DRW50

I think she fell too much into the trap of overaged ingenue/victim starting in the mid-90's. Such a waste of the character, sadly.

Marland managed to keep giving her small stories even when Casey was gone (like the relationship with Cal, and the Native American land rights story which Anne Sward pitched to him), but even if she had no stories, I think she served an important purpose as a talk-to. Margo aged very quickly and became increasingly shrill and unpleasant without Lyla around. Lyla's days of stories may have been over, but I would have kept her on recurring to visit with Margo and Craig. They also could have used her in that later Katie intro mess.

I think it's mostly because Erica was always vulnerable underneath - she was never really a bitch. I was just watching the last of the big Jack/Erica/Travis/etc. clips circa the custody battle, and there is this wonderful moment where, after Erica learns Jack sold his shares in Enchantment to Caera (an awful character, or, as Erica offhandedly described her in a moment which seemed more real than most of their bitchy putdowns and fights - "trash"), and Erica congratulates Jack on hurting her more than anyone ever could have. It's such a melodramatic moment, on paper, but is so poignantly delivered by Susan Lucci. They also had a lot of characters who called Erica out, which didn't happen with some of AMC's later female disasters.

Allyson Rice Taylor auditioned for ATWT's Frannie in 1989. This got her cast the next year as Connor Walsh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Stephens

It's very sobering that as Santorum and Gingrich fade into complete irrevelancy and Mitt gets the support of other media darlings like Marco Rubio, he still feels the need to essentially scorn people who need health insurance and mocking people who lost their jobs. This is the President we're going to have when the health insurance law is thrown out? What is he going to do - chuckle about it? http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/03/romney-adds-secret-plan-for-the-uninsured-to-secret-tax-and-medicare-plans.php?ref=fpnewsfeed http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/romney-laughingly-recalls-fathers-layoffs?ref=fpb

He was written out what seemed like permanently, according to the soap press at the time, although they probably would have brought him back for visits, like Traci. Then, I guess because of aging Billy, he came back permanently.

Welcome! Lisa was put on recurring at the end of 1993 and written out in early 1994, so she was on for less than a year. Lyla was on for a few months less than Lisa - she left in October or November 1993. I always thought it was a mistake to get rid of Lyla.

On paper Greenlee should have been more of a fun yet sympathetic bitch (as I think Gillian was early on), but Budig was so incredibly dead emotionally that it just made her pity parties fall flat. Esta always put more heart into her role, even though it sucked for years before she was killed off.

I loved Barbara in her non-crazy days, I just think that the whole thing with being apart from Hal, dating slimy Gavin, and having a child with Darryl was kind of confusing. I guess Ben Hendrickson was gone again at this time, but I would have had Barbara alone or have her in a hot fling with a surprise guy. Gavin was just a bore and a creep, and I think CZ even said in an interview in those years that she thought the story dumbed Barbara down. You have a good point about the Marland characters - I know SOD, in the first year or two after his death, kept saying "pare the cast down," and were very happy when the show did so. I think most of the people who were left at the end of Marland's run, the major characters anyway, still had potential - I just would have dumped Caleb, Hutch, Debbie, Rosanna.

I liked them but that was when she was allowed an edge. I hated the decision to "punish" Gillian, first with having sex with David for the bail money, then the relationship with Jake which was mostly about her being a bad person and needing to be taught otherwise. It worked with Greenlee/Jake, but Gillian was more fragile.

I agree with you there, I was speaking mostly of some comments over the years and at the time which said he should have stayed, he was great, etc. I think Nader was what made the character work.

That was my problem with the recast - there was nothing left of Dimitri. There hadn't been for quite a while anyway, so it was probably for the best they dumped the character.

Nice to see Stacey had another child after her first died. That Bridget/Donna convo is just great!

Catherine Hickland is a little young for Iris, but I think she would have fun in the role.

That scene with Reginald at Michelle's bedside is first rate stuff.

Lori March on Edge of Night (she's at the start and the end of this clip). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_sTTUuNr0w&feature=channel She's in the first two scenes of this episode. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwAkQZJf044&feature=relmfu

Rachel can forgive Grant's crimes, and Carl's, but Iris never gets a break.

Oh yeah, Iris!! I love it. She should have been released about 15 years ago. She must have been starting a lot of fights in prison.

I was watching some Edge of Night episodes from early 1980 and enjoying the performance of the hood, Benny, who initially had conflicts with Deborah and then terrorized poor Nancy Karr. The guy who played him, Bennett Cooperman, has some recent stuff on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySDAMXxpDWU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmEs-eB8AY

Ben Masters is a great choice for Reginald, although I'm not sure he would be old enough to be Donna's father.

Elizabeth doesn't take any crap, just like Rachel and Ada.

Jack would have gone to war with Cricket! Seriously though, I prefer Bergman here with more of a snap. I liked Jack well enough when I first started watching Y&R but it has not worn well with time.

Jack is still acting more like Terry Lester's Jack here. What was it that made him become the weeper? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApxBxcD8W9Y&feature=channel

Abaddo was his usual bland hunky self, but this had nothing to do with Dimitri or anything Dimitri had been as a character. If I could upload to Youtube then I would put the Shelley scenes with Mac and Rachel in her last few days.