DRW50

Yes, that was when the bit of hope I had for the new leadership went out the window, especially since they essentially said they just wanted to hire a friend from ABC. They just assumed ART had no fans, I suppose because she was not one of the big names in the cast. With proper writing and the right actress, viewers may have moved on, but Susan Batten was about as nonsensical a choice as if they had hired Marla Adams. This was also around the time Jeff Trachta's firing got protests outside their studio, so CBS Daytime viewers just seemed to be fed the [!@#$%^&*] up.

@Khan That made me laugh (and great song). @alwaysAMC Cosgrove is just recurring so he doesn't show up very often. I do think this type of role suits him more than the good guy parts. Willow was a long-suffering ingenue, who was in a cult, had cancer, had an evil sister, etc. until about a year or a year and a half ago when she made out with Drew on July 4th (I think - I may be wrong). Since then, she has slowly become unhinged.

I figure they are still setting up the reveal that Nathan isn't really Nathan. Now he's "inside" thanks to Dante, so he will have more opportunity for his plans. I don't see Chase and Dante as being that similar. They are also likely going to be in a love quad of some type soon if this story ever gets going.

Thanks for the interview @Paul Raven I never knew about Gwyda's passing - so horrible. She seems very intelligent and makes me want to watch Executive Suite. I haven't ever seen much of Ilsa either but from how she died she seems more like a mob type in the second run - don't she and Jason gun each other down? Someone at P&G in the '80s really liked Warren Burton as he lingered on their soaps for over half a decade even without much to show for it. I do think what I've seen of his work of Jason is more interesting, but the stories aren't very compelling. When I first started reading AWHP I found the writeup on him and his last words (about loving Tracy) to be moving, but onscreen it mostly seemed to be him mooning over her and listening to her sing and being petty toward her and David Bailey's dreary Russ. I wonder how viewers felt about a year being spent building up that Melissa Needham character only for her to then be dumped. I haven't gotten through most of 1981, but she seemed OK in the Christmas episode. Allen Potter and Dorothy Ann Purser (?) had to clean up so much mess when they arrived at the end of 1982. I'm still impressed with how they managed to do so.

I see what you mean. At least we have that wonderful promo of Eileen making such a dramatic face (not only did Whit die - the rug was ruined!).

Thanks @slick jones I wish Helen's Somerset material was around.

I'm glad Kelly could be there. She got such rough treatment at the time and couldn't even really enjoy her win. I hope she ultimately has happy memories.

Great find @Xanthe can't imagine them together.

Whit is one of those characters I'm good with not seeing a whole lot of. I just end up focusing on the wig and the wooden acting.

Thanks. I didn't know this was up. Glad to see another glimpse of this period of the show. @Vee Another for the list of jarring music on soaps. I do love that we got a lengthy montage, with Marisa Tomei underplaying and Cris Leblanc gritting his teeth, to show Kirk taking a car trip. If anyone needed an example of ATWT trying to ape ABC and NBC soaps... At least we know Kirk is a safe driver, making sure to pull over when in distress.

At least they remembered Britt should do something positive...

Thanks. I didn't know she was dating Logan in real life. As is often the case, they had little onscreen chemistry. I don't know why the show keeps killing off new characters. I also don't know why they are redoing a story that wasn't very good from a few years ago (Harry Warner pushing someone and it was seen as an accident). Also not thrilled with them turning a domestic abuse story into another psycho killer story. I do enjoy some parts of the show now but so often it's just the above or yet more of Esther's love life and pity parties and being rude to people as we're reminded how amazing she is. What did you think of Libby? Brooke Freeman also appeared for a bit this year, bedding Drew. (sadly no mention of her with lovely Boyd, who has not been on this year) Bleh.

Thanks. Given that everyone in Bay City was getting shot at the time, kudos to them for their inclusivity in letting him get shot too.

I don't believe this will affect midterm votes. What affects them is the media supports Republicans, the GOP rigs and suppresses votes, and much of the public are full of bigotry and cruelty, more interested in the people they don't like suffering and dying than anything that benefits them.

Thanks. I saw some of the interview but not everything. I'm not sure he would have either and I doubt AW would have (I don't know if AW ever even a gay character in a support or guest part had, unless you count Liberace). By that point P&G clearly had no interest in bringing Jamie back anyway, even though he should have been hugely important to Rachel's life. We never even got to know how he felt about her with Carl.

They did give Drew an out as he thought Ned was faking. This doesn't really make sense, as Ned would not do that type of thing, but they tried... Drew is incredibly hateful, which is draining to watch, but on the positive side, at least we aren't asked to feel sorry for him, like you know who one, two and three.

I was wondering, those of you who watched EON before the period that is more widely available (mostly 1979 on, with some pit stops starting from 1975), what made the years before that time interesting or special for you? Are there any characters or storylines you feel deserve more attention and you want to document for future generations?

I remember seeing some of Laurie's return on Youtube. They aren't on now, but that EON channel has been steadily uploading 1984 so it shouldn't be too much longer.

That reminds me of when someone wrote to Soap Opera Weekly in 1995 suggesting Richard Bekins return as a gay Jamie. They may have just been going on Bekins himself (although I don't actually know his sexuality), but it meant that I was surprised when I went back and saw just how much skirt Jamie got, especially when Bekins was in the role.

Thanks. What stands out most is when Krystle walks away - they don't just let the moment stand as some badass girl power, which is what you'd often get (and today with a tedious "needle drop"). You can see how tortured Krystle is by the world she now has to live in. That Dynasty probably wouldn't have lasted more than a year or two, but you do wonder what might have been. They really made such a mess with Joseph as time passed.

The choices were basically to keep holding out or Republicans would abolish the filibuster, which terrifies leadership as it's their only leverage. The question is what is going to stop Republicans would nuking the filibuster. For now they are hesitant because that means they would be fully beholden to Trump, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. This does make Democrats look weak, especially since I wouldn't be surprised if Trump still tries to stop SNAP payments (the "vote on health care" is a joke - ask Lisa Murkowski about the promises she got for voting for the budget earlier this year), but I'm not shocked. I'm more surprised they held out as long as they did, as some of these names, like Durbin, are always beholden to the Beltway fantasy. As for Martha Byrne, I have my doubts that her support for Trump is based just on her husband, but whatever. I never liked her as Lily anyway, my Lily was Heather Rattray, and I will never have to see her on anything again. Good luck to her in joining ICE or any other future plans she has that won't involve being paid for acting.

Thanks. Sometimes I forget early Dynasty had (fairly) complex character work. Linda Evans does so well at playing that fragility in Krystal without being too weak. Harford does a lot with her mute role.