DRW50

Watching these December 1989 episodes that have been around for a while on Youtube but I'd never seen for some reason. The other two have some wonderful Kate material (when she first has to wear her wig and meets Louie). This focuses more on Trisha's first funeral, and the last appearance of Ron Nummi as Rick. This is a mature, understated exit, with Stacey being very gracious to him. It bothers me a lot that they undid this only months later to trash and murder the character. You also have Marianne Tatum as Gwyn. I did not realize until recently that she was the bridge between Christine Tudor and Elizabeth Savage rather than Tudor returning one last time and then leaving. She is much closer to the last years of Gwyn, just drowning in pain. Savage is brassier, the more flip side of '40s movies, blowsy, with a heart of gold. Another thing in the other two episodes (20/21) is how sorry I feel for Noelle Beck having to talk about how acorns are a symbol of love. Similar to Trucker having to talk to a raccoon in this episode, declaring that the raccoon helped his love for Trisha, I wonder how much they laughed and laughed. Robert Tyler was thrown in the deep end with some of this emotional material, but I do credit him for trying and getting better and better as the show went along.

Thanks. The comment about the Tom pairing is probably my favorite. No one seemed to like that.

Thanks. That story about the shoulder pads is very funny. I wonder whatever happened to the antique store.

As some have speculated on here, something clearly went on with Phillips and the show. I totally agree about Todd. I don't think it helped that Suede and Marty didn't have a lot of chemistry, but the optics of Todd surviving and thriving while the man who was a rock for Marty died, soon forgotten, were telling.

I do wonder if having another soap on is helping B&B's numbers.

I think one of the problems with soaps is how often there even has to be A gay character, instead of just a number of gay characters. Lucas was often in that role in the '10s, but it never did him any favors (maybe because the show saw Brad as more fitting of the role?). Lucas probably still is a more important gay character to them than Marco, contract or not, but Marco is there to help support other characters we are meant to care about (his parents). I do wonder if they want to redo the homophobia storyline and redeeming Natalia because the original version was cut short due to dumping Blaze in such a hurry.

Thanks. This is what I was thinking of: We Love Soaps: Claire Labine Answers YOUR Questions, Part Six PJ asks: Is there any truth to the rumors that on GL, around the time you were writing, Olivia and Holly were going to get involved? Claire Labine: That wasn’t the original plan, but it was a later plan. I wanted to do a “Children’s Hour” story. I was very serious about wanting to do that, but the network shied away from it. We really wanted to try it to see if it would go with those two consummately gifted actresses. I would have loved to do that. We Love Soaps: But "Children’s Hour" is a very tragic story [in which a lesbian commits suicide]. Claire Labine: It sure is. We Love Soaps: Did you mean for it to end that way? Claire Labine: No. I don’t think anyone needed to have committed suicide. But the realization of one or the other, that she really was in love with the other. I think how she managed that, and how the other character managed it in a loving way. In a sympathetic and loving way ask, “How the hell do we stay friends and how the hell do I not torment you? At the same time how do we do this?” That’s the stuff you get can get a lot of emotional scenes out of. It moved me. I was really interested.

Welcome. As mentioned, there's nothing - this isn't exactly what you want but is from around that period.

I wish people didn't put their kids on social media, but it's a cute video. Thanks again @chrisml for the article. Red-hot Grace Phillips... In the long run I don't think Gottlieb did Pat Elliott any favors at all, but in the short-term she did give her some of her strongest scenes as Renee. Suede was another character who went nowhere fast.

I think a few of them are strong (Casablanca and Now Voyager), but there was no need to include them in the special. The short clip of Nola during the Kelly reveal was extremely powerful in its own right. Looking back, I know many didn't care for the special, especially the part where various actors from other soaps would say silly lines, but for me, who still knew so little about GL at the time, I learned and there were many moments I appreciated. And all these years later I'm still not sure I've ever seen the episode where Bert gave Gentry's Ed the speech show up (or was it one of those summer 66 episodes?), so that was an important historical document. I remember reading that TV Guide article at the time about the Fifth Street Fire. I don't think it ever lived up to the hype in the article, especially all the major destruction it was meant to cause or how it was going to revamp the show. I am reminded of just how close GL was to cancelation, even closer than many seem to know now. Just flat out said, repeatedly, in those articles. The Brent/Marian story really was what kept the show on the air, with the ratings boost. The show did not have any of those moments by the end of 1996, when the rumors crept up again. By that point the decision must have rested solely on the Bells not wanting to expand to an hour (which was very wise). The more I read of some of Logan's articles the more I'm reminded why I found him tiresome...trying to slam Patsy Pease as some kind of hypocrite or downplaying her sexual abuse because she wore a Playboy Bunny outfit on a magazine cover is disgusting. Thanks @chrisml Oh that's right. Shows how into that story I was. Thanks. Wasn't that meant to be a Children's Hour story (one-sided and about gossip, I suppose) rather than a romance?

Those are great ideas. They really did not do much of anything with fallout for Ed. I have a feeling it's because JFP thought he was right to cheat so why punish him. Gracie returning for Nola and Nola having a purpose beyond being sour would have been a nice balm.

She will also have a bit of interaction with Hawk (when Hawk first showed up in the mid/late '80s they were almost married, believe it or not), and Alex, although that friendship is one that feels a little contrived. I'm glad you have enjoyed Hawk so far. A ridiculous role, in many ways, but Gil Rogers always played him brilliantly. A shame they never brought Sarah, his wife, back at this point. My favorite thing about Hawk was that he always called Reva, "Sister." Thanks. I thought he may have been tied to Bridget, but I thought I may have been getting mixed up because IIRC Melissa Hayden played a character on GH with a similar name. Sadly, McTavish runs Bridget through the gutter. Speaking of Tina Sloan - sorry if this was already mentioned and I just forgot - I had no idea she'd written a series of novels, including one just last year. Books - Tina Sloan

Brian is one of those characters where the previous actor (and I know he wasn't the first either) embodied the character enough to where without him the character just seems like a stranger. (and didn't he magically become a singer, as also happened when this guy played Sam Fowler on AW?) Melody Anderson is OK, I remember her doing good work in a short stint on St. Elsewhere, but you can't replace Kate Collins. They seem to be trying to style her like old Natalie with the hair, a bit in the clothes...it works if you are not in closeup. In closeup she reminds me of Christopher Norris. I think I dislike Dixie's hairdo here more than her short cuts. It's much too...mall-ish.

@slick jones Thank you (and victoria foxton) for finding the info about the reporter. I think this Sherrie is Shelley Rogers, who played her off and on from 86-94.

Good for her - moments like that can be traumatizing. @janea4old Thanks for the episode details. And yes, that's my general choice with Luke and Laura too.

Thanks. That makes sense about Maggie. There's so much you could do with the lost generations of Loving. ABC should have had a fic like P&G did for a few years (even if that was a mess). Thanks for looking about the news guy. Was Clay trying to drug Trucker? I couldn't tell what he was doing.

Another April 1993 episode. I see the channel put up a July 1993 episode four months ago.

He did have decent chemistry with Emme Rylan. I thought he had decent chemistry with Beth Chamberlin and Crystal Chappell too (although I wasn't really watching then); I just wish the character hadn't felt so generic.

Watching that October 1989 episode posted above... I just saw on the Loving blog that this Sherrie appearance wasn't listed. I'm glad there was at least one more appearance between her 1987 and 1994 appearances. @dc11786 you may enjoy this one too as Ava and Sherrie have a real argument over the horrible way Ava treated Sherrie when she was trying to get a baby. I'm glad they remembered even though several years (and writing regimes) had passed and the same Ava wasn't even in the role. I like how Sherrie is styled like Kate here. She does not have Kate's warmth, but then she wouldn't with Ava given their history. I wish they'd focused a little more on Ava mentioning that she too knows what it's like to lose a baby, but that small moment was where Lisa Peluso most tapped into the poignancy of the exchange. I wish they had brought Sherrie back when Carly was around, as she might have been a middle ground - Carly was so incredibly depressing it was more difficult to invest in the Carly/Ava dynamic than it should have been. Glad to see a little more of Jolie, who remains such a sad, twisted character. Trisha seems brain dead in following her out to that van, although at least she did not get into the van with her. Todd and Curtis being there made me hope some more of this episode might have been in the clips the actors put up a decade ago, but no dice. This was very close to the end for Todd. I am trying to remember if the other hunks with Todd and Trucker were established characters or just extras. Was that Dale up there with them? I just realized through the blog that Albers was the second longest Curtis. I do think he was a decent fit for the part, even if they never did anything of worth with him (a running theme with Curtis, sadly). Is that a real reporter with Egypt? @slick jones There may be a new name or a few updates in this one for your lists.

They were never on the level of Phil and Tara as they were younger and their going out on a date was presented more as kids growing up than a building block for the future. Unfortunately, once they recast Michelle (with an actress who looked too old and was just cold and dreary), they ruined what could have been. Bryan Buffinton stayed a few more years but looked out of place with a Michelle who looked twice his age and barely shared scenes with him. He was then recast twice, neither time all that great. I don't think Bryan was that great an actor either (most child actors aren't as they age), but still, I wish they'd kept him on over who we got. If Joie Lenz had stayed in the part, or if they had found a proper recast for Bill, they could have had potential. As it was, when the show tried Michelle/Bill in 2002, it fell flat, two dull actors with no chemistry. Ed and Lillian had a hookup in the car during a blackout, as she was upset over having breast cancer. JFP loved to have characters [!@#$%^&*] in cars during times of stress - she redid this whole story on AW a few years later, the only difference being that no one died (except some viewers). I have always wondered if the show planned to pair them off if not for extreme backlash. It's amazing that Lillian even stayed on as she had no real place in storyline for almost 5 years, until her daughter Beth returned. I heard a rumor once that Tina Sloan stayed so long because she was very wealthy and never asked for much money. I can believe it. I don't even remember Skunk. Carroll was mostly just a placeholder for Nadine anyway.

Chavez is not doing anything others haven't done, but he will still probably have more passionate fans from GH than he will elsewhere - it feels like the Murphy buzz is already fading for him (not helped by so much of it being wrapped up in titillation over incestuous elements than praise for his work). If Duell did leave for career reasons, he should have left a decade ago. He's not going to be able to shake the show and he's aged out of some of the roles he could have played.

There was a little - he had to cope with being a single parent to Michelle, she began leaning on Holly, which caused problems for Holly due to Holly being drawn back to Roger, etc. But not near enough fallout, because ultimately Maureen and Ed were not huge characters on the canvas. I don't even know if GL got much story out of Bert losing Bill, and that was when Bert was at the center of the show. These stories rarely pay off as much as they should.

Thanks. I hope they won't just go with another actor because he was on Y&R or B&B. I want someone new.

That's one of my issues as well, although that is not Garrett's fault - so much damage was done to the canvas by trying to recreate a character who even by that point had run out of storyline. I haven't seen him in recent years, so maybe he would fit the part. I just hope the writing is worthwhile, as we are seeing with Lulu that a great casting choice still can't overcome limited scripts. What do you think of him?