DRW50

That's fascinating. I didn't know Seganti almost left that early on. It helps explain some of the choices. I still wonder if Luke would have been Holden's son if Hensley hadn't decided to leave.

The funniest part is he and Byrne also didn't seem right when she returned - Holden was just so cold (which had started years before the brain injury but was now ossified) and Byrne had more of a genuine spark with Paolo Seganti. A gorgeous, rich, charming man of the world or a sanctimonious, constipated, deadbeat dad? Some choice. Later on, when Hensley returned and the show just made Holden a dumb house husband and "hero" rather than trying to actually write for him, they seemed to have more chemistry, although I was never much of a fan. This is one of those situations where Rattray was the first Lily I saw. If she hadn't been, I might feel differently. Maybe not, as Mary Ellen Stuart was "my" Frannie and I still enjoy all I've seen of Julianne Moore, but it's a factor. I remember reading that Byrne did not care for the business stories Lily was in when she came back. I can understand why. Business stories had had their day on ATWT - even if Marland had lived, they had hit a wall, in part because so much focus went to KMH bursting out of tight skirts and tops (I think the Marlena de Lacroix quote was, "t'aint fittin'...and t'aint natural either") and because having three companies chattering on about mergers was never what the core of the show should have been, no matter how much fun you could have with Liz Hubbard, Tom Wiggin, Jenny O'Hara, etc. The problem is once Lily was taken entirely out of the business world she was just a stricken heroine. Once she aged out of that, she was, by the late '90s, wandering around a mansion wearing baggy, flowery dresses. I'm sure that's true to life for heiresses, but it's not especially interesting to watch. Things had to just happen to her, but she had no character. She rarely did under Byrne. What helped Byrne was she had a certain earnestness even though she was never much of an actress. I don't think Rattray was a very good actress either, but Marland not being so personally fond of her the way he was with Byrne meant he was willing to make some tough choices with the character. I still wonder if Rattray could have played out the story of Lily becoming cold and ruthless due to all of her losses. Marland cut it short fairly quickly. Redirecting her to Holden once Hensley returned was just easier. And then Marland smartly turned around the happily ever after concept with one tragedy after another, which went back to what I think the core of Lily should have been - Iva and Lucinda had, from Lily's conception, done what they felt was right for her, with this going on to hurt her so many times. The brilliance of the "truth about Aaron" story was that Iva and Lucinda each trying to "protect" Lily ended up completely destroying her. When Lily did return, this should have led to story for years and years - her estrangement from Iva, running away to a fantasy life with Damian, disavowing her adoption from Lucinda. It's a shame that none of this really worked...and I am not sure Byrne was ever comfortable with the material, or a good enough actress to play the material. I remember talk that Byrne was happier playing Rose because Rose was similar to her. I can believe that, as Rose (fond as I was of her) would have also gone on to be a huge Trump supporter. If the writing had been better in the show's later years, I would have had Lily coming to grips with a hollow life and a dreary marriage, trying to find her identity and rarely succeeding. Resenting Lucinda being freer with the grandkids than she ever was with Lily. Maybe bring back Iva for a while, showing how they have lost touch, little by little, and have Lily nurse her through an illness or some mental health story. Reveal that the farm stopped being a real farm many years ago and Lily has kept it afloat as what amounts to a museum for the last time she felt happy. Have her meddle in the lives of her kids the way Lucinda did with her, like trying to find the "right" man for Luke, or manipulate him into the career she wants for him, etc. I'm not sure Byrne would have or could played it, but we'll never know. Noelle Beck may have (Lily and Trisha weren't that far apart anyway, other than Trisha not having the whole town throw her birthday parties...) although I think she was always screwed in that part, due to the lousy state of the show and the horrible optics of how Byrne was treated at the end.

You aren't wrong there. The misogyny doesn't feel as suffocating as it did in the '00s, but given where the country is now, I shouldn't speak too soon. I wish we could see more of that period of soaps as the bits I've seen don't come across as heavily sexist, although reading the synopses, I can see where characters like Julie and Robin on GL may have met a misogynist fate.

@Paul Raven Thanks! Lots of endless pseudo-intellectual navel-gazing, typical of a number of TV Guide soap articles in those years, but invaluable for all the story information and even the dialogue recited which we may not know otherwise. Roy Winsor's views on the youth viewer haven't changed that much.

Thanks @Paul Raven I'd never heard of that miniseries. Odd that they are trying to put him out to pasture at 53. Some of his biggest hits were ahead of him. I'd never heard of Friends, or his horror pilot (not sure if that ever aired).

@Franko Thank you for the promo and the song. Weird how I did not remember Cathryn Damon, even though I adored her on Soap, but I remembered Loretta Swit. Maybe this was before I watched Soap... As @Paul Raven said, what a killer cast. And how nice that it was all-women even in major roles behind the scenes. And they didn't have to fly up in a Jeff Bezos junker for ten minutes to show equality... NBC really was letting it all hang out in the late '70s and early '80s to try to get interest. Many times, it failed, but what fascinating failures - some of the most fascinating in TV history.

I remember when I was a kid, I was disturbed by some TV movie that was repeated on Lifetime. It had Loretta Swit, among others. Sorority sisters with a secret. I remember near the end or over the closing credits they were singing a song like "beta cappa chi."

The same could be said for that cult TV-movie she made where the daughter who was left in an about-to-explode car returns as a spirit to kill her entire family, starting with grandma Ruth Gordon. Pauline Kael ranted about this at length, as she loved the Carol Burnett Show and in the late '60s said it was better than any film comedies of the time. (even in her last years she was panning Jim Carrey for trying to be a dramatic actor)

Brief glimpse of Emmerdale 1989. This is uploaded by the director of the episode. The full episode doesn't seem to be around on his channel, sadly.

I wish they could have brought Greg Vaughan back for Sami's return. The Eric/Sami relationship is one that always feels like it should have been more important than it was.

I think Amy often felt like a caricature, but Shell did have a sweetness, and viewers saw Amy grow up on the show (not technically, but Amy was a young woman when we first met her). There's no real need to have a replacement.

That was a very difficult time for her on the show, so to be fair to her, maybe she just wasn't close to anyone beyond those she had already worked with. I never liked her as Lily, and I'm glad I never did. My Lily will always be Heather Rattray, wherever she is now.

Definitely. A husband and father are going away. I empathize. Unfortunately, she supports a man who would gladly put many of us in camps, so my empathy is always underscored by a reminder that she does not share the same empathy for us.

That's a shame.

My main memory of Sid was some backstory of him starting fires in Chicago (?) and this being used to make him a suspect in the Fifth Street Fire. Lots of very iffy writing surrounding him as well as Griffin a year later.

She reminded me of Josh in that they both bored me to tears, although I have seen good work from McKeon elsewhere (like Supernatural). Bundy wasn't fantastic, but she was likeable and had a spark, which the show was struggling with at the time. It didn't help that rumors swirled she was fired because of her weight. Bundy and Billy Kay both had somewhat distinct personalities. After they were moved out (or Kay may have quit, I have no idea) Marah and Shane become Identikit.

Thanks @chrisml. Such an eerie still. I can see why Flora Campbell (I assume it's her) was annoyed. She had to sell the stories and then someone is around constantly [!@#$%^&*] talking. I wonder if there are any interesting stories in that By Emily Possessed book. One that always interests me is how the actors felt about the last months of the show - it had been canceled and then they had to stretch the cancellation date out while their new show (which was a big flop) was being prepared. I like the bits I've seen of Valiant Lady. I hope more shows up.

Thanks. I guess the only remotes for Jeremy was the action/adventure stuff with Erica.

Depends on how many other distractions they find first. (distractions being completely destroying our economy and government) This law is the type of focus all fascist slaughterhouses turn to and we'd probably be there even faster if Trump wasn't so busy golfing and begging Russia to love him. If we ever get President JD, I imagine it's at the top of his list, along with humiliating his wife and tweeting about how "based" he is.

Sid had a lot of fanfare early on - I am not sure if he would have been a higher-profile character if JFP had lasted.

Very sad. We will have that within a few years.

In the photo she does look like a younger woman with heavy makeup. Hopefully the show will manage that.

Has he ever been better? Maybe he has improved in those Hallmark films...

I don't necessarily mean more romantic partnerships, as Blake had already speed-run the Spaulding men (unless they wanted to try Nick/Blake), just her still being involved in the company and various schemes. I do wish they'd had Philip react more to the whole mess with Rick, Blake and Ross. At that time he only seemed to have the dropped story with Annie...and swearing vengeance on Alan over Alex which was promptly forgotten.

Blake probably should have had longer-running ties to the Spauldings. I think a combination of Ross/Blake being more popular with viewers than the show anticipated along with a lack of interest in writing for Liz Keifer (plus the decision to saddle her with kids) isolated her. I haven't ever watched that story closely but the early idea with Alan's 1994 return where he lured in/kept tabs on various women he'd had ties with, Blake included, should have gone further.