DRW50

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...

IIRC, he began appearing on AMC in late 1997 for a guest run, then was popular so returned full time later on that year until the mid '00s.

@Lujack4Ever I appreciate hearing your thoughts. You're right, killing Lujack was very short-sighted, likely a spite move, and produced little story value unless you are a big fan of Alex's decimation with Nick. I hadn't even thought of the lost story potential in Nick not meeting Philip. Do you think Lujack would have worked with another actress playing Beth?

That's a good point. The red dress speaks for itself, which Mia rocked. Mia wasn't who Malone had in mind when he conceived of Blair, IIRC, and I think some of this material, knowing Mia is on the way out, is shifting her more toward he had intended Blair to be - it's a credit to Mia that she makes it work. And you're right about the choices with Max's hair. A gay story with Andrew could have been interesting, although given Billy I know it would have been too much for a soap at the time (or now).

Thanks @Maxim . I like the setup of the peanut gallery commenting on Blair's big arrival and her roasting Asa (the "Scarlett O'Daimler" line, not so much). Asa won, of course, as it's not a huge surprise the Blair we saw as having every base covered early on was never able to play in the true nest of vipers of people like Asa or Dorian. I love Phil Carey's delivery of the "horns in hell" line. Mia Korf did a good job of keeping dignity as Blair was humiliated. I didn't care for the Max scenes as I don't think Max was any prize worthy of degradation and I did not feel some warm moment for Luna "winning" either. I would have been much happier if Luna had seen how much Max is still hung up on Blair and walked away. I think Max's hair kind of sucks here too, which just makes him an even more dubious prize. The best I can say is the wardrobe department managed to make Luna look lovely while still being true to her roots.

Wade always seemed like a nice guy (I know abusers can start out that way but we wouldn't have had the buildup) but Mari Lynn returning with a new, abusive husband would have made sense to me, especially as she was friendly with Megan. Brad Vernon and whichever O'Neill he was with (Connie?) also would have made sense. I don't think Steve Fletcher had started on AW at that time. I know it could have "ruined" his redemption, but the character was a rapist and horrible to multiple women for years.

With the talk some pages back of the Morgan storyline, here is how CBS was marketing it:

I think McTavish just wanted a clear-out of the younger set. If not for Reggie's ties to Jack, someone McTavish tended to write for, I think he may have gone too.

I can't believe she actually name-checked Megan McTavish! 25 years later! That lady sure leaves a lasting impression.