DRW50

I assume they did at some point during the finale...

It probably should have worked better with Fluckers as that character did not have as much baggage, but even if they'd cast someone who could act, I'm not sure it would have mattered, as I guess it won't here. Jason Thompson did some good work on GH, but any time I see him on Y&R (I don't watch a ton, admittedly), he just looks like he needs prune juice.

Some of my first memories of GL are Reva's last episodes before she "died." As a kid, those moments were extremely dramatic, and it did make the character a bit of a legend in my mind, even though the show quickly moved on, due to the departure of Robert Newman. Due to this, I was never really upset when Reva came back. I think if the show had been in better shape, I might have been, but at the time, if I felt like anyone was eating up the show, it was Dinah. I would have taken Reva any day, even though it was clear even then that the show did not really know how to use her, saddling her with the busted Alan pairing, then at Fifth Street, and the stalled-out reunion with Josh. I got the sense the show didn't really know what tone to take with Reva and maybe even resented her a little. I missed her relationship with Sarah, and I knew Reva wasn't what she could have been. Once Rauch arrived, he put the pedal to the medal with Reva. She was centered, whereas under Laibson she had been a "big" name awkwardly fit into the canvas. She also became even more generic, and after the initial exciting Annie vs Reva tangles, the show fell into a long list of iffy story ideas that were clearly just there to keep her in story rather than benefiting the character (the island, the island hunk, the clone, San Cristobel, Jeva breakup #40, a talk show, blindness, time travel, stalking, etc.) But I never felt like Kim lost her step, and unlike Beth Ehlers, I never felt like Kim herself lost her spark in dreary material. I don't think I disliked Reva even then nor did I feel like there were times she was suffocating other characters. I think this is, again, more down to the rest of the show by this point - it was much more superficial than the GL I had started watching. Much duller. If Vanessa and Holly had been in their best years when Reva had returned, if Bev's Alex had still been around, if a new generation of compelling and complicated heroines or anti-heroines on par with Blake, Harley, even Eleni in the early '90s had been around, I would have been more annoyed at Reva's presence. But they weren't, and the few newer young characters I did connect with, like Drew, certainly had their share of story. There were reports of rivalries with rising names like Cynthia Watros, but it was clear Watros was not going to stay even if she and Kim had been BFF, which meant I never blamed Kim for that loss of dynamism in the cast. So Reva never really bothered me. However, I do get annoyed at the narrative of Zimmer the brave truthteller, Zimmer holding the show together, Zimmer as the show's face, and so forth. She was certainly a key part of GL's last years, she's a tough person who is willing to admit flaws, she always gave everything to her work, she had a legion of devoted fans. Reva just was never a character who brought me that level of love or hate. And in the end I don't think her contributions to the show, good or bad, were ever as meaningful as they are meant to be. It's just that history remembers the personalities, especially with a juicy memoir. I think that her influence is overhyped, and so are her instincts for the role, as the producer she intensely disliked is the one I think gave her most of her best material post 1990. When I think of GL, I don't ever think of Reva first, and even in the show's barest years when she was one of the only "stars," I did not. When I think of GL, it's always going to be Vanessa, or Ross, or Ed and Maureen, or Beverlee, or early Harley, or young Bill and Michelle, or Gilly, or Hamp, or Billy, or Henry, or Sherry's Blake...or just GL itself, such a nuanced, messy show, nothing else on daytime like it, not then, not now.

Thanks so much. There's a lot of stuff there I never would have known of.

As speculated by some I wouldn't be surprised if he was just there to help show Michele Val Jean the ropes, and maybe as a way to help go through what is a tough time for him personally.

Thanks! She seems to be using Samantha Vernon's script in the test for Tina. She has such a strong presence even here.

On the news of Loretta Swit's passing, a story she shared: Loretta Swit Dead: 'Hot Lips' Houlihan on 'M*A*S*H' Was 87 She was active in the Chicago theater community and performed the one-woman play Shirley Valentine more than 1,000 times. She received the Sarah Siddons Award in 1991 for her theatrical contributions and in 2003 joined the touring cast of The Vagina Monologues. That same year, she played the title role in a North Carolina production of Mame — she had starred as Agnes Gooch in 1968 in Las Vegas after serving as an understudy on the Broadway show headlined by Angela Lansbury. Swit said her career came full circle when, in 1994, she guest-starred on Murder, She Wrote alongside Lansbury. “Angie is one of two fan letters I’ve ever written in my life. The other was to Robert Mitchum,” she recalled. “She was just dazzling [in Mame]. Years later, when we met at a CBS function, I said, ‘You probably won’t remember this, but when I was in New York …’ I don’t think I got further than that and she stopped me and said, ‘I still have that letter.'”

Sounds similar to where she was when she returned in 1991, just older and more hardened by life. I do appreciate some aspects of that return, but it's tough to get past all the slanted writing for Frankie/Cass as I have no great interest in that pairing (of course you are going to write for the couple who are actually staying on the show, but I feel how I feel). That's a good spot. I don't think it's him but there is some resemblance so I may be wrong.

Could Nikki just be a big Gram Parsons fan? I think it works for Julie, but they should be doing better by Traci - none of this, from hair to wardrobe, is flattering.

Yes. They were very much out of ideas for Reva by this time. A talk show, blindness...the time travel story... That would have made sense. (were they acknowledging the Beth/Bill relationship by this point)

It felt very hoary long before Reva had it. I forgot Bill got it too. A shame Michelle wasn't around to share tips on how to cope with temporary blindness.

That makes more sense. I know the show had laid groundwork with Beth and Edmund for a while, but that was not enough to make me find her behavior any less pathetic and damaging. Josh/Olivia were the same way - in spite of the horrible start with her suicide attempt. At least they did always remain friendly, IIRC, which was another reminder of GL not being like many other soaps.

A pregnant Cassie was being held captive by Edmund. Reva helped free her and they were trying to escape. I think Edmund had guards shooting at them (I may be wrong - I loathed this whole story) which led the car to crash. Cassie lost her baby and Reva lost her sight. Cassie was far along so I am half-surprised they never brought the baby back as alive. If the show had been on a little longer and Laura Wright hadn't left I guess they would have.

There's a strong chance of that happening, but I think these characters are seen as more important by the show than Trina and Curtis. I think the circumstances here, on paper anyway, mean they would have much more involvement in Gio's life than under many circumstances. Brook Lynn may not have another child and is full of regrets. Dante is also regretful, especially after he had to treat Gio like [!@#$%^&*] for dramatic angst. Dante is also the product of parents who are perpetually over involved in the lives of their children. Chase will always look at Gio and see the child he and Brook Lynn can't have, which will mean there's a chance for a lot of tension or an implosion of their marriage. There's also the Brook Lynn vs Lulu aspect. I don't see Gio staying around more than another year or two, admittedly...if the show is still on by that point. But if the show makes an effort, the story is there.

If that is the case, it's a very self-destructive way to go about it, as I am not sure how many black viewers are going to give a damn about her being used to propel Cane storyline. I'm not sure Lily has any real importance to potential new or lapsed viewers anyway.

I think there is story but it's not story I think the current regime would do. I could easily see Brook Lyn fall in love with Dante and blow up her own life for a past she can't recreate, which would cause a lot of mess for Dante (and turbocharge her rivalry with Lulu). As has been mentioned before by @Vee I think I could see Gio playing the field for a while (as a slow burn if they are going to have this Gio/Emma pairing), or for the money and power go to Gio's head, badly (recreating AJ's steps in some way - maybe Jason stepping in to save him to help justify his presence). If they wanted to, they could even use Gio's presence for a more severe Dante/Sonny break, as he wouldn't want his son tied to the mob and would probably be an obsessive parent due to all the time he missed. Then there's Dante and Rocco, who could have a lot of story rebelling or withdrawing after Sam's death, Lulu's coma and return and Charlotte obsession, the arrival of a "perfect" son for Dante, etc. They could have his closeness to Tracy lead to a return of a resentful Dillon if he learns Tracy is leaving Gio a lot of her estate. I am not sure Mazza is the best actor for heavy material, but the roads are there. It's just not something I see the show wanting to do...but if they want to I do think there's a good amount of story potential in place.

I feel like it's kind of the opposite. Mazza is a very charming, attractive guy. He could have easily just been there to look pretty and have a romance, if they had written him that way instead of clearly being unsure of how to use him. I think they've taken his likeability to stitch some story threads together for characters who were at a crossroads and also because it just adds more beat to the bone to have another Quartermaine or Corinthos on the canvas for dynamic moments. I agree he could have been a decent Cameron, but they don't care about Liz and clearly they moved on from Cam/Joss (although I imagine some form of Joss/Gio or Joss/Gio/Trina may have been pitched). I can definitely see the retcons and inconsistencies. And I do think once the story settles down that will be what stays, unless they manage a higher quality of writing than they often do. On paper, there's enough potential with the various turns to where I don't mind the changes (it helps that I'm not really invested in any of the characters), but I know that Frank and modern GH writers don't care about strong storylines or aftermath. Regarding Lois, I imagine none of this was pitched to Rena when she initially returned, so I do wonder how she feels about it...personally it's probably the most I've been interested in Lois, but again I know it's not well told for her past character and they are probably going to not follow through with any real long term story that should be there for her and her family and friends. (well, the friends not named Brenda)

Speaking of that story, it led me to this scene, which was part of a story I despised (it was one of the reasons I would skip wide swathes of the show at this time), but is another reminder of what a good actress Kim Zimmer was when given the material. I was a fan of Edmund's in spite of the many bad things he did - I think I was mostly just a fan of DAM, but I did often feel sorry for Edmund - but this story is one time where if Reva had put a cap in his ass, I would have been perfectly satisfied. There are so many stories Edmund survived that by many rights he shouldn't have...again, credit to DAM here. Maybe he had his own version of the Bradley Cole stans. Good for them. I always thought Mark Dobies (RIP) and Kim had some decent chemistry, even if the relationship was one of many discarded for "always." This for me was Beth's absolute dumbest story, which is saying a hell of a lot. I wonder how Beth Chamberlin felt about it. She always had chemistry with DAM, but chemistry was not enough for her to wander around that cardboard castle for months enabling and being such a smug princess.

It's those Shayne genes, as Reva is also healed from blindness about 5 years later.

That was such a moving little surprise. I remember reading some comments over the years about why the show never paired them up, but even beyond the clear reasons why, I kind of prefer it this way. I'm so glad their friendship was remembered and seen as meaningful by the show. Jenny's death is one of the few of a major character that stuck. The impact was never what it should have been because Greg stopped being a major character not long after her death, but it still shows the strength you can have on a soap if you allow a character who meant a lot to so many (characters and fans) to stay dead. (no comment on the Jenny doppelganger plot)

When Dylan returns briefly in 1997, his blindness is gone. I think they did briefly acknowledge this but I have not seen the episodes since they first aired.

I'm not sure he really got the roles he deserved after Knots either. He was excellent as Greg, and made you care about him even through some very tacky times. I still think back sometimes to his work when Mary Frances died or when Laura died.

RIP Peter Kwong. Peter Kwong Dead: 'Big Trouble In Little China' & 'Golden Child' Actor Peter Kwong - IMDb

No idea if this one had ever been up before or what the exact date is, but it's always good to look at/save the new AMC content while you can. If you're here for the drama there is some delirium with Adam and Erica about 10-12 minutes in. @Vee @Jonathan @Maxim @All My Shadows @alwaysAMC @Contessa Donatella @Soaplovers @DemetriKane @dragonflies @AMCOLTLLover @Khan @Paul Raven @slick jones @Wendy @DeeVee @j swift @EricMontreal22 @AmandainNC28655 @Wilsoky @Franko @Liberty City @robbwolff @Soapsuds @soapfan770 @FrenchFan @vetsoapfan