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Post by Trace on May 10, 2019 4:26:31 GMT
Jim Storm is Dr. Robert Harper. He played him in Return to Collinwood, and then more recently had his own short story in one of the short story collections. {Spoiler} I LOVE how this is incorporating the archival footage also--it's extremely effective! Although Jonah Rooney scares me to death!
So nice to see this side of Ed again. His love for Susan is what made him such a good guy in the beginning. I defended him quite vehemently on the Audios facebook page. It seems many people don't like him after the beating he gave Isaiah Trask in Bloodlust. But I still do. And after listening to the recent podcast, Joe explains how he was starting to not like Ed either, so some changes had to be made. Nicely done.
I think I have all the time periods down pat now....and will put them in my audio chronology so you can all keep up with them!
Final little catch that I bet NOBODY else noticed. Nice job with Julia growing up in Barrettstown! A little reference to the Innovation '91 comics where we learned that Julia was from Barrettstown and she traveled back there to find many strange goings on...and some very strange inbreds!
These guys really do pay tribute to all forms of DS! Bravo.
That ending with Barnabas and the teenagers and Julia, Quentin, and Rosier scared the shite out of me, though. Very violent--you could almost see the blood spattering everyone!
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Post by Zagreus on May 10, 2019 14:23:24 GMT
I'm going to binge relisten to this and take notes heh Have only been able to listen to a few episodes at a time here and there, but lordy it's a good season
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Post by silverednickle on May 10, 2019 19:13:27 GMT
Just my little thoughts I don't think others have covered. {Spoiler} -Tom is definitely back in Blood & Fire era 1767 and Cassandragelique Bouchard Peterson is just hanging around with her anti-magic ring...
-Still nothing specific on what happened with Hallie Stokes when Rosier split. Clever way to dispose of him before he became too obvious a solution.
-Speaking of Stokes, Professor Elliot Stokes sure has been quiet in his house on the estate since The Christmas Presence (super duper unlikely, but bring him back into the audios eventually please).
-The Son of the Dark Lord is just hanging out in the basement and likely no one left knows anything about him now that Sabrina and Cyrus are in other times. It's odd to bring him along for the ride in the trunk and then leave him in the basement.
-Meanwhile I'm still worried whenever anyone has gone in that ballroom...
-Sorry lots of seeming Chekhov's guns lying around for the last 2 episodes. While I don't think they'll fire them all (we still have Windcliff and 13 to come plus maybe some post-Bloodline smaller audios like they did with Bloodlust), one or more is likely to come into play soon.
-Crazy Jenny resembling Cryus's mother, Audrey Pearce, might be more a reference to actress Marie Wallace, who played both roles. Then again, it's small town and maybe Joe Haskell isn't the only cousin to the Jenningses.
-I'm enjoying our hungry Barnabas and the clever use of actresses Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker, who so far have had diminished roles in this audio.
-I'm definitely on the bandwagon of Dr. Hill being the villain or another great red herring. Perhaps Harry confiding in his time travels with him is the perfect opportunity for Dr. Hill to learn how to set things up. I wonder if on a relisten we can ascertain if Dr. Eric Hill died in front of reliable characters or if it's an "off screen death," which soap logic rarely count. Still uncertain of his end game, but there's plenty of time for that.
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Post by collinswannabe on May 11, 2019 1:17:40 GMT
WARNING! Possible spoilers ahead. I meant to put this in a spoiler but messed up. I am sorry.
I also agree that Dr. Hill is the leading suspect behind the mysterious events despite his apparent "death." The story is called "Bloodline" and his ancestor has been shown to be a nogoodnik. The doctor died suddenly and off stage with only Rhonda reporting it. This indicates to me that Rhonda would be his accomplice. Rhonda was scheming with Dr. Hill at the Blue Whale and indicated she wished Jackie could be out of town until something was over. This initially appeared to involve the two of them supplying blood to Barnabas but perhaps more sinister things were involved. Thus, I currently think Dr. Hill and Rhonda are at the center of the mystery with the doctor perhaps in the more sinister role.
Dr. Julia Hoffman remains a suspect for me. Julia is in a new body and perhaps she is not the real Julia. Rosier was apparently destroyed after occupying her body. I think Julia being the ultimate villain is unlikely but she can't be dismissed since she seems to be one of the last people remaining in the present day.
John, the son of the Dark Lord is another possible villain. However, I don't think he has even spoken during the series and references to him appear humorous in nature.
The Leviathans have a history of wanting to get people out of out of Collinsport so they can take it over. However, Nicholas Blair, their usual emissary has not made an appearance. Thus, they don't seem a very likely suspect based on what we heard.
I initially thought that Hallie Stokes would be the Big Bad of "Bloodline." However, this is an assault on the whole town of Collinsport and her targets would likely be confined to the Collins Family.
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Post by jolyon on May 11, 2019 15:02:02 GMT
Oh, it's ridiculous how quickly this has become my favourite Big Finish release ever. Bloodlust was a series I was happy to listen to one episode at a time, then relisten when it was all done. It was great. But this, Bloodline has me listening to episodes time and again trying to work out what might be happening. I'm sure that all the clues are there, but I haven't an idea. I was staying off here to avoid you folk working out things I hadn't ahead of time, but the truth is, we do seem to be completely baffled. I love this.
It may be a bit early, but thank you to all the folk involved in producing it. Proper quality audio. I hope I don't get sent back in time before the last episode is relea
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Post by Phav Nosnibor on May 11, 2019 16:36:03 GMT
The idea I haven't been able to shake this week: what if it's Maggie? Quentin has been making noise about how losing memories changes a person, and she's had the bulk of her life erased in the name of having a happy, normal life. What if she's become aware of how the entire town has been tiptoeing around what she no longer knows, and she's also gone a little bit evil in the process? Wouldn't stealing everybody else's memories be sort of perfect revenge?
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Post by elkawho on May 11, 2019 20:41:31 GMT
After listening to episodes 5 and 6 I was frustrated and almost commented on this thread about how disappointed I was in this series. I felt like it was dragging and had no focus. I didn't like the fire episode at all. But then episodes 7-11 happened and WOW, it all ramped up in a big way and now I LOVE this series.
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Post by jjjjj on May 11, 2019 20:49:29 GMT
I have really been enjoying this series, as it’s brought quite a few of the characters together like Sabrina and Amy, brought back Dr Hoffman in a wonderful way, and i’ve also loved having Lela with the family. Really is a tale of two halves, with the first 6 telling one tale, whereas the ones that follow have taken on a new direction.
The only thing i have a hard time with, is the whole tape recorder thing. It’s an effective way for the story to work on an audio, but realistically...it feels...wrong. A journal would have made more sense. I mean i get why they are using it as a storytelling device, but logistically it pulls me right out of the story as streching believability. I know, a story with werewolves and vampires and everything is not exactly realism, but that recording just makes little sense to me. In the same way that those ‘found footage’ movies don’t work, like everyone is carrying a phone around and filming while being attacked? but at least those don’t expect you to believe a battery can last as long as the recorder is, enchantment or no enchantment.
All in all, not a major issue. Loving the story, i agre with some of the theories above, and am looking forward to a re-listen through when this finishes! i’ve been looking forward to monday and thursday walks at lunch with the dog, i’ll be sad when these are over and we have a whole year to wait for the next serial, but thank goodness we have more to come and not another long wait!
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Post by Digi on May 12, 2019 19:15:09 GMT
Okay, I did not end up having time to re-listen to all of Bloodline, before tomorrow's release, but I managed to get through all of Volume 1. Along the way I did some note-taking, episode by episode, with things I heard that seem quite a lot more relevant than they did at the time: Episode 1 - The ghostly male voice we still haven't identified appears RIGHT at the start - The second ghostly voice begins saying "Marina Lane" in this episode - The thing that Cody finds in the back of the bar, in retrospect, seems to be Jessica's ring. Presumably Willie has proposed, and I'm guessing that this will be important later on once we start to figure out how to get people home - Barnabas privately says to Julia that he hopes nobody else will be affected by what they're going to do. On the surface this appears to be referring to their attempts to cure his vampirism, but could it actually be more? After all, Julia is also trying to figure out body-swapping, and the existence of her original body in the crate really hasn't been brought up in recent episodes - Near the end of the episode, Bonnie Sands says she saw "them" at the marina. And early marina reference? And WHO did she see? - There is a demonic voice at the very end saying something like "I AM REBORN" that I'm not quite sure what to make of
Episode 2 - In the Jackie scene at the beginning, which we now know to be in the past, Jackie's lawyer brings her a visitor and she says "oh it's YOU, YOU killed her!" and then voice (apparently) of Cody replies that she did it. In hindsight, we can now fairly confidently say that this was the Dr Hill that was Cody's ancestor - I realized during this episode that even though people are hearing the female ghostly voice, nobody seems to be able to hear the male ghostly voice saying "Marina Lane" - Lela is writing a book on Collins family history...people being zapped back in time are being sent to significant points in the family history. Are the two related? - Rosier confirms to Amy in this episode that Hallie is alive, "just" - Rosier tells Amy that "other forces are at work" just before pushing Amy down the stairs, then says "yes, you, I can feel you hiding in the shadows"
Episode 3 - In this one, Barnabas says to Julia "we will begin the experiment tonight." I find this a bit curious...presumably their experiments to cure his vampirism are ongoing, so when he says this, what exactly is he referring to? - The first scene with Jessica/Ed in this episode opens with a radio station announcer talking, who mentions an "exciting new development at Collinsport Marina" - During that really nice Quentin/Harry chat, Quentin mentions that his mother died "just out there, beyond where the marina is now" (all these marina references are really starting to sound like it's not a coincidence)
Episode 4 - Dr Hill tells Rhonda he's been called for a meeting with Bridget Sands about the missing blood. This may mean nothing, but it did pique my curiosity, since there's a player we've not yet actually met (in this timeframe) who is at least somewhat aware of the Barnabas/Julia goings-on - Julia takes a sample of Jackie's blood, ostensibly to work on a blood substitute for Barnabas. But why Jackie's blood, specifically, rather than anyone else? In a series titled "Bloodline," this seems like it might have some relevance - When David and Vivian are talking outside, she worries about him falling into the marina. Another marina reference
Episode 5 - In the intro to this episode, David musing on parents. Specifically that his mother is a Phoenix, and pondering what that makes him. This again seems like it might be important, in a series titled "Bloodline" - Interesting that during the fire, Quentin notes that "there's something else," and that "something very wrong is happening here" in a way that's clearly not talking about the fire
Episode 6 - Vivian has her phone call here, with whoever her 'employer' is and who is her reason for being in Collinsport. We still don't know who this 'employer' is, but what caught my attention here is that when Ed calls her out on her BS, she says that she's just being friendly, and pointedly saying "like my mother taught me to be." Why that particular statement? Who is Vivian Bell's mother? Does Vivian, and/or her mother, fit into this in a much larger way than we've realized so far? - This episode again has Quentin observing that something is very wrong, but that nobody seems to notice but him. What is it about Quentin that's giving him this kind of....partial immunity, to whatever is going on? - It's noted in this one that the Collinwood ballroom was locked up by Jamison Collins "for reasons unknown." Four episodes after this one came out, Jamison appeared in Episode 10, with time-displaced Vivian - In this one, Rosier weighs in with Cody to say "the real monsters are those who see that there's something wrong with the world, and don't try to make it right." It's a nice, quotable line, but it kind of gave me pause given all that's going on in this series - during the wedding, Carolyn observes a sadness in Jessica and Amy's eyes that comes and goes. We know that Tom is gone to the past by this point already, but we also haven't seen Willie since Episode 3. Where has he gotten off to? - Episode 6 also featured another moment of Barnabas's curious prescience, when he observes "this is a night of celebration, so why do I feel so uneasy?" What makes him different? Why is it he can tell that something is wrong, when no-one else can? - Right before David disappears, when David is trying to put the ring on her finger, Amy is shaking. Why? Just the magic going on in the moment affecting her? Is she being used by the magic in some way?
Anyway, that's what I've got.
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Post by barnabaslives on May 12, 2019 21:26:20 GMT
Okay, I did not end up having time to re-listen to all of Bloodline, before tomorrow's release, but I managed to get through all of Volume 1. Along the way I did some note-taking, episode by episode, with things I heard that seem quite a lot more relevant than they did at the time: What a great collection of observations, Digi! Thank you! {Spoiler}
I still cannot even begin to guess if all those earlier marina references are red herrings just to throw us off the track, or if they do mean something to the story after all.
They certainly do still sound like they're leading somewhere even after finding out there is a person named Marina Lane.
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Post by Trace on May 12, 2019 21:45:56 GMT
Do you think there’s a connection:
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Post by Digi on May 12, 2019 21:56:06 GMT
Do you think there’s a connection: Given the in-depth knowledge of DS that Joe/Rob/Alan/Aaron/Will have, it seems unlikely that it's a coincidence! I wonder though, whether it's a direct tie or just a sly little wink to people who know the series lore as well as they do.
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Post by barnabaslives on May 12, 2019 22:06:02 GMT
Do you think there’s a connection: I hope so! Great catch, I don't know how that one got past me. I even looked at several lists of Dark Shadows characters without spotting that, but I should know it already. {Spoiler}
There's someone else who's prominently featured in the article about Lorna that I've been hoping is going to turn up. I'm very curious now if that's this other supernatural character that Digi keenly spotted a number of references to.
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Post by Joseph Lidster on May 13, 2019 10:01:59 GMT
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Post by Joseph Lidster on May 13, 2019 10:03:18 GMT
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on May 13, 2019 10:07:22 GMT
Double Whammy Joe !
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Post by Digi on May 13, 2019 10:20:34 GMT
Two episodes whaaaaaat
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Post by Digi on May 13, 2019 11:23:50 GMT
Didn't do quite as much note-taking this time, largely because I was too busy trying to keep track of everything that was going on, but still.... Episode 12 "I come from Ohio, Mr Trask." Aha, so Willie IS out there in time somewhere! But where? To my recollection, we haven't seen him since Episode 3. And where have Maggie, Joe, and Burke been for the last few episodes? Anna mooning over David is a bit....off. I don't mean badly written (at all), it just makes me squirm. Re: Aesop(?) Cunningham, man does Scott Haran ever do a great blend of his own voice and a Matthew Waterhouse imitation. Just perfect. Bribing Jackie's jail guard with a ring -- the Cunningham ring. I have totally forgotten how this was relevant in Bloodlust. I'm also curious how this fits in with Jessica's ring that was in the previous episode (and apparently way back in Episode 1). Is it the same ring? Is it actually the same ring? Are the Griffins tied to (or even part of) the Cunningham family? Oh and hey, Sarah Fillmore having visited and helped a whole bunch of the time travelers! That's fun, and unexpected! I wonder if this is the last we'll see of her, or if she'll pop up in Episode 13's past segments, helping out the other time travelers. Julia figures out that Barnabas is the target, her target...but why? And why does she seem very surprised to learn this herself? Is it the truth, or is it one last fake-out before the end of the series? Overall, I really enjoyed the tone of Episode 12. Even though we were on a whirlwind trip through history, it managed to feel like we were crescendoing toward something big, and something dark, all the while maintaining the mystery. Onward to 13...hopefully I can squeeze it all in before work--I see it's double-length!
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Post by Digi on May 13, 2019 13:54:53 GMT
Okay! Episode 13! The big finale! Episode 13 - The perfunctory scattered thoughts Baby Quentin!
The recording of the meeting between Barnabas and (?) - was this archive footage of the meeting between original Julia and Barnabas? I'm still quite early in the TV series, so I wouldn't know.
Barnabas goading Lilith by talking about how sweet it is to victimize someone....was flippin' gross. All I could think of was sexual predators. This is not a criticism of the writing, I think it was wildly effective at making my skin crawl, in exactly the way it was meant to.
During this episode I was thinking it might be interesting if Carolyn, Quentin, and Amy didn't actually get to time travel back home, but rather they had to live through time to get back to today. Might be a fun way of letting the actors (particularly Nancy Barrett) 'realistically' sound older, while David Selby/Quentin could go on sounding exactly the same, appropriate to his curse. Ultimately it didn't happen, but I thought it could've made for fertile ground for some side-step stories in the gap between Bloodline and Windcliff; stories about the time-displaced people interacting with / trying not to interact with history on their journey back to the present.
There was a story a few years back in Detective Comics, where the 'villain' of the arc was actually just a group of people who had been collateral damage in Batman's battles in years past. Not actual supervillains, just people who had been hurt and forgotten about while the Big People went on about their business, then come back to exact their revenge on Bats. Lilith's story really evoked that for me, and I think it worked fabulously well.
Angelique and the tape recorder! Totally saw that coming (but then, so did all of you). Nice continued tie-in to Blood & Fire here, too.
Sabrina saying "If I get home, it's time to make some changes," I'm assuming this was just referring to her and Cyrus settling down in Collinsport?
In the moment, I found Harry's forgiveness of Vivian a little bit surprising, but I his experiences in both present and past really set him up for that path. And I also like that she's going to hang around.
No wedding after all struck me slightly strange, to be totally honest.
Really loved the Harry/Cody reunion and explanation. Feelings of inadequacy in a relationship are very real, and felt perfectly natural/realistic here.
Visiting Sarah Fillmore's grave was really a lovely follow-up/tie-up of threads.
I found the final tape recording very difficult to hear, even with my headphones at max volume.
Episode 13 - Lingering/unanswered questions Who was Vivian's 'employer'? The one that she called earlier on in the series? Was it meant to be Julia/Lilith, or is there a thread here that we've not pulled yet?
I may just have forgotten, but what happened to Maggie, Joe, and Burke? They just sort of stopped appearing halfway through the series.
We're never shown - when did Willie get transported to? The part when everyone else was being pulled back to the future was in roughly chronological order (Tom 1767, Lela 1795, Jackie 1820, David 1870, Cyrus 1900, Vivian 1925, Sabrina 1949, Harry 1967, Jessica & Ed 1973, Quentin & Amy 1983, Carolyn 1974). Willie's scene happens near the beginning of that, but we're not told exactly when.
Episode 13 - My 'I legitimately have no idea wtf just happened' bits "Finally, the true face of Barnabas Collins" - what?
Bramwell Collins - Clearly a setup for the next miniseries, but beyond that I have no idea where he came from, he seemed to just suddenly be...there.
The post-credits epilogue. I'm guessing this has some more relevance for people who have seen the whole (or at least relevant parts of) the TV series, but I was completely lost here at the very end.
Final (for now) thoughts? I absolutely loved this series, and am praying to the Dark Lord, or Rosier, or anyone else who will listen, that it's not another four year wait for the next miniseries!
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Post by argdov on May 13, 2019 16:09:50 GMT
I was kind of silent when it came to episode 11 so heres my scattered thoughts for the final three episodes:
-The ending of episode 11 with Barnabas killing the couple was terrifying. I regret constantly calling them “obnoxious”.
-the final episode was...a lot. ill be honest I felt kinda lost. Julie Newmars performance got incredibly...odd in the last episode, incredibly dreamy and strained. Personally I found it distracting and off putting and it took me out of the action but thats just me.
-The thing we were speculating about turned out to be true- Julia WASNT trustworthy. This set up was fascinating honestly.
-Ive done a full one eighty on Vivian Bell. I loved her in this last episode actually.
-Im a little confused how they're gonna continue with Julia and Barnabas in there original bodies. Are we just going to not use those characters anymore? What about Jackie?
-In episode 12, those clips from the original series I loved.
-Ill be honest Im a bit confused by the whole Bramwell Collins thing. I know who he is, vauguely, but why this person (whoever he is) says hes that man is bizarre.
-that poem towards the end was really something. And that postscript was something odd...who was that?!
-Sarah Fillmores little storyline was pretty great. Im glad theyre cleaning up her grave
Overall I enjoyed Bloodline, and Im curious about the upcoming miniseries! I just hope we wont have to wait too long for it
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