Ubiquitous
2010-02-27 19:33:01 UTC
Here's What Really Happened to Barnabas and Co · By Sam Hall
When Dark Shadows recently went off the air, the audience was left with
all of the troubled characters - and many questions as to their fate. We
had certain long-range plans for most of them - but what the characters
would do with the rest of their lives can only be fantasy. However,
after three years of living with them, I feel I know moments of their
future.
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard remained the matriarch of Collinwood. After
the sudden death of her brother Roger, she was determined to hold the
Collins' family empire together until Roger's son David was old enough
to take over and she did with the help of an elegant, very bright man
from Boston to help her and with him she finally found some personal
happiness.
Roger Collins, just before this death, discovered the secret that his
cousin Barnabas was a vampire, but he told no one, and vowed to end
Barnabas's unhappy existence. Armed with a stake and a hammer, he
discovered Barnabas's coffin during the daytime, but Angelique appeared
and killed Roger. She forced Willie Loomis to carry Roger's body to the
woods, where it was found. Death was attributed to a heart attack.
Shortly after the funeral, Mrs. Johnson was cleaning out Roger's room.
She swore later that a cold hand had touched her. At first everyone felt
she was simply hysterical. But one night, Carolyn saw Roger's ghost
standing in the great hall. The ghost pointed a spectral finger at the
portrait of Barnabas Collins. When Carolyn implored the spirit to speak,
it disappeared.
Carolyn, with the aid of T. Eliot Stokes and Julia Hoffman, attempted a
seance to find out why Roger's spirit could not rest. But the seance was
unsuccessful. It is known that on certain stormy nights Roger's ghost
can be seen coming down the stairs, staring at the portrait of the man
who caused his death.
Carolyn Stoddard found herself more and more interested in the world of
the occult. She knew that with the death of her husband Jeb Hawkes one
part of her life was finished and she was determined to understand the
unknown forces which had taken him from her. She began studying with T.
Eliot Stokes and then went to a large university which had a department
of psychic research. While there she discovered that she herself was the
reincarnation of Leticia Faye, a woman who had lived at Collinwood
during the 19th century.
Working with various mediums she became a psychic-research investigator.
She published many books on the supernatural and established a
foundation to examine the existing evidence of the world beyond. She
continued to regard Collinwood as her home and established a
mother-daughter relationship with Amy Jennings which contributed greatly
to the stability of that confused and very scared young child.
Years later Carolyn remet Adam who had loved her so deeply. He had
become a successful and sophisticated man, and he wanted to marry her.
But she knew she could not go back in time. They parted warm friends.
As time went on Quentin Collins found living at Collinwood more and more
difficult. He was unable to forget his love for Daphne, though both she
and Gerard were finally at peace. And he was afraid to love again -
afraid that his own secret would be discovered. For, as long as Charles
Delaware Tate's portrait existed, Quentin would not age. And he well
knew that if he destroyed the picture, he would suffer the awful curse
of the werewolf.
Finally, he left the town of Collinsport to roam the world - Athens,
Alexandria, India... always hunting some solution for his existence. And
with each country, he became more and more withdrawn. He became more
aware that he could never become close to another human being.
Often he was tempted to return to Collinwood, destroy the portrait and
kill himself before the full moon could cause him to change into the
wolf man. But some slight hope stopped him from doing that. For, at the
beginning of his travels, he had heard rumors that there existed a man -
a man with a wooden hand and miraculous powers. A man who had
transcended time - a Count Petofi. And so Quentin kept on, looking for
the Count, knowing that if he could find him again perhaps the Count
could take pity on him and help him find peace at last.
Maggie Evans, who left Collinwood with Phillip* returned a year later a
divorced woman. She moved into her father's cottage and began working at
Wyndcliff, the private sanitarium. There she remet her former fiancee,
Joe Haskell. With her help, Joe managed to regain his sanity. He left
the sanitarium with no memory of Angelique and the circumstances which
had caused him to lose his mind. Joe and Maggie married. He returned to
the Collins' fishing fleet. They lived happily in Collinsport.
But Chris Jennings and Sabrina Stuart did not have Maggie and Joe's
luck. For they found they could not run from the curse that afflicted
him. Though they had a few days of happiness when they left Collinsport
they were both aware that time was their enemy. For soon the moon would
be full and Chris would become the werewolf again. They constructed a
cell to lock him in. But when he became the wolf man, he broke out of it
and killed Sabrina. Her brother found her body that same night. The
following morning, Chris returned to their home. When he discovered what
he had done, he committed suicide.
Barnabas was deeply affected by Chris's death. He and Julia Hoffman had
tried desperately to help Chris. Barnabas identified with him very much.
He began to feel that it was only a matter of time until he too would
become a victim of his curse. When he learned from Angelique that Roger
had discovered his secret, his depression deepened. Again, Barnabas felt
that he had brought new tragedy to those he loved at Collinwood. He knew
that his vampirism would be discovered.
Julia and Willie Loomis decided they must get Barnabas to leave
Collinsport. They were both willing to sacrifice their lives and travel
with him. He finally agreed to go, but just before they were to start,
Barnabas became very ill. Julia was astonished. She knew that Barnabas
could not, because of his vampirism, have human ailments. Yet the
mysterious fever so ravaged him that Julia feared for his very
existence.
She suddenly realized that there could be only one explanation for
Barnabas's illness. Adam. She remembered the mysterious link which began
to exist when Barnabas helped bring Adam to life. At the time Adam
disappeared from Collinwood, they knew that if he died, Barnabas would,
too. Julia knew she must find Adam, wherever he was. Adam must have the
same fever. He had to be cured if Barnabas were to be saved.
Enlisting the aid of T. Eliot Stokes, she did find Adam - in the Far
East. She managed to cure him, but in the course of the treatment, she
contracted the illness herself. She was near death when Barnabas - well
now - came to her. He realized how he loved her, and promised her that
if she lived, they would marry.
They were married in Singapore. Barnabas felt they must never return to
Collinsport. Angelique must not find them - for she would never allow
Julia to live. So they stayed on. Julia began working with an Asian
doctor and experimented with a new treatment which she was positive
would take away the curse of Barnabas's vampirism. They began the
treatments. They were successful. Barnabas Collins at last could walk in
the light of day - walk with the woman he loved, but walk with an ever
present fear - a fear that Angelique would find them, and destroy the
only happiness he had had in his life.
No audience will see these stories playing out. But for those for whom
the characters were real, these are merely signposts pointing the
direction the characters might have gone.
* Presumably meant to be Chris Pennock's character Sebastian Shaw.
This piece was originally published in TV Guide (October 9, 1971).
Original series writer Sam Hall was asked to write it in reaction to the
vocal complaints of the show's viewers, disappointed at the many
unresolved plotlines left after the show's hasty cancellation. In 1995,
Roger Davis narrated an abridged version to accompany MPI Home Video's
release of the final episode.
When Dark Shadows recently went off the air, the audience was left with
all of the troubled characters - and many questions as to their fate. We
had certain long-range plans for most of them - but what the characters
would do with the rest of their lives can only be fantasy. However,
after three years of living with them, I feel I know moments of their
future.
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard remained the matriarch of Collinwood. After
the sudden death of her brother Roger, she was determined to hold the
Collins' family empire together until Roger's son David was old enough
to take over and she did with the help of an elegant, very bright man
from Boston to help her and with him she finally found some personal
happiness.
Roger Collins, just before this death, discovered the secret that his
cousin Barnabas was a vampire, but he told no one, and vowed to end
Barnabas's unhappy existence. Armed with a stake and a hammer, he
discovered Barnabas's coffin during the daytime, but Angelique appeared
and killed Roger. She forced Willie Loomis to carry Roger's body to the
woods, where it was found. Death was attributed to a heart attack.
Shortly after the funeral, Mrs. Johnson was cleaning out Roger's room.
She swore later that a cold hand had touched her. At first everyone felt
she was simply hysterical. But one night, Carolyn saw Roger's ghost
standing in the great hall. The ghost pointed a spectral finger at the
portrait of Barnabas Collins. When Carolyn implored the spirit to speak,
it disappeared.
Carolyn, with the aid of T. Eliot Stokes and Julia Hoffman, attempted a
seance to find out why Roger's spirit could not rest. But the seance was
unsuccessful. It is known that on certain stormy nights Roger's ghost
can be seen coming down the stairs, staring at the portrait of the man
who caused his death.
Carolyn Stoddard found herself more and more interested in the world of
the occult. She knew that with the death of her husband Jeb Hawkes one
part of her life was finished and she was determined to understand the
unknown forces which had taken him from her. She began studying with T.
Eliot Stokes and then went to a large university which had a department
of psychic research. While there she discovered that she herself was the
reincarnation of Leticia Faye, a woman who had lived at Collinwood
during the 19th century.
Working with various mediums she became a psychic-research investigator.
She published many books on the supernatural and established a
foundation to examine the existing evidence of the world beyond. She
continued to regard Collinwood as her home and established a
mother-daughter relationship with Amy Jennings which contributed greatly
to the stability of that confused and very scared young child.
Years later Carolyn remet Adam who had loved her so deeply. He had
become a successful and sophisticated man, and he wanted to marry her.
But she knew she could not go back in time. They parted warm friends.
As time went on Quentin Collins found living at Collinwood more and more
difficult. He was unable to forget his love for Daphne, though both she
and Gerard were finally at peace. And he was afraid to love again -
afraid that his own secret would be discovered. For, as long as Charles
Delaware Tate's portrait existed, Quentin would not age. And he well
knew that if he destroyed the picture, he would suffer the awful curse
of the werewolf.
Finally, he left the town of Collinsport to roam the world - Athens,
Alexandria, India... always hunting some solution for his existence. And
with each country, he became more and more withdrawn. He became more
aware that he could never become close to another human being.
Often he was tempted to return to Collinwood, destroy the portrait and
kill himself before the full moon could cause him to change into the
wolf man. But some slight hope stopped him from doing that. For, at the
beginning of his travels, he had heard rumors that there existed a man -
a man with a wooden hand and miraculous powers. A man who had
transcended time - a Count Petofi. And so Quentin kept on, looking for
the Count, knowing that if he could find him again perhaps the Count
could take pity on him and help him find peace at last.
Maggie Evans, who left Collinwood with Phillip* returned a year later a
divorced woman. She moved into her father's cottage and began working at
Wyndcliff, the private sanitarium. There she remet her former fiancee,
Joe Haskell. With her help, Joe managed to regain his sanity. He left
the sanitarium with no memory of Angelique and the circumstances which
had caused him to lose his mind. Joe and Maggie married. He returned to
the Collins' fishing fleet. They lived happily in Collinsport.
But Chris Jennings and Sabrina Stuart did not have Maggie and Joe's
luck. For they found they could not run from the curse that afflicted
him. Though they had a few days of happiness when they left Collinsport
they were both aware that time was their enemy. For soon the moon would
be full and Chris would become the werewolf again. They constructed a
cell to lock him in. But when he became the wolf man, he broke out of it
and killed Sabrina. Her brother found her body that same night. The
following morning, Chris returned to their home. When he discovered what
he had done, he committed suicide.
Barnabas was deeply affected by Chris's death. He and Julia Hoffman had
tried desperately to help Chris. Barnabas identified with him very much.
He began to feel that it was only a matter of time until he too would
become a victim of his curse. When he learned from Angelique that Roger
had discovered his secret, his depression deepened. Again, Barnabas felt
that he had brought new tragedy to those he loved at Collinwood. He knew
that his vampirism would be discovered.
Julia and Willie Loomis decided they must get Barnabas to leave
Collinsport. They were both willing to sacrifice their lives and travel
with him. He finally agreed to go, but just before they were to start,
Barnabas became very ill. Julia was astonished. She knew that Barnabas
could not, because of his vampirism, have human ailments. Yet the
mysterious fever so ravaged him that Julia feared for his very
existence.
She suddenly realized that there could be only one explanation for
Barnabas's illness. Adam. She remembered the mysterious link which began
to exist when Barnabas helped bring Adam to life. At the time Adam
disappeared from Collinwood, they knew that if he died, Barnabas would,
too. Julia knew she must find Adam, wherever he was. Adam must have the
same fever. He had to be cured if Barnabas were to be saved.
Enlisting the aid of T. Eliot Stokes, she did find Adam - in the Far
East. She managed to cure him, but in the course of the treatment, she
contracted the illness herself. She was near death when Barnabas - well
now - came to her. He realized how he loved her, and promised her that
if she lived, they would marry.
They were married in Singapore. Barnabas felt they must never return to
Collinsport. Angelique must not find them - for she would never allow
Julia to live. So they stayed on. Julia began working with an Asian
doctor and experimented with a new treatment which she was positive
would take away the curse of Barnabas's vampirism. They began the
treatments. They were successful. Barnabas Collins at last could walk in
the light of day - walk with the woman he loved, but walk with an ever
present fear - a fear that Angelique would find them, and destroy the
only happiness he had had in his life.
No audience will see these stories playing out. But for those for whom
the characters were real, these are merely signposts pointing the
direction the characters might have gone.
* Presumably meant to be Chris Pennock's character Sebastian Shaw.
This piece was originally published in TV Guide (October 9, 1971).
Original series writer Sam Hall was asked to write it in reaction to the
vocal complaints of the show's viewers, disappointed at the many
unresolved plotlines left after the show's hasty cancellation. In 1995,
Roger Davis narrated an abridged version to accompany MPI Home Video's
release of the final episode.
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.