Dark Shadows has arrived!

[Alexis]

Is Meg (frustratingly clueless newcomer to Sunset Beach) that much different than frustratingly-clueless Victoria, newcomer to Dark Shadows?

Victoria is much more likeable to me at this time of my life. I loved Meg originally as a teen. Watching the show back now, I really hate her. Her whole happiness and life depends on her love for Ben, and she has no identity outside of that. I just don't relate. Victoria at least seems like a real person.

 

[Daniel Avery]

And when Victoria didn't understand...by golly, she let you know it! Repeatedly....

 

[Alexis]

And when Victoria didn't understand...by golly, she let you know it! Repeatedly....

At least she had the capacity to understand. Unlike Meg...

 

[rlr718]

By the way, David is looking for Sara. Just sayin’.

 

[rlr718]

The revival series (NBC, 1991) was excellent. The casting, the production values, and the photography were all top-notch. I also loved how they took the original source material and boiled it down to its best essentials, making only a few key changes that made the story flow better (and make more sense).

I remember it seemed like high production values. Also back then, I thought Ben cross was kind of hot (he recently passed away). I will be dipping into the 91 version soon.

 

[Daniel Avery]

The cast had several soap opera veterans (from Another World, Days, Y&R, GL), several film stars, and a few actors who fall into the "about to be discovered" category.

The only drawback (and it is minor) is that the main location, the Greystone mansion in LA, is very difficult to disguise. The landscaping gives the game away. There are occasional palm trees in the background, which isn't common for coastal Maine.

 

[GMCox]

Any update on Dark Shadows: Reincarnation yet? It just dawned on me that it has been a year since the announcement.

 

[darkshadows38]

1stly the 91 reboot i still enjoy i can see why a woman or man would think that of Ben Cross back than that was before he got that terrible haircut he for some reason kept i think for the rest of his life. kinda how like Ringo's had an awful haircut since around (1998) when Vertical Man came out. if you watch the dvd's of DS 91 let me wan you about one thing though the color is off on it. like Buffy Blu-ray the same thing was done to the 91 reboot you have scenes shot in the day time that were suppose to take place at night show as the daytime so you have Barnabas during the day most likely as a vampire.

as for the reboot/sequel uh no there's been nothing it was in developement and a script for the pilot was being written last i heard than Covid-19 happened....

to take a guess maybe the script is either still being worked out the various drafts etc... or things were moved around cause of the pandemic or both i dunno.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I didn't know there were also cool kids in Dark Shadows.

Hmmm. maybe I'll stick around for a while.

 

[tommie]

Ah, yes, it's sort of interesting that Dark Shadows kind of mirrors a bit what happened on Peyton Place at that time - well, not really, but there's groovy kids and a lot of pensive staring over the cliffs of Collinwood, which seemingly happened at the same time the Webbers and poor poor Ann Howard were introduced on Peyton Place.

 

[James from London]

Dark Shadows kind of mirrors a bit what happened on Peyton Place

Indeed, both shows start with an outsider arriving in a small New England town full of secrets ...

 

[James from London]

Indeed, both shows start with an outsider arriving in a small New England town full of secrets ...

BY TRAIN! They're both ON A TRAIN!

 

[Willie Oleson]

And they're both going to take care of somebody/somebodies

 

[Willie Oleson]

Burke Devlin is...Michael Tyrone, but as an ex-convict he's also Elliott Carson.

 

[tommie]

I'm not sure why they act like Burke is "young" though. He looks like he's in his mid-40s. I was pretty surprised to learn the actor was only 32 when he did the series.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The spooky score is kinda omnipresent and generally speaking this would annoy me a little (or a lot) but in this series it seems almost as important as the script and the actors. It reminds me of the spooky TV series for kids.

The story is progressing quite nicely as it continues to present new characters, questions and possibilities. I'd say 5 episodes equeals one hour of prime time television - not bad at all for a daytime soap.
Roger Collins is a flamboyant version of Steven Cord. "I am part of this family too!" / "Did he say anything about meeee" and other hissy fits.
David's mother is....a-way. Haha.

The outdoor scenes in particular are very creepy, the bad picture quality adds to the idea of unearthed footage from a very sinister place and time.

 

[Alexis]

It reminds me of the spooky TV series for kids.

It was kids that kept the show on the air. The show was going to be axed by ABC for low ratings, but then it caught on with kids getting home from school around 3.30pm I think, and the ratings began to soar. I believe that's when they took it in a very supernatural direction.

I haven't really watched any Dark Shadows this year. It's been a crazy year even with long periods off work. I don't seem to have been able to enjoy soaps or ongoing series. I guess my mind has been all over the place. I used to like a few episodes or a binge after work. With no work it just didn't feel the same. Maybe after Christmas when all gets back to normal I can get into it again. It had gotten to a really great time travelling story too when I stopped watching.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Miss Hopewell dictates a letter in a very suspenseful and illustrative way.

So funny.
And she kinda looks like Lester Nygaard from Fargo.

So...Burke Devlin used to model. Hmmm.
It makes me wonder, are they all afraid of him, or are they afraid of their own feelings for him? Was he the town's "favourite", was he the Ciji Dunne of Dark Shadows?
The plot thickens, and Miss Hopewell agrees with me.

 

[Willie Oleson]

"Ten years....it's a looooong time".
Well, if you put it that way!

Why is Elizabeth Stoddard doing the same thing in every scene? Whenever there's a conversation going on, she turns away and moves towards the camera with her hands folded and a pensive expression on her face.

I like the dysfunctional relationship between Roger and David, and Sam Evans seems to be involved with...something - or everything!

 

[Daniel Avery]

Are you still in the pre-Barn era? I confess I usually skip that part.

Pluto TV 's DS Channel has disappointed me because they are only playing one batch of episodes, starting with Willie cracking open that coffin, and ending just before the conclusion of the Dream Curse storyline. Yes, it includes 1795 and Adam's arrival, but there's so much more to the series...so I switched over to one of the other streaming services that does episodes on demand rather than airing like a regular channel. Nicholas Blair is eating up tons of screen time, and of course Adam is crushing on Carolyn (who wouldn't? That hair of hers should be in the Smithsonian). Professor Stokes is trying to figure out what's going on as Julia, Barn, and others give him bits and pieces of what's going on while trying their best to tell him nothing. They've allowed the show to be steered mostly by the second-string performers--Vicky, Liz, Roger, Maggie, Joe and David are mostly MIA while Barn, "CassAngie," Nicholas, Julia and Professor Stokes are carrying the period I'm currently watching. If not for Adam, Carolyn would have
nothing to do either.

I know it's waaaay down the line, but I really want to re-watch Parallel Time 1970, but I don't have the heart to skip ahead.

Things I'd forgotten:
Mrs. Johnson's son is named Harry. HeeHee, The actor was terrible in the 1795 story, and just as bad in 1968. You get the idea Harry spends all his off-time trying on Carolyn's dresses.
The list of musical cues is painfully short. If you watch more than three or four eps in a row, you start to predict which one will punctuate a cliffhanger ending.
The actor playing Nicholas Blair has odd features. If not for the deep voice, I'd debate whether he's actually a woman made up to look like a man.
No matter how much I try to sympathize with the actors, the over-the-top fright/horror/desperation over that hokey Dream Curse makes me laugh at them.
There aren't as many goofs and flubs as there are in other periods. Other than occasional camera mistakes and an unscheduled cough/sneeze, they're holding up well.