DRW50

Thanks @Vee . I have appreciated the thoughtful talks you @titan1978 and @carolineg have over those years, enough to make me go back at times even with my issues over that writer. I knew as soon as Dante was going on about the cop, he'd turn out to be corrupt. I will have to check out those Brenda and Sonny scenes again. I see that Dominic left GH for a bit in the late '10s. If he had kept trying he might have found work elsewhere but given the state of the industry I can't blame him for returning to a steady gig. I'm half-surprised Frank didn't punish him for that choice but I'm glad if he didn't. Even as Dante barely has anything to do, he's still one of the most natural presences on the show and has made the very obviously filler Sam pairing work much more than you'd expect.

Thanks. That is very soap...for worse or worse. Shows how much attention I pay to Michael and Willow up to this point.

Thanks. It's a shame Joe didn't get to have a happier ending, or a return. I think GH took him for granted. Nice to see a brief glimpse of GL near the end (I wonder if that episode is available). I sort of watched this at the time but not really as I was not exactly a huge Guza fan, early, mid, or late era. I've said before that I don't think Maurice Benard is a very good actor. I still generally do not but to his credit he's just right here, and still extremely intense and charismatic. This should have been an exit story for Sonny. And you can see just what a fantastic casting choice DZ was, even if he has ultimately ended up being around the same boat as the late lovely Mr. Sheehan in use. (oh and I did not realize until today that Emme Rylan's beige Lulu lasted until the end of 2020 - wow).

Michael Douglas has also joined in, helping to drag this news cycle out for two straight weeks now. It's very odd to me because it seems obvious that Biden is not dropping out and even if his polling drops to catastrophic levels he might not drop out. This is now very personal to him, more than ever, probably against these "elites" even more than Trump. And yet instead of wagon-circling, a number of celebrities and talk show hosts, even the most "normie" liberal like Colbert, are calling for him to go. Why? Do they assume Trump will win and they have decided they need to save face, even though they will be the least affected among us? In the case of Jon Stewart, it's likely just his general smugness and smarting that some people finally had enough of his both sides BS. Others like Colbert may genuinely believe what they're saying, because even though I'm not a big fan, I do genuinely believe he's a good person...but this is also the man who took a photo op with Sean Spicer, so I can't help wondering if it's to try to keep his show on the air if Trump wins. All I can say is Colbert will probably still be put in the same box many of us would be put in. I also wonder who they would want to take over. Do they think America in 2024 would vote for Kamala Harris?

I still remember how startled I was to see Grant Goodeve show up on Twin Peaks The Return, for one scene, with fellow TV legend Peggy Lipton. By that point I thought he was only doing "family" or Christian TV (his scene was perfectly wholesome...the show was not). It was about as disorienting as Gavin Macleod showing up on Oz. At least Grant, unlike Gavin, did not quickly go on to blast modern TV's immorality and profanity.

I don't think it's ever a great idea to give kids too much airtime, but I do find him genuine rather than the cloying TV child manner with Violet, or a decade ago, Spencer and (to a lesser degree) Emma. If you look at all of these castings as Valentini's attempt at recreating Our Gang, James would be a B player from their early '30s peak while Spencer or Violet were from the bleak early '40s MGM years. He also seems believable as a kid who would be heavily raised by Felicia to make up for her guilt. I still don't know all these kids. Who is Wiley again? And I know @Vee had mentioned Maxie having too many kids but I didn't even know there was a Bailey Lou until yesterday. Who decided Maxie needed another child? Were they a big fan of Party of Five and the Andy Griffith Show? Was the story worth watching? As for McClonkey, all I can think is I loved Sam McMurray on the Tracey Ullman Show (he played one of the first gay characters I ever saw on TV), and then I remember him well as the mother's boyfriend in The Wizard. I know he was on soaps in the early '80s too. It's nice to see he's still working.

A Tracy Scoggins guest spot not too long before she was cast on here.

More state-the-obvious-and-state-it-again dialogue aside, these scenes have a lovely sentiment. It's interesting to see a soap so clearly talk about a found family/chosen family aspect, especially Sam and Dante expressing this sentiment, given that both have spent years and years tied to people they never would have had any use for if they did not learn they were biologically related. The show has always had this element, even if it wasn't as overt as other soaps, but as the years passed that chosen family aspect curdled into something chilling (like Sonny's influence over Michael's life). I'm glad to see the more positive aspects brought up over the years and again here through Mac and Maxie, even if it would have been all the better to reinforce that sentiment if Cody wasn't actually Mac's son and just became a part of their family, (still, the reveal scene was worth watching).

Sadly, that jackass tied to Trump and Project 2025 who went around boasting about how they were winning a "bloodless revolution" did more to promote their plan than the media ever would, aside from a few MSNBC anchors. Much of the media, along with the dead end left, see it as a scare tactic, something that will never happen. To them it's the new Roe v Wade overturning, something else they spent years saying would never happen and if you said it was in danger you were fearmongering. And some are already doing what they did post-Dobbs - claiming the Democrats are complicit. There's always a way to make sure the public is ill-informed. I have seen some people trying to point out just how much veterans will be targeted in these plans. Given how many vets vote against their own interest, I'm not sure learning of these plans would make any difference, but I hope it gets out there. There are never any expectations for Trump, but I do think the media is at a point where polls are going their way and the Democrats are badly divided, so they figure why rock the boat. Showing as little of Trump as possible helps get their man back in office. More importantly, it means less attention is paid to the deeply cynical and false choices he's made for the RNC platform, lying about "softening" on abortion and gay marriage. Less people knowing about it means the true believers won't be upset with him and the people who might fall for these lies won't know just how repulsive and repulsed the people who actually run the party are.

This is another episode that used to be on Youtube, I think, but I don't see it now so I reuploaded it. I'm not sure of the exact date as the original title said Thanksgiving 1991. It may be late October as the wedding that wasn't with Ava and Paul was on November 5 - if anyone knows I'd appreciate it. I can't remember who said this was the best opening, but I tend to agree. It's very Lifetime commercial for this period but the images and music fit the show.

Given the response What If got...

I think you and some others have mentioned this before - that makes sense.

I also wonder if they were trying to lay the groundwork for Lucky's return with a few mentions today (without directly mentioning him), from Maxie and Portia - if so they managed to not make it seem too forced.

I wonder if they had issues with each other because they knew they were both on the outside of the show. As others have mentioned, Kenny and Ginger were clearly meant to be the young couple on the show, but they just weren't needed. (Val and Gary seemed to end up playing that part more) They were the most dated part of the show even at that time. as Kenny's whole vibe (sleazy music producer) is very brutally '70s. I do like Constant Companion, but that's more for Ginger and for Priscilla Pointer - Kenny I barely even remember. And it's a very odd story that had no real bearing on her long-term future.

They manage to sum up the appeals of AMC in this period with such restraint. I can't imagine how anyone would bother to sum up a soap in a promo these days.

I wonder what plans Lemay had for Janice. On paper, Janice being thrown into the Mac and Rachel turmoil probably shouldn't have worked, but Christine Jones was so electric to watch and sold the desperation exceedingly well. I wonder if they ever regretted killing her off.

I don't really care for Portia so I'd be fine with her being called out (I suppose the show just wants to move on from Esme, as they have moved on from Spencer as well as Trina). I do wonder if the show is using her in part to try to make viewers feel sorry for Heather. I think they assume viewers are on Heather's side, or they just don't care if viewers are or not.

Pat Colbert Dead, Dora Mae on 'Dallas' — Obituary (tvline.com)

I saw some tweets claiming that the show was trying to make Portia seem irrational or like the crazy black woman in her confrontation with Laura (seeing one scene, the complaints seemed to be Laura's tone with her, including finger-pointing, other characters commenting on her behavior, Liz being so aghast that she held her hand to her chest like Olive Oyl). I don't know what the show has in mind, but it does seem like they struggle to not frame anyone who is unhappy about springing a de-hipped Heather as in the wrong. I wonder if their fondness for Alley Mills overshadows any reality that this character should not have any support beyond whatever killer clowns live in the Port Charles sewers. I also saw a lot of hostility toward Cody. As someone who never got the Josh Kelly hype when he was all over OLTL failing a charisma test while wearing the same ill-fitting (hopefully washed) underpants the Fords were put in every other day, I thought he and John J York did well enough in those reveal scenes. It's nice to see JJY get some meaty material. And it's always fun when a script seemingly has to admit how stupid a previous storyline that led them to this point was.

One of the sons of another longtime member recently passed away too. Rusty Golden, son of The Oak Ridge Boys' William Lee Golden, Dies at 65 (billboard.com) Speaking of music losses: Joe Egan Dead: 'Stuck In The Middle With You' Co-Writer Of Stealers Wheel Was 77 (deadline.com)

I agree with you - the only part I disagree with is Ginger, because I think Kim Lankford's otherworldly qualities and charisma along with her ties to the community helped make her interesting. I would have probably written Kenny off a few years before he actually left. James Houghton was a decent actor and very handsome, but Kenny was a worthless character who was just there to get his cock out. As Kristin was already on borrowed time anyway, I would have had her gun him down - maybe he snaps after she permanently ruins his marriage and she shoots him - before fleeing back to Dallas. Kenny then dies in a tearful hospital room scene, pledging to Ginger that he loved her all along. Then I would have paired Ginger with Karen's brother on a long-term basis (I loved Stephen Macht in the role but if he didn't want to be on more often they should have cast someone who would). Maybe Ginger and Joe could have moved away, but I'd have them as recurring figures. And there would be some inevitable drama if they were raising her child by Kenny. I think they made the right decision in writing Richard out when they did. There was no story left for him and he likely would have just ended up raping or beating Laura, which was the last thing the show needed. I agree he should have returned later on (aside from the brief visit for Laura's death). I like your idea about Anne. He might have made more sense as her sidekick in that iffy poverty storyline she had for about four episodes than the guy we ended up getting. Thanks for sharing. Very sweet words from Joan.

We all have certain memories, and they stay that way as those moments in time stood out for us - not helped by how murky that whole turnover period is.

I had always assumed Lemay was the one who retconned Iris not being Mac's biological daughter, because he brought her back and she revealed this truth in her second episode back. Lemay wrote about his regrets over high melodrama in his last few years of his original AW stint. I figured he might have seen this twist as more pointless melodrama that just distracted from the power of the original Iris-Mac obsession storyline. This happened on October 27, 1988. Lemay is credited as headwriter from September 12-November 10, 1988.

Thanks. I doubt most of that was Hardy's fault but the changeover couldn't have helped. This helps explain why those last few seasons feel so different to me. The best thing about season 13 remains their going back to the old opening credits music and style.