DRW50

It was RKK, yes. I really loathed the funeral scenes back in the day. Watching them now I can appreciate the performances and visceral anger more, given the dead zone you often get with soap deaths in recent decades. I am glad they were able to turn things around for her. As you said the writing has generally been superficial, but Kristina is so likeable and direct in her work, she makes you care. Without that directness and her chemistry with JJY I'd have a hard time with Mac/Felicia after the Fluke disaster.

Thanks. Jason/Liz/Zander would have made much more sense, even if it would have been very one-sided.

Thanks @Vee for the confirmation about Heather/Edward. I have some vague memory of the lights being out at the mansion and her claiming to be possessed (by Lila...?), but maybe I'm reaching even further. Based on the coarse tone of Pratt's AMC run I'm happy to blame him for this period. The odd thing with Sandra Ferguson is she never even worked with JFP, IIRC, and she had a rough history (allegedly) with an FOJ, so she must have just been known to some casting person and was easy to hire. I remember wanting to give her a chance and tuning in to see her at a time when Kristina should have been there (I think when Maxie's heart was going out again or something). I'm not surprised she didn't last long. This "comedy" episode is all Frons, right? I think AMC had one around the same time.

I was so impressed with the clip @BetterForgotten posted in the GH thread for Tracy's 1993 exit. It may be the best exit I can remember from GH. I ended up going around and watching this scene from Tracy's 2003 return. It's fitting that Lila was key to both scenes, and that this was one of Anna Lee's last appearances. GH 04.17-18.03 - Tracy asks Lila to let her stay On the one hand, at least the Quartermaines all have defined personalities here, unlike now, but you can feel how lacking in nuance and turn-based the writing has become by this point, as each person just walks up to hurl invective. I'm also reminded of how much less interesting a character John Ingle's Edward was compared to David Lewis, even if he did have some good moments - it's just that he wasn't suited to parts like this where you are reminded of the complex history Edward and Tracy shared. I was watching some clips of Lila's death and memorial - a lot is not here (including one very memorable Tracy scene), but there are still some strong moments, like the eulogies from Tracy and Alan. It's amazing how Jason-centered this is. Sometimes I forget how much the point of view did start to shift from him after Guza left. And I'd forgotten Steve still had more of the youthful looks when he first came back, before he began getting too big. I had also forgotten just how many Quartermaines were around at this point (in spite of AJ being gone and "honorary" Q Skye not being there). Yet you can see in the big group moment in the living room how little use the show has for them - very sour writing and half-hearted energy and performances, especially from some like Natalia Livingston (I guess I did at least buy that she cared about the Quartermaines, on some level, unlike Amber's Emily) and whichever Justus this was. One consistency from then to now is Brook Lyn seemed more mature than Lois, but at least Brook Lyn still had some semblance of screen presence (no comment on the Vanessa Carlton songalike in the third clip I didn't link). I don't think Lesli Kay is bad, but she is so blatantly just imitating Rena Sofer. Even when I was never a big Lois fan, her return has reminded me how much more natural she is onscreen than anything Lois has going on here. In contrast, Jed Allan is better than I remembered, it's just hard to buy him in the material as he had just arrived. I think the worst with him started when Heather started pursuing him - was that a story or did I just make it up? Something else I'd totally forgotten was how much they were trying to have Felicia repairing her relationship with her daughters and with Mac. What was it that led to this being dropped? Did JFP or Frons lowball Kristina Wagner? Mac's nasty digs at the Quartermaines in their time of grief are startling. He doesn't even bother to give praise to people he was once closer to, like Alan and Monica (in spite of Alan being a rock for Robin). Another case of TPTB at the time letting their anger course through the characters.

Thanks for sharing the free link. You can see how seriously a lot of Democrats have taken shutting out that paper because there are few scoops in this - in no time it turns to a recap. I do think Biden should have retired after his first term, but sad to say I don't really think any Democrat would have beaten Trump this year. They should ask themselves why instead of blaming Biden.

It's hard for me to say exactly - I think the show becomes more generic but there's still mostly moments to enjoy, even if things can get dull at times. The biggest changes will kick in around 93/94 into moving AMC away from what suited it.

That's one of the best parts of those years. I don't remember if they ever gave Skye enough motivation for getting so involved in going after Cindy, even with her love for Stuart. Robin Christopher was at her best as Skye when she was softer (like here) - she became much too hard later on.

As someone else already said, Cody is much more suited to the kind-hearted stable hand than some kind of tortured bad boy. The latter could be interesting but I don't think the show as it is now can write that type of material. I'm not really sure it is suited to Josh Kelly either. It is fitting that he's Mac's son considering they tried to make him a bad boy as well before realizing their error.

All of the Pacific Palisades episodes are already online, but these two have commercials.

Chase, Dante, Anna and Jordan all being on the force (or is Jordan now just deputy mayor?) may be a factor, but the main factor is probably that I just don't think Frank wanted Lucky back. No reason to make any real effort for him.

Glad to hear Sandy is still doing OK. I do wish we heard more about whether those movies will happen, but it may have been for the best for this night to just be about the past.

Realizing Carly has been on the show for almost 30 years makes me feel decrepit. You're right that there are some moments of charisma and talent. I guess I just don't see them overcoming the sea of blandness. And I was thinking of some of the next age group too, even those I like. It's also hard to figure out what age group some like Brook Lyn (another I don't dislike but just makes me feel sleepy) would even be in soon with the Gio reveal.

Thanks again @Vee . I notice so many reports about his death just talk about how weird and disturbing his work was but never talk about the heartfelt moments. He did veer more toward the weirder and colder elements in Inland Empire or Lost Highway, but his work still had a great deal of warmth in other projects. It pops up repeatedly in The Return. The outpouring of love from so many who worked for him is very touching, but the gratitude from Naomi Watts and Kyle over his discovery over them is what stays with me most. They clearly loved the man as much or more than anything he did as a director. Few directors have ever managed to have such strong, charismatic personalities, so clear in their work, yet their work also stands up in its own right. Still can't believe it's real. And it makes me think of how many disabled people are thrown to the wolves in times of mass climate change.

I don't think Trina being there is going to make a difference about what happens with Gio. Like most of the younger characters on the show he's mostly vapid beyond physical appeal. I doubt Emma's going to be a big shift. The show just has a very lackluster younger group compared to how hard a lot of the older cast work. It's not entirely the fault of the younger cast, but not something which seems likely to change anytime soon.

I do wonder if she told them she's leaving when her contract is up. I hope she does as she could go on her terms.

I don't think you're wrong, but Tracy isn't doing anything different than what the "good" characters on the show tend like Sonny or Carly tend to do, she is just not as focused on reminding us of what a good person she is. I'm not entirely sure I believe she is just acting out of what Monica wants rather than getting to stick the boot in on people she finds to be odious...luckily, Jane is able to thread the needle. I imagine Willow will get the kids back soon enough anyway. Probably the most interesting part of the story is seeing Carly face the consequences of her actions, losing both her son and her grandchildren, even if it's not the same for me as Laura Wright wasn't playing Carly for most of those key storylines. On paper, I agree with you. Onscreen I don't think it entirely worked because I think even then the contempt Guza had for the family was undermining them as threats or dark figures. But that first six months or so of the story did work, mostly. It all started to decline for me once the focus shifted to Jason/Robin and Carly marrying AJ to try to keep custody, and so on.

That's what impresses me so much when I watch her first run - the multi-tiered setup would have been impossible to maintain, but you get such an array of stories and complexities. Some was much better than others, but I came away with a real appreciation. I know the show had to streamline to survive, but I don't think it's ever quite the same. I was very critical of some of her choices in the mid '90s, but I do know some were probably foisted on her. I wish we had gotten to see more of what she would have done with the show if it hadn't ended (even if as has been said, she probably wouldn't have been hired if the show hadn't been ending).

Thanks for sharing all these clips I'd never seen @Vee. A brief statement from Lara Flynn Boyle. https://deadline.com/2025/01/lara-flynn-boyle-david-lynch-death-1236258930/

I don't remember the show ever seriously trying him with another woman. If they had it might have had a better result. Characters like Laurel were duds no matter who they were paired with. I do think they wrote Jack as overly sanctimonious and the relationship with Erica was so repetitive, very damaging, but chemistry wasn't a problem for me. To be honest I think Jack was the only guy Erica was paired with in AMC's last decade that she had chemistry with. @gimmetoo Thanks for the recap. The last I heard about Francesca was whatever legal action she was involved in with someone's family so I'm glad she is doing alright. I had my criticisms of Lorraine Broderick's writing, but she was a wonderful talent and one of about three of AMC's headwriters I'd say got the show. I wish she was on soaps now.

@Vee As you're one of the big reasons I got into Lynch's work I'm grateful I heard the news thanks to you. I'd heard of David Lynch, mostly just as another director, but didn't delve into his work until I started watching Twin Peaks a little over a decade ago. It's a show that never leaves you. And so much else of his work, including what may be his most underrated film, The Straight Story, which has one of the most touching scenes I can remember in a movie. Lynch was a very larger than life character, but even if this presence shaped his films, it never overshadowed them. He had a great deal of respect for viewers, insisting they find their own story rather than being told how to think and feel. And he brought out the best in so many actors, to the point where any time I see them elsewhere I wish they were still working with him. In some way I suppose it is fitting that his story ends through fire and California, and as we are in a period where the images he presented in The Return feel timelier than ever. But it's such a loss. I just hope his passing was peaceful and quick, and for whatever they are worth now, I hope the Oscars finally give him some of the respect he deserved.

We do seem to see more rooms than we used to, which is nice (if only the rooms didn't all look so samey).

Thanks. They did have a lot of photos. They really do show how much smaller and drabber everything looks now. Even if they had to cut down for budget reasons I'm not sure why everything is in grey. I hope they can change that someday.

Was "Anna getting her groove back" meant to be the kiss with Jason that most people seem to want to pretend never happened? and giving Robert [Scorpio, Tristan Rogers] and Holly [Sutton, Emma Samms] their Casablanca moment; No questions for them about the merits or logic of making Sasha Robert and Holly's child. I guess that is more difficult than soundbites. seeing Lucky and Lulu reunited with Laura They must have enjoyed watching this much more than they enjoyed writing it. anything Heather Anything beyond giving her a reason to exist.