Maggie: She is at her lowest ebb in this story, manic depressive to the point of feeling suicidal and the perfect victim for anybody who might be ready to exploit her psychologically. Be careful what you wish for...Maggie craves somebody to talk through her problems with and Gerald drops into her lap. Maggie is not the sort of person to give up normally but she has been pushed to her limit lately, especially with the death of Jim Hardy. Maggie has a chance to be happy, a second chance. But she isn't sure whether she wants to be happy, not after everything that has happened.
Gerald: When he first came to Collinsport he was at his wits
end and had blown just about everything in his life. We charted Gerald's
haunting and possession in The House by the Sea and now is our chance to find
out a little about who has taken up residence. How can you answer the question
of what it is like to bring somebody back from the dead? He has many faces and
employers. His happy ending is to be able to do some good long after he should
have died. Realising that doing a good deed is so rewarding.
Standout Performance: Nobody would be able to tell that
Kathryn Leigh-Scott and Colin Baker weren't even on the same continent when
recording this drama, such is the strength of their professionalism and
performance. Of their respective ranges (Doctor Who and Dark Shadows) they are
my favourite performers so bringing them together was a dream come true for me
and affording them such a strong performance piece was a gift to the actors.
The Harvest of Souls is a very intimate piece and all about the relationship
between these two characters and it relies on two very strong actors to keep
your interest when there is little else of note going on. They managed that
effortlessly.
Sparkling Dialogue: 'Typical Collinsport! I can't even kill
myself without some monster coming for me...'
'I've come back to Collinsport and I've made everyone
happy.'
'An evil man can sometimes do good...if it suits his ends.'
'It's always darkest before the dawn and the sun never
really rises in Collinsport.'
'All those captured dreams; planed, chipped and carved.'
'When you dream you don't dream of this world...you dream of
the past or the future or other worlds where you made other choices.'
Great Ideas: How much does Colin Baker look like William
Hartnell on the cover? Beyond the Grave gets a mention, the producers are
trying to back track and pretend that it was a work of fiction rather than a
documentary that went horribly wrong. I loved the mention of Alfie & Emma
and Jim, characters from other stories that remind you that this part of a
cohesive library of tales without their reference infringing on this as a
standalone tale at all. There are so many dead and gone in Collinsport, Maggie
is convinced that the town simply cannot get a happy ending. The flashbacks
between Jim and Maggie as kids are vital to understand the bond between the
characters, giving her actions at the start of the story a great depth. How
atmospheric is the idea of Collinsport being deserted by the townsfolk who have
been given the opportunity to follow their dreams whilst a manic depressive
wanders the cliffs looking for a way out of this life? The creatures in the
water are not of this world...not anymore and their methods aren't very subtle.
They mean well but lack a friendly face. Long ago the Leviathans ruled this
world and many others with ancient powers. It has been a long time since they
existed in this dimension and they have forgotten how to interact with it. The
Leviathan's don't give a fig about humanity, they just want to the planet back
and if they can help to move people on to a better existence whilst 'cleaning
out the kitchen' then so be it. Was there a single person in this town happy?
Collinsport - the unhappy ones run away and the happy ones die. It is a cursed
place, cursed by the shadow of the Leviathans. The science and physical laws of
the Leviathans is pressing down on Collinsport like a storm. The Leviathans
used to dance around the first tree in Collinsport. When they left the tree
remained and grew and grew. One day a man chopped down the oldest tree and made
a staircase out of it for Collinwood. The wood of the tree gave the house
power, rooting itself into the ground. I can only imagine what a spectacular
sight it must be to see thousands of Leviathans crossing over into our
universe.
Audio Landscape: Lightning, thunder, rain, Maggie falling
into the sea, bubbles raging under the water, crackling fire, the breathing,
sucking, slurping creature, frying eggs.
Isn't it Odd: I realise it was a creative decision to have
Kathryn Leigh-Scott play Maggie as a young girl but it can get a little
confusing, especially when Jim calls her 'Miss Evans!' At one point I wondered
if she was his teacher!
Standout Scene: 'You want me to take you to the moon,
Maggie Evans?' 'No, I want you to show me the world!' The glorious sequence
where Maggie explores her dreams and embraces a life of travelling the world.
Unusual for this range but tremendously uplifting.
Result: 'On the worst night of my life you turn up to
offer me a second chance?' Can evil be a force for good? That is an
exciting idea to explore. If somebody were to offer you happiness, whatever
your heart desires, in order to move on from this world would you ask for?
These are the sorts of questions that James Goss' superb script dissects. There
is also some fundamental exploration of Collinsport itself which makes The
Harvest of Souls a must for anybody who is looking for an explanation for why
so many terrible things happen in this town. I found the backstory of the
Leviathans absolutely fascinating and would like to learn more in subsequent
stories. But what really appealed to me were the character scenes between
Maggie and Gerald, an intimate character drama between two lost souls looking
for some meaning in their lives. Maggie has emerged as my favourite Dark
Shadows character, partly because she has a formidable personality and strength
of character (check her out in Bloodlust) but also because Kathryn Leigh-Scott
delivers one knockout performance after another. Pair her up with Colin Baker
(playing the embodiment of evil distributing good deeds) and you have something
magical to deliver to your audience. Given that it starts with an attempted
suicide, this is one the most uplifting dramas in the Dark Shadows catalogue.
It reaches some sunny conclusions and sports some memorably poetic moments. If
you are looking for the usual first class scares then move along but if you are
prepared to try something a little different and more cerebral, it doesn't come
much finer than The Harvest of Souls. The conclusion that it draws...that
everybody is happier far away from Collinsport doesn't bode well for the next
entry. Or the next. Or the next...: 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment