DRW50

I can only really see Melissa Reeves as Jennifer, even if Cady is overall a stronger actress when given the right material and role. As for Cady on ATWT, I didn't ever get involved in her stories due to her love interests and how bad the writing was, but I think she was an improvement over Yvonne Perry, who wasn't much of an actress.

@Vee This was a very nice surprise.

The show has seemed to have issues with how to use Scotty for a long time now, but even if the show didn't seem to be done with him, they wouldn't be able to use him now anyway as Kin has been (or was in) Florida for some time due to a foot problem and a botched surgery, IIRC. Due to his depression and the marked decline in writing quality, I don't even think MEK was able to play Tad for those last 10-15 years. He seems more checked in now, but Martin isn't up to anything as a character (and any romances they have hinted at for Martin, like with Tracy, are nonstarters).

Thanks @dc11786 it's always tough for me to get into Rituals so your heavy knowledge of the show and ability to find new material goes a long way.

Thanks for remembering them - I had a hard time getting the video to play so I probably missed a few of the actors.

The scene where Rocco blasted Dante for hypocrisy was great, mainly for the performances and the drama. The Gio retcon has given more drama than I'd feared. I just wish this show allowed for more nuanced writing as they don't need to make Dante such a heavy without better reasons. (as I type the names out, Rocco, Gio and Dante make me expect a Mario or a Luigi to pop up)

It's a good thing he never met Nancy Hughes! The way they handled this reminds me of how Mary Hartman's increased meddling was used to showcase her depression and declining mental health. I wonder if they shared any writers from this era.

Thanks so much @jam6242 . For some reason that uploader takes their stuff down and reuploads it again and again (maybe copyright) so this hasn't been up in a while.

JdP and Jessica always worked well together but I don't think she would have had any interest in him again after he broke her heart for Gabrielle. He was also a better fit for Megan when she had the tough surface he had to crack. She was much more vulnerable by the end, even before she was near-death. Andrew was the perfect partner for her by that point, platonic but deeply emotional (and that's why the story is so beautiful - it's like something from old letters). I could see Megan being very involved in Max's life though and fighting tooth and nail against Blair - if Megan had stayed she and Blair likely would have become frenemies in the Kassie years, probably never more than that. Abby/Laura-esque.

The biggest issue with Liz seems to be certain writers allegedly not liking her because they see her as an obstacle to pairings they prefer (like Jason/Carly), and resentment toward her from some at the show for having a passionate fan base. She was briefly let go or almost let go by this regime. Back when a different regime was in place she was briefly let go in part because they brought back Lucky and wanted him to have a different relationship that would not involve her. They were very clear as to their view of the character, having Lucky say she only had value in his life when she was bleeding in the snow after being raped. I'd guess her ties to Jason were a factor then too as multiple regimes hate that relationship.

Thanks. This is lovely.

Amazingly I think Michael being paired with Liz is even less likely than him ever being paired with a man.

And teased in a pairing with Joss or Trina until that was dropped. I still have no idea what the thought processes were with Joss. "Let's just have her get dicked by a secret agent underwear model!" I think someone may have been living out their fantasies in that story conference.

I never really thought Gagnier was a very good actress (although I haven't seen her best-received soap role [Ivy on DAYS]), but I'm glad to hear she's there for the younger cast, who are mostly doing a good job. I didn't know JDP was on GH. Or I forgot. It might have been interesting seeing him paired with NLG, but I can't blame anyone who is wary of a recurring romance (look how much good it's done for Genie Francis). I see that Priscilla Garita was a temp Harmony. She had a lot of presence on SuBe - didn't think at the time so much of her daytime work after that would be temp roles. Still, it's a job. The temp recasts may be the most interesting part of Frank's GH run for me. I think NLG and Lane said that themselves in an interview. I'm glad Mulcahey at least had the power to briefly reunite them onscreen - sorry (if not surprised) it didn't go anywhere. I've seen a number of fans asking why the show isn't letting Alexis get her Natasha on with Drew. I guess she isn't an important enough character to TPTB for that to happen. I hope she might get her lick back someday with him. I've found the scenes where Alexis tries to help her grandkids (especially poor Scout, who is currently living the life Little Orphan Annie lived every time Daddy Warbucks was lost at sea or presumed dead) moving in large part due to NLG. I sometimes wonder if Alexis compares their situation to hers - helpless children being crushed by an abusive patriarch. It was your posts about Gladys when I started to get back into GH (as much as I ever have) that are still just about all I know of the character. They were very entertaining. Didn't the strike writers get rid of her?

That's a role for Holly Gagnier (just make her a Pilates aunt). So much of that period of the show, which I did not really see, seems like another world when I read back. I had no idea Alexis dated her therapist for a year and then he was found dead in bed.

Given his lineage, that makes sense, but I wonder if they are also trying to make viewers more sympathetic to Willow.

I didn't think ALW was bad as Courtney early on. Everything went downhill when Pratt/Guza came in and she was pushed toward Jason.

I think he was meant to be important, but not as important as he'd become.

I'm not sure how quickly Bree was accepted. I think some struggled with her, especially as years passed. I remember how bad I thought her first scene was, kicking a soda machine.

@SoapDope78 @dc11786 @robbwolff Around an hour and 54 minutes you get a brief (1-2 minutes at most) glimpse of an episode. 1984 - KQED - Two Episodes of SCTV - KGO - Football, Call to Glory - Soap Opera : KQED : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

To the long-term detriment of the show.

Delia was regressed any time she made progress. This just ended up hurting the show and suggesting Labine and Mayer were out of ideas. It made a good portion of 1980/1981 a slog and sure enough what I've seen of 1983 is the same. No one was asking for Delia to chase after Frank two or three more times.

That would make sense. And was certainly something Malone loved beating into the ground with the Lords.

I hadn't thought of that. Good spot.

I'm very sorry...