Giving the Pre-Barnabas episodes another try....

[IluvBarnabas]

I've been watching the early episodes before Barnabas with a friend who has the Beginning Collection.

I realized I have been overly-critical of them to a good deal of extent in the past.

Elizabeth and Roger definitely had a lot more juicy material and were on the show more frequently that first year. I found myself enjoying their sparring, especially where David was concerned.

It's strange to see Joe with Carolyn rather than Maggie. I swear, Carolyn treated him badly over Burke, a man who had absolutely no interest in her other than using her as a weapon to hurt family.

I've never had any complaints, though, as to Mitchell Ryan as Burke. He played the ex-convict-turned-successful-business-with-a-grudge kind of character brilliantly. I loved watching him battle it out with Roger and Elizabeth, he got down and dirty with them a lot of times but his scenes with David were great too. He showed his more gentle side with the boy and became his first friend (poor kid needed a friend badly at the time too!).

It is still jarring to see Roger and David despise each other these early episodes. Roger was pretty nasty to him. I am glad that eventually they grew to be more closer.

Loved seeing the early Vicki, the one who had a backbone,the one who knew what was going on, in these episodes as opposed to the clueless, I-don't-understand bumbler she later became later on. I really wish the writers had followed through on revealing Vicki's true identity, Barnabas or no Barnabas.

Anyway, these are my thoughts.

[Garth Blackwood]

I really wish the writers had followed through on revealing Vicki's true identity, Barnabas or no Barnabas.

They never said this on the show, but I thought it was sort of implied that Elizabeth is Vicki's mother somehow. I figured this because of how Victoria somehow thought the key to key past would be found at Collinwood. Also, on one of Jason McGuire's last shows there was a scene where he saw Vicki at the Blue Whale and said something along the lines of: "You don't know about your past do you? Maybe you should talk to someone who was around here 22 years ago".

[IluvBarnabas]

They never said this on the show, but I thought it was sort of implied that Elizabeth is Vicki's mother somehow.

I've always suspected that Elizabeth was Vicki's real momma. Who her real father is is anybody's guess.

I believe Joan Bennett herself said that she believed Elizabeth was Vicki's mother. The writers just didn't follow through on it.

[Brandon Collins]

I, myself, am actually enjoying the pre-Barnabas episodes much more than I did when I first saw them. Now that I've seen the entire run of DS, the supernatural-edition, several times, I find the non-supernatural early days refreshing for the series, not to mention that all the characters are their own people, with vigor, opinions, and hutzpah ta boot!

[Janet the Wicked]

I love the pre-Barn era.
I was watching some fountain pen episodes last night. As far as Liz being Vicky's mom, what ever happened to the painting of Betty Hanscom and the idea that she may have been Vicky's mother?

[IluvBarnabas]

As far as Liz being Vicky's mom, what ever happened to the painting of Betty Hanscom and the idea that she may have been Vicky's mother?

I forgot about the Betty Hanscom angle. I still prefer to think Vicki was Elizabeth's daughter though.

Even though I never caught Return to Collinwood, I read that in there, Vicki was in fact revealed to be her daughter.

[adamsgirl]

I was lucky enough to begin watching Dark Shadows from its inception as a kid. I love these early episodes, although when I watch them now, I find the Jason McGuire thing dragged out way too long. As for Liz being Vicki's mother, I prefer to think that. In fact, in the scene where Liz is supposed to marry Jason, both she and Vicki are wearing their hair the same exactly way -- in an upsweep. They really look like mother and daughter.

[Julianka7]

I read that AM said she got the part of Vicki because of her resemblance to Joan Bennet.
I agree Elizabeth was Vicki's mother.

I believe Joan Bennett herself said that she believed Elizabeth was Vicki's mother. The writers just didn't follow through on it.

[michael c]

i adore the first year as well.i really appreciate the massive presence of joan bennett in the early episodes.later on sometimes her character disappears for weeks at a time.

funny.i can watch the first year sort of like a regular soap opera.i can put in on in the background while i do chores around the house.

the post-barnabas episodes i watch more like i'm watching a movie.i watch at night curled up on the couch under a blanket.

[RachelDrummand]

I too wish Vicky's past had been revealed on the show. I also wonder about the whole Betty angle...maybe that's who Liz was at some point? They really should have revealed all that stuff before AM left the show.

[Gothick]

Liz couldn't have been carrying on a dual identity as Betty H.  Betty was the daughter of "Hanscomb," the butler.  I'm probably the only person who ever longed for a flashback to the 1940s so we could see Hanscomb in all his glory (I'm thinking something along the lines of Gosford Park here) presiding over a bevy of parlormaids and valets.  And a proper kitchen staff with a stout red-faced cook and a team of staff to assist.

I thought they seemed to be leading up to having Vicki be the illegitimate child of Betty, possibly by an affair with Roger.  But the affair could have been between Liz and Hanscomb.  It's true that Joan Bennett stated at a number of fan events in the 1980s that she had been told, or understood, that Vicki was meant to be Liz's natural daughter.  The way a number of scenes between the two were written and played definitely implies that to me.

G.

[MagnusTrask]

If it seems that strongly implied to everyone, it's very possible that they would have gone a very different way when revealing the actual secret.    What kind of mystery story leads you to think one way, and then gives you exactly that in the end?    Even if they'd originally meant to have Vicki be Liz's daughter, when the time came, they might have felt obligated to change it, just so that it would be a surprise.   

That may be why the "past" (1795, 1897, 1840) turns out not to be what we were led to believe it would be in the "present".

By the way, it seems when they introduce us to a Collins household, everyone's a lot meaner than they are later in each storyline.   That may be considered good for soap opera purposes at first, but perhaps turns out not to work long-term.  I've just been surprised to find how nasty everyone is in 1897, at first.    Quentin suggests killing Judith, and Edward is actually tempted for a moment.... 

[alwaysdavid]

In the storyline, so far, Sam thinks that Betty might have been a daughter or niece of the bulter and even Liz who should know says this.  This  makes one wonder if they had been plannihng a split personality  storyline like that was later used for Gillian Spencer on One LIfe to LIve whose character was much like Liz's.

[Miss_Winthrop]

I think that Vicki was the daughter of Betty Hanscomb.  There is a reason why Hanscomb's portrait resembles Vicki so much.  Jason McGuire makes the ominous statement about 22 years prior that something happened. At first they were going to write that Vicki was Liz's daughter but changed their minds along the way and wanted to go in a different direction.  Unfortunately, they dropped that idea to so we don't know for sure.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The Hanscomb portrait was a red herring. It was originally intended to be a real clue when the plan (as was laid out in the Shadows on the Wall bible) was for Vicki to be Paul Stoddard's daughter. But after Joan Bennett and Alexandra Moltke were cast, and their resemblance caused the change to Liz being Vicki's mother, Joan said that Art Wallace decided to use it as a device to throw the audience off. And Joan has also said that she always played her scenes with Alexandra with the subtext that Vicki was Liz' daughter - particularly those scenes when Vicki prepared for her attempted marriage to Jeff/Peter and its aftermath. And in those scenes it definitely shows.