 that they weren't sure later how to tie into anything at all. Personally I'm looking forward to watching these episodes, having seen them only once before.