Great writing In The Beginning
I watched all the Barnabas episodes, then went back to watch the early episodes. I just realized one of the reasons why I'm enjoying this so much.
The writers do an amazing job of adding complexity to the plot lines, just by making each character do the very human thing of interpreting everything they see in terms of their own interests. Most of the time, they don't even realize they're doing it but it adds so much suspense and intrigue.
Every time Vicky sees someone obviously holding back information, she thinks it's something about herself and her origins, which she is trying to discover. Other characters see the same thing and worry that they are about to be accused of a crime that they may or may not have committed. David sees every action as another way to control him. Caroline worries that someone will disapprove of a man she's been seeing. And because they're all blissfully unaware of anyone else's point of view, they blurt out information that sometimes would have been better left unsaid, and it moves the story along beautifully.
Once Barnabas arrives on the scene, it's easy to be overwhelmed by how amazingly Jonathan Frid plays him. But here, watching the interactions of a group of vanilla mortals, the quality of the writing is even more apparent. I didn't expect to find this part of the series as gripping as I do.