I propose some fanfic rebooting the 1841 PT themes and connecting them with other segments of the show.
Episode 1231: The Curse of Collinwood, or How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
I bring up the one example in Dark Shadows of a curse that originated with a Faustian bargain- Paul Stoddard’s deal with the Leviathans. I speculate that 1841 PT may have been good if they’d established the origin of its curse in a deal Brutus Collins made with the Devil.
Episode 1231: The Curse of Collinwood, or How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Episode 1232: My Coffin World
Wherein I mention that the episode gives Grayson Hall her only moment in Dark Shadows where she’s allowed to be sexy, imagine what THE GRADUATE would have been like with her as Mrs Robinson and Keith Prentice as Benjamin, then reply to my own comment to mention my wife’s wish that Bramwell and Daphne would get divorced and that Daphne would get custody of the audience.
Episode 1234: Last Call
I complain to Danny Horn and his readers about a real stinker of an episode.
Episode 1235: The Way That You Mustn’t Feel
I explain to Danny Horn and his readers what I find so frustrating about this episode, identifying Kate Jackson’s Daphne as the brightest spot of 1841 PT and lamenting the final waste of the character.
Episode 1236: Infrequently Asked Questions About the Collins Family Curse
I analyze the stories in final nine weeks of Dark Shadows as a series of traps to immobilize the characters and the audience, and speculate that they reflect writer Gordon Russell’s desperate position as the sole author responsible for five teleplays a week
Episode 1236: Infrequently Asked Questions About the Collins Family Curse
Episode 1238: The Mystery of Melanie’s Mother
I mention that actresses Mary Cooper and Kathryn Leigh Scott looked alike; argue that the makers of Dark Shadows resolved “the mystery of Melanie’s mother” in the only uninteresting way available; and am puzzled as to why they wanted to resolve all the storylines before the end of the series.
Episode 1239: Dan
A remarkably sex-like moment on Dark Shadows, and the odd fact that show creator Dan Curtis was not a cartoon character.
Episode 1241: Frid’s Final Battle
I express my exasperation with Dark Shadows for developing two characters one whose entire role is that of Insistent Questioner, another whose entire role is that of Keeper of Secrets, setting them on a collision course, and then neglecting to show us the climactic scene where Keeper of Secrets must tell Insistent Questioner all she knows.
Episode 1244: Empire of the Loud
I tell Danny Horn and his readers what I thought of episode 1244 of Dark Shadows. I say something about film and television iconography and the contribution of the director to this episode and the one preceding it.
Acilius on Dark Shadows 