Dark Shadows Discussion Thread

[slick jones]

 

[Joseph]

In A Way, my reading of it is that the Phoenix reincarnated in a different body but had the same soul who retained the memories of all her Lifetimes that was reactivated once her Mortal body was destroyed by a Fire

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[Mona Kane Croft]

Interesting.  But she was in the same body. Wasn't she? 

[Broderick]

That's the way I've always understood it.  

I believe Laura married into the Collins family three different times.

In the 1897 storyline, we learned that Laura had originally married Jeremiah Collins in the 1780s or 1790s.  (Jeremiah was supposedly widowed by Laura Murdoch when he ultimately married Josette du Pres.)  Barnabas remembered Laura Collins well.  Barnabas said that he was a pre-teen (or a teenager) when Jeremiah married her, and Barnabas had a little crush on her.  Laura recalled Barnabas as the "sad-eyed little nephew" who followed Jeremiah around the Old House. 

By 1897, Laura had reappeared (after a 100 year hiatus) and was married to Edward Collins (but was more interested in Quentin Collins). 

Then in 1967, after another 100 year hiatus, she reappeared yet again and married Roger Collins.

So yes, I'd say Roger married his grandmother.  

[Mona Kane Croft]

Here's another question about Laura: I've never watched the entirety of Laura's first on-screen visit in 1967. But what I have seen seems like a rather bare-bones storyline without a lot of details about the origin of the Phoenix creature. But her visit in 1897 is full of interesting details and possible back-story (although she still is not fully explained). So were the Egyptian elements of the plot in 1897 also part of Laura's 1967 visit? Or did the writers add the Egyptian stuff in 1897 to further flesh-out the Phoenix legend?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Neil Johnson

[Vee]

Yes. IIRC the legend of the Phoenix and the trappings of Egypt came up a lot in the original story, and in the tale Laura told David.

[danfling]

When this storyline began in late 1966 and spread over into 1967, the show was not producing storylines that extensively used supernatural elements.   The Laura Collins storyline excited the show's viewers, and, by the time it had concluded and the vampire storyline was introduced, more supernatural elements were allowed.

[Soaplovers]

From what I understood the actress that played Laura would only play that character... so I'm guessing that when the show wanted to use the actress for the 1897 story.. they had to make her character Laura instead of a different character is my theory.

I think that in the 1967 story, that Laura had been reborn every 100 years or so and that there had been women named Laura recorded in past history that had burned in a fire.. but none of them  had married into the Collins family before Roger.

[Broderick]

I think you're right.   

In the original 1967 storyline, didn't the old caretaker at Eagle Hill Cemetery explain to us there had been a "Laura Stockbridge" who died by fire in 1767 and a Laura Radcliffe who died by fire in 1867, leading us to realize there would be a Laura Collins who died by fire in 1967?  (Or as the old caretaker said, "Diiiiied by fiiiirre!")

When they introduced the 1897 storyline and snagged Diana Millay again, they "retconned" the two previous incarnations of Laura into Mrs. Jeremiah Collins and Mrs. Edward Collins.  

[DRW50]

I'm not sure if it's true or not but I think one site claimed Diana Millay asked the show to write her back in and Dan Curtis did (her marriage was ending around this time which might have been a factor in her wanting to go back), which might explain why her inclusion in the story felt somewhat pointless (beyond giving Angelique some cool material).

[te.]

Yeah, they definitively played the OG Laura storyline with slightly more ambigious - obviously, once they introduced Barnabus they'd decided to go full-on supernatural (though arguably, even early on in that storyline they did keep some things a bit vague in case they needed to backtrack). 

[Broderick]

They actually WANTED her more often than they got her, I believe.  I've heard that the show had scheduled her for yet another appearance as Laura, but the cancellation came before the story was written.  

[DRW50]

That's interesting. I can see where pivoting to Laura again could have worked, although by that time David Henesy had left the show so they would have had to truly start from scratch.

[Soaplovers]

I also had read that she was planning to go back to Dark Shadows but the show was canceled before the writers could figure out how to bring her back.

My theory would have been a PT story either in the past or in the present with the character.

[DRW50]

A PT story for Laura would have been a great idea - seeing what an alt version of the Phoenix story would have been. Maybe a world where she was a mental patient and thought she was a Phoenix.