DRW50

I want to say too little, too late, Jake, but it's still better than we're getting from most places. @Vee has already said so much about how worthless and leech-like Semafor is (their site also continues to resemble a web soap put together in 1996), but here's just one more example.

He was similar to Spencer Tracy in having the appeal of a leading man with the roots of a genuine actor. There was that class of late '70s and '80s film actors who never really broke through in massive terms, the way someone like Tom Cruise did, but made some genuinely interesting, challenging films. He had so much intense sex appeal mixed with an everyday quality, the living embodiment of Gabriel Oak from Far from the Madding Crowd (even if he never played that role). I'm very sad to hear he's gone.

And that wasn't even her first Mindy recast. I still feel bad for longterm AW fans over her tenure. He passed away at the start of 1997 from cancer. I wonder if that was one of the reasons he stopped appearing as much. I can't remember his last GL appearance. I know he had a recurring role on AW in his last months. I always thought his closing credit photo as Hamp was just beautiful.

I'd better keep my thoughts to myself...

I think that JFP likely assumed she could easily recast Mindy, as Mindy had been recast before, and this was a time when plot, not character, increasingly ruled the canvas. 1993 was a year of one wakeup call after another for JFP, and she was lucky to even last as far past that as she did.

Thanks @Soapsuds The full version of this on Youtube has very bad audio so I'm glad this one is a bit better.

Thanks @Soapsuds . I imagine the flashback episode is around, but I have little memory of these (just a bit of the B&W scenes). I appreciate how Marland was trying new things toward the end of his run, even if this story ultimately wasn't what it could have been. The idea of Liz playing her teenage self is a bit much, although Susan Lucci did a year later and this seemed to be accepted. Years later Liz was interviewed about her stories and basically said she didn't like the writing for the mother character, as she thought it was very cheap and obvious. This may have been the last time the show took her up on her story ideas, sadly. She had some good ones later on (like Lucinda going back to school).

Seeing so many on Twitter idolize him and mourn him (and they aren't being ironic) just reminds me of what a hellhole that place has become.

I do wonder if she had more of that fire as Rose Perrini on AW. The moments when we got to see the coldness in Emma (usually with Iva) were compelling. I wish we'd gotten more exploration of this side of her.

It's all a blur to me but for some reason I thought he was briefly involved with Lucinda around the time she and John were splitting up for good. I know she also had some encounters with the pilot who helped her find Sierra in '89. Now that you mention it I do think his corporate life was a bigger factor in their split. I'd forgotten until now that Warren Frost went on to play a strong support part on Twin Peaks. I wonder if that's one of the reasons he left ATWT. The whole mother/daughter tension over a man was something they tried with Emma and Iva regarding John, but something about it always felt wrong to me.

I remember Cal's part, for sure, although I don't remember why she and Cal split (maybe Lucinda?). I'm surprised they never gave Emma more of a long-term partner in order to clash with her macho sons...by the time she was paired with Ned Simon, the family was too spread out and weakened to care.

I believe you're right. I definitely don't think they would have needed to move to Oakdale, but Iva going back and forth the way so many ATWT characters did under Marland and up to 94 or 95 could have made sense. And provided some drama for Ellie and Kirk too. (didn't they also try to pair her father with Emma briefly - one of many Emma pairings that just felt very plot dictated)

That's a good point, although a part of me thinks if we were going to have them introduced, I wish they'd served more of a value. Maybe have Iva turn to them again during the Aaron storyline.

The guy who now spends his time cheerleading for headcase RFK Jr.

Given that we're in such a polarized country with a corporate media who love both his opponents, and he's 80 years old (sorry if that comes across as ageist...), yes, pulls through is the word I'd use. If it turns out to be a breeze I will be happy to be wrong.

I know the wheels of justice grind very slowly for certain people, but this has been going on so long it's difficult to react anymore. If I didn't suspect that DeSantis is even worse than Trump, I'd probably be less down about the whole thing...I just hope Biden pulls through somehow.

I think this was a rumor around 2000 or 2001, yes. That would have made more sense than what we got. Either that or they should have established her a blood relative to Roger immediately instead of the convoluted story we got.

I've seen several people suggest this is to save face for some terrible rulings to come. I don't doubt it, although I don't want to take for granted that we're near the tipping point where SCOTUS will have enough Alito types that they won't even give these crumbs. I wonder if Roberts, always so anxious and angst-ridden about public perception of the Court, finally feels foolish for boasting about the end of racism when he struck down most of the VRA.

I'd forgotten about that. That makes a lot of sense. Sorry for not tagging you. Hard to remember a lot of the names.

The scenes with Margo, Craig, Lyla and Casey were all funny, sweet, touching, something that these characters (and the show) lost by the mid '90s. This is one of the reasons I just never could accept the changes to Craig and his relationships - Craig could be a selfish [!@#$%^&*], but he often loved his family. Scott Bryce had an ease and vulnerability no one else in the part could find. When I watch these again I can understand why I was fond of Shannon at the time, as Margaret Reed is such an emotive, charismatic performer in these years (as shown in her last scene with Richard Burgi), but her stories just go nowhere by this point. The whole idea of morally upright Grant Coleman being evil or a killer is a nonstarter, even if James Douglas does a good job with the doubt. I was impressed with the relatively honest portrayal of homophobia and how it affects not just the gay character, but also the young straight men who battle with their homophobia and insecurity, and are targeted for being close to him. I've seen other episodes of the story which detail these things, but not sure any have ever done the contrast with Hank, Andy, and Paul as succinctly as this one. The f slur being thrown around makes this feel more real than I had expected. You would not get anything along these lines on a soap in the last few decades. Nor would you get the reality that only a handful of people would actually be close to Hank (especially poor Iva, who in real life probably would have spent half her time venting to gay men), with the most you get otherwise being apathy or hostility. I've wondered at times whether it was especially true to life for Hal to be son in Hank's corner, but I still appreciate it. I'm never sure why Marland didn't do more with Iva's biological father and his family. They just never feel very natural, and don't have enough impact on her life. It's a shame the woman who plays the nasty sister, Elizabeth, is so weak, as she is the only one in the group who is allowed to be flawed (as she has to move the plot along while her "good" family react to her). Elizabeth is the type of character you'd get more of on prestige dramas in the '00s and '10s. I wonder if Marland knew someone like her, and couldtn't stand her. Seeing Lisa Brown and Liz Hubbard was a heartbreaker, but a reminder of what underrated, nuanced acting partners they always were together.