DRW50

This is where I get confused. Marcy, Stuart, Frank and Maggie all went early in his run as headwriter. Were they already being written out when he arrived? He never even mentioned Maggie during his whole run as headwriter, which always makes me wonder if something went on behind the scenes.

I'd argue one reason is because there are fewer and fewer A-list actors. After that point you have performers along the lines of Amanda Seyfried, who has never been a huge star, but a very steady success. NAC went from GH to various big primetime star roles. Not movie stardom but the most recent transition I can think of.

I can't remember if this was under McTavish or B&E but this was also the era when Reva told Marah that she was her first born child.

Much as Pam Long could be more honest about Reva she still had to shield her too, I suppose. I tend to think that Billy only has strong feelings for Reva when he can't have Vanessa.

Thank you @watson71 ! How timely, not only for the superb Franz, but I also see Ilsa, after @Paul Raven and @Xanthe talking about her and Gwyda DonHowe. Geez, I didn't realize she actually did dress in that full body Raggedy Ann costume. No wonder some fans were disturbed. I wonder if Jacker or whoever wrote this saw the Jingles the Clown story on Somerset. @vetsoapfan this is another that may interest you.

Thanks @cody_1990 I'm so glad her last episode is still around. A fitting tribute. She had been on AW not that long before in a thankless part. Kudos to them for seeing what they had in her and bringing her back so quickly.

That has always annoyed me too. The parodies of soaps that used organ music for decades after soaps used them. And in more recent years, just soap parodies which give the impression of someone watching B&B (and not the better B&B) and thinking that was the whole genre. There's always been a contempt for soaps for being a woman's format, even as the genre became so shockingly misogynist. I think many now are just surprised to learn there are any soaps still on. I'm not sure which is worse. At least there are places like this which circulate the good times (and can laugh at the bad times). And I'd guess some of those people secretly enjoyed soaps. As the old TV Guide critic said after trashing Dark Shadows - after he moved on he realized he missed watching it.

I did not ever know Reva was meant to be unable to carry another child at this time - for some reason I thought Reva was already pregnant with Shayne when Dylan arrived. I hope Reva and Josh got that doctor blacklisted as she went on to have three more children! I was never a big fan of Reva and Josh but there's a certain natural quality to them in the first scene that I think many of the show's relationships began losing by the mid/late '90s. The scene with Dylan and Reva is nice too, once I get past the contrivance of long-lost parent and child getting clashing before they learn they are related. Morgun Englund was never the best actor, but he had a certain earnestness and likeability which carried him through.

I do wonder if Marland had plans for Heather. (however long Jay was there under his pen, I don't believe he had plans for him - I only remember seeing him fleetingly in what is available of that time) Heather had been more involved in a friendship with Betsy and was then moved toward Frannie at the same time Frannie was becoming heavier in story. Her relationship with Roy did get a steady build as a B or C plot, and we saw her conflicts with his sister Nella as his family was introduced. She very abruptly exited around summer 1986. IIRC, Tonya Pinkins mentioned some issue with Calhoun, but I may be wrong.

You aren't wrong, but then I think of the horrible Dasha (of the Red Scare podcast, and most recently, fawning over Nick Fuentes fame), one of the most untalented "actors" I've ever seen, who was given a recurring part on Succession, one of the best-acted shows I've ever seen. So that reminds me even in the most prestigious shows, connections get you work you don't deserve. At least with soaps, I can cut more slack due to the compressed schedule and lack of rehearsal time. I do think that the bad acting issue is a reason many in the industry will never get past soaps as being unworthy. If any reading has changed I think it's less because of people having an improved opinion of soaps and more because they aren't as big culturally now, they're just sort of in their little corner. And actors can't afford to be as snobbish when more and more work is drying up...now with AI in the wings to replace them.

https://deadline.com/2025/11/ted-hartley-dead-actor-rko-pictures-chairman-was-100-1236617613/

That's how I felt about Harley. I loved Harley from when I first started watching and she was the nanny for Josh and Reva. Looking back I can see some of the changes began in her dreary pairing with Mallet, but she still had her old warmth. Soon after her return, that warmth is gone, and the coldness just gets worse and worse to where I find Harley outright unlikeable. Beth was such a mess of a character for her whole last stint. I was never a huge devotee, but I give Beth Chamberlin credit for making it work as well as she did.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/elizabeth-franz-dead-death-of-a-salesman-1236427898/ When I saw Franz's photo I thought she looked so familiar, then saw the mention of AW. She was terrifying as Alma Rudder. That performance really supercharged a moribund show.

Sorry - wasn't trying to blame the show as I know CLB went grey. I just think it looks awful.

I was mostly thinking of something that was special to you and you don't think really gets attention now. I know there's probably plenty along those lines, I just mean a story, or a moment, or a relationship. I learned so much about EON through the parts of Mark's page that focused on things like the show's bad girls.

I can't believe they've never had anyone killed by an axe there. Henry Slesar needs to give them some tips in a dream.

Thanks. I barely know anything about the show now.

They write most of the characters her age that way. In this case they likely think viewers will side with Jordan if Trina, someone they dislike and they know is disliked by a certain segment of the audience, lays into her. This is the show that had Trina describe herself as a "bitch" to make us feel sorry for Joss - they aren't very subtle.

He needs to stop dyeing his hair. Is that the Newman ranch? Does Danny know that Victor almost porked Christine?

James Pickens Jr. talks about his prostate cancer diagnosis. https://ew.com/greys-anatomy-star-opens-up-about-own-diagnosis-after-characters-reveal-11850247

It's kind of crazy how much Rocco went from mostly just being around as one of the kids living with Dante and Sam to being in the center of so many families and conflict. Of course, that won't last (although his not being Liz's son might help his longevity with the powers that be), but I'm glad Finn Carr is a good enough actor to make some iffy story decisions more palatable.

The Lucky situation will always be a puzzle to me, mainly because I wonder how much someone at ABC pushed for his return. It clearly wasn't Frank's decision. I don't know if Lulu's was his either as he was fine with her being comatose for four years. I wouldn't have brought Lucky back, I thought the show had outgrown him and the show had trashed his relationship with Liz beyond repair. He was also divisive with fans, rather than well-loved. And pretty much all of that played out when JJ returned. If they had worked hard, they may have changed some minds, but they didn't try very hard, so what we ended up getting was a passive-aggressive return, with the only sign of grace being that they didn't kill Lucky off. (maybe JJ leaving so abruptly meant they didn't have the chance) I still wonder if having him kiss Liz the day JJ couldn't be there was a coincidence.

There's a fair amount of 1986 missing, but yes, that's my last memory of him - I think he and Speed are in their diner or whatever they were doing and were happy.

There's a good chance he'll end up dead, which is calming, in a way.

That's such a great tagline. I love the red shoes too. I wonder if that was Eileen's idea as she seemed to be involved with her wardrobe. I can hear her saying, "Just call me Dorothy." I do like Jay - as you said, he was cute, even if not the greatest actor. I understand why Marland wrote him out, even if it was only a half-exit (he was still living in Oakdale with that Speed woman [what was her actual name?] who must have escaped from Lujack's old gang), but I might have just had him in Kevin's role. I know they had the whole Marie backstory, which was pivotal in driving Frannie closer to Douglas Cummings, but they could have invented a past lady for Jay too.