DRW50

Debbi Morgan got some press lately for her feelings on the Jonathan Majors/Meagan Good "relationship," but it does underscore that she was in Tyler Perry's latest project, Divorce in the Black. Always nice to hear she's working.

I suppose given everything going on this summer and fall, I can't blame them. A part of me also wonders if they are afraid Trump and the GOP ecosystem will use promotion of a soap opera with a black female creator and presumably a large number of black talent in front of and behind the camera as some kind of rallying cry against the network. I hope that isn't a factor.

That's true, but I think there was a hope given the momentous decision to order a new soap for the first time since 1987 that they might make more effort. I suppose it gets us prepared for how little expectation to have. I don't know what major promotion was done for B&B either. I know they started those glossy promos a few months before the show hit the air, based on what's on Youtube.

Jason Priestley | Interview | Beverly Hills 9102| Side man | Open house with Gloria Hunniford | 2000 (youtube.com)

I wasn't sure where to put this. It's an episode (probably the most famous episode) of James at 15/16, with original commercials.

Thanks @vetsoapfan for the details. It really is bizarre they made such a huge mistake back then. It shows you the kind of rotting away in that period which helps to explain why Mary Stuart was so protective of the show and her character. Sometimes I'm surprised they did finally bring back Patti at the end. In many ways she just feels like a more natural part of the show's past than the hybrid it was in those last years. But maybe fans at the time appreciated the return.

Oh it's just the one we already knew about - the episode itself is up now instead of this old clip.

Thanks. I realized it wasn't very clear from my text, even if the clip is older. As you said I have been trying not to say much about any later episodes, although I did go back to watch a little of that hysterical (in many different ways) DuAnn and Julia scene. Absolutely the most suitable moment for Rauch to head out on.

Sorry - I don't think I worded that right. This is from a year or so before Rauch's work.

Thanks. It really does boggle the mind they never did more with him, especially since Stu remained to the end and he could have been a leading man. At least they didn't kill him off like they did with Jo's son.

The scenes with reconnecting tend to be on a loop and often revolve around George's feelings. That's another reason I don't care. We never saw any of them together, so why am I meant to invest in whether they reunite? I would have been more interested if they said that George was an old love of Cindy's and he had since married and had kids. We would see Cindy drift toward him and start to bond with his daughters, even as she isn't connected to her own children. (she has no real relationship with Peter and anything with Cindy Jr happened - yet again - offcamera) It doesn't help that the woman who plays Anna seems more suited to Blue Peter than drama. The show's habit of throwing drama at new characters and then losing interest fast also comes into play, as Gina came in, was on drugs, carrying on defending various outcast men (Jay, Dean), and ended up being backburnered afterward. The ramifications with Junior amount to a quick exit for his guest character wife and child, again mostly based on issues that had built up between them offcamera. I am glad you are enjoying the show, as I know others are, but I just feel alienated from it and I don't see that changing. I don't like seeing strings and I am not invested in most of the shells currently on the canvas.

That was such a trend in general in TV in those years.

Sometimes I am reminded of how much Rauch cleaned up Asa, even if he still had his rough edges. Seeing him have goons come in to beat Clint's ass is wild...and of course Erika gives her all.

As somebody who just does not like the Gary/Val relationship and sees them as toxic and codependent, I would have reunited them a few years before they did. You can tell by that point (by the time of the Jill story ending) they were just in stall mode, and the attempts to keep them apart did more and more damage to the characters (especially Val) because they weren't together, yet the show would never seriously try to give them genuine partners the way they did with Abby and Ben. It's hilarious. A great deal of the first two seasons have those types of moments - an odd parody of "normal people." It's like the '50s/'60s/'70s romance comics that were written by 50 year old men. Another is the way that the family of the woman who falsely accuses Sid of rape come across. One of the reasons I think the Karen story at the end of season 12 and start of 13 is so awful (possibly one of the worst ever on the show, for me) is because it's a huge jolt back to this very out of touch, patronizing mentality, after the show had mostly pulled itself to a more believable place.

I would guess they're keeping as far away from Mo'Nique as possible. I do feel like the general lack of promotion is just a sad reality for today's soap world - they know there isn't a lot of interest, or they assume there isn't and don't care about changing that. If they want to get back some lapsed soap fans, I would say they should consider hiring Debbi Morgan.

My issue isn't with Cindy herself as much as the writing. Michelle Collins is doing fine. But all of her relationship with George and her daughters was offcamera. All of George's relationship with his sleazy Max knockoff son was offcamera. And George is the only one in the family they even write for. I just don't care. The show as a whole is so plot-driven and this story is the biggest example for me.

That's such a sweet video. I know soaps are often just a job to people so when I see people who have still managed to be close all these years I'm happy. And it makes me all the sadder ATWT just forgot about Bianca, although at least she was spared...

Yes. I wish more were available because a number of episodes I've seen from the early '50s feel more creative production-wise than I would have expected. I feel like the show plays more interestingly than the synopses tend to suggest, helped in part by the strong core cast. Did Jimmy cease to exist as a character? I know Stu and Marge had a son later on. I know we've all talked about this before, but someone was asking on the video... I love the ending of the episode. Mary talking to us about the problems of the world (I imagine if Irna Philips saw this, she would have done a double take given her stance on that type of thing). It comforts me now in dark times. I can't imagine how people felt in that moment. And the CSO they used isn't any worse than what you see in movies these days. Given that Lynn Loring passed around Christmas last year I'm so glad we have a Christmas episode of her work. Thanks again @te.

His campaign presumably thought they were setting a trap for Trump. I agree with you that debates generally don't matter, but they likely thought by moving the debate earlier than normal, they would allow him to be more defined in the public eye (as the media isn't going to be honest about him) as well as reassure voters who didn't think Biden was up to running for office again. Instead, Trump ended up skating as all the negativity and fears about Biden's age were turbocharged by his performance. In that sense I think it backfired a great deal. Maybe not because of the public, who if polling is accurate (whatever that's worth) have not changed a great deal from where they were before (tied or slowly drifting toward Trump), but because it gave the media and those in the party who have never cared for Biden and/or his team and stayed quiet the chance to go hog-wild for weeks and weeks, and probably for a while longer. I agree that the main blame goes to the campaign and to the party. Many of those in the party who are now leaking have likely been uneasy about Biden for a long time but feared repercussions. So now because the media has given them permission, they are just leaking and leaking and leaking because they are cowards. So they keep leaking and the campaign keeps giving them reasons to do so, the latest being overselling this press conference as key to Biden's fate, going on about how it was a "big boy" press conference, then Biden goes out there and makes two gaffes that are absolute catnip for Trump and overshadow any positive coverage the conference could have had. One of the Congressmen who said he should drop out said their being in a position where these "moments" are so do or die is a reason for his call. I think it's too little, too late, he should have said all this last year, but I don't think he's wrong about the damage they are doing to themselves with their approach. Not to mention other decisions like picking untrustworthy George Stephanopoulos for their first interview post-debate. None of this should matter, but I think it does, and these drip drip drip mistakes are the last thing the party needs.

That's true, but it is also part of the peril of Biden having the debate so early and when he clearly wasn't in the right condition (I'm not even talking about cognitive issues, more what his people said about his travel, having a cold, etc.). Biden has never had the media or money advantages Trump has had. They set a trap and then walked right into it.

I believe both. One was from weeks ago and one from yesterday. I believe what he said, and I believe donations are down in the pretty rough period that has followed. A number of huge donors said they were done for the time being. James Carville, who is sadly still very well connected in the party, was also urging people to stop donating. I think that's going to have an effect. Yes, smaller donors will still help, but they've already given a great deal and even some of them are probably confused about what is going on.

I remember that story at the time of the debate. The article I read was more recent. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/disastrous-biden-campaign-fundraising-takes-major-hit-rcna161214

Thanks so much for the tag, @te. . If that's the episode I think it is, then the ending is very unique and moving.

Donations have been down sharply - they can recover, but I worry how much has been set in stone in ways he just can't turn around. The optics have been against him for a while in ways that mean even when he performs well it doesn't get as much attention as a slip or stumble. There's no one else who will perform better than Biden, so I think he will stay, but I'm unsure about how many who have now vocally dumped him will go back or if they will just triage and try to save down ballot seats (aside from those who want the whole party to crash for acceleration or "to teach them a lesson"). The one positive in all this is people are finally seeing how worthless Jon Stewart and that whole preening circuit is.

This being hours after "President Putin" didn't help. He's done this for a while, and I don't think it's a cognitive issue, but many will notice it much more after the last few weeks. A relative of mine who is a big supporter of his texted afterward about how weak his voice was and about the VP Trump line. I still don't think he's going to stop running, but with donations drying up and so many in the party calling for him to go, he and the party are now severely hobbled if nothing changes. I don't think there's any going back or just hoping Trump will screw up again.