MovieChat Forums > Dark Shadows (1966) Discussion > A Genealogical Contradiction?

A Genealogical Contradiction?

posted 4 years ago by MAGolding (1236)
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Is there a contradiction in the relationship of Josette to the 1960s collins family?

As I remember, early in the series David said that he knew the ghost of Josette Collins and that she was his (insert number of greats) grandmother.

But as I remember, in the 1790s sequence where Angelique turned Baranbus into a vampire, Josette died wihtout having any children, and thus was never anyone's mother, grandmother, great grandmother, or anything.

Does anyone know if those two memories are correct? Is there a contradiction in the Collins family genealogy?

[–] MAGolding (1236) 4 years ago

I asked the same quesitn in another web site:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkShadows/comments/og1gvd/a_genealogical_contradiction/

And some answers said that David did claim Josette was his direct ancestor and that her story was retconned for the 1795 story arc.

And someone suggested that David simply mistook Josette for a woman who actually was his direct ancester. But Josette's ghost was probably rather honest.

So if she asked David if he liked being with her and he said something like: "Of course, I must be the only kid in the world who gets to be with their great great great great grandmother" Josette's ghost would probably correct him.

So I have another theory.

Alternate universes exist in Dark Shadows. So maybe the first episodes of Dark Shadows happen in an alternate universe where Josette lived to become the Collins ancestor and David was right about Josette being his ancestor.

And the 1795 story arc could be set in an alternate universe where Josette died childless and the Collins family had a different female ancestor in that generation. In real life that would make it impossible for the Collins family to have the same members in 1967, but let's ignore that until sometime in the future when I think of a fantasy or science fiction explanation.
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To be Continued.

[–] MAGolding (1236) 4 years ago

Continued.

But how could Barnabas Collins, turned into a vampire in 1795 in an alternate universe, appear in the universe of the earlier episodes, starting the chain of events that caused Vicky to be sent to 1795 in that alternae universe?

Maybe Angelique didn't have full control over all aspects of her magic. Maybe unexpected side effects of her magic made many copies of vampire Barnabus in many alternate universes, and sent one copy, chained up in a coffin in the Collins crypt, into the alternate universe of the earlier Dark Shadows episodes, an alternate universe where Josette lived to become the Collins family ancestor. Then a quirk of the seance magic could have sent Vickie back to 1795 in the alternate universe where Angelique vampirized Barnabus and Josette died young.

And possibly no Dark Shadows character who time traveled or went to an alternate universe ever returned to the same alteranate universe they started from, which might explain a bunch of plot holes.

It would be a lot simpler to assume that David (and possibly other characters) simply made a mistake, But I like my alternate universe idea.