I love this show and I am enjoying watching the Seasons on DVD. But does it seem to me that in each of the episodes Darrin acts like a jerk? I'm looking at this from a 2009 perspective.

I know that he made Sam promise NO WITCHCRAFT but I don't think that he had a right to bar Sam's family from visiting. That's exactly why he gets in so much trouble with the people in the witch realm.

The man had ZERO TOLERANCE for magic and the people doing it.

Samantha tries to get him to reason with the witches and warlocks, but he further puts more trouble on himself when he doesn't comply. and what more, whenever something's wrong he's always yelling at SAMANTHA! God, man, get a grip. If you have a gripe, don't take it out on Sam.

Half the time, I wanted to yell at him for yelling at Samantha. She's the one trying to make peace with everyone involved. Sam tries her hardest but Darrin's really the one who needed the attitude adjustment.

Just my two cents, what do you all think? Feel free to correct me or elaborate if you will.

Yeah, Darrin could be overbearing sometimes. Both Dick York and Dick Sargent even said (according to the book Bewitched Forever) that Darrin could get out of line sometimes.

I think Darrin forbidding Samantha to do witchcraft was the whole point of the show. That said Darrin never learned. Each time he forbid any of Sam's relatives to do witchcraft or when he would yell at them, he always ended up getting a curse put on him. Me personally I would have let Sam do all the magic she wanted, and it would help keep Endora calm.

In the book Bewitched Forever, Dick York even said that if he was Samantha he would've told Darrin to "lay off or I'll zap you one". :lol:

I do agree. It's one thing with Samantha. She agreed to no more witchcraft. That was her choice. But her family never agreed to such a thing. And I would wonder why he'd get so mad at Endora, Maurice, Uncle Arther, etc. because they used their witchcraft.

I guess what it comes down to is, it's Darrin's home. Samantha's family are guests and if Darrin doesn't want witchcraft in his house, they should respect that. Much like smoking. You wouldn't go to a house where the people don't smoke and just light up a cigarrette and start smoking. That'd be rude.

However, it got to the point where the meer sight of Endora would get Darrin furious. I mean, she has a right to visit her own daughter. Though, I guess she could knock on the door instead of just popping in and out.

Thie thing Darrin needed to accept was that witchcraft existed. It was a part of his world whether he wanted it or not. He was always trying to make it not exist. So he'd get furious when a relative would come by and use witchcraft, or when Tabitha would use it. Darrin just needed to accept his surroundings, even if he didn't like it.

With all that said, I love Darrin. :)

I love this show and I am enjoying watching the Seasons on DVD. But does it seem to me that in each of the episodes Darrin acts like a jerk? I'm looking at this from a 2009 perspective.

I know that he made Sam promise NO WITCHCRAFT but I don't think that he had a right to bar Sam's family from visiting. That's exactly why he gets in so much trouble with the people in the witch realm.

The man had ZERO TOLERANCE for magic and the people doing it.
Samantha tries to get him to reason with the witches and warlocks, but he further puts more trouble on himself when he doesn't comply. and what more, whenever something's wrong he's always yelling at SAMANTHA! God, man, get a grip. If you have a gripe, don't take it out on Sam.

Half the time, I wanted to yell at him for yelling at Samantha. She's the one trying to make peace with everyone involved. Sam tries her hardest but Darrin's really the one who needed the attitude adjustment.

Just my two cents, what do you all think? Feel free to correct me or elaborate if you will.

Bottom line the conflict that existed was between Darrin's insistence that his family live in mortal world context magic free & Endora & the Witch World's insistence that they & particularly Samantha & the children live a magical life in the Witch world.

Now this had to be to create the dramatic tension & conflict that the story-lines were created around.

Without it there would have been no show Bewitched as we know it.
There would have been only a half a season with that premise of magical gratification before the show got stale with everyone getting what they wanted through magic.

To stay true to the premise & to maintain the credibility and integrity of Darrin's character he had to remain consistent in his insistence that their life be magic free.

This is demonstrated in the episode "The Girl with the golden nose" & others in the line of "A is for Aardvark".

The conflict was never a personal one between Darrin & Endora & company or even that he was mortal, it was all based on his insistence of no magic & whenever he even for a moment changed his tune on that such as when he said he was wrong in a situation of magicalness then Endora's attitude went 180 degrees in respect to Darrin & no longer was a hostile one.

Although Darrin received no assurance from Samantha's family of no witchcraft, he was simply being consistent in his opposition to witchcraft by whomever, especially if it impacted on the life of him & his family.

It wasn't that he didn't want Samantha's family to not visit but rather that they not impose witchcraft on he, his family & most of all his children in the process.

I don't think Darrin was ever abusive towards Samantha, rather he was reacting to the extreme to some impossible situation he was placed in by magic be a member of Samantha's family.

If he had been accepting of the use of Witchcraft by Samantha & her family then he would have been a hypocrite and a traitor to his values & all that he stood for, the hard working all American executive devoted to free enterprise & the American way.

He took it out on her at times as she was his contact to her witchly world inhabited by her family that were causing all the problems in his life.

Larry Tate :)

^ Beautifully put. I really can't blame Darrin for wanting to make it on his own, to carve out a successful marriage and career with no magic. They would've been hollow victories otherwise.

^


I agree but with Samantha's power's there are some advantages that if I were Darren I would have took.

^


I agree but with Samantha's power's there are some advantages that if I were Darren I would have took.
Now that just sounds dirty. :lol:

Now that just sounds dirty. :lol:



No comment :lol:

No comment :lol:
:lol:

I have to agree, he could be such a jerk, witchcarft is Sam's brith right. As for her family, they never promised to stop what comes naturally to them. He should have essied up on them. After 8 years, would he have gotten use to it by then? I know if I was in he's shoes, I would not stand in the way of Sam and her magic. I might even use it to my adventage. Nothing big, maybe if I want watermellon in March I have her zap up a bow. Or if rain was ruining a nice sunny day she could make it go away.

Samantha tried to stay neutral when it came to Darrin vs. Endora, Maurice, Serena, Arthur, Dr. Bombay or Esmerelda. But I loved when she spoke up when Darrin said Aunt Clara had to go. Samantha said she had as much right to be there as his parents, and she had the last word on that! And Aunt Clara always meant well, anyway.

Samantha tried to stay neutral when it came to Darrin vs. Endora, Maurice, Serena, Arthur, Dr. Bombay or Esmerelda. But I loved when she spoke up when Darrin said Aunt Clara had to go. Samantha said she had as much right to be there as his parents, and she had the last word on that! And Aunt Clara always meant well, anyway.
Exactly. Even Darrin's mom reamed him out when Sam said that. "What did you say to that poor old lady, anyway??"

Aunt Clara seemed to be the only relative of Sam's that Darrin could tolerate.

Aunt Clara seemed to be the only relative of Sam's that Darrin could tolerate.
I know - I think he'd rather have her around than Endora anyday as long as she didn't attempt any magic. That's when things always went wrong. :eek: :lol:

i like these

I loved the reason DY gave in the book Bewitched Forever about the main reason Darrin was so opposed to Sam's magic. He didn't want anyone else to find out about Samantha's powers, because he'd lose her. (That scenario came across beautifully in the Season 4 episode "I Confess".)

One thing about the use of magic I see is that it's sort of analogous to telling fibs or outright lying: When is it okay to use a little magic (like a fib) or how far does one go when the magic action crosses a line (like damaging lies)? Actually if Darrin did leave more of that to Sam's discretion, it seems to me that it's almost like a burden on her, constantly needing to weigh the consequences. Sam would be in sort of a constant confusion as to what constitutes acceptable magic, unless she would be asking Darrin all the time - and of course how is he going to weigh things, with that burden on him?

So I see Sam's little uses of her magic like routine fibs -- as when an acquaintance's new hairstyle looks awful but you say "it looks nice!" when asked for an opinion. And fibs can backfire, just as sometimes Sam's magic (more often Clara's or Esmeralda's) has unintended consequences. And those types of things really added to the show's unpredictability and appeal.

Supposing that Darrin did allow Sam to use her magic fully (and Sam were willing to comply), we would lose The Tates, as it's unlikely that Darrin would continue slaving away at the office under a boss -- leading to freedom as to where to live a life of luxury, etc.

Of course, they could let Larry and Louise in on their secret. In fact, as a closing episode for the series, I would have had them do so. And then the four of them would cast all cares aside, and the final scene would have them playing 2 on 2 volleyball on a beach somewhere...!

They did have an episode that dealt a white lie in the way of Sam having feelings of guilt over using witchcraft had a reaction from the guilt, when she broke out with spots on her face.

From "I Confess" from S4 - Darrin's worst nightmare...Samantha and Tabitha being taken away to use their powers for the government. Interesting sidenote - this episode originally aired on April 4, 1968. The episode was interrupted to announce the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier that day in Memphis. :(

From "I Confess" from S4 - Darrin's worst nightmare...Samantha and Tabitha being taken away to use their powers for the government. Interesting sidenote - this episode originally aired on April 4, 1968. The episode was interrupted to announce the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier that day in Memphis. :(


I had no idea about that.

I had no idea about that.
Yeah, I've read that several places. Also, the show's rehearsals for the pilot were set to begin on November 22, 1963 - but were postponed because of the JFK assassination.

Yeah, I've read that several places. Also, the show's rehearsals for the pilot were set to begin on November 22, 1963 - but were postponed because of the JFK assassination.



Now that I knew

Yeah, I've read that several places. Also, the show's rehearsals for the pilot were set to begin on November 22, 1963 - but were postponed because of the JFK assassination.

Actually they did not postpone the first read through, they all showed up & decided to go ahead with it after-all & found the whole process very theraputic at the time.

Liz talks about this on ET & in Bewitched Forever as well.

Liz heard about JFK for the first time after she came out of the Shower when Bill told her after he heard it on the radio, they were both shocked.

It is nice to know that "I Confess" was later seen uninterrupted in the reruns in the summer 1968 after then original run had been seen for all 33 episodes that year.

Larry Tate :)

Actually they did not postpone the first read through, they all showed up & decided to go ahead with it after-all & found the whole process very theraputic at the time.

Liz talks about this on ET & in Bewitched Forever as well.

Liz heard about JFK for the first time after she came out of the Shower when Bill told her after he heard it on the radio, they were both shocked.

It is nice to know that "I Confess" was later seen uninterrupted in the reruns in the summer 1968 after then original run had been seen for all 33 episodes that year.

Larry Tate :)
OK, thanks for clarifying. Yes, I do remember reading that in Bewitched Forever now that you mentioned it. It was Another World (the soap opera which was set to premiere early in 1964) that postponed their production meeting that day.

OK, thanks for clarifying. Yes, I do remember reading that in Bewitched Forever now that you mentioned it. It was Another World (the soap opera which was set to premiere early in 1964) that postponed their production meeting that day.
The cast of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" were rehearsing an episode on the day President Kennedy was shot and took the rest of the day off after hearing the news.

The cast of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" were rehearsing an episode on the day President Kennedy was shot and took the rest of the day off after hearing the news.
Now that I didn't know...wow...

Now that I didn't know...wow...
You can read about it in "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book" by Vince Waldron. That's where I read it.

You can read about it in "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book" by Vince Waldron. That's where I read it.
Sounds like a great book. Thanks, Marv! :cool:

The only times I like "Darwood" Darrin was when he had a spell on
him to act better than he normally acted. Like when he took the day
off work with the milkman, tv repair guy etc when they ate the magic
popcorn. Otherwise, what control freak! Another "Ricky Ricardo"!
And he could be so stupid, too! He would deliberatly say something to p...... off Endora
and ZAP he got turned into a monkey, a toad, or grew giant ears! LOL

The only times I like "Darwood" Darrin was when he had a spell on
him to act better than he normally acted. Like when he took the day
off work with the milkman, tv repair guy etc when they ate the magic
popcorn. Otherwise, what control freak! Another "Ricky Ricardo"!
And he could be so stupid, too! He would deliberatly say something to p...... off Endora
and ZAP he got turned into a monkey, a toad, or grew giant ears! LOL
Oh yes - the popcorn episode from Season 3. Poor Sam - trying to hold her committee meeting with those lazy, hungry guys. :lol: Yes, he should've known better than to repeatedly underestimate Endora. He never learned!! :eek: :lol:

I always thought Darrin acted a bit like a dip. The way he was always carrying on abt Sam using her powers - I mean being a witch was her heritage, so he was asking her to deny her heritage. And I always thought he was a bit too audacious with Endora. Actually the chic old gal had a lot of tolerance considering the vastness of her powers...and many of the ones she cast on Darrin were to teach him a lesson. Now Maurice...he was another story (there was an ep I believe where he was all set to KILL Darrin)

I always thought Darrin acted a bit like a dip. The way he was always carrying on abt Sam using her powers - I mean being a witch was her heritage, so he was asking her to deny her heritage. And I always thought he was a bit too audacious with Endora. Actually the chic old gal had a lot of tolerance considering the vastness of her powers...and many of the ones she cast on Darrin were to teach him a lesson. Now Maurice...he was another story (there was an ep I believe where he was all set to KILL Darrin)
About Maurice...I think that was his first episode (episode #10).

Darrin would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he just would have let Sam do her magic, and made nice with Endora.

Darrin would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he just would have let Sam do her magic, and made nice with Endora.

Yes but then he wouldn't have been Darrin then would he, the character would not have been being true to himself nor the premise of the show which would have been undercut & compromised if he had done so, in fact we would not have had a show if he had done so.

The issue between Darrin & Endora was not so much that he was a mortal, but rather that he insisted that Samantha also live as one.

Whenever Darrin let up on the use of Magic & Samantha being a part of the witch world, even though it might have been only in a special circumstance & rare situation, Endora changed her mode of behaviour towards Darrin into one of acceptance & almost being pleasant to him.

Larry Tate :)

Darrin would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he just would have let Sam do her magic, and made nice with Endora.
True, but the show wouldn't have been nearly as much fun! :lol:

True, but the show wouldn't have been nearly as much fun! :lol:
BINGO!!!!

BINGO!!!!
Part of the fun was watching Endora get back at Darrin. Even though I loved the character (mainly when DY played him), it was funny because he never learned his lesson. :eek: :lol:

Part of the fun was watching Endora get back at Darrin. Even though I loved the character (mainly when DY played him), it was funny because he never learned his lesson. :eek: :lol:
No kidding! How many different animals do you have to be turned into before you figure out this is a fight you can't win? :lol::rolleyes:

No kidding! How many different animals do you have to be turned into before you figure out this is a fight you can't win? :lol::rolleyes:
:yeahthat :lol: