DRW50

I wonder if he even knew much about her. He mentioned only getting backstory in depth from fan letters. But he did bring back Susan...

To me they've all been pretty dull, aside from George. They also weigh down Cindy. I've seen fan comparisons between Anna and kids show presenters. I have a feeling they won't be there in a year or two (then again none of us may be). This actor was stuck in a horrible story on Emmerdale. I hope he has a better time at EE.

I might classify her as Cecile more than Barbara Ryan, but the main problem is that none of these characters she would be affecting are very interesting or worth rooting for.

The dead end left takes up so much of the conversation that it can be hard to find any middle ground. They like to "joke" that the middle ground is both sides hating Biden, as shown in a viral video of fascists of the left and the right in an Alabama protest chanting [!@#$%^&*] Biden. It's not much of a joke deep down as many of them loved Trump and miss him every day. I think Biden has handled the protests as well as he probably could have, rather than siding with rich kids who cosplay as Palestinians for clout or the right who wanted to see the water cannons and rubber bullets. Unfortunately being in the middle or handling a bad situation well just ends up causing more dissent among many of those who carry the conversation, and on top of the economy sputtering, does feel like a bad break. I've always thought if he wins it will just be by narrow margins. I'll take that, if there's any chance of it happening. I just hope we at least get one house of Congress if he does. Another example of how important it was to keep that hypocritical grifter Nina Turner out of Congress. Here is the man who ran the "Ninamobile." I wouldn't be surprised if this type of program was ended through having to work with the likes of Manchin or other 'sensible' Democrats to get anything passed.

I definitely don't want him to go via a crippling scandal that would destroy the show, as that continues to cast a shadow over DAYS. And I know there are worse producers to have - like the one before him. I genuinely don't believe the core of GH can improve with him because he is soulless (as a producer, not as a human being), but I do appreciate wanting more and being pleased with more as GH is probably the most viable of the four current soaps.

I didn't think the other Aidan was that bad; he worked well with Becky Herbst. Recasting him isn't wrong, per se, but feels like more of papering over the cracks that is the best you will probably get while Frank is still there. Top to bottom the show has bad actors and most of them aren't going anywhere.

I know that homophobia and gay-bashing is on the rise, and you see every day just how much hell many young queer people face, but I don't really want to see this on the show. I'm tired of this being one of the only stories lgbt characters can have, and I don't trust them to do it right. Frank was involved in a deeply dangerous story about hate crimes against a gay man and I can't forget that.

I remember this awful woman from 2020 but did not know she was the moron who was talking about how the students who took over a building at Columbia needed food. And then we have a Jacobin reporter who bragged about his mother no longer voting for Biden, only for his mother to turn out to be yet another Bernie dead-ender. Last and least, yet another hack from Media Matters. I will stop posting these again and again, but if you ever wonder why the right has so much power in this country, you can see why.

Another of this phony set.

Once upon a time I might have had more of a belief that these protests are coming from a genuine place, but so many of the loudest voices are just using them to preach nihilism and to help Trump, and in cases like this have a record (beyond this apparent Assad tweet they also seem to have a tweet supporting Tara Reade). There are some on the right who don't like Trump, but they go along because it is ultimately good for their common goal. The left is never that unified, because many of them get more money and power if Trump wins, or believe they will, anyway, along with the smug pride in owning the libs. They don't care about anyone in Palestine, or anyone but themselves. And they are the ones who seem to have the real say in the direction of many left wing voters.

I have to admit I hate this type of writing. It just reeks of faux-cleverness in that he came back for six months, sucking up airtime, for a "shocking" conclusion (that was signposted all the way back at the day of the murder). I'm tired of soaps telling stories about men who aren't punished for rape, but it doesn't matter, because they will magically be punished some other way. It sends out a misleading, dangerous message. And none of this helps with all the damage done to Linda in this story.

Great find @SoapDope At the start of this you can see Bill Cullen in color, along with the closing crawl for The Price is Right.

I avoided watching this for a few days because I thought it was some type of clickbait channel, but it's a real interview, with the last gasps of TV Guide.

Thanks. He was a real looker, especially the last few photos.

Thanks. That was another I couldn't remember. I definitely get the feeling viewers weren't thrilled about the Dan return (and as others have mentioned, he also seemed to have aged quite a bit). He seemed night and day to Reilly, who started the whole story with Kim, IIRC. All I've seen of Rodell in her ATWT and AW bits is very compelling. I can see where she might have won over GL viewers at a time when the show was having a lot of transition or compared to the more neurotic heroines so prevalent (like Holly introduced around the same time).

I think I was already pretty checked out by that point so seeing all this godawful hamming on day after day - and of course we were meant to think this was phenomenal and wonderful and saving the show - that I just fully gave up. I know GL had had anti-heroes before, but there was more of an honesty with them. Even with Roger during the period the show was trying to write him in a serious pairing with Holly, there was more honesty (like Adam refusing to have anything to do with him when he gave away Blake). I did see Pelphrey in some of his post-soap work and enjoyed his performances more, but that whole period was a steaming pile. I don't know how I'd feel if I went back and watched that time again, with more distance and less visceral disgust over so many of the choices made (like what they did to Ben Reade), but...life's too short.

Reading a 1975 Daily TV Serials I saw a letter from a GL fan who complained that a Mike and Leslie love story article used photos of Don Stewart and Lynne Adams. They forcefully pointed out that those story moments were with Barbara Rodell, not Lynne Adams. The editors explained that they used a photo of Adams because she was currently in the role. It reminded me, not for the first time, of what a chilly reception Adams seemed to get from a number of fans on her return, even though she had originated the role. I'm not sure if that is down to her, or if a lot of fans just loved Rodell (given her number of well-received soap roles). It's rare to have that happen with recasts and original actors returning to roles. The only other one I immediately remember is David Tom.

Thanks @dc11786 . GH has been a show that allowed for more upheaval than a number of other soaps (although those days are gone), but Monty's return seems to be a cautionary tale on that front. I imagine reading your recaps of the period is more coherent and compelling than trying to watch. I remember when Soap Opera Weekly had short blurbs from a slew of GH actors around the 30th anniversary. The woman who played Cheryl talked about how unhappy she was with the later treatment of her character. Reading these recaps, I can see why.

Both men made me take breaks from the show for a while (especially Pelphrey, who was unwatchable to me), which I can't say Zimmer did. Something about Ehlers' portrayal of Harley lost all warmth for me around the late '90s. At the time I wasn't sure if it was down to the pairing with Philip, as he was such a draining presence, but even post-Philip, what I enjoyed most about Ehlers in her first run never really came back.

It makes one respect all the more how tasteful a lot of the big homes were in the '80s Knots heyday.

For most of those last years the show had more support, I believe, not that it mattered in the end. The show did look better, but in the end I probably preferred the rougher GL style.

Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of bad polls again lately, but I agree I don't know how much weight they have. I suppose these days everything is vibes-based. Biden is certainly in a tougher mood than he was last year, which I appreciate, but vibes-wise so many seem to have already shifted to Trump coming back in, to the point where you have various world leaders traipsing to Maralago like he's already in office. I hope there's some slim chance. Those press dinners should have stayed gone after COVID shut them down. I don't think they have any real importance, but seeing people throw themselves on the ground for their beloved Hamas to agonize over Colin Jost's embalmed jokes just remind me how much the worst of this country blots out any discussion or common sense.