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Post by elkawho on Apr 12, 2016 3:52:46 GMT
I listened to The House of Despair for the second time today. The first time was probably about 2 years ago. I don't remember if I had heard any Dark Shadows yet, but if I had it wasn't many. I barely knew the characters, had no idea what was going on and really didn't like it.
Now I have heard almost all the audiobooks, Bloodust, Kingdom Of The Dead and have watched about 40 of the TV episodes and boy, do I have a whole different appreciation for this story. The characters were reintroduced really well and I finally understood what was happening with Barnabas and how he got the new body. I'm only up to episode 257 in the TV series and deep into the "Kidnapping of Maggie" storyline so there's still so much for me to learn, however I did recognize most of the characters that were mentioned. I assume that Ed and Susan were not characters in the show and only introduced here. I wasn't sure from listening to Bloodlust.
I find it interesting that after watching my first episode of the show my opinion of Willie was that he was a creepy and thoroughly disreputable. He is now one of my favorite characters and it was great to hear him in this. Some of my favorite scenes in the show are when he has to struggle against Barnabas' hold over him to stand up for Maggie, or try and help where he can. He becomes the most misunderstood person in Collinsport. His companionship with Quentin in this was a nice touch, and I see he still has an eye for objects of some worth. I felt terrible for him by the end of this story, knowing that he was right back where he started. I know John Karlen did some of the audiobooks early on, but I wish that they would do more with the character. I think I had heard Echoes of Insanity, but just like THOD, I didn't really understand what I was hearing and barely remember it. I'll have to listen again.
Well, I know that this post was all over the place, but I really enjoyed this audio. Looking forward to hearing The Book Of Temptation.
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Post by omega on Apr 12, 2016 4:35:08 GMT
I adore Book of Temptation. It's one of the audios I have that I've listened to the most. The music is amazing and Daphne Ashbrook's character has a real tragedy to her (it's Dark Shadows, the characters are either tragic to begin with or inevitably end up that way). I really love the music that Joseph Fox did for these four stories, and the disc of isolated music scores in The Legend Reborn documentary release is brilliant.
Ed and Susan were introduced in the audios. Jamison Selby, who plays Ed, is the son of David Selby, who plays Quentin, was was named after Quentin's nephew in the TV show. Appropriately enough Jamison Selby plays the older Jamison Collins in A Collinwood Christmas (Jamison Collins was a young boy on the TV show).
Echoes of Insanity is another audio I adore.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 8:10:41 GMT
I love the developments for the Dark Shadows audios in recent times - the popularity of 'Bloodlust' is doubly gratifying because it helps guarantee the range a future.
However, my hugest fondness is for the early releases. The single releases like 'Clothes of Sand' and 'The Ghost Watcher' - and of course the first series of full-casts. On first hearing them, they seemed bursting with melancholy and nostalgia (always a good combination), of wonderfully seasoned characters returning, and dark mysteries once more lurking in Collinwood. The resurrection of both Barnabas and Angelique is handled extremely well, and I appreciate how any audio featuring John Karlen is virtually guaranteed to be terrific.
I revisit the two original fullcasts from time to time and love them always. Like Elkawho, as my experience of Dark Shadows as a whole widens, I find new things in these early stories - and many of the later ones too. Wonderful.
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Apr 12, 2016 8:56:57 GMT
I think John Karlen is terrific - BTW you can see him winning his Emmy on YouTube.
He's had health issues since the audios he did. I'd love to hear him back in the audios. I see he's doing the DS 50th Festival, so that's great to see!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 19:10:11 GMT
Series 1 is very problematic for me. While the stories are good it's quite a poor jumping on point. Hence saying to newbies "start wtih Series 3 instead" (Bloodlust). This first year doesn't introduce the characters very well and really does rely on at least some familiarity. Indeed there are some pretty big things in it that you simply can't appreciate without seeing the show itself. Sure, that's true of other ranges but there are pivotal reveals and developments in the Manning DS era that you would need decent TV knowledge for. I guess you can wiki it but where's the fun in that?
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Post by silverednickle on Apr 14, 2016 2:13:10 GMT
To be fair, the first four (The House of Despair, The Book of Temptation, The Christmas Presence, and The Rage Beneath) were initially planned as just four audios without much thought for sequels. It was about two years later before we had Clothes of Sand and The Ghost Watcher which sort of began Big Finish's Dark Shadows audios with a notion of more audios to come.
I too really enjoy them, but appreciate they are a hard place for a new potential fan to come on board. Bloodlust, the 1973 run through, and The House by the Sea all seem to be much better places for new fans to start. Though it is always great to hear when they start branching out into the several other wonderful audios out there.
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Apr 19, 2016 11:31:53 GMT
I know John Karlen did some of the audiobooks early on, but I wish that they would do more with the character. Well you're getting an Alfred Loomis in Blood & Fire if that helps
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2016 11:41:39 GMT
I know John Karlen did some of the audiobooks early on, but I wish that they would do more with the character. Well you're getting an Alfred Loomis in Blood & Fire if that helps Ah! So John Karlen is in this - that's great, great news. How could I have missed this?
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Apr 19, 2016 11:43:56 GMT
Check the next thread down from this one!
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Post by elkawho on Apr 19, 2016 12:06:51 GMT
I know John Karlen did some of the audiobooks early on, but I wish that they would do more with the character. Well you're getting an Alfred Loomis in Blood & Fire if that helps OOooo. Interesting.
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Post by elkawho on Apr 19, 2016 12:14:07 GMT
Well, I've listened to the first 3 of these, and they're all very good. I really like The Christmas Presence. I do have a question for you Dark Shadows experts. I'm watching the show, and Maggie has escaped and is now at the the mercy of Dr. Hoffman (I don't trust her for a second). Why doesn't she remember Barnabas? Why doesn't she hate the memory of him? Instead, it seems that she's enamored with the memory of her captor which seems to have now transferred to whom she thinks is just his namesake. Having just watched this storyline, it's a little disturbing to listen to . (By the way, boy do I want Barnabas to make a meal out of Jason. But that would be too easy.)
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bobod
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Post by bobod on Apr 19, 2016 14:21:40 GMT
Maggie has escaped and is now at the the mercy of Dr. Hoffman (I don't trust her for a second). Why doesn't she remember Barnabas? Within these two sentences you have answered your own question... you'll see.
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Post by omega on Apr 19, 2016 22:55:08 GMT
Maggie has escaped and is now at the the mercy of Dr. Hoffman (I don't trust her for a second). Why doesn't she remember Barnabas? Within these two sentences you have answered your own question... you'll see.
Julia is quite fond of using hypnotherapy, if Clothes of Sand, Echoes of Insanity and Dreaming of the Water are any indication. In one of those she's definitely cleaning up Barnabas's mess. The first audio timeline-wise to feature Maggie after the TV episodes is The Ghost Watcher, where she returns from another spell at Windcliff, only remembering Barnabas as a friend. Maggie will leave the show being taken to Windcliff to recover from yet another vampire incident, so it's possible Julia, when she returned from preventing the Fall of Collinwood, administered some more hypnotherapy. The audio Dreaming of the Water picks up where 1108, and Maggie and Sebastian Shaw's story, drops off and explores Shaw's time at Windcliff.
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Post by elkawho on Apr 20, 2016 3:19:51 GMT
Within these two sentences you have answered your own question... you'll see.
Julia is quite fond of using hypnotherapy, if Clothes of Sand, Echoes of Insanity and Dreaming of the Water are any indication. In one of those she's definitely cleaning up Barnabas's mess. The first audio timeline-wise to feature Maggie after the TV episodes is The Ghost Watcher, where she returns from another spell at Windcliff, only remembering Barnabas as a friend. Maggie will leave the show being taken to Windcliff to recover from yet another vampire incident, so it's possible Julia, when she returned from preventing the Fall of Collinwood, administered some more hypnotherapy. The audio Dreaming of the Water picks up where 1108, and Maggie and Sebastian Shaw's story, drops off and explores Shaw's time at Windcliff. Thanks for the answer jbmasta, but most of this paragraph means nothing to me. Especially that last sentence. I'm just going to have to get there the long way.
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Post by silverednickle on Apr 23, 2016 0:23:55 GMT
I always understood it that Maggie's mind sort of broke after the shock of her kidnap. She reverts to a child-like state while she mentally recovers. Julia takes a few risks to reveal Maggie's kidnapper and get her well again, including hypnosis. However, once she starts working with Barnabas is when she starts with using the hypnosis to make her forget.
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Post by elkawho on Apr 23, 2016 14:00:15 GMT
I always understood it that Maggie's mind sort of broke after the shock of her kidnap. She reverts to a child-like state while she mentally recovers. Julia takes a few risks to reveal Maggie's kidnapper and get her well again, including hypnosis. However, once she starts working with Barnabas is when she starts with using the hypnosis to make her forget. Thanks. That's all I needed.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 5:11:02 GMT
A highly enjoyable tale I think Stuart Manning and Scott Handcocks stories are beautiful they really reintroduce to Collinwood.Why would anyone choose to live in that house? Its good to have all the major players involved and especially John Karlen who was so absent from Bloodlust(which I heard first). Book also gives a great introduction to the fishing aspect of Collinsport. has the book ever featured in the TV show?
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Post by Trace on Aug 4, 2018 6:36:27 GMT
No, that story is the first. Yes, they are lovely aren’t they? Soon I’m going to start from the beginning again. I have two more current releases to do—Shadows of the Night and Maggie & Quentin, then I can go back to the beginning!
Meanwhile I’m in the middle of reading one novel (a good summer pool read), listening to another (the latest from Anne & Christopher Rice) catching up on Lost in Space, The Crown, and Versailles...don’t know how I manage to find the time for anything! Oh—I also still have to do Survivors Series 5-8, Cicero, Sigmund Freud, and my Lovecraft Dark Adventure Radio Theater stuff!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2018 7:04:53 GMT
No, that story is the first. Yes, they are lovely aren’t they? Soon I’m going to start from the beginning again. I have two more current releases to do— Shadows of the Night and Maggie & Quentin, then I can go back to the beginning! Meanwhile I’m in the middle of reading one novel (a good summer pool read), listening to another (the latest from Anne & Christopher Rice) catching up on Lost in Space, The Crown, and Versailles...don’t know how I manage to find the time for anything! Oh—I also still have to do Survivors Series 5-8, Cicero, Sigmund Freud, and my Lovecraft Dark Adventure Radio Theater stuff! I tend to wait for a series to be released on DVD so that i can sit back and enjoy.I avoid spoilers and people talking about shows.Cicero was good but i have one gripe(which i wont mention lol)because i will start an all out war probably.I loved Survivors when it was first on telly but only got series 1 on audio and then was too busy buying other stuff but when am done with Omega factor i shall begin in earnest Survivors.Big Finish has so many great shows and that’s without the BBCs budget.anne Rice liked the first few Vampire books but felt it also as i always say got lost up its own “internal reflective” ass Maggie and Quentin was excellent
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