"Barnaby Jones" The Reincarnation (TV Episode 1977) Poster

(TV Series)

(1977)

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7/10
Familiar plot but face paced and entertaining
kellielulu1 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I actually find this one pretty entertaining. It's another episode filmed in the mountains. A popular location for a lot of crime shows back then . A break from the city.

It's an old plot used by a lot of crime shows at the time, Decades earlier a woman gets pregnant by a man who marries another woman Diane played by Vera Miles . Instead of blaming the man the abandoned pregnant woman blames Diane for that and the man's death.

Mother and son plot against Diane even using her visiting niece so David can get close to Diane. A doctor who might know too much is quickly murdered and Barnaby and JR start investigating. Another limited episode for Betty.

Another twist comes when David seems to know things only Diane's dead husband would know . Diane is gullible and that and the plot against her temporarily comes between her and her niece.

Yes there is some overacting in the reveal but I think it works because they were both kind of deranged.
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9/10
BARNABY AND THE REINCARNATION ANGLE!
tcchelsey11 March 2024
I remember this episode when it came out, and yes, we talked about the strange reincarnation theme then. However... you can't complain with this cast, and the reason I give it 9 Stars.

First and foremost, Vera Miles, who always turns in a memorable performance, plays a wealthy widow called Diane who is stunned at the sight of young John David Carson, who resembles her late husband, and seems to know only things he would have known.

A neat ploy for him to gain access to a large family fortune? Sure looks that way, no matter how innocent he looks!

Michael Michaelian wrote this episode, but made a slight mistake. David, who is in his 20s, was born while Diane's husband was still alive, making it impossible to have been reincarnated in the first place. Michaelian, who got his start writing episodes for KUNG FU, may have gotten a few ideas from that show and ran with it.

Still fun to watch Barnaby and JR piece the mystery together, and with an eerie slant at times. John David Carson, by the way, was a very popular young actor who became famous due to his battles with talk show host Johnny Carson's attorneys. Even though it was his legal name, he had to change it to avoid all the confusion.

Backing up Vera Miles is veteran character actress Salome Jens (as Estelle), who co-starred in many classic and cult films, including SECONDS (1966), opposite Rock Hudson as his younger companion. Florida Friebus, best known as DOBIE GILLIS' tv mom, plays Connie and David Lewis (famous for BATMAN), plays the doctor.

Watch this for Vera Miles, dedicated to all us film buffs. From SEASON 6 EPISODE 9 remastered color/CBS.
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3/10
The overacting near the end....it's hilarious!
planktonrules30 July 2021
"The Reincarnation" is a very atypical sort of episode of "Barnaby Jones", as it is all about the supernatural and is really silly at the end. Some might have enjoyed the change of pace...I didn't.

When the story begins, a young man arrives at a party and the host (Vera Miles) is taken aback, as he looks a lot her long-dead husband. And, through the course of the show, more and more details about the young man's life convince her that he IS the reincarnation of this man. Sounds silly? Well, not for most of the show. BUT, at the end the acting by the two baddies is really over the top and silly. See it an see what I mean.

Overall, a silly and disappointing episode...a type of which I hope isn't repeated as I continue watching the series.
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