62 replies to this topic

[CarlD2]

Sorry if any of this was already posted. I'm just going to list the categories and if anyone wants any more information on the writeups, I'll type that out.

Best Triangle - AJ/Carly/Jason, GH

Worst Triangle - Becca/Scott/Greenlee, AMC

Best Fantasies - Annie, Sunset Beach

Worst Gimmick - Princess Diana, Passions

Best Murder Mystery - Who Shot Grant? AW

Worst Murder Mystery - Alec's Murder, ATWT

Most Confusing Plot - Princess Gina, DAYS

Most Shocking Plot Twist - Sonny Sleeps With Carly, GH

Best Reunion - The Abbotts, Y&R

Best Rescue - Another World Characters Find Life in Oakdale

Best Tearjerker - Lucky's "death", GH

Worst Tearjerker - Grace's death, OLTL

Most Entertaining Character - Asa, OLTL

Most Ruined Character - Lucy, PC

Best Recast - Roy, GH

Biggest Waste of Talent - Anyone Hired Before 1995, GL

Best Friends - Pacey and Dawson, Dawson's Creek

Most Rejuvenated Family - The Baldwins, PC

Best Partners in Crime - Tabitha and Timmy, Passions

Best Family Feud - The Forresters, B&B

Best New Male Character - Prince Richard, GL

Best New Female Character - Vanessa, AMC

Dumbest Male Axing - Michael Nader AMC

Dumbest Female Axing - Louise Sorel, DAYS

Best Teen - Billy, Y&R

Worst Teen - Kay, Passions

Best Psycho - Derek, SuBe

Worst Psycho - Brian, OLTL

Best Hero - Jake, AW/ATWT

Best Heroine - Vicky, ATWT

Best Revenge - Adam is Locked Away, AMC

Worst Revenge - Ricardo Goes After Antonio and Gabi, SuBe

Best Secret - Colby's Paternity - AMC

Best Comeuppance - Carly Loses Everything, ATWT

Best Quadrangle - Sami/Austin/Carrie/Mike, DAYS

Most Disappointing Quadrangle - Ned/Alexis/Jax/Chloe, GH

Best Vixen - Amber, B&B

Best Flashbacks - Old Roy, GH

Most Realistic Couple - Kevin and Eve, PC

Best Guest Appearances - Doug and Julie, DAYS

Best Trend - Bringing back old favorites

Worst Trend - Whitewashing

Best Social Issue - Abby's Cochlear Implant, GL

Worst Social Issue - Taylor's TB, B&B

Best Cliffhanger - Felicity's Decision, Felicity

Most Disappointing Exit - The Finale, AW

Most Daring Show - Passions

Best Teen Story - Jessica's baby, OLTL

Best Story - Switched at Birth, ATWT

Worst Story - Psychic Espionage, PC

Most Improved Show - B&B

Most Disappointing Show - GL

Best Primetime Show - Felicity

Best Daytime Show - Y&R

Edited by CarlD2, 01 October 2010 - 12:03 PM.

[Cheap21]

Sorry if any of this was already posted. I'm just going to list the categories and if anyone wants any more information on the writeups, I'll type that out.

Best Triangle - AJ/Carly/Jason, GH

Worst Triangle - Becca/Scott/Greenlee, AMC

Best Fantasies - Annie, Sunset Beach

Worst Gimmick - Princess Diana, Passions

Most Confusing Plot - Princess Gina, DAYS

Worst Tearjerker - Grace's death, OLTL


Most Rejuvenated Family - The Baldwins, PC

Best Partners in Crime - Tabitha and Timmy, Passions

Dumbest Male Axing - Michael Nader AMC

Worst Psycho - Brian, OLTL

Worst Revenge - Ricardo Goes After Antonio and Gabi, SuBe

Best Secret - Colby's Paternity - AMC

Best Quadrangle - Sami/Austin/Carrie/Mike, DAYS

Most Disappointing Quadrangle - Ned/Alexis/Jax/Chloe, GH

Best Trend - Bringing back old favorites

Worst Trend - Whitewashing

Best Teen Story - Jessica's baby, OLTL

[b]
Worst Story - Psychic Espionage, PC

I especially agree with these. The psychic espionage plot on PC was the worst in the show's history. That mess was just plain bad

Edited by Cheap21, 01 October 2010 - 12:23 PM.

[CarlD2]

I think Psychic Espionage was when I tuned out. Somewhere around the time that DV took advantage of Lucy when she had amnesia, which disgustingly enough the show sort of presented as a romance.

How nice that Hamner found another home for his misogyny.

[TeamEric]

Oh wow the best tearjerker surely was Lucky's death. I cried buckets and I still get choked up at memory of Luke's eulogy. THAT was one of GH's best weeks ever.

[CarlD2]

Here you go:

We knew it wasn't going to be easy losing actor Jonathan Jackson after nearly six strong years as Lucky. But as a tribute to the character and the actor who so defined himself in the role, GH gave both an unforgettable send-off.

True, it was a shock to have Lucky "killed" in an inferno, but the mourning after is what truly took our breath away. Lucky's loved ones were knocked to their knees by the heartwrenching news, as actor after actor (Anthony Geary as Luke, Genie Francis as Laura, and Rebecca Herbst as Liz, in particular), delivered intensely realistic performances that had us sobbing right along with them. More incredible still was the revelation later that week (to us, only) that Lucky was, in fact, alive, which only made the sorrow we'd seen more poignant.

All we can say is...it must have looked good on paper. Victor's spy past returns to haunt him and throws the Collins clan into mortal combat with thugs who use mind manipulation to create mass chaos. But this X-FILES-ish plot seemed X-traordinarily out of place in what was one of the more reality-based soaps on daytime. In fact, Digest named mind control as Worst Trend last year. PC must have missed that issue.

In brief, what (we think) happened here was that devious DV perfected the Cobra Project, which was a collection of computer computations that could alter one's mind and conjure up images that were not really there. In a clever utilization of history, we learned that Victor had come up with a formula to block the computer codes during his time in hiding at a convent in France (which occurred in 1997 on big sister soap GENERAL HOSPITAL). Then, the gang played cat-and-mouse trying to find the encoded letters and bring down DV and his diminutive henchman, Mr. Zorin.

The missing piece of this puzzle, however is one that even Mulder and Scully would be hard-pressed to find. Why? DV made his living as a fashion designer - did he need the technology to make wringle-free clothing? More to the point, what on earth could PC have been thinking to tell a history-altering tale that introduces core character Scott Baldwin to his biological father - only to write the guy off?

[Darcy]

Worst Triangle - Becca/Scott/Greenlee, AMC

I thought the triangle was Becca/Leo/Greenlee?? The thing that ruined both triangles for me was Greenlee - UGH~

Worst Murder Mystery - Alec's Murder, ATWT

Who was Alec and who killed him and why?

Most Shocking Plot Twist - Sonny Sleeps With Carly, GH

And a decade later it became Least Shocking Plot Twist.

Dumbest Male Axing - Michael Nader AMC

I assume that was a pre-drug arrest axing?

Best Revenge - Adam is Locked Away, AMC

That was the worst AMC story. Hated it.

Best Secret - Colby's Paternity - AMC

Should have won Most Annoying Secret

Best Comeuppance - Carly Loses Everything, ATWT

Sorry I missed that. I love Carly and MW but didn't start watching until 3 years later.

Most Realistic Couple - Kevin and Eve, PC

Or Craig and Janet, ATWT

[b]Best Story - Switched at Birth, ATWT
[b]

I don't need a full summary but who was switched and why - and who were the parents?

Edited by Darcy, 01 October 2010 - 12:46 PM.

[Cheap21]

I thought the triangle was Becca/Leo/Greenlee?? The thing that ruined both triangles for me was Greenlee - UGH~

Leo didnt join the show till later. The story began when Scott and Becca were dating and Greenlee came to town and fought for him. By the time Leo came, it was a quad

Edited by Cheap21, 01 October 2010 - 12:52 PM.

[CarlD2]

Darcy we seem to agree on a lot -- not a Greenlee fan and I hated the entire Colby story too. Even SOD complained about the whole pie in the face nonsense so I'm surprised they praised the other stuff.

I thought the triangle was Becca/Leo/Greenlee?? The thing that ruined both triangles for me was Greenlee - UGH~

The initial triangle was Greenlee trying to seduce her old college flame Scott, who was pining for Becca. They quickly moved Scott to the side and put Leo and Ryan in.

Who was Alec and who killed him and why?

Alec was one of the big mysterious uber-controlling figures Lorraine Broderick liked to put on her soaps. He was a business tycoon and he was the long lost father of Eddie Silva. He dated Margo Hughes when she had divorced Tom. He was involved in shady things and knew secrets and finally went off and tried to drown Tom. He was killed and Margo was arrested and tried for his murder. Alec, in a blood-stained shirt, continually appeared to her to try to give her clues about his real killer, which turned out to be Eddie's girlfriend, Georgia, in temporary insanity or something. Eddie and Georgia and Tom and Margo married in a double wedding and the former left town immediately afterwards.

Sorry I missed that. I love Carly and MW but didn't start watching until 3 years later.

You didn't miss a lot. The story was a confusing mess which rewrote history -- basically Carly needed to have a baby before January 1 1999 in order to get big money from her bitter sister Rosanna (the original story had none of this, the original story was that Rosanna only stipulated she not have a child with Mike Kasnoff). Carly went as far as getting artificially inseminated to try to make sure she was pregnant. She married and divorced Hal, was forced to marry John (who had inseminated her without her knowledge -- he told her it was anonymous sperm), and then was forced to marry Brad Snyder. When Brad realized she was back with Jack, he worked with Rosanna to expose her lies, about the baby's paternity, I don't really remember them. Carly was left destitute. She and Jack then got back together and she moved in with Emma and agreed to never lie, which she kept up until she was kidnapped for the awful Winston Lowe storyline.

I don't need a full summary but who was switched and why - and who were the parents?

Lily and Holden were expecting a child. David Stenbeck kidnapped Lily and she went into labor. He took the baby. Lily got the baby back but didn't bond with the baby for a while. Then David, now with plastic surgery and taking his place as yet another Lorraine Broderick uber-controlling psycho, came to town with "his" baby daughter. This was Lily and Holden's daughter. They were raising a child from Andy Dixon's one night stand with a stripper named Denise who sold her baby to Reid and now wanted the child back. At the end of the story Lily and Holden got their baby back and against Lily's wishes, Holden gave Denise's child back to her.

Edited by CarlD2, 01 October 2010 - 01:00 PM.

[Gray Bunny]

Biggest Waste of Talent - Anyone Hired Before 1995, GL
Best New Male Character - Prince Richard, GL
Dumbest Female Axing - Louise Sorel, DAYS
Best Quadrangle - Sami/Austin/Carrie/Mike, DAYS
Best Guest Appearances - Doug and Julie, DAYS
Best Social Issue - Abby's Cochlear Implant, GL
Most Disappointing Show - GL

Always liked that Biggest Waste of Talent. So true. I remember one episode in particular where the longest-running actor featured was Laura Wright-- hired in 1997! Everyone else was a recast (Michelle) or brand newbie Santoses.

Louise Sorel... love her, but Vivian had run her course by then.

Prince Richard on GL was okay, but it's too bad they bought the actor back in 2003 as Jeffrey. But to Bradley Cole's credit I can say that I tolerated Prince Richard just fine but absolutely detested Jeffrey O'Neill!

Yes, the Mike/Carrie story was definitely the only interesting thing during the first half of 1999.

GL definitely went downhill in 1999. It improved somewhat during the first half of 2000, but then Claire Labine came on and totally killed my interest in the show.

[CarlD2]

I liked Prince Richard, I thought he was a believable dashing hero type and Bradley Cole worked well with Laura Wright and DAM. I loathed Jeffrey and I loathe that whole "this guy is such a sleaze, doesn't that make you hot" type of thing which did such horrible damage to daytime.

When I look back at GL of the late 90s I can see where it got worse and worse and some stuff didn't work for me (anything with Phillip/Harley/Beth and shrieking Susan, or Pilar, and then I was annoyed at some of the horribly wasted characters like India), but I have to admit I still enjoyed the show, generally, until around mid-2000, when they did the awful stuff like the way Selena was written out, and so much dull stuff. I don't know how I'd feel if I watched it back again now.

[Gray Bunny]

When I look back at GL of the late 90s I can see where it got worse and worse and some stuff didn't work for me (anything with Phillip/Harley/Beth and shrieking Susan, or Pilar, and then I was annoyed at some of the horribly wasted characters like India), but I have to admit I still enjoyed the show, generally, until around mid-2000, when they did the awful stuff like the way Selena was written out, and so much dull stuff. I don't know how I'd feel if I watched it back again now.

I'm right there with ya... it was totally Claire Labine, surprisingly, that took the show in a boring misguided direction in the fall of 2000. We had the introduction to May ("cigars! cigarettes! cigarillos!"), Catalina, Reva suddenly caring for refugees and whatnot, Phillip/Harley falling apart after his romp with Beth was revealed, and just a whole sense of "where the hell is this story going? I don't even care..." feeling for all the storylines. Looking back, I wish I had hung in there and waited it out, since it got so much better in 2002. There were a few things I missed out on that I wish I could've seen, whether it be for good reasons or bad reasons (time-traveling Reva, blind Reva, the earthquake, Gus's introduction, Blake/Ross/Tory, Beth's alternate personality, etc.)

Edited by Gray Bunny, 01 October 2010 - 02:27 PM.

[CarlD2]

You probably already know this but did you ever read ClassicGL's blog? They put up a lot of clips of Beth's MPD story. I don't know if any of the others are on there.

http://glmemories.bl...th-through.html

There are a few time travel and earthquake clips here.

http://www.youtube.com/user/aspbitten

Yeah at the time I was shocked at just how bizarre, bad, and dull a lot of Labine's GL was. I especially disliked Blake becoming Delia/Lucy Coe. I think she was probably sabotaged by Rauch, to a point, and perhaps needed a stronger producer. It also seemed like Labine sort of got lost in "wackiness" as her career went on.

[Mr. Vixen]

Best Triangle - AJ/Carly/Jason, GH

Best Murder Mystery - Who Shot Grant? AW

Best Rescue - Another World Characters Find Life in Oakdale

Most Rejuvenated Family - The Baldwins, PC

Best Psycho - Derek, SuBe

[Most Disappointing Quadrangle - Ned/Alexis/Jax/Chloe, GH

Best Flashbacks - Old Roy, GH [/b]

Most Disappointing Exit - The Finale, AW

These are the ones tha really caught my interest. I have to agee with most of them...What were other people's thoughts on the AW finale?

Edited by SoapBoy94, 01 October 2010 - 04:19 PM.

[CarlD2]

The AW finale was widely seen as a letdown. While I can understand why, I think there were some good moments, like Frankie's spirit saying goodbye to little Charlie (or was that the episode before the finale), the messages that various characters said to the video camera (which was a way to talk to viewers while not actually talking to them directly), and the last scene with Rachel was a killer.

[quartermainefan]

Dumbest Male Axing - Michael Nader AMC

I don't know if this was so dumb. When you fall to the point you become fodder for the NY Post--and not even the gossip section--it might be time to go. I am confused though about the timeline. I thought his drug problems were more recent than 1999. Was he let go twice?

[CarlD2]

I don't know if this was so dumb. When you fall to the point you become fodder for the NY Post--and not even the gossip section--it might be time to go. I am confused though about the timeline. I thought his drug problems were more recent than 1999. Was he let go twice?

The timeline was:

- arrested in 1997, although I don't think this was for drugs, but I can't remember. At this time Dimitri became a very dark character and there was some speculation the show was going to write him out. Then Megan McTavish, who created Dimitri, returned as headwriter in late 1997 and worked hard to redeem the character.

- fired in 1999, and, in typical brilliant network executive fashion, right before the arrival of Finola Hughes, which led to a whole round of "He was fired for her!" fan outcry, and which along with bad writing, made it difficult for a lot of viewers to warm to her

- rehired around 2000 or so, as viewers learned Dimitri wasn't dead and was being treated somewhere

- fired for good in 2001 after the drug arrest

Edited by CarlD2, 01 October 2010 - 04:59 PM.

[P.J.]

You didn't miss a lot. The story was a confusing mess which rewrote history -- basically Carly needed to have a baby before January 1 1999 in order to get big money from her bitter sister Rosanna (the original story had none of this, the original story was that Rosanna only stipulated she not have a child with Mike Kasnoff). Carly went as far as getting artificially inseminated to try to make sure she was pregnant. She married and divorced Hal, was forced to marry John (who had inseminated her without her knowledge -- he told her it was anonymous sperm), and then was forced to marry Brad Snyder. When Brad realized she was back with Jack, he worked with Rosanna to expose her lies, about the baby's paternity, I don't really remember them. Carly was left destitute. She and Jack then got back together and she moved in with Emma and agreed to never lie, which she kept up until she was kidnapped for the awful Winston Lowe storyline.

The set up was a confusing mess. Granted. But the reveal was masterful. Carly had been blackmailed into marrying Brad (who needed her money to save Camille from a baddie--played by Michael Sabatino) from his man-whore past. Brad (being a schmutz) started falling for Carly, natch, while Jack was off chasing pre-psychoJuliaI who was being manipulated by Ravid (David Stenbeck/Reid Hamiliton).

Ravid got Julia hooked on pills, and she started catching on to the fact he'd kidnapped Faith and substituted "Melinda" (Andy's baby with Duh-nice). Jack tried to get her back, Julia dumped him after finding out Carly had flown him out to her family home in Marin County. They got back home, and while Carly tried to back off and be Jack's friend, the spark reunited when they got locked in the Lakeview wine cellar. (They were famously interrupted, naked as jaybirds, by Hal and Babs, who were planning their nuptials, but I digress.) Carly and Jack had a fight; Carly ended up consumating her marriage to Brad. Jack of course, apologized the next morning. Carly decided she wanted Jack, and Jack figured something was "off" in the Carly/Brad marriage. Carly couldn't tell Jack Brad knew Parker's true paternity, lest she risk losing Parker (to Hal) and the money. (Carly didn't change the paternity results herself, nor did she know about it right away...Molly did it and told Brad when the tech she sweet talked wanted to be paid more money)

Carly was set to leave town with Parker, without Jack. However, she stopped at "their place" and Jack convinced her to stay, and they made love. She then promised Jack she'd get an annulment, and she ran to try and buy Brad off. Brad pretended to agree---Carly didn't know she and Jack had been spotted by Camille, who'd told Brad--and then started to plot his revenge.

Brad teamed up with Rosanna, and the night of Hal and Babs' engagement party, presented Hal with his son. Carly lost everything---Hal took custody of Parker, Rosanna declared the trust null and void and Jack left, overwhelmed by her lies.

With the exception of Katie's exposure at the Endicott Awards, it was one of the last true soapy comeuppances ATWT had. I hated it---and still admired the denouement. Lorraine Broderick doesn't get a lot of credit for her time at ATWT, but IMO she was the last ATWT HW who truly understood how audiences relish the fallout of stories.

[EricMontreal22]

Worst Triangle - Becca/Scott/Greenlee, AMC

Yeah, a storyline of Agnes Nixon's that really didn't work... I'm someone who at her best loves Greenlee (which means when she's away from Ryan, sigh) and loved her back then, but Becka was just so bland, and Scott wasn't much better. I think it was an example of Agnes trying to do a 1970 style soap storyline that simply didn't work anymore. (In many ways Becka was like a new Tara and Greenlee a new Erica...)

[CarlD2]

I kind of wonder if that comeuppance would have happened if she and FMB hadn't been going. At the time I felt like, although I was not a regular viewer, they were going to pair Carly and Brad as a real couple, with Jack going back to Julia.

I think Donna Hanover Guiliani played Brad's ex, during that strange time she made random appearances on all the NYC-based soaps (I guess she was smart to do it while they were still around!).

Loprieno was so miscast as Brad.

I always remember that random thing where Carly tried to say she couldn't have sex with Brad because of back pain, and then he caught her doing ab crunches. The image of her doing her ab exercises, I think in red silk pajamas, was kind of funny.

This was also the last appearance, I believe, of Yvonne Perry as the Wicked Witch Rosanna who dressed in bizarre prints, or she did in my mind anyway. I always felt like Yvonne enjoyed that a lot more than playing Rosanna the heroine.

I do agree that it had a better ending than many ATWT stories since then, and probably one of the stronger endings of any ATWT story since 1995 or so. Remember things like Who Killed Diego?

Worst Triangle - Becca/Scott/Greenlee, AMC

Yeah, a storyline of Agnes Nixon's that really didn't work... I'm someone who at her best loves Greenlee (which means when she's away from Ryan, sigh) and loved her back then, but Becka was just so bland, and Scott wasn't much better. I think it was an example of Agnes trying to do a 1970 style soap storyline that simply didn't work anymore. (In many ways Becka was like a new Tara and Greenlee a new Erica...)

I think they modeled it on Jenny and Liza. I swear I remember someone from AMC even saying that to the soap magazines.

Looking back I admire her effort to try to bring back her AMC, things like this and also a return to class divisions. At the time I was not as fair to her work. I think because I was being hit by a giant candy cane.

[Quent]

PJ and Carl, great recaps from the "Carly Loses Everything" Storyline. I recently watched the conclusion of that plot on the tube site we can't mention. It was GREAT! All the big reveals happened at Hal and Barbara's engagement party. First thing I noticed was how lavish the sets were back then. The party was gorgeous, and well attended (unlike ATWT at the end, when six people showed up for Holden's "funeral"). The acting was great, with Maura West having to face Hal's shock, Barbara's fury, Rosanna's vengeance and Joh Dixon's despair. I heartily recommend viewing this episode before all the clips disappear.