DRW50

I thought Greg Vaughan did a decent job at balancing out the softer side of Lucky along with the Spencer temper and the generic hunk duties. Guza just never gave him a chance. JJ Lucky was a mirage, something that never could have been sustained if he hadn't left in 1999. The flop that was his return cemented that for me. Beyond rape fetishists or people who just really love making tumblr gifs of men crying, I have no idea who that was meant to appeal to.

The main thing I remember about Logan was all the rumors about just why he was written out. When Sarah Brown was in the part, any sense of hypocrisy from Carly over a power position was muted by how many characters in Port Charles loathed her as well as by just how much disdain Steve Burton had for playing scenes with Brown. That era is one of the reasons it's impossible for me to ever believe the whole BFF/true love/ride-or-die mentality. Back then, it was clear Jason was only interested in "saving" Michael, and Carly was a part of the package. As others have said, Berman does remind me of EM's Joss as both come across as so entitled and unbearable. This is a reminder of how much worse it could be with Joss, as I imagine Guza would have had Spencer chasing after her along with Dex, Cam (Cam probably would have tried to rape her and Dex and Spencer would have covered up Carly killing him). Given how much Luke despised Carly and how much of an outsider she was for a number of years, it's strange sometimes to remember that she and her children are now the only real Spencer family left. There's Aidan, of course, but he's never going to be a major character, and will be lucky to live to his 20th birthday. I guess Lulu has kids too, I don't know, but they don't seem to have much purpose. If Geary, Francis, etc. had not been so allegedly precious about JJ as the only Lucky, I wonder how different things might have been. Geary in particular was awful on that front. And now it's pretty much too late for Lucky or Lulu to ever be whatever they may have been intended to be - they would likely meet the fate of perpetual dead space like Belle and Shawn on DAYS.

Thanks @slick jones . Heartbreaking to hear, but he did what he could. I will avoid the site from now on.

I think if you are a Delia fan you will see those characters differently. It's a credit to NAA that I was still a fan of Jill's in spite of how much the show played one-sided games with the ladies in the early years. I was never much of a fan of the other characters the show used Delia to prop.

I was talking about location shooting. The rest is off topic to the thread so I will stop.

It's a mixed bag for me because I don't think most of that was framed as being about Tony in the end. I think Labine was the last writer who cared about him. If he had had a different fate after Guza's return I would probably rank him higher on their scale of importance.

The main difference for me between AJ and Mac in that period was that while AJ wasn't a lead, he also had distinct traits that did set up story for him and those around him. His feelings for Keesha, his inept business activities, how he impacted Jason, Ned and his parents, etc. Mac was mostly just there, often to react to others or to be a boyfriend. I was torn on where to put Tony, but I feel like the show mostly stopped writing for him after Labine left and then his story mostly became about what drove plot for other characters. I feel like Jax was at heart a B character and Ingo a B actor, but the show wanted him to be an A (for a while, anyway - not after Vanessa's '03 departure).

He was the perfect fit for Guza and JFP as like them (especially Guza) he saw himself as being above soaps and his delusions were much higher than his actual talent level. I wonder if they actually thought he was going to bring a ratings boost. They even hired his mother. Just a horrible man for a horrible era.

Feels like a case where some up high just love Alley Mills and don't want to lose her (probably also why she stayed on B&B so long). Nothing against Alley Mills, but Heather isn't worth it. I would say Mulcahey, but I don't think he alone would have that power.

Yes. I think she wrote the end of that story, and then was starting to pair Sonni/Roger when Michelle Forbes left. I think she did a good job with Harley too but I'm not sure how she felt about her.

I do wonder if she enjoyed writing for Sonni/Solita, or if she just saw her as a plot-mover. I know some fans felt she enjoyed writing for Holly too but we probably don't have enough evidence to decide. You're right that Alex is a tougher role to play, or was in those years, anyway, before JFP arrived. Beverlee did so much to get all the nuances going.

To me the characters are even called out on the show at times for this, it's just the actresses carry the flaws off.

I probably would have ranked it as: A-tier: Robert (until he was gone), Sonny, Luke, Jason (post-accident) etc. B-tier: Ned, AJ C-tier: Mac somewhere around or maybe above Tony or Alan (Jason was probably here pre-accident) You could probably clump those together though.

I'm not sure it matters. The biggest sex symbol in GH history was Tony Geary, who never spent all the time in the gym. JJY always looked great but was still never seen as being above a C-level by the show. Dex, Drew and Curtis are all disliked or non-entities for many viewers, and Jason was never popular with viewers because of his shirtless scenes - it was mostly down to his leading ladies and the idea pushed through Guza of how soulful he was. I don't think Michael has ever been a compelling character. He was a suffocating plot device, and then under DG became a big overexposed ham, and under Duell has mostly just been there. If we're talking cosmetics, I'd say give him a new hairstyle. I don't really care about his body. If not for his being one of the only living Quartermaines, I would have killed him off many years ago. They probably should have done so and just sent Morgan packing rather than killing him.

ATWT did look better but I never really noticed because I just thought the material was so bad. I remember toward the end they had James Rehborn in a location shoot as a homophobic relative of Reid's, or something - I don't know, maybe I've mixed it all up. I tended to prefer Reva away from Josh because I thought he was so sanctimonious and cold. I do think Beverlee deserved those Emmys more than Kim, but after she repeatedly lost at AW to women from her own show it felt like they were sending her a message.

I've never read the book, and I'd say both characters, especially Mary, were often strident and judgmental. The actresses, at least when Kate played Mary, balanced the writing, but it was always there to me. I think Jill was a difficult character to write because she was aspirational but we also never stopped hearing about how sad and lonely she was. Anyway, I don't know if this was ever posted here before. It's a few minutes of a live recording from September 18, 1979.

I think this episode has already been up in some other form, as those early scenes in particular I remember, but then, bless his heart, Marland-era episodes do bleed together so maybe I'm wrong. @DramatistDreamer

ATWT never had a new model and it only lasted about a year longer. I wish both shows were still on - I'd bring both back if The Gates does OK - but they were lucky to have survived as long as they did, especially GL.

Do you mean she made Gus worse? I know he was around several years before her arrival. I never had a great deal of interest in him whoever was producer at the time. I didn't have a big problem with Otalia, other than the obvious censorship and how much the whole "groundbreaking" element and feverish fan support obscured all the contrivances in the story. I think other than Billy/Vanessa and maybe Dinah/Mallett I was just not interested in any couples on the show by the time I tuned back in, so I didn't have as much resentment as fans who stuck it out all through the '00s might have. I tend to agree with @VelekaCarruthers that the fatal damage was done in the mid '90s, and also that ATWT had a worse writing staff...not that it justifies the terrible choices made under Wheeler. Still, I believed at the time she ended the show better than many could have, even with the various flaws, and every soap finale since hasn't proved me wrong.

Thank you for the info and photos. I'm glad as many people turned out as did. That love and loyalty is what kept AW on the air for those last 20 years and what keeps it alive today. Broke my heart when I remembered Anne Heche couldn't be there.

Now that I've seen this clip again, I can have another marvel at the choice to have wind effects for realism but no indication that Jack standing right next to a window and shattering it to pieces might cause him some physical harm.

https://televisionau.com/2024/05/obituary-brian-wenzel.html Beyond his bigger roles, including A Country Practice, Wenzel briefly appeared on Neighbours in 1995. Gordon Orchard (Flakey the Clown) | Neighbours Soap Opera Wiki | Fandom

https://televisionau.com/2024/05/obituary-brian-wenzel.html

@slick jones Thanks for keeping us in the know. Similar to AWHP and AW, I learned so much about the show from that site. It's so unfair on Mark.