Jeff of Earth-J > Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)July 6, 2025 at 10:11am
There's been another seance -- a phony one this time...
I was waffling whether ot not to add it to the "seance scorecard" but I guess I will. Most Dark Shadows plotlines are derived from some other source, but 1840 seems to be derived from Dark Shadows itself. Another element: Joanna's perfume. I'll give you a little "heads up" so you'll know it when you see it: 1163 is David Henesy's last episode, not just Tad's but Henesy's (although Carrie sticks around for a while longer yet. Yay.) Also, 1162 features the return of Addison Powell, whom Danny Horn of "Dark Shadows Every Day" refers to as the "worst actor every to appear on Dark Shadows."
Making slow progress (like always) but I've seen through episode 1164 now. Quentin is still on trial, but not for murder any longer... for witchcraft! Carrie returns, and meets Mordecai Grimes's son in the woods. Flora is certain that there's a vampire about, and uses a seance (one more for the list!) to contact Roxanne and ask her who made her a vampire. She says Angelique, and everyone says "who's Angelique?" except Barnabas, who looks startled -- and when pressed, says Angelique was the name of his mother, who he says people regarded as an unusual woman. Also, Flora warns Desmond about defending Quentin, thinking some of the witch-stink will rub off on him... especially since he brought back a magic head from the far east. And Gerard, now the master of Collinwood, invites Flora to live in the main house, since no one likes him. Although he's using his magic to sway Daphne, so maybe that'll change...
I'm a bit ahead of you at this point (1182). I will occasionally jot down a note or two to remind myself of what happened in which episode, in case I want to mention something you missed in your summaries. But sometimes, by the time you catch up, I have forgotten what the notes mean. My next "note" (other than the seance you mentioned; this may be the last one) pertains to 1168. The 1840 arc had always been one of my favorites... until this time through. I think Danny Horn of "Dark Shadows Every Day" does a good job pointing out this storyline's deficiencies (if you're still reading that).
Kathy's been away for work, so I put the pedal to the floor and watched a bunch of episodes yesterday -- I'm up to episode 1171 now!
Quentin continues to be on trial for witchcraft, but Desmond has been able to keep Samantha's testimony off the record. Speaking of Samantha, Gerard has discovered she's the one who's been leaving notes and clothes from Joanna for Quentin and Daphne to find!
Trask -- it's Trask, right, not Hatch? -- has discovered his father's dead body bricked up in the basement of the Old House, and reasons that Barnabas is a vampire. He and Gerard are nearly caught, and Trask overhears Barnabas and Julia discussing how they suspect Gabriel of something, but Gerard waves that away and says it's not impotant now. They've got an incriminating page from Trask's daddy's pocket, and Ben Stokes's diary, and are hoping to use it to boster the case against Quentin somehow, and get revenge on Barnabas, who is definitely a vampire.
Only Gerard goes to the Old House at 2 in the afternoon, looking for the secret room behind the bookcase, and there's Barnabas, asking him if he wants to borrow a book. Barnabas is proving he's not a vampire right and left: It's daytime, see? Want to see me in a mirror? That sort of thing. Then Angelique comes down -- who Gerard suspects of being a witch -- and offers him some tea. Gerard gets out of there, and tells Trask Barnabas isn't a vampire. Trask is nonplussed, and still wants revenge, so Trask hatches a plan. Or Hatch trasks a plan, I get so confused. Anyway, He asks Gerard (who asks Flora) to relay to Barnabas that Roxanne -- remember Roxanne? This is a song about Roxanne -- is haunting Trask's basement at midnight, and he thinks she'll speak soon. Barnabas high-tails it to Trask's basement, where Trask ambushes him and is forcing him to put on manacles at the cliffhanger, intending to brick him up in his basement.
Meanwhile, Hallie is interested in the neighbor kid, and Gabriel tried to strangle Gerard, who never saw his assailant before Daphne arrived and chased him away. Oh, and the ghost of Daniel comes back to haunt him!
Gabriel is still giving Daphne weird dreams where she's attracted to him, but also he's ensared Samantha back into his secret nonconsensual polycule.
There were some great episodes here, with a lot of emotion, and a lot of explanations. Samantha explains to Gerard how the ghost note hoax went down. Angelique explains to Barnabas that she bacame a witch due to Juda Zachery's curse in 1692, and then moved to the West Indies, and then Martinique where they met -- and she thinks Quentin is JZ because she conjured his image (weeks ago in viewer time). Barnabas tells her that he's a time traveler from 1970, and knows Gerard is the real baddie. Julia explains to Angelique that she doesn't, and will never, trust Angelique, and thinks she's playing an angle by bringing Barnabas back to humanity with no strings attached.
I've passed where I need to be by the end of July, so let me just note that by August, I should have seen through episode 1185 in order to stay on target.
Jeff of Earth-J > Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)July 30, 2025 at 2:08pm
I can remember when I used to like Samantha.
The details of Trask's entombment provide further proof (if any be needed) that this 1840 is an alternate reality; the backstory is nothing like the 1795 arc as televised. Speaking of which,I don't know what was up with Angelique's alternate backstory. When Lara Parker wrote her first novel, Angelique's Descent, she made a statement to the effect that, as far as she knew, her novel did not contradict any of the Dark Shadows backstory. I suspect she did remember this Judah Zachary/1692 business and simply chose to ignore it (as did all of her fans and readers).
If Danny Horn hadn't've pointed it out, I may not have realized that 1168 is the last scene Barnabas and Julia will have together in 1840. It just goes to show you how much the focus of the show has changed. And in 1169 Angelique lifts Barnabas' curse. For a long time now I have been saying that Barnababs is not a vampire by the end of the show, but I thought that was because of Adam, and he only became a vampire when traveling in the past. But, as we have seen, that is not the case. The Leviathans made him a vampire again, and that stuck after their defeat and into "Parallel time" when he spent weeks chained in a coffin while his alter ego was on vacation. There is something in my notes that I know what it means but I don't recall why I jotted it down already. Tracy and I are up to 1190.
I've seen a few more episodes now, through episode 1174/1175. The main things that have happened have been Barnabas being well and truly bricked up in Trask's basement, so no one but Trask knows where he is (although Gerard probably has an inkling). Gerard has convinced Daphne to get Quentin to write a letter to the ghost of Joanna, and then intends for Samantha to respond to him in a letter (pretending to be Joanna), and then he and Trask can use that letter as evidence that Quentin is communicating with the dead (and is therefore a warlock). I don't know how a letter written by a human purporting to be a ghost should stand up in court as an actual spectral message, but the rules of evidence (not to mention chain of custody) are really played fast and loose by the tribunal. They haven't had a witch trial in a century and are making it up as they go along.
But Samantha never delivers the reply... Quentin's letter wasn't there for her to pick up, and the reply seems to have come from... a g-g-g-GHOST! Were I writing this, I'd make it so that Daphne actually figured out the scheme and decided to write a fake Johanna letter, with some subtle clues Desmond could use to prove it was fraudulent once the prosecution had staked their reputation on getting it admitted as evidence. But that's not the road we seem to be taking.
Instead, Pansy Faye testifies, and it's disastrous...with what she reveals about the recent history and ownership of Judah Zachery's head, now Desmond's head is on the block for witchcraft, too!
Jeff of Earth-J > Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)August 4, 2025 at 2:13pm
The next episode I mention in my notes is 1176 (but I no longer remember what my note for 1177 means). We took a pause at 1190 to give you some time to catch up; we're getting too far ahead. The new arc begins to be introduced in 1186 and will overlap for a couple of weeks.
The pace I'm trying to hit will have me at 1186 by the end of August, though I've noticed I tend to speed up toward the ends of storylines and the beginnings of new ones, and slow down toward the middle, when they're really spinning their wheels. Only one more cycle to go after this one!
I just watched episode 1176, in which Desmond tries to convince everyone that Gerard is Judah Zachery from his jail cell, and I'm now halfway through 1177, in which Professor Stokes has arrived via the time staircase, and Julia is giving him a quick recap of the past few months of plot, and it's HILARIOUS. (She's also trying to avoid letting him know that Barnabas is (was) a vampire, which complicates things.) Had to run out and pick up our dinner, and now I'm waiting on the takeout bench, so I figured I'd update.
Replies
There's been another seance -- a phony one this time...
I was waffling whether ot not to add it to the "seance scorecard" but I guess I will. Most Dark Shadows plotlines are derived from some other source, but 1840 seems to be derived from Dark Shadows itself. Another element: Joanna's perfume. I'll give you a little "heads up" so you'll know it when you see it: 1163 is David Henesy's last episode, not just Tad's but Henesy's (although Carrie sticks around for a while longer yet. Yay.) Also, 1162 features the return of Addison Powell, whom Danny Horn of "Dark Shadows Every Day" refers to as the "worst actor every to appear on Dark Shadows."
Making slow progress (like always) but I've seen through episode 1164 now. Quentin is still on trial, but not for murder any longer... for witchcraft! Carrie returns, and meets Mordecai Grimes's son in the woods. Flora is certain that there's a vampire about, and uses a seance (one more for the list!) to contact Roxanne and ask her who made her a vampire. She says Angelique, and everyone says "who's Angelique?" except Barnabas, who looks startled -- and when pressed, says Angelique was the name of his mother, who he says people regarded as an unusual woman. Also, Flora warns Desmond about defending Quentin, thinking some of the witch-stink will rub off on him... especially since he brought back a magic head from the far east. And Gerard, now the master of Collinwood, invites Flora to live in the main house, since no one likes him. Although he's using his magic to sway Daphne, so maybe that'll change...
I'm a bit ahead of you at this point (1182). I will occasionally jot down a note or two to remind myself of what happened in which episode, in case I want to mention something you missed in your summaries. But sometimes, by the time you catch up, I have forgotten what the notes mean. My next "note" (other than the seance you mentioned; this may be the last one) pertains to 1168. The 1840 arc had always been one of my favorites... until this time through. I think Danny Horn of "Dark Shadows Every Day" does a good job pointing out this storyline's deficiencies (if you're still reading that).
I'm still reading Danny, and really enjoying it. Also, it looks like you misread your note about David Henesy. His final episode is my next one, 1165.
Kathy's been away for work, so I put the pedal to the floor and watched a bunch of episodes yesterday -- I'm up to episode 1171 now!
Quentin continues to be on trial for witchcraft, but Desmond has been able to keep Samantha's testimony off the record. Speaking of Samantha, Gerard has discovered she's the one who's been leaving notes and clothes from Joanna for Quentin and Daphne to find!
Trask -- it's Trask, right, not Hatch? -- has discovered his father's dead body bricked up in the basement of the Old House, and reasons that Barnabas is a vampire. He and Gerard are nearly caught, and Trask overhears Barnabas and Julia discussing how they suspect Gabriel of something, but Gerard waves that away and says it's not impotant now. They've got an incriminating page from Trask's daddy's pocket, and Ben Stokes's diary, and are hoping to use it to boster the case against Quentin somehow, and get revenge on Barnabas, who is definitely a vampire.
Only Gerard goes to the Old House at 2 in the afternoon, looking for the secret room behind the bookcase, and there's Barnabas, asking him if he wants to borrow a book. Barnabas is proving he's not a vampire right and left: It's daytime, see? Want to see me in a mirror? That sort of thing. Then Angelique comes down -- who Gerard suspects of being a witch -- and offers him some tea. Gerard gets out of there, and tells Trask Barnabas isn't a vampire. Trask is nonplussed, and still wants revenge, so Trask hatches a plan. Or Hatch trasks a plan, I get so confused. Anyway, He asks Gerard (who asks Flora) to relay to Barnabas that Roxanne -- remember Roxanne? This is a song about Roxanne -- is haunting Trask's basement at midnight, and he thinks she'll speak soon. Barnabas high-tails it to Trask's basement, where Trask ambushes him and is forcing him to put on manacles at the cliffhanger, intending to brick him up in his basement.
Meanwhile, Hallie is interested in the neighbor kid, and Gabriel tried to strangle Gerard, who never saw his assailant before Daphne arrived and chased him away. Oh, and the ghost of Daniel comes back to haunt him!
Gabriel is still giving Daphne weird dreams where she's attracted to him, but also he's ensared Samantha back into his secret nonconsensual polycule.
There were some great episodes here, with a lot of emotion, and a lot of explanations. Samantha explains to Gerard how the ghost note hoax went down. Angelique explains to Barnabas that she bacame a witch due to Juda Zachery's curse in 1692, and then moved to the West Indies, and then Martinique where they met -- and she thinks Quentin is JZ because she conjured his image (weeks ago in viewer time). Barnabas tells her that he's a time traveler from 1970, and knows Gerard is the real baddie. Julia explains to Angelique that she doesn't, and will never, trust Angelique, and thinks she's playing an angle by bringing Barnabas back to humanity with no strings attached.
I've passed where I need to be by the end of July, so let me just note that by August, I should have seen through episode 1185 in order to stay on target.
I can remember when I used to like Samantha.
The details of Trask's entombment provide further proof (if any be needed) that this 1840 is an alternate reality; the backstory is nothing like the 1795 arc as televised. Speaking of which,I don't know what was up with Angelique's alternate backstory. When Lara Parker wrote her first novel, Angelique's Descent, she made a statement to the effect that, as far as she knew, her novel did not contradict any of the Dark Shadows backstory. I suspect she did remember this Judah Zachary/1692 business and simply chose to ignore it (as did all of her fans and readers).
If Danny Horn hadn't've pointed it out, I may not have realized that 1168 is the last scene Barnabas and Julia will have together in 1840. It just goes to show you how much the focus of the show has changed. And in 1169 Angelique lifts Barnabas' curse. For a long time now I have been saying that Barnababs is not a vampire by the end of the show, but I thought that was because of Adam, and he only became a vampire when traveling in the past. But, as we have seen, that is not the case. The Leviathans made him a vampire again, and that stuck after their defeat and into "Parallel time" when he spent weeks chained in a coffin while his alter ego was on vacation. There is something in my notes that I know what it means but I don't recall why I jotted it down already. Tracy and I are up to 1190.
I've seen a few more episodes now, through episode 1174/1175. The main things that have happened have been Barnabas being well and truly bricked up in Trask's basement, so no one but Trask knows where he is (although Gerard probably has an inkling). Gerard has convinced Daphne to get Quentin to write a letter to the ghost of Joanna, and then intends for Samantha to respond to him in a letter (pretending to be Joanna), and then he and Trask can use that letter as evidence that Quentin is communicating with the dead (and is therefore a warlock). I don't know how a letter written by a human purporting to be a ghost should stand up in court as an actual spectral message, but the rules of evidence (not to mention chain of custody) are really played fast and loose by the tribunal. They haven't had a witch trial in a century and are making it up as they go along.
But Samantha never delivers the reply... Quentin's letter wasn't there for her to pick up, and the reply seems to have come from... a g-g-g-GHOST! Were I writing this, I'd make it so that Daphne actually figured out the scheme and decided to write a fake Johanna letter, with some subtle clues Desmond could use to prove it was fraudulent once the prosecution had staked their reputation on getting it admitted as evidence. But that's not the road we seem to be taking.
Instead, Pansy Faye testifies, and it's disastrous...with what she reveals about the recent history and ownership of Judah Zachery's head, now Desmond's head is on the block for witchcraft, too!
The next episode I mention in my notes is 1176 (but I no longer remember what my note for 1177 means). We took a pause at 1190 to give you some time to catch up; we're getting too far ahead. The new arc begins to be introduced in 1186 and will overlap for a couple of weeks.
The pace I'm trying to hit will have me at 1186 by the end of August, though I've noticed I tend to speed up toward the ends of storylines and the beginnings of new ones, and slow down toward the middle, when they're really spinning their wheels. Only one more cycle to go after this one!
I just watched episode 1176, in which Desmond tries to convince everyone that Gerard is Judah Zachery from his jail cell, and I'm now halfway through 1177, in which Professor Stokes has arrived via the time staircase, and Julia is giving him a quick recap of the past few months of plot, and it's HILARIOUS. (She's also trying to avoid letting him know that Barnabas is (was) a vampire, which complicates things.) Had to run out and pick up our dinner, and now I'm waiting on the takeout bench, so I figured I'd update.
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