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Author Topic: He's So Mean  (Read 1768 times)

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Offline Patti Feinberg

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He's So Mean
« on: April 22, 2017, 03:42:36 AM »
I cannot have seen the early Barn eps, especially where he's thinking, "I must eliminate David".

What? I always remember Barn being loving & protective of the various incarnations of DH.

I really HATE Barn at this point; I remember some cousins didn't like him, and I didn't understand why.

At least David's behaving less psychotic.

Can't believe it....

Patti
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Offline MagnusTrask

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2017, 08:18:27 AM »
Well, Barnabas was evil then.  You knew that!
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Offline dom

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2017, 10:32:06 AM »
Yeah, I went through that the first time I saw the series from the beginning. Blew my mind.
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Offline michael c

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2017, 12:59:17 PM »
he was introduced as a villain. and he was a vampire. what's so "unbelievable" about it?  [easter_huh]
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Offline Gerard

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2017, 02:03:49 AM »
Barnabas was originally, indeed, a villain.  Supposedly, it was to be a thirteen-or-so-week arc.  Barnabas was to bring terror and Dr. Julia (originally "Julian" - a man) Hoffman would find out what he was and the battle was on.  At the climax, both characters would die and on to the next monster.  Jonathan Frid, ready to move to the west coast to teach acting as a university, was told by his agent that the gig would be three months and giving him extra cash, so he delayed his move for the ca-ching.  But the ratings kept skyrocketing and the original plot was altered to extend it and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Gerard
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Offline Uncle Roger

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2017, 04:13:44 AM »
He spends a lot of time talking about doing away with people. Not just David but Maggie and Julia as well.
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Offline Gerard

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2017, 05:50:02 PM »
And don't forget what he did to Carolyn.  "Don't be afraid, my dear.  I wouldn't hurt my own flesh and blood."  Munch!  Crunch!  Screeeaaammm!

Gerard
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Offline Mysterious Benefactor

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2017, 06:10:25 PM »
Quote from: Uncle Roger on April 23, 2017, 04:13:44 AM
He spends a lot of time talking about doing away with people. Not just David but Maggie and Julia as well.

And let's not forget Burke. If Barnabas had been left unchecked, half of Collinsport would have been killed off...
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Offline alwaysdavid

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2017, 09:52:28 PM »
I was surprised too as I started watching in 1968.
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Offline MagnusTrask

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2017, 10:59:53 PM »
At a certain point in my rewatchings, it became almost impossible to see Barnabas as a positive character. 
There wasn't so much of a believable transition or transformation shown, as there was a sort of lurching forward and backward and forward in morals from him.  It was more like a rebooting of him, after long enough a time had passed that they thought the audience wouldn't know or remember what he was like before.

He was vicious.  They really built up a sadistic and intimidating picture of him.  The first definite sign of reformation seemed to be, for me, when he was trusted with the kids in 1968/9?, taking over as a godfather when Liz and Roger were out of the picture... and all I can say then is, oh, if only everyone knew who they were trusting... 
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Offline Mysterious Benefactor

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2017, 11:27:16 PM »
 [pointing-up]  You are exactly right about all of that, Magnus, particularly with regard to for every step or two that he might take forward, he's sure to take a step or two back sooner or later in one way or another!!
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Offline Gothick

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #11 on: April 24, 2017, 12:27:00 AM »
It is interesting in retrospect how negative fan reaction was in December of '69 when he suddenly became a coldly calculating villain again.  They did not like it at all.  I still think those are some of the best shows they did...

I was shocked when I got to see the 1967 shows for the first time in early 1976 when the first syndication happened in my area.  Both Barnabas and Julia were so different from the people I remembered from my viewing in the Sixties.  I also started watching in June of '68.

G.
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Offline Patti Feinberg

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2017, 06:16:32 PM »
Along the line of 'beginning' Barn, I really did not remember how much Sarah there was.
[spoiler]At least I remembered Sarah telling Barn, "If you do any more bad, I'll never see you again", or close to that.[/spoiler]

I really thought she was only in less than 10 eps, including 1795.

Patti
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Offline Robot_Quentin

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #13 on: May 02, 2017, 07:16:06 PM »
I recently have introduced DS to one of my younger relatives, having talked about it (mostly) my whole life to her... You know, being a Mister know-it-all with this younger generation and their Twilight vamps and such!! Ha! But essentially saying Barn was the first vampire who felt guilty about what he did to survive, etc.

I talked to her the other day after getting thru Vol. 2 (skipping Pre-B era) and she asked me, "I thought this Barnabas guy was a good vampire?" Hahaha... 

I explained that's what I refer to as the "A-Hole Barnabas era".  He's MUCH nicer later on in the show!!  [easter_wink] [easter_wink]
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Offline Mysterious Benefactor

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Re: He's So Mean
« Reply #14 on: May 02, 2017, 08:13:04 PM »
Quote from: Robot_Quentin on May 02, 2017, 07:16:06 PM
I explained that's what I refer to as the "A-Hole Barnabas era".  He's MUCH nicer later on in the show!!  [easter_wink] [easter_wink]

Though it could be argued that different levels of A-Holeness remain thoughout his entire run.  [easter_wink]  [easter_grin]  And characters like Julia and Willie would be the first to agree.  [easter_azn]
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