""Maybe I have and maybe I haven't." On for just a month, Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman has already been given the best lines, and it's more than just the fact that real life husband Sam Hall was the head writer. She has a way with a line that is intriguing and delightful, and knowing Barnabas's secret has her in a position of power. But as power is knowledge, it's also dangerous and it is obvious that Barnabas knows that she knows. Victoria has also come to confide in her, especially of their shared interest in the Collins family history. Barnabas obviously fears her knowledge, well aware that she is quite a formidable opponent. He is taking no chances, and that puts her at risk, but with her final line, "Good evening Barnabas Collins. I've been waiting for you for a long time. A very, very long time."
It is easy to see why Grayson Hall immediately became a fan favorite. She is a unique actress and quite striking, even if not your typical soap heroine. Certainly, Julia could have been an annoying busybody like Aunt Liz on" Another World" or "Bewitched" neighbor Gladys Kravitz. But there is something very theatrucal about her, not only because of Grayson Hall's thespian past, but because of genuine character development in how this role was established. She dominates this episode and almost every other one that she is in, and even with Jonathan Frid and Robert Derringer there to support her, it is Hall and the character of Julia that you cannot take your eyes off of. She could be certainly smug in the situation, but the way she handles it is with such wisdom got you know that she is going to come out the winner, at least for now. Thanks to her performance, this episode is probably one of the best that I have seen up to this point, and there have been more than a handful that were excellent.
It is easy to see why Grayson Hall immediately became a fan favorite. She is a unique actress and quite striking, even if not your typical soap heroine. Certainly, Julia could have been an annoying busybody like Aunt Liz on" Another World" or "Bewitched" neighbor Gladys Kravitz. But there is something very theatrucal about her, not only because of Grayson Hall's thespian past, but because of genuine character development in how this role was established. She dominates this episode and almost every other one that she is in, and even with Jonathan Frid and Robert Derringer there to support her, it is Hall and the character of Julia that you cannot take your eyes off of. She could be certainly smug in the situation, but the way she handles it is with such wisdom got you know that she is going to come out the winner, at least for now. Thanks to her performance, this episode is probably one of the best that I have seen up to this point, and there have been more than a handful that were excellent.
