DRW50

They had a scene when John returned for the final weeks, which surprised me. I think that's a part of it. I also think that Goutman's lack of care was incredibly obvious at the end. Ellen Wheeler faced the same budget issues as ATWT, yet she still brought people back and tried to honor the history of GL more. Goutman did not. At the time, there were heavy attempts to gaslight people into seeing this as a wonderful finale. I never believed it and I never will. The only thing I believed is that most of the writers at Daytime Confidential sucked.

We did get a number of characters who were moving on with their lives without a romantic relationship, like Lisa, Luke, Holden and Lily (although they were likely going to reunite). It's just the stories were either nonexistent, or badly told.

The image of Joe Manchin on the edge of his ugly yacht, shaming Americans as being "entitled" so therefore refusing to do anything but the bare minimum in a stimulus, will always stay with me. I truly hate what this country has become and how much further we keep falling.

I suppose with Barbara, I felt like the character had been all over the place in her personality and stories for decades (even in "better" times, they would have her having a baby with John, which I just did not really buy), so as long as it was not more of the same cartoonish behavior that she had under Sheffer, I didn't find it to be a departure. I do see it as more of a departure for Lucinda, but then I felt like Lucinda had spent the last year of the show having more agency again and making the choices - and mistakes in some cases - on what do with her life when her schemes came out, rather than what would often happen to the character (being punished and having to start over). But then, I had stopped watching ATWT a long time before it ended (my viewing became more and more sporadic starting in 1996 and then pretty much died from 2002 to 2009), so maybe I just can't have the same opinion as someone who went through more of those periods.

Perry Stephens and Chris Marcantel were gorgeous. You'd never think, looking at these photos, that Lily would be gone within a year and Stacey would become the central heroine. You'd almost think she was the closeted lesbian sidekick. Lauren Marie Taylor must have felt satisfied when Lily returned to be a spoiler for her story only a few years later. I never can remember that vamping woman in the first photo...Rita Mae?

Why is he platforming a lunatic?

I used to watch Strictly Come Dancing, and enjoyed Holly as a contestant. She was clearly not into all the training and angst the show pushes on you, and I don't know if she wanted to stay as long as she did, but she had some standout moments: However, if she's a friend of Dorit's, then I can't imagine there being a great deal to recommend.

Emerson is not a reliable poll. It's bad for Democrats, but if you follow the media you are going to just make yourself sick. They hate us. They would laugh if we all died. They have an agenda and they are not hiding it. I would just say prepare yourself for the hard times to come and ignore the press and the pollsters.

I wish they had brought back Penny or Don, or anyone really, but for the most part I thought it was OK. I was glad they remembered her daughter Susan, as that story was what set up the early tensions in the show.

Shocking...

I didn't mind the endings for Lucinda and Barbara, partly because I just assumed they would still have adventures and lives, partly because I was happy they got stories in their last year. I really wasn't that fond of Bob and Kim moving, although if they had brought people back to wish them well, instead of just ending on a dollar store globe, I would have been more invested.

She also says the cast had a lot of jaded or bitter people, I think, which is, as you say, interesting, as you often hear about how close they were. I guess that wasn't th case with the people she work with.

The sad thing is Goutman did bring Rosemary Prinz back for Christmas 2000. I guess by the end of ATWT he just didn't give a damn about the show. I was always a fan of Lyla, and I enjoy her with Casey, but, as you said, most don't. I just go along with it because it's not worth arguing about...there's enough toxic arguments on here lately.

I think this is December 1995 material.

I don't follow Mary Elizabeth Winstead that closely so this may not be any big revelation, but she recently talked about the unpleasant Passions set and how she broke her contract after a year to get away from it.

Don't count Ron out yet.

Thanks. Mark Lawson never gets a break. Lulu is one of those characters we were meant to like, but I never did (I think she peaked when she was the kid who never, ever spoke). I don't think she's missed.

She starts to adopt her own style around early-mid 1985. @Vee I was wondering if you had any thoughts on Casey and his early stuff with Frannie...I always enjoy seeing Casey but I guess you can kind of see why the show moved on from that pairing (at least they always kept up their friendship).

Considering DAYS had a young woman raped in Alice Horton's living room not that long ago, they haven't changed in the ways that they should have.

Sinema is now in a position where she can do and say whatever she wants as she knows the Beltway can and will make her a martyr because of the bathroom incident. They are clinging to dear life to a narrative that Manchin and Sinema are the conscience of the party. So yes, I have no real expectation they will do anything but tank bills (especially her) to show how maverick-y they are. Then there's this, which sounds like the usual from those who hide behind Manchin:

I think Bob gives a speech in the last Thanksgiving episode the show did which mentions his kids - I don't remember if Haiti is mentioned there though. I do think they mentioned something about it before Frannie returned. I think Steve/Iva would have gone further as a story, if Frank Runyeon hadn't had such a clash with them and been on his way out. The others I don't think were meant to be long-term. Frost plays Betsy in a softer/more passive manner in what is available of her 1984 and early 1985 work. She gradually becomes tougher, and becomes friends with Craig, which viewers never would have accepted with Meg Ryan still in the part.

I haven't seen enough of them - they seem alright here, and I have generally liked Sam more than most (although Kelly Monaco seems to be...not having the greatest last few years...). It just sticks in my head when I think of them together. So whatever happened with Dante and Lulu anyway?

Have Sam and Dante discussed her relationship with his father? Isn't that a bit awkward? I know it's a soap, but she bore the man's child and its death haunted her for years.

The scenes in this where Chris unknowingly sent a smutty e-mail to various department heads instead of his girlfriend are some of the biggest (intentional) laughs I've had from a soap in a long time.