DRW50

Tom was just a terrible, bizarre character who never should have lasted as long as he did, although he was OK in his last few months. My main memory of him is when he was jogging in green short-shorts.

Jill could at least be more honest with her. One of the reasons the Faith and Jill rivalry is hard for me to watch is because Faith says the vilest things to Jill and Jill mostly just takes it. The whole thing feels dishonest to me in that Faith made so many stupid choices, lashed out when those choices blew up in her face, and was still presented as a victim.

This features Henrietta Moore (First Love), among others. A neat little use of the 15 minute format (I wish more shows would take this step now) with good leads. I wonder if Joe Mantell meant to play his scenes with as much longing and yeaning as we get in that later scene. Some of that aspect feels very "today."

Thanks @Paul Raven . I don't remember him fumbling his lines very often.

Thanks to @Contessa Donatella At the Another World 60th, Barbara Rodell mentioned that after she left ATWT for the last time, she was offered, and turned down, a chance to be a temp recast for a pregnant actress on OLTL. Presumably, that would be Viki, which was taken over in that period by Christine Jones.

Thanks to @Contessa Donatella At the Another World 60th, Barbara Rodell mentioned that after she left ATWT for the last time, she was offered, and turned down, a chance to be a temp recast for a pregnant actress on OLTL. Presumably, that would be Viki, which was taken over in that period by Christine Jones.

I'll just mention it and then give you credit.

Thanks @Contessa Donatella for sharing those stories. You'd think people would be more respectful of an 80 year old woman than to run up to her like they're meeting the Beatles. Very sad about David Forsyth. You may want to add the Barbara Rodell info about OLTL to the Temporary Replacement or They Almost Became threads. If you don't want to I will.

This is a Soapnet backstage piece from 2002.

I think it was easy to overlook because of the optics of her having to sell the hotel to Carly, Willow's latest judgment, etc. but she did have some lovely character beats that Cynthia Watros clearly enjoyed playing. I was always a little hot and cold on Cynthia at GL but she's done good work with the rare shreds of decency she got here.

I would have Brook Lynn and Chase become foster parents, maybe tie them to Ward House (was that ever brought back - I can't remember) and use that to bring back Keesha or other relatives. And it would fill the house with more characters, as Monica is rarely there and we're lucky to even have Tracy back. Maybe Tracy could form a bond with one of the children who reminds her of herself at that age. I'm sure Frank would love to cast more child actors on the show, so it could be a win/win. I wonder how all the Nina fans who were upset over the Drew stuff feel. I actually do get why they were upset with her losing and losing and losing, but it did seem like her story was leading somewhere for her. Now that doesn't seem likely.

Thanks @slick jones . I had no idea he wrote for Bright Promise. Or that he was originally meant to do Coach.

Rest in peace, Barbra Fuller. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/barbra-fuller-dead-republic-pictures-one-mans-family-1235903503/

Rest in peace, Barbra Fuller. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/barbra-fuller-dead-republic-pictures-one-mans-family-1235903503/

Mary gets pregnant soon after she marries Jack, which was written in due to Kate's real life pregnancy. Sam Cromwell was likely directly affected by this, as he was clearly meant to be in a triangle with Jack and Mary. He wasn't that bad. I do wonder about Nell's story as to me it felt like a natural conclusion - if anything I felt like they extended her run a little. I think that Ed could have stayed longer with a different actor. Latimore had no real presence. I definitely think Nick and Reenie were budget purges. And maybe that Latina nurse - or did she want to leave the show? She got more writeups in the soap magazines than in the episodes. Nancy was one of my favorites on Dark Shadows but I don't think she's worked in any other soap roles I've seen her in (I have not seen her Doctors work). She seems very artificial and fragile, which suited her more on DS. The only time KMG worked for me was when they wrote Faith as bitter and resentful, which they never fully allowed because I guess they just couldn't accept that level of nuance in the character. Instead, we just had excessive airtime spent on this unpleasant and dull person we were meant to feel sorry for at all times...and of course many reminders of how wicked and rotten Delia was. I don't think Faith ever worked. It's telling that even Catherine Hicks did not care for the writing, because that was the one time I think Faith connected - mainly because Labine and Mayer just wrote her to Hicks' spunky strengths and threw away any of what they had tried before with the character.

@Ben @Forever8 @LondonScribe

Dabney was such a charismatic actor, so often making it impossible to stop watching the many horrible men he played. There's no one around like him now.

I did watch yesterday (there were a number of OLTL alum involved). You could see how much Erika was struggling. Kudos to her for still being willing to appear.

That's fair. It's very dull to hear someone say, "Oh you were wrong about material you enjoyed," and I definitely don't mean to come across that way. I do remember how in the '00s the show managed a number of very strong scenes.

I haven't rewatched, but one of the reasons I stopped with GH regularly in the early '00s was because I genuinely thought 1999 and 2000 were two of the dullest years I'd ever seen on a soap. The closest might have been ATWT and GL in their real doldrums around 1994. If I had to see one more person wandering around the docks looking bored or one more slo-mo shootout for Emmy submission or one more "it's my house/I bought it for you" or Ned going on about "gatekeeping" or Emily berating everyone over the glory of Jason I might have lost my mind. I imagine "Guza unleashed" was more exciting for people, but when the excitement mainly involves which young woman that month is going to be murdered (or raped - or raped and later murdered), in-between mob fantasies, Jason harems, Tony Geary jerkoff material and speed running through vet corpses...I just don't want to see it. I do know if people have watched on a daily basis in recent years they might miss those days more.

I didn't even care about most of 1998 so that's how I knew he just wasn't for me, but I respect those who did admire his work.

I'd say that describes most of Guza's run, which is a reason why I would not ever want him back. He hated soaps and he especially seemed to hate GH as the years passed. His scripting team deserves the credit for any of the better moments.

That's the key part - the idea that Chris and Dan were fired to roll out the red carpet for Mulcahey baffles me. The show had real problems. That's why someone stepped in and made some token changes (instead of going as far as they should have). We could say viewers didn't respond to his work, but we don't even know how much of that work was his. You can say oh the writing for women regressed, or things were dull, or there was too much focus on Jason and Carly rather than Jason and anyone else, but most of these were issues years before he returned to the show. Even most of the fan complaints I saw didn't blame him - they threw the blame squarely at Korte, because many of those fans know her trademarks and were seeing them all over the episodes. So even most of them know that nothing positive has come from this decision.