DRW50

I finally found my copy of the GL episode that ends with the Jessie (Rebecca Staab) and puppet beauty shot, which is one of my all-time favorite beauty shots just because it is so out of the norm compared to most beauty shots. Here's the whole sequence, which in of itself is a little bizarre, including open-mouthed kissing between Rebecca and Shawn Thompson that does not fit the nature of the relationship (you can tell they were together at this point, or soon would be), and what seems like open-mouthed kissing between Rebecca and puppet. I also kind of love that India asks her to come talk immediately, which Jessie agrees to, and then the next shot of her is just leisurely drinking coffee and playing with the moose.

Thank you for keeping your reviews going. You've now seen HB's final appearance. Larry Gates was a wonderful presence - I'm surprised when I realize he was only on the show for a little over a decade as he was there when I started watching and it felt like he was there forever. The issues with airtime won't be getting any better, sadly. I don't want to spoil too much for you, but Abi eventually gets a cochlear implant. I watched some of the Halloween episode a few years ago and it definitely was very disturbing. The Abigail POV is something I don't remember getting very often from the show, or other soaps. I'd totally forgotten about Reva and Brent interacting, and his HIV scare. At the time I did think it was a deserved comeuppance for him - looking back I can see where it was kind of gross. Michael O'Leary did have a thing for looking hot in shirtless dramatic scenes at random times. If you are still watching in 2000 you'll get another one.

https://deadline.com/2025/04/the-conners-series-finale-producers-explain-everyone-crying-1236374356/

The treatment of Eve was strange, because she had a big introduction, yet was also treated as disposable. Then when there was a clear point where the character could have been written out, she was redeemed and stayed for a further year and a half. They seemed to just be throwing everything at Nick but didn't care about doing the work. Your idea for Eve/Nick sounds much better than what we got. I suppose Ed being at a loss as a character around this time helped Eve stay. I did care about Eve. I have a feeling I'm one of the few who did.

I do blame her, because a good producer, an objective producer, would have known the story reached a natural conclusion and couldn't survive the departure of both leading ladies. I think she just banked too much on her own ego, and on Vincent. But you're right - all she really needed to do to make the story better was to take more care in casting Mindy. She didn't. I remember enjoying Barbara with Quinn Redeker, but Quinn was a chemistry machine, and the whole core of Leanna was that she could never be with a man as she was a trainwreck. Barbara did work well with Michael O'Leary, but that was just as she was heading out the door.

I think with AW it may be the opposite - the ties to the past, those that weren't junked wholesale the way they were in the mid/late '70s-early/mid '80s, could work better with viewers and in story than attempts at creating new families. They came and went and came and went. There were popular new characters, and new families in some cases, but even in those cases, that was often more individual characters (like Cass, Felicia, Donna) who were slowly centered and had families built around them (I know Peter came before Donna but within a year or two Donna was the center of the family). And characters like Cass and Felicia were quickly tied into the Cory family dynamics, especially Felicia.

IIRC, Robyn Griggs actually was well-liked by viewers. She was fired because of offcamera stuff. After that nothing seemed to work with the character.

I think the only reason was because JFP wanted to keep playing out the Mindy/Nick/Alexandra "triangle."

We didn't even get to the part where he starts throwing money at her.

Thanks for the article @chrisml . You can see Logan in full stenographer mode there trying to tell us how great it is that an actress was hired without an audition because she went to the SOD Awards and decided she missed soaps. That's a recipe for a failure and no soap of quality would (I hope) have that mindset. I was a fan of Crampton on Y&R, but it was obvious very quickly she was not suited to GL, and obvious that JFP had no interest in finding ways to help her fit in. It's telling that she only improved as JFP's influence was waning. I can't remember if it was you or someone else who speculated that the reason the ratings did not increase during the period where the show genuinely improved (89-92) was down to viewers who were too burnt out to try again. I had no idea they were still at #5 through such a poor and hollowed out period for the show. I can see why a lot of loyal viewers never went back. That's hilarious. I wish I could see that scene, even if the reality is never as fun as the retell. I don't know if I ever heard this before. I probably did and just forgot, but still, thanks. We talk at length about JFP or Rauch and spitefulness, but Kobe seems in some ways even more spiteful, to allegedly kill off two characters, both of whom had story left to give, just because the actors wanted to have other opportunities. Even Gloria Monty, when she thought Jack Wagner was pulling a stunt to get more money, did not have Frisco get his head blown off - she just recast him and sent a message of his job not being safe. With what happened with Lujack and Hilary, I'm genuinely surprised Mike Bauer left Springfield alive. Maybe it's because Don left so abruptly? Otherwise, Mike probably would have had a plane crash on him, probably piloted by...checks notes...Chandler Hill Harben? I wonder if this is the end result of always trying to chase the brief high they got in 83-84. That and ABC and NBC having supercouple success. GL at its core was never a supercouple show, and never should have steered in that direction. Watching that Hilary funeral clip, Rick and Mindy have such a natural connection, yet I don't even think they were involved at that time. A waste. The talk about Mindy and Kurt reminds me that I never even heard her mention him in later years. I don't even know if she was by the end of Krista's run, when she was with Will Jeffries. A huge wedding remote, her first husband, and it was just a blip. Mindy was probably the most vibrant of the Four Musketeers yet was the one who seemed to get the least respect from the show (you could say Beth, but at least they did have her around on a regular basis for the show's last 12 years).

Thanks. I wonder why you could buy Passions boxers but not DAYS boxers.

Olivia is one of those characters where the stories weren't up to much but the scenes were interesting, as Hossack knew how to layer with vulnerability. I did appreciate some of her relationships. Your idea about the conflict between Liz and Iris, which would have drawn in all the Corys, and likely Jake, makes sense. It's a shame by that point the show was barely using Iris and Liz even less. I think Bailey just wasn't a compelling presence, but I agree that if he had stayed and Lemay had been able to write for him it could have worked out.

I think Amy is a good actress who was probably best served by her work in her primetime procedurals. Josie was such an aimless character and then they decided to just make her into cop Harley. Not really a fan of Gary/Josie either - AW is probably Tim Gibbs' best soap work, but the stories are all a slog.

I actually did think Olivia was compelling, although that may be more down to Allison Hossack than the writing. She was mostly just used as an obstacle for Sam/Amanda rather than a character in her own right. I think that Russ was important as a character in his own right, especially if they knew another important character in his age range (Mitch) was going. They would repeatedly try to find more men in this age range and none stuck, due to actors leaving or story issues. The most successful was Carl, who had tried to kill much of the canvas. If they had found a strong actor for Russ and rooted him to the canvas, it would have been good for present day, good for Rachel, Iris, etc. not just because he was a Matthews.

I think what hurts that version of Drew is Cameron doesn't really have the same charm he had in those early years (to me, anyway). He has a darker vibe and has ever since his later AMC days. It still could have worked, with time and care, but the character is so vocally hated by a number of fans, I don't know if it ever would have clicked with the viewer base. I don't even know if the people who are saying it want it to happen, they just think there are clues (like where he lives, his fixation on Willow, his change in demeanor, etc.). I do wonder if it may happen just because the show could then use this to bring back the "good" Drew, last seen...I don't know when. Maybe they would say before he dumped Carly, given Korte's fondness for Carly.

If it were up to me, Kristen would go as well, but I think if they are keeping her, then Rachel could have been a logical way to give her story now. She was shaped by Stefano's manipulations and by her not having Rachel in her life. And she is a mother herself, with her kids mired in the same world of lies and manipulations. Rachel was originally meant to be the antithesis of all these lies, a good person horribly mistreated. If they had stuck to that premise, then it could have led somewhere today, with Kristen questioning her life, and her choices as a parent. As it is, we just got another psycho. I would agree there was no reason for Megan to return. I don't have a lot of hope for new writers to know what to do with past characters or future characters, but the past will always be there, tempting. It just depends on whether they have talent and have creative freedom. Ron had the latter, never the former.

I don't know if a few characters are enough to make someone tune into a show daily, but I do think the Horton family unit is still a strong enough framework that it can benefit the show if they don't let it rot away. Julie, for instance, even if she isn't always given the greatest material, is a bridge to the past who works with the present canvas. I'd like to see that type of framework continue if the show goes on for more than another year or two. I don't really know why characters like Melissa weren't woven in the same way, even just for guest appearances. It may be too late now, but you never know. I don't believe bringing in members of the show's core family is regression. Regression is just bringing someone back if their story has already been told and they have nothing new to offer. I don't even think bringing Rachel back in of itself was a horrible idea, if they were going to keep Kristen around. They just, as often happens, made a wretched mess of the whole thing.

I don't think there's a need to bring back a Horton just to fill a quota but it can be done in a way that honors the past and plans for the future. It makes more sense to me than, say, bringing back Nancy and Craig's daughter just for a brief, cheap stint.

Thanks @chrisml . I appreciate seeing some of the behind-the-scenes aspects. For some reason I thought Amelia Marshall started in 1989. Any time I try to watch Hilary's funeral, I am stuck on how alienating and cold the tone is - not helped by giving so much focus to new actors not giving their best work - but Charita Bauer is tremendously moving, even with trite dialogue. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for her to be saying some of what Bert has to say when she knew how seriously ill she was. Bert was always more emotional than a number of soap matriarchs, but Charita, in the available '70s or early '80s footage, still plays her with a certain reserve. By this point, she had let go, and every moment she has feels like she is reaching through the screen and taking us by the hand. It's heartbreaking but heartwarming.

Thanks. I hope to see some of these someday, unlikely as it is. We do at least have some audio of Nancy, which was fine, but it's tough to compare to Audra Lindley (I'd love to see her too). I do wonder what their plans even were with Margie Impert. I can only assume she impressed someone at P&G with her work on GL.

Sorry, that's what I meant - people who enjoy the show but can't admit to just enjoying something, so it has to be the best ever.

The ER ripoff is why I am hesitant to watch (I ran hot and cold with the show but it didn't deserve this type of treatment), but I appreciate seeing your review. And I'm not surprised some elitists are trying to do anything to just not say they enjoy the show. Reminds me of the critics who said Everybody Loves Raymond would be remembered as one of the best sitcoms of all time.

That so often is the case... Beyond the Alices who would you say was the least compelling AW recast?

That would have worked, with a different writer and actor. I wonder how much Ron ever knew of Loving as he didn't do a lot with it when he was on GH. Probably for the best, although if it had somehow gotten Christine Tudor or Lisa Peluso back on TV I would have watched. Speaking of Peluso, I looked at her Instagram and see that on her Stories she's using Soul II Soul to sell houses. I approve.

Thanks. I remember Stuart speaking of the role a bit in SOD long ago but can't remember what she said. Stuart is one of those rare actors who seemed to have four popular or fairly popular soap parts but I don't hear a lot about Gina so I don't ever know how fans felt.