Rituals

[TC]

My sister used to tape this show. I was never able to get into it. I might have seen Tina Louise's first episode as a recast, out of curiosity.

I had no idea it was related to the novel of the same name, but that same sister loved the novel.

[DRW50]

This is from the early December 1984 Digest. Anyone with any more info on this please feel free to tell us more!

[dc11786]

I think these synopses are from October/November. By November sweeps, Tom has already been kidnapped. The San Rafael storyline started in the opening episode. Tom returned from the service with Diandra on his arm. Diandra was running away from the war-torn San Rafael where her lover, Carlos, had been killed. Carlos was a terrorist, who was revealed not to be as dead as Diandra thought. In Wingfield, Diandra was hiding under the pseudonym Diandra Perez and ended up working as a maid for Patrick Chapin. Diandra and Tom seemed pretty much set to be a major super couple. Tom had an old girlfriend Susie Pelligrino, who had committed suicide, before he went into the service. Susie’s brother Larry Pelligrino was still in town and was looking for vengeance. There was some mystery regarding Susie’s death. I think Eddie Gallagher may have done something to Susie. Anyway, I think Tom and Diandra got lost in the shuffle because they weren’t connected to the school or to Chapin Industries. In Christina’s final monologue, Tom died of radiation poisoning and Diandra took her daughter back to San Rafael.

Lacey’s pregnancy was the initial conflict in Lacey and Mike’s relationship. It prompted their engagement, which Lacey’s parents didn’t approve of. As if that wasn’t enough, Lacey was told she should have an abortion for medical reasons. At Haddon Hall’s Homecoming, Lacey was kidnapped by a masked rider, which was a Haddon Hall ritual. A young man from the local boys college, Oakhurst, would kidnap a scantily clad young lady and bring him to be their homecoming queen. Mike thought it was a joke that they grabbed Lacey this year. It turns out though Lacey was actually kidnapped. I don’t know all the circumstances. Lacey would later miscarry the baby.

I think the kidnapper was connected to Becky’s Bomber as this was the name of the raider in the kidnapping tradition. The Homecoming ritual was based off of Rebecca Haddon, a Chapin relation who had been kidnapped 100 years ago by her stableboy lover.

Marissa Mallory was the character Patti Reagan Davis played for two episodes before she quit. Janice Heiden continued in the role. Patrick had a secret, which Marissa was privy to. Carter would seduce her in order to get the secret. I’m not sure what the secret is, but it may have been Carter’s paternity. Marissa was around for several months as she would later poison her co-workers at Chapin Industries. She was a schemer, who probably would have thrived during the corporate C.J./Carter period.

Sammy Loakes was a criminal figure who was involved with Carter Robertson in the beginning. Sammy owned a construction company and owned a piece of land he was hoping to sell to Haddon Hall for a tidy sum. Carter was going to make the land deal go through until Taylor announced at Orientation that Logan Williams was the new president of Haddon Hall. Taylor was trying to keep Logan in town because she wanted to reunite. This change dampened Carter and Sammy’s plans.

As a result, Sammy was determined to hurt Carter and plotted with Eddie Gallagher to make Carter pay. I believe Carter owed Eddie money and the land deal would have made them even. Sammy paid Eddie to kidnap Jeff Robertson, Carter’s son who was away at Yale. Eddie kidnapped Jeff and planned on extorting money from Carter. I’m not sure how it ended, but Sammy was killed as this mentions.

As a side note, Jeff just notices that Eddie is his kidnapper, but Eddie is Christina’s brother-in-law. How did Jeff not recognize his uncle's voice?I’m becoming more convinced Christina isn’t Jeff’s mother. This would make sense since, if Christina was Jeff's mom, Jeff would have been tied to both major families.

[DRW50]

It does seem like DIandra became a lesser figure as the show went on. Is it me or do they also seem to give Tom the victim scenes they often give a female (being drugged, kidnapped, poisoned)?

Who did Marissa poison at work? I wonder if Patti Reagan was any good? I guess we'll never know, and it was only two episodes. It was probably a smart decision to bring her in even if she quit very early - this was at the time her father was running for re-election and that must have garnered some publicity.

Thanks for all the insights. You got to read the last few above this right? That probably already just said stuff already out there.

I have the one from April 85's Digest somewhere, I will post when I can find it again.

[dc11786]

The 1985 ones are great. I think “Rituals” continued for one more synopsis after the one you posted. Taylor returned around three weeks before the show was cancelled. I don’t like how the synopsis doesn’t really clarify what brings Taylor back to town.

Maria Trieste is Renee Jones’ character. I’ve seen her listed in a bunch of TV Guide summaries, but I thought she popped up earlier than August. It’s nice getting a sense of the timeline of those final months. I think the show was definitely developing into something worth watching with all the wheeling and dealing. Minor characters like Michelle and Scott really add something to the canvas and tie the younger established characters (Jeff/Noel) to the bigger story.

I like how Tom’s contamination brought C.J. and Sarah together rather than tearing them apart since it happened at C.J.’s factory.

The Lacey/Mike situation is bizarre. Kin Shriner was on his way out and they introduce a new storyline. I agree with your comments regarding Dakota, the lady with the baby and the tumor. Give me a break. YouTube has some clips of Shriner and Evans promoting their story on the Merv Griffin show. Was this really the best the show had to offer? I like the Larry/Lacey situation better because Larry was a more established part of Lacey and Mike’s backstory. Lacey loved Larry’s daughter, Katie, and I could see how they could be drawn together. I think it makes Lacey look bad that she was sleeping with Larry while married to Mike, but Mike had already bedded Diandra so what does that say about him. The Gallagher family didn’t work outside of Sarah and Noel.

The Mike/Diandra situation is so interesting to me since I don’t know the details. Tom and Mike were close and the two couples were pretty intertwined in the early episodes. I’m shocked they mixed things up so early. I don’t think the producers knew what to do with Mike.

The San Rafael storyline was very 1980s. Exotic locales and adventure stories. I’m not sure what Tom and Diandra did once the kidnapping was over.

Marissa poisoned the executive suite with Taylor and Brady waiting for Carter. I don’t know the conclusion.

[DRW50]

April 23, 1985 Digest.

[DRW50]

From the January 1, 1985 Digest.

[dc11786]

The Nancy story was one of Mike and Lacey's few non-baby storylines. Nancy was a student in Mike's class who became obsessed with him. Clearly, she was a deranged young woman who took it to far. I believe she also made an attempt on her own life. At one point, Lacey was a physical education teacher, but I think later she took on a higher position at the college. She clearly cared about the students. I don't think Nancy was around long. Maybe December through early March, the time of this synopsis. It's interesting to see that as soon as the Nancy story ends Mike and Lacey are back to dealing with their baby problems.

It's interesting that Koty has an illness at this point in the story, March 1985. I'm not clear if this is the brain tumor she was diagnosed with in May 1985 or a separate disorder. Koty seemed to be a perennial victim, so I wouldn't be surprised if this illness was separate from her later one.

Cherry seemed to come and go from Los Angeles as she pleased. I know at one point Dakota joined her there at the tail end of Dakota's movie storyline. I wonder at what point the show abandoned Dakota's acting ambition? Her modelling for the Chapins seems like it was a step backwards. Then again, Dakota seems like a character molded after Charlene Keel's original pilot, a young ingenue with acting ambitions attending the prestigious girls' school. I don't see why Dakota couldn't have been torn by a career in Los Angeles and a life with Brady in Wingfield.

It's interesting that Lucky came to town and was immediately attracted to Julia. I'm beginning to wonder if the plan was to do a Clay/Julia/Lucky triangle with Lucky and Clay representing different sides of the law. With Clay's connections to the Robertsons, I'm sure there could have been some additional connections on the canvas. Clay did return in the summer of 1985, but those synopses you posted don't seem to list much about Clay after he returns.

This seems to be the arrival of C.J. and start of the second chapter of "Rituals." Over the past few days, I been thinking more and more about "Dynasty" in daytime comment. I think Ken Corday's point may have been about creating characters the audience would invest in and spending time on character development rather than constant plotting. From what I've seen of "Dynasty," the show was very plot heavy whereas daytime needs downtime to develop characters and relationships. I still think this could have been done in the world of corporate moguls and the extremely wealthy, but it would need to pace itself. There doesn't seem to be any Taylor references. I assume she was written off before C.J. arrived. What a shame!

This Tom/Diandra conflict regarding C.J. seems interesting and I wish it played out longer. There seems to be an implication of some attraction between C.J. and Diandra and Diandra seems a bit ambitious. This situation definitely seems more suited for what is to come in terms of C.J. and Carter.

Patty was a college student who married a wealthy older man, Bernhardt. Bernhardt previously had been involved with Julia when she was a bit of schemer. When Julia and Bernhardt split, Julia began to see shady Clay Travis, who worried Bernhardt.

I didn't realize Christina and Clay had been sleeping together. Christina certainly got around once the show backburnered Taylor. Christina slept with Carter, Patrick, Clay, and C.J. Lady got around in a short amount of time.

The San Rafael plot sounds like typical 1980s action/adventure soap. I didn't realize Enrique was Diandra's uncle, I figured he was her father. It seems like Mike and Diandra slept together by this point. I think it was too soon for a new soap to delve into this type of story. Diandra and the terrorists just seems so bizarre, but it's interesting to read this as Gina Gallego's organ donation in prison plot climaxed on "Days of our Lives."

Lacey's pregnancy was always in jeopardy, but I thought she had lost the baby during her kidnapping story. I'm not surprised they held off until sweeps. The life or death element was probably teased a bit since Dianda and Mike had slept together. Viewers may even thought Lacey was genuinely in peril since if she died, Mike could always make a play for Diandra.

Jo Ann Pflug left and Tina Louise arrived in this synopsis. This was the plot that Pflug refused to play on moral grounds, which is less shocking seeing it in complete context. Bernhardt had a thing for young girls (Julia/Gloria/Patty). Taylor wasn't scheming to break up a happy couple, but scheming to reveal the truth about her daughter's unfaithful lover. On the otherhand, I got the impression Julia wasn't so much in love with Bernhardt as she was the money and freedom his lifestyle provided her.

More and more, I'm convinced Gene Palumbo planned on revealing Logan Williams was Julia's father. C.J. Fields had to have a reason he abandoned his daughter for all those years. I'm wondering if he suspected he wasn't her father which ended his and Taylor's marriage. Please be aware this is conjecture, but I think it would have been quite fascinating to see it all play out had Logan and Taylor stuck around for the Carter/C.J. feud.

I like the idea of Patrick and Christina, but I think Patrick dies in the next synopsis. In early December, the family gathers for Patrick's funeral.

I wish someone could clarify the Christina/Jeff connection. Did Noel really sleep with her cousin? The Los Angeles story does end up happening. I believe it also involves the movie Dakota was involved with, but I may be wrong. I think Mary Beth Evans arrives around this time as well. It's interesting how Julia seems in a separate social circle than Noel/Jeff/Brady/Dakota.

So Chalon is some sort of substance and Carter and Marissa were lovers. This is all very interesting. I sort of see how the show slowly moved away from the college and focused more on the industrial aspect. I think the Chapins owned a mill so I wonder if Chalon is suppose to be a fabric?

Thank you again for these!

[DRW50]

Thanks so much for continuing to give insight and comment on these - that's the main reason I post them, as you know a lot of great stuff. I wonder if people who actually watched the show would remember as much as we do

So, you probably already mentioned this, but who played Patrick Chapin and when did he leave?

Do you know who Patty was (the person who moved into Sara's boarding house), or much about Kevin, beyond his dating Noel before she chose Brady?

It seems like the writers really enjoyed the corporate espionage and everything with Dakota/Mike/Lacey was just there as some type of cliched idea of soap. I wonder if that's why Kin and Philece were displeased.

[dc11786]

lol. I've met very few "Rituals" viewers online. No one seems to have many recollections of the show. I think Lydia Hirsch said in her column the show did much better when it was moved to daytime.

The obscure 1980s soaps interest me. “Rituals,” “A New Day in Eden,” “The Catlins,” and “Another Life” are some of the few off-network attempts to capitalize on the success of soaps. I’ve been thrilled with all these synopses because everything I have has only come in bits and pieces.

Dennis Patrick played Patrick Chapin. I think his character was killed off the week of December 3-7, 1984. I don’t have the synopsis for this week, but the following week’s synopsis states “Taylor attacks Christina after the funeral” and “the contents of Patrick’s final letter are revealed.”

Patty Dupont was a “Haddie,” a student at Haddon Hall. I’m not sure, but I think there were a lot of young female students who appeared in recurring roles when the series started. A lot of those early episodes seem to focus on the drama at the college. The actress who played Patty appeared on “Joanie Loves Chachi.” When they began phasing the school out, Patty stuck around and married Bernhardt Krauss, Julia’s former fiancée. I think this may have been why she stuck around longer. Patty and Bernhardt seem like peripheral characters after their marriage. From what I gather, they hung around as friends of Julia’s. I don’t believe either were contract characters, but they are listed in most reference books, probably due to their duration.

Kevin and Dr. Coleman are the same character. I didn’t realize this until you posted these synopses. Grant Goodeve played the role as did another actor. Kevin Coleman was Noel’s court appointed shrink after she admitted to killing Eddie Gallagher. There seems to be some sort of ethical issue involving Kevin/Noel because of Kevin’s profession. I think there was a writing change during the Kevin/Noel story because Goodeve was a probably a pretty big name actor to dump rather quickly.

Shriner claims they paired him with Mary Beth Evans as a sort of last hurrah, but I think they were hoping they could keep him around by moving him out of Philece Sampler’s orbit. I’m not saying there were problems between Sampler and Shriner, but rather that Shriner wasn’t happy with the storyline. As you said above, the whole tumor/baby plot is absolutely ludicrous. They should have played the Dakota/Jeff/Brady triangle and later brought Noel back in once her romances with Scott and Kevin Coleman ended.

I was thinking it was interesting that Philece Sampler was hired to play a college student, but ended up playing a professor. Lacey seems like a sap and weepy heroine, while Pris Lawson was going to be an uber-bitch. I think the role reversal was disappointing. Christine Jones was sort of in a similar position, except her character became the show’s lead bitch.

[DRW50]

Thanks again for all the answers. I liked Dennis Patrick on Dark Shadows, so I wish I could have seen him here.

I'm surprised they cast Christine in a more sympathetic role at all considering her Janice Frame. It seems like Philece was kind of always in sappy roles - her Donna Love was the same.

The Catlins was never in SOD was it? I don't have a lot of issues from that timespan. I'm surprised Rituals was covered as much as it was, since Another Life rarely was either. I guess this was down to Rituals hiring several soap stars.

Do you know if Sharon Farrell was cast on Y&R based on this role?

This is all the Rituals stuff I have right now but if I have any more I will be sure to post it.

[Paul Raven]

The Catlins and Another Life were not covered in SOD. i guess they weren't seen nationwide and were on cable,whereas Rituals was syndicated and (at least at the start,)was seen in most markets.

SOD did cover some nightime soaps-the biggies of course-but also Paper Dolls,Emerald Point and Berengers.

[Goldensoaps]

I enclose some pictures from the last episode of RITUALS...we can see a Christine as a nun, reading the Life Ritulas to Carter. Later she is in the convent...

Edited January 30, 2011 by Goldensoaps

[DRW50]

What a treat. That is certainly a fascinating way to end a show, although for some reason the habit ends up seeming a bit like a costume. That logo is huge!

That set reminds me of something else. I think Lyla's house on ATWT.

Edited January 30, 2011 by CarlD2

[dc11786]

Oh! I don't think I've seen the Chapin living room in color before. The first shot is Sister Christina walking into the Chapin living room isn't it?

As I said before, someone put the final monologue from "Rituals" online several years back. It was quite lengthy and some of the characters ended up getting rather bizarre or tragic fates. It also took place several years in the future. So these shots were suppose to be set in the late 1980s. Carter was paralyzed and had been stricken mute after someone ran them down with their car. Christina said they never found who the culprit was, but I figured Christina herself was probably the assailant. She was supposedly taking care of Carter since the accident.

For some reason, I get a telenovela vibe from these screen caps. I don't know why, but for some reason I expect Catalina Creel to pop up wearing her eye patch...