DRW50

Oh I didn't like the late '90s and onward writing for Jill at all but I've already gone over that too many times... When those clips popped up on YT, I was surprised to see that Brenda did play some layers in the shooting story and the divorce battle with John. The ridiculousness and campery and the ludicrous wardrobe choices seemed to kick into high gear after that point. It's too bad this is what many remember of her.

I remember that original video. I wish I'd saved it. The cuts from Jess to Brenda to Deborah were so precise, and that "tornado watch" was hilarious in the context of what tornadoes both Jill and Brenda were. I guess this was before they officially made her Jill since they keep saying "played today" instead of "now played." I'm not sure I have any mixed feelings over a recast that are stronger than my mixed feelings about Jill. The role wasn't sustainable with Brenda by that point, and I have so many, many wonderful memories of Jess' Jill (she was the first Jill I ever saw, and took me through many stories where I fought Jill's corner against all the hypocrites of Genoa City, and I still love her to this very day), but even in those last scenes there's something about Brenda's Jill that grabs me and reminds me how much the essence of the character will always be with her.

I never could get past the stories about how he would go around trying to convert his DAYS co-stars.

I know Germany has its problems, but what it must be like to live in a country where scientists aren't hated and feared. That doesn't have anything to do with the above, but I saw that Trump is punishing Romney by excluding him from his shambolic "re-opening" committee. Never mind that Romney is, for all his loathsome vulture capitalism, one of the only Republicans in Congress who has actually known how to operate a major business.

Thanks. You find so much great stuff, I never say thanks enough.

Not sure if the whole episode is anywhere, but this has a few glimpses of the episode that aired the day of Reagan's shooting.

Sorry if this was already posted. (boy did I get a good laugh when we heard the part about what happy campers the actors were)

I don't begrudge them this as there were a number of fans who loved the Otalia story - it got the show more press than it had had in years (not that it mattered). It's more Crystal's antics after the show that annoyed me more.

What a lovely anecdote from Jess Walton. Usually you hear actors talk about how much they hated doing big events, but these days I can see where they would bring nostalgia.

Oh wow. I'd love to see that. I don't think I have Retro so if it is uploaded anywhere can you let me know?

And yet we are still hearing many say that there has been too MUCH money spent and that the only solution is to get people back to work. There's a trend on Twitter today to try to remind people that going back to "normal" is not a good thing, that "normal" was not working. Sadly, many won't listen. Reagan's election taught everyone that if you are not cutting and cutting and suffering and dying, then you are weak. And no one has tried to change this worldview. To think so many were going on about how the GOP was going to have a big populist realignment. I notice that talk has dried up to nothing and instead we're just back to trying to blame WHO, blame Fauci, blame doctors, blame governors, and shame people to kill themselves in unsafe conditions. I knew it would go back here, yet I still feel sick about it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/15/nurses-surgeons-janitors-first-us-health-workers-to-die-covid-19

His Mike was never in any episodes that aired on Retro. He appeared in 1967. If they ever release any of the assorted pre-Dec 67 episodes they have hopefully we can see him.

@I Am A Swede this is probably a bit late on Emmerdale for your tastes but someone put up most of an April 1996 episode (I've also put up a few episodes on my Jerry Sugden channel). Meanwhile, Inside Soap mentioned Kathy...mostly to make a dig at Malandra Burrows (the soap press seemed to have issues with her).

Malone was the first Blaine, yes. Nobody could fight like DW and VW. I suppose they trusted each other enough that they could really go there. Their fights feel very, very real, which is rare for soap.

I hadn't even known until the last few years that they had Pat on Loving, as by the time I started she wasn't seen (that I can remember). It is too bad they didn't have her make more appearances; the glimpses I've seen of her on AMC, like counseling Natalie, are compelling. In SOD's best/worst of '94 issue they listed killing Janie as the worst decision of 1994. I still don't really know why that happened. It's such an odd and rushed choice. Your idea of bringing Matt back is great. I never could take to Tony, he was just overbearing to me.

I hadn't heard that. So sad. I'm sure she must be very upset as well. And didn't Russia legalize domestic violence a few years ago? Another heartbreaking story: The right wing media is pushing these Michigan protests hard, trying to find their latest Brooks Brothers Riot to frighten Democratic governors into backing down.

I'd forgotten about Mario (and that they brought Angie and Jesse back to AMC). The latter was by far the best move AMC made in its last years. I guess Rauch or P&G probably stopped them from being able to do much at GL.

It's already been mentioned a few times in this thread, but what Loving managed to accomplish with their black canvas in 94-95 is very rare, and is one of the reasons these episodes hold up so well. Fine, charismatic actors are given juicy material that was generally not given to black performers on most soaps, outside of Y&R (even on AMC in the '80s, Debbi Morgan struggled with the limited writing for Angie). Debbi and Maggie are especially riveting to watch, with Darnell close behind, but everyone is great. It's a shame this didn't hold up on The City, which had that badly received racism story and chose to focus so much on Angie wanting a baby above most other character traits, but I guess they still tried. I've sometimes wondered if GL took a page from Loving by expanding their black canvas and even hiring Geoffrey Ewing in what was initially a very complex role. Unfortunately, Laibson and McTavish made an awful, offensive mess of the whole thing.

I think Bree just leaves with Charles and Lorraine. I can't remember. Maggie Rush is someone else who was far more luminous than the show likely had in mind. I really thought she and Charles were wonderful together so a part of me was slightly sad to know they broke up, but hearing she was on The City is one of the reasons I tuned in to their final months. I think they must have hoped Heinle would re-sign or come back after maternity leave but it was probably just a hook to try to keep the young and sexy 20somethings moving to the big city element going. My main memory of her on there was that they filmed a sex scene with Tony and a heavily pregnant Steffi, likely intended to be hip and edgy. Marlena de la Croix wrote in one of her columns that the whole thing was a big grossout, which made me laugh.

dc will have more detail, but I think Danny saved Tyler when he was stuck somewhere. Ally then set Danny up on false rape charges, but changed her mind. I feel like B&E wanted to pair Ally and Danny as a couple, as this was teased on both shows, and if The City had run longer there was a clear Tony/Ally/Carla/Danny quad in full swing, but they likely faced negative audience reaction. If memory serves Danny was supposed to be a short term sleaze, but Ted King was so charismatic that the show decided to keep him around. This is one of the main stories going on when I started watching Loving. Laura Wright had a real edge to her work that made what could have been a very generic long-suffering heroine role seem more real. It's the same she'd end up doing on GL for years, successfully, until she started to become a little too cold in her last years there. Seeing these again reminds me of how I first got into Loving in the midst of the murder mystery story, after reading about it in my first soap magazines. Pretty much everything interested me, but more than anything I was hooked on Ava - Lisa Peluso was just fabulous and had so much screen presence. She was the type of character I was not getting on my old CBS soaps by this point. The soap magazines at the time panned Ava's writing and exit - they said she never would have been so weak or afraid - but I think Peluso plays it believably.