Does anybody else out there think that Chris is looking hotter than ever these days?

Something about the outfits they gave him to wear and how he's combing his hair, which he's grown out slightly ... He looks good enough to eat!

There's a scene coming up where Julia is playing with Chris' coat buttons.  I always wonder whether Grayson was toying with just ... undressing him right there on the set!  Sam referred to Briscoe somewhere or other as "too handsome" and I'm afraid he may not have appreciated the onscreen chem between his wife and the gorgeous young actor.

Ah, to be back in 1969, taking a moonlit stroll through Central Park and having Don Briscoe glide up on his skateboard, shirttails flying in the breeze.

Gothick the Romantic

Well, I grew up in suburban Maryland, and all the head shops were in Baltimore, and my parents made sure I stayed well away from them back in the day.

I was kind of an odd teenager...

Gothick

Whatever Stokes himself knows, it's clear that he keeps his own counsel (and with friends like Barn and Jules, how could one do otherwise?)

The writers make it clear that Julia STILL acts as if she believes Stokes knows nothing about Barnabas' history, not to speak of Chris, in an unfortunate scene late in the game in the 1840 storyline, a scene I had eagerly looked forward to seeing again as an adult viewer, but turned out to be something of a disappointment (though since it was one of the last good scenes Thayer and Grayson did together on the show, I do get the tape out and play it from time to time).

There is a FABULOUS scene coming up in a week or 2 where Stokes tells Julia she needs to start being more "realistic" (or something along those lines) about Barnabas.

Gothick

Midnite, thanks for sharing that gorgeous photo of Grayson!  Love it!

Those are the wrong bulbs on that electric candlabrum.  I bet that Garth crashed into the thing on a bender and smashed the ones that belonged there, and Sy couldn't locate replacements in time for the return to '69!

xo  Steve

Raineypark, I agree; Connie should be forced to post at least 2 luscious shots of Johnny in Daughters of Darkness to make up for that unflattering portrait!

And Jennifer, may I commend you upon your GORGEOUS new icon?  I sigh every time I look at him.

Gothick

I'm not sure why they chose to call these books Concordances.  A concordance, in scholarly apparatus jargon, refers to a book that allows you to see all the references to a given word or phrase in a canonical text at a glance.

For instance, using a Bible Concordance, you can find a detailed list of each place in the Bible in which the phrase "Son of Man" is used.

And, with a Shakespeare Concordance, the important information regarding how many times the Bard had a character speak of someone's "bent pike" is available at a glance.

I'm not sure what would be cross referenced in a DS concordance.  How many times the word "sedative" is used?  Just when and in what circumstances someone drew the Death card?  How many seances were held in what time periods/bands?  How many bottles of brandy were consumed by Quentin in a given day of 1897?

The mind boggles.

Gothick

I've just realized that my life is forever destined to be incomplete.

I have never heard of, or seen, the antics of the Creature known as Spongebob Squarepants.

However, my Dad's name is Bob, and although he is a good humored chap, I do not think he would appreciate this program as described.

Gothick

Well, I personally LOVE the Leviathans storyline, especially the first 6 weeks or so.  I enjoy it because it is so different and yet also brings up some themes from previous storylines.  And, unashamedly, I love it because in these first weeks, JULIA is at the center of the storyline!  Some of my favorite Julia shows are the ones that are going to be broadcast in the next few weeks.

Though I hesitate to challenge the canonical statements of the Dark Shadows Companion, I strongly disagree with the statement that the Leviathans was the beginning of the end.  The reality is that the ratings were dipping already during the latter half of 1897 as the story became too complicated for many who had become fans in 1968.

In 1970 the ratings went down and I think a lot of it had to do with ABC affiliates dropping the show.  When the movie came out in the Summer of '70, it both stimulated interest and also horrified parents many of whom felt the series was inappropriate material for their children, based upon what they saw in the movie.

Finally, I may never be able to produce proof in print, but I do not believe that DS was canceled due to low ratings.  It IS documented fact that the ratings were climbing again during the widely-viewed-as-disastrous PT 1841 storyline in 1971.  I think the real reason the series ended was because Dan Curtis wanted to close it down so he could move on to other projects.  There were others as well who were ready to move on--I believe Jonathan Frid, Lela Swift and the Halls among them.  Also, DC was ready to film the second DS feature, and I think he preferred closing the series down to having to go through the strain of doing the movie AND running the series at the same time, as had been the case in the Spring of '70.

I'll make a separate post at some point as to why I think the Leviathan storyline should be rated as among DS' best moments...

Gothick