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Post by Rob Morris on Oct 13, 2015 21:56:18 GMT
I think there are good jumping on points. Episode 210 is one often quoted - as that's when Barnabas turns up (ish) - but some of the early B&W stuff is still very creaky. It makes it hard to deal with unless you love Hartnell's Who. It's a slightly odd balancing act of supernatural drama and standard soap - compelling if you can cope with it, but not if you can't..
Personally I think if you want to jump on board with the TV show start with the 1897 storyline - that's when it gets really slick and fast-paced. (God I Love 1897.)
Or just start with Big Finish's Bloodlust and take it from there.
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Post by david on Oct 13, 2015 22:46:21 GMT
I'm in the 230s now - Maggie recovering from her kidnapping. The pace is certainly picking up but I'm very sorry Burke and Roger are sidelined so much as - purely from an acting standpoint - they were so wonderful to watch as the centre of the story. TimelordSpy - the pre-Barnabas eps are ALL on Youtube so why not stick the first couple on and see if they take you like they certainly did me. It's more of a gothic Jane-Eyre type feel at the start. Episode 70 is where the show becoms truly paranormal. ven before Barnabas there's ghosts, reincarnation, hypnosis, telekinesis and memory wipes. If that fails, start with the coming of Barnabas about 205
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Oct 14, 2015 1:27:48 GMT
Spoilers? Seriously? On a show that's this old? Sure, everything's new for someone but there has to be a statute of limitations on something like this.
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Post by david on Oct 14, 2015 17:55:04 GMT
Spoilers? Seriously? On a show that's this old? Sure, everything's new for someone but there has to be a statute of limitations on something like this. For me it's not so bad knowing what's coming as I've heard a good chunk of the audios now and have seen the 1991 series many times. If anything...I get anxious knowing...not speciics but vague things. Like now for example - I know Julia Hoffman is arriving in about 15 eps and I'm really excited I' living these eps in the 240s-250s. Liz getting engages to Jason is hilariously silly but so watchable. Is Jason a popular character? I really enjoy his prescence
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Post by Rob Morris on Oct 14, 2015 23:05:33 GMT
I wouldn't say Jason is a popular character, but the actor Dennis Patrick was popular enough to reappear later on.
From a spoier point of view I have no problem (and yeah... the episodes have done thr ounds now. It's time for us to get to grips that people have seen them.)
Up to episode 1013 right now and have looked ahead on the DS wiki to some twenty episodes ahead. I have no problem knowing what happens in advance on this show - it's more about how they do it, how the actors react and how the effects stack up, and how all of that combines to make something amazingly inappropriate for a 4:00 slot that kids tune into.
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Post by david on Oct 14, 2015 23:19:35 GMT
I wouldn't say Jason is a popular character, but the actor Dennis Patrick was popular enough to reappear later on. From a spoier point of view I have no problem (and yeah... the episodes have done thr ounds now. It's time for us to get to grips that people have seen them.) Up to episode 1013 right now and have looked ahead on the DS wiki to some twenty episodes ahead. I have no problem knowing what happens in advance on this show - it's more about how they do it, how the actors react and how the effects stack up, and how all of that combines to make something amazingly inappropriate for a 4:00 slot that kids tune into. I'm glad Dennis comes back. He's just so...watchable. I agree on spoilers. Those of us who have started with audio are surely much more likely to have Wiki-ed them anyway to get a heads up. As you say, the spoilers may tell you what happens but there's no substitute for the Dark Shadows atmosphere. Like...Maggie. Barnabas had her holed up and I was SURE she was gonna die...despite not just knowing better but having heard Maggie much later on in her life already. That timeslot is unreal...even though there's no gore the sense of ominous draed and...death is there all the time. I can't imagine some kids weren't traumatised just by the feel of the piece.
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Post by barnabaslives on Oct 15, 2015 18:50:08 GMT
I think 1897 is my all-time favorite OS storyline... Starts about episode 700 proper but there's some great backstory all the way back to about episode 638 (it includes David Selby's debut) that explains why we're going to 1897.
I did hit Wikipedia for general outlines of the story arcs to see where I wanted to start with the series. Most of these storylines have enough twists and turns that it's hard to spoil much of one with a paragraph about it, 1897 especially.
Dunno, if you start there you might be at risk of thinking the other storylines are less eventful by comparison, but even the earliest episodes can be a blast to watch - there can be plenty of suspense about when it's going to get really suspenseful, lol. I'd just gotten to the point of "For God's sake, will someone please start doing more supernatural stuff?" when more or less out of the blue, a luminous figure decided to take a stroll and I knew I'd really and truly arrived. Suddenly I somehow got a much deeper appreciation of everything that had come before and realized I'd actually arrived at episode 1.
If starting with the Barnabas story, might not hurt if possible to go back to a few more episodes to about 202, to Willie's debut. I think I'd have a had a somewhat better rounded perspective on many later episodes if I'd started there instead of 210.
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Post by david on Oct 15, 2015 21:27:48 GMT
If starting with the Barnabas story, might not hurt if possible to go back to a few more episodes to about 202, to Willie's debut. I think I'd have a had a somewhat better rounded perspective on many later episodes if I'd started there instead of 210. Even just a tad earlier I'd say. The Jason blackmail plot starts at 193 and since that's a big part of what's happening while Barnabas debuts - and stays so for about 80 episodes after, might be worthwhile for the extra couple of hours.
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Post by david on Oct 16, 2015 0:49:19 GMT
Oh man...that ending to 290! "Good evening, Barnabas Collins.I've been waiting for you for a long time, a very long time..."
Loving Julia.
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Post by david on Oct 16, 2015 3:05:27 GMT
As an aside...if I ever hear "London Bridge is falling down.." sung again in real life, I'm liable to punch whoever is singing it Musta heard it 50 times this week!
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Post by Rob Morris on Oct 16, 2015 6:40:08 GMT
As an aside...if I ever hear "London Bridge is falling down.." sung again in real life, I'm liable to punch whoever is singing it Musta heard it 50 times this week! The complete soundtrack collection has more versions of that damn tune than anyone could possibly want.
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Post by Trace on Oct 17, 2015 1:59:25 GMT
The fans always beg poor Sharon Smyth Lentz to sing it at the DS Fests. She's such a trouper and she never disappoints.
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Post by sexbombsimon on Oct 21, 2015 14:23:22 GMT
So last time I wrote in was 637. Now I'm on 667, and Lordy alot of crazy stuff has been going on. * Vicky weds. Both of the replacements weren't even a patch on Alexandra * Amy is really cute. * The short but sweet return to 1796 when Angelique surprisingly turns up and is vanquished was excellent, especially after the long and drawn-out Adam & Eve storyline that seemed to just fizzle out! * Arrival of Quentin & Beth * Werewolfs in Dark Shadows look like Primords from Doctor Who : Inferno * Magda * The kids trying to kill Roger * Joe Haskell going mental (I think I would too if a werewolf jumped through a window and attacked me) * Poor Miss Humpries will do no more house-visits * Maggie gets Vicky's job. * Elizabeth spent 3 weeks alive in a coffin. HOW!is she still alive Madness Madness Madness ! But totally loving it
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Post by david on Oct 23, 2015 1:25:57 GMT
I'm now on 446. I'm really rocketing through it now. Coming towards the end of 1795. Loved Trask's comeuppance but the Nathan/Millicent thing is a bit of a dullard after the thrills of Angelique and Barnabas. Hats off to Thayer David - he gets a bt of a thankless role but he plays it so well and never fluffs a single line. I think of all the actors in 1795, Louis Edmonds and David Ford seemed to relish it the most. They both chew as much scenery as possible. They remind me of the way Stephen Fry played Wellington in Blackadder 3 After liking, but not loving, Barnabas in his first 150 eps I can see why he's so beloved now I've seen the 1795 story. He's a really tragic figure who deserved a lot better. He really doesn't act out of evil and really regrets his actions. He was breathlessly romantic - almost like the early McGann Doctor - before Angelique got her claws out.
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Post by sexbombsimon on Oct 23, 2015 11:45:58 GMT
1795 is a very good storyline. Barnabas and Angelique are such good parts. Blimey! You are going fast, how many eps are you watching a day then? Next storyline up is Adam & Eve which lasts forever, and for the first part is really good, but it goes on and on but youre coming up, also, to The Dream Curse, which at the moment is the storyline I have enjoyed the most. Good luck
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Post by david on Oct 24, 2015 0:55:59 GMT
1795 is a very good storyline. Barnabas and Angelique are such good parts. Blimey! You are going fast, how many eps are you watching a day then? Next storyline up is Adam & Eve which lasts forever, and for the first part is really good, but it goes on and on but youre coming up, also, to The Dream Curse, which at the moment is the storyline I have enjoyed the most. Good luck I'm off work till December at the earliest and prtty housebound right now so I've got plenty of time to really marathon them. I've watch little else this month I'm into the Adam stuff now - the Doc has showed Barnabas the room where he wants to perform the body switch. It's amazing how much this show has changed from "Who killed Malloy?" or "Why does Burke hate Roger?" It's pure horror/sci-fi now. Joan Bennett seems totally lost I've now met Cassandra and Tony - though they'r not together yet - so I'm looking forward to digging into their audios soon. I own them but am trying to wait till I see the relevant stories on tv before listening to the CDs for the fallout.
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Post by sexbombsimon on Oct 24, 2015 23:50:40 GMT
Sorry to hear of your situation. Glad that Dark Shadows is bringing joy to you! I love caining a whole batch of episodes in a row. The beginning of the Adam storyline is great, its the later stuff - remember this storyline runs for 169 episodes, but as i said the dream curse is coming up and is great - let me know the episodes you are watching so I can check the wiki. Re Cassandra and Tony, their audio's are very good, the first Dark Shadows audio's I listened to.
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Post by david on Oct 25, 2015 0:11:12 GMT
Sorry to hear of your situation. Glad that Dark Shadows is bringing joy to you! I love caining a whole batch of episodes in a row. The beginning of the Adam storyline is great, its the later stuff - remember this storyline runs for 169 episodes, but as i said the dream curse is coming up and is great - let me know the episodes you are watching so I can check the wiki. Re Cassandra and Tony, their audio's are very good, the first Dark Shadows audio's I listened to. Cheers, it's a bad ankle injury but nothing that will "truly" impact my health long term I'm on 489 - David has just been introduced to Cassandra who has now cast the Dream Curse. Julie Hoffman and Stokes are hell bent on stopping the curse. I'm lving that Thayer David finally has a literate character to get his chops into. Whoever decided at BF (Joe?) to make Tony a private dick rather than a lawyer is a genius as he plays it like he's in The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep already!
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Post by david on Oct 26, 2015 16:52:50 GMT
One thing I didn't mention about 1795. I love that Julia had time - while everyone was wondering where Vicky was and who this new woman was at the seance - to nip out for a quick hair salon appointment I also laughed, I admit, at Sam Evans stupid moustache with the big black glasses. He looked like Dr. Robotnik! Anyway - on 536 now. Barnabas believes he has beaten the dream curse. I am SO over Adam and knowing there's another 100 eps of his story...man. Tough times. Give me Malloy'smurder and the silver pen anyday!
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Post by barnabaslives on Oct 26, 2015 20:14:36 GMT
Hope that ankle gets better soon, David. Hang in there with the show if you can... Humberto Astredo and Thayer David both add a lot to Adam's story IMHO, and I think you're about to another important actor debut. (In a way, it will be the very first inkling of 1897 already).
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