DRW50

I was probably even worse than because that was the era that "Cartini," MAB, etc. were getting effusive praise. Sorry to anyone who had to read through all that. I'm probably not as negative about current GH as I should be as I don't have the long history/emotional history with it the way I did with the P&G shows and I don't have a heavy dislike for the writers the way I did for Guza and Carlivati, but I can't deny the show is much more soulless now and you can see the lack of care in stories like this that on paper should be knockouts.

That's awful. Such a beautiful location and such a unique episode.

I wonder what the plans would have been if Chad hadn't quit. Probably just dropping the story entirely.

I think Bryce or Zaslow were able to give their characters more depth. I think Marland must have had some respect for GL, but compared to the Dobsons, the characters lack much more of an inner life to me. I am not entirely sure why, and admittedly, we have not seen a lot of his run.

The only bits we've seen has had her still in Ed's orbit and not doing much else. I guess this likely helped push Rita toward Alan. It doesn't seem like there's any real interest in Holly as a character.

To me this type of stuff is winking at yourself rather than viewers. I am glad that AW is still remembered, but like the "Spaulding-Lewis bank," the execution seems tin-eared to me.

Andy was so one-dimensional and unpleasant - you could say the same about Tonio on ATWT, who filled some of the same type of role, but I think it's even worse with Andy because everyone around him also seems depressed and one-note. I think Marland was in a bind at GL compared to ATWT in terms of history because P&G was so set on phasing out the past and focusing on younger people. And GL didn't have as much history to draw back on - they had been on longer but more of their characters had died or just weren't relevant. I do wonder if he might have considered doing more with Bill Bauer if he'd stayed on. I find Marland's GL distant enough to where I wonder if he had the same connection and love for it to dig deep the way he did at ATWT. Sometimes just seems flat onscreen compared to his ATWT work.

Cass never would have been a city council President. Clearly, they never watched AW, or they would have had Jackee referencing Lily Mason.

Spencer Treat Clark speaks about losing his home. https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/spencer-treat-clark-loses-family-home-altadena-la-fires-1236271774/

That's a heartbreaker.

Broadcasting Magazine (January 14, 1980) : Future US-Next TV : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Can't remember if these backstage photos were around. Sorry if they were.

@j swift

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/anita-bryant-dead-singer-orange-juice-gay-rights-1236105715/ Her passing is a timely reminder that her views never went away just because she did - they are now as prominent, if not moreso than they were in her heyday. I am trying not to speak ill of the dead so I will just say I hope her last years were reflective, and at least she won't be buried on Trump's golf course.

Reminds me of when they killed off David to bring in his son. I guess it's just easier or they don't want to hire older actors.

I wonder if Steve would be willing to move Jason away from the mob. This is one of those moments where you should be on Joss' side, hypocrisy or not, but she's just not likeable or sympathetic. They have the same problem with Kristina. They have a lot of alarm bells ringing with their younger female cast. I think that is one of the reasons a character like Sasha does have some fans is that in spite of so much depressing and poor material she is at least likeable. When they brought Lucas back, I didn't feel his connections to the Spencers were enough to justify his presence. I still feel that way, but I am glad they did use his connections to Michael for some emotional impact today. As has been said, Van Hansis is very hammy, but when contrasted to Maurice Benard's hair dye having more of a presence than he did, I'll take it.

That would have been fun (and less cheesy than having Rich Little on to impersonate Brad).

Fascinating that Marie's last appearance had Don (soon to vanish himself) and also involved Eugene (who was representative of a DAYS so different than her own). That line in the 83 script about Marie's "Horton temper" made me wonder if the family was seen as more volatile then - in recent decades I'd say they have been more placid, although the women in the family, sans Alice and Addie I suppose (and poor Sandy, wherever she is), aren't afraid to throw down. I find Launa Sanders so compelling to watch.

@Vee I'm glad your place is OK for now - hope you and your loved ones are well. What you say about how ossified Frank's worldview is and how he's just got nothing left to offer with such heavy power feels right. It makes me think of Lorne Michaels and SNL - we hear all the time about how he is very hands on and on the ball, yet the show has become more and more hollowed out, clearly lacking in inspiration or care.

I think people might enjoy this version of Drew more if they thought the show was intending for him to be that way. Chase isn't anything that great, but he's easy on the eyes, pleasant and likeable enough, and isn't as tainted as some other men on the show. I think the show needs some supporting nice guys, similar to Joe Kelly long ago. I might break him and Brooklyn up but keep him around, maybe pair him with Sasha again if she is staying. If he ends up raising Sasha's baby with her that would just enrage Brooklyn all the more.

So, the Fords and Kissinger only made scale from Dynasty. Kissinger being on there is befuddling to me - I guess he couldn't resist the spotlight.

Thanks. That would be a huge death that genuinely could change the show - a part of me wishes they'd do it, although I'd hate to see how it would diminish the Q side of the canvas.

I wonder what plans Sheri Anderson (?) would have had for the Jason/Mary pairing if she had stayed. It feels a bit like overegging the pudding having him there just as Reginald is on the way out and Vince is also around. If they were going to commit to the pairing and have a more complex Jason, I might have had Vince die saving Mary and Donna, and Mary goes through a lot of grief and anger - maybe she even blames Michael and Donna and causes problem for them when Reginald leaves her a lot of his money (instead of everything going to Vicky), and we'd wonder if Jason is pursuing her out of love or because she's vulnerable and rich.

Oh good. Not just me then. I agree the execution is key. I do bitch about those years a lot but I know many of the montages were done with love and care. You don't have that now. The most positive thing I can say is I feel like Frank, the "historian" and CVE are floating around some potential new concepts due to so much falling through (or maybe network pressure in some cases, like the firings of some FOFs and returns of Lucky, Jason and Lulu), but the lack of genuine caring is still clear. Thanks. I had never seen this. I miss real closing credits. This is an episode where a beauty shot would have been ideal - maybe Jax and Brenda slow dancing or just looking at each other - but I don't think GH ever did those anyway. I hadn't seen Clink Boom in so long I had forgotten it ended with that completely unnecessary Sonny scream.

The thing for me is Guza and others already tried to recreate clink boom 500 times anyway to the point where the whole thing just made GH feel like a self-parody. I still cringe at the memory of those slo-mo shootouts - I think one may have even been set to a Christmas carol, although maybe I'm making that up. Anyway, I am not offended as much as I am surprised they are even trying that approach again.

I've mostly seen "eat the rich" responses to the losses from the wildfires, which I get I guess, but it was very emotional hearing what Melissa Rivers said about the few mementos from her parents (including Joan's Daytime Emmy) that she managed to save. https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/joan-rivers-emmy-award-saved-fires-house-burns-down-1236270822/