DRW50

There was a bit in the writing that felt like they were leaving the door slightly open (he was obviously reluctant to leave Denise behind; he was still torn and slightly afraid in the final shot; he had that tender kiss with Jane that definitively reminded just how undefined their relationship was - and how sad it is that only when Masood was leaving did the show finally get back to writing Jane/Masood the way it was written in it's best years [2009, early 2010]; he nearly kissed Carmel as they wondered what might have been), but Masood's exit also worked well as a final goodbye. I'm not ashamed to admit that his car conversation with Denise about "ghosts" that were with him in his now empty house made me cry a little - it reinforces the power of continuing drama and what happens when you use history in the proper way, use it to guide a character, even as they are closing the door behind them. His final scene with Kush at Zaiir's tree and his advising Denise to be brave were also extremely moving scenes. The Julia's Theme was more than appropriate, but the scene itself in the cab was scared, hopeful, wistful - as it should be. The real material was earlier in the episode. I should also give some credit to Bonnie Langford for calming the hell down in her performances now that Carmel is, for however long, being written as an adult again. This is closer to who I liked last year. Frankly after the shambles of his return, this episode was far far better than it had any rights to be. Not everything was good (the Roxy/Jack stuff stunk), but still, I have to give Matt Evans some praise, as these last two episodes generally sewed together material that on its own has had so many problems and issues that have bugged me and seriously dragged the show down for me in the last month or so. It's hard to believe it was just a year ago that Masood, Shabnam and Tamwar were still around, and with the stories for Shabnam and Tamwar I felt like the family was in its best shape in years. And now they're all gone. I guess it's a reminder of how much things can change on soaps and change so quickly. And of just how much change Eastenders has gone through this year. The Masoods really were the main reason I stuck with the show through some lean times, and some of them I appreciated in a way I haven't appreciated most characters in many years. The Masoods always felt so real to me, so human, and in a show that often trucks in stereotypes for characters of color, that's something I don't think they ever got enough credit for.

The "burqa ban" legislation in Georgia has been dropped for now. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/georgia-lawmaker-scraps-burqa-bill

So apparently Mitt Romney and Trump are meeting to discuss SoS. I have a feeling it's just for public appearances, not serious, but sadly he probably would be a much better choice than most names under consideration, especially Rudy.

I saw something about one of his lackeys on Faux News saying it was justified because of the Japanese internment camps. Megyn Kelly (clearly on her way out at the network) said comparing anything positively to the internment camps is a nonstarter. I saw a comment from someone saying they were in the grocery store and saw a cashier there who normally wears her hijab and no longer does, and was clearly uncomfortable and frightened. It's really shameful how many can no longer feel like this is their country.

Is it true he's going to make Palin secretary of something? (interior?) just ugh

Ugh Morning Joe. I did hear about that. For all the talk of draining the swamp, Trump is going to push cronies. He's trying to get his son-in-law a job at the WH supposedly.

Audio of John Gabriel on LOL.

Mike Parr makes it to base camp. http://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2016-11-16/emmerdale-actor-reaches-everest-base-camp-in-memory-of-steve-prescott/ http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2016-11-16/emmerdale-actor-completes-charity-everest-trek/

I never was able to look at her after she had that bad plastic surgery (if that's what it was) in the last years of TbaA. I don't know what she looks like now.

Lee is likely killing himself, sadly. I think the story is believably showing his mental state, even if it's been weakened by becoming about money woes. Jay's story has been a repetitive mess but yesterday was much stronger than I expected, especially since it involved that !@#$%^&*] Phil. Probably the best-written Phil has been in some time. I think they brought Derek back for this panto plot, and maybe he'll help Martin with his money woes.

Here's the episode where she died.

1989-1990 were obviously such huge transition years for the show. I haven't seen most of 1990 but what I have seen has a very odd feeling. I think the show picks up again in 1991 but it slowly leads into a dark place - 1992 being one of ATWT's darkest years.

The ITV soaps seem to have different policies than Eastenders. I can't remember the last time either had a large cull. Macleod said he thought the cast was very strong, and I do think he's tried to use most of them (other than Bob, Harriet, Brenda, and Pollard). I hope he won't go on a firing spree as I don't think the show needs it. I would write out a few but the biggest dead weight, like James, is already gone. To be honest I'd kill off Zak at this point and I'd also strongly consider writing out Paddy unless they get him out of this dull pining for Rhona, but the show has so few long-term characters. I know a lot of people go on about how boring and dull Dan is and how he should go, but he adds a lot to the show for me - a decent, average guy who can be funny and charming too. I also liked the story where was becoming a paramedic. I saw some fans blast him as a hypocrite for dumping Kerry, but how would you react if someone cheated on you then aborted what could have been your child...then slept with a mentally handicapped man while still wanting you back? I don't mind Kerry but she doesn't deserve a red carpet for that. I assume they will get back together but if he doesn't want to I don't think he's a hypocrite, whether he's slept with other women in the past or not. People throw that word around so easily. It's a crying shame they do so little with Harriet. Katherine Dow Blyton is a wonderful actress.

I'm probably overstating it, but toward the end of the story I remember it being implied or stated that she was getting into it too much and losing track of herself vs Hadley. I may be wrong though.

What did you think of the Kerry stuff? The neck injury stuff reminds me of that old Brady Bunch episode. So cringey. I guess this must be winding down with Kerry soon. I think there were good ideas about showing her self-loathing but it just went off the rails with some of the recent material... Looking through the spoilers I have a feeling both Joanie and Belle's boyfriend will be gone soon.

He just re-used a lot of his OLTL stories, to diminishing returns. I did enjoy Lila but so much was just off. The story with Amanda pretending to be a brunette woman to make up an affair with Carl and then getting into the delusion and starting to forget she wasn't her...the "Booba" fertility statue Cindy used...just off.

I think it's because "Robron" fans have been so catered to and feel entitled as a result. Robert's cheating was very mild, and yeah I get that the wedding is on the way and they likely feel betrayed and poor Aaron and so on, but it's such an OTT reaction that it really shows how young and immature a lot of their fans are. They give the others a bad name and I doubt the show will indulge that much longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tp2qV0Euxs

Yes. I think their first scenes are in early 1988, as Laura was screaming in a park at night or something and the viewers weren't sure whether Beau was attacking her but it was later revealed he was her brother. No, he didn't dump Beau, although the character became much less prominent and his relationship with Pam, which I liked, was ended as they were both written out a month or two apart. He left town with the third or fourth Nella Franklin, who'd realized nursing wasn't for her. It was probably the first interracial relationship on ATWT, now that I think of it. Those months are mostly not on Youtube so I don't know how far it went.

I think Hal being the father may have always been the idea, as that drove a ton of story. I think Margo going to Greece was also Marland's plan. There was a lot of doubt at that period of time about whether Hillary would stay - there was even an SOD article that said she was leaving. She changed her mind in exchange for things like her son playing Adam so she could spend time with him. She then quit a year later as the new EP wasn't as accommodating. I think if she'd chosen to leave then she may have just stayed offcamera. I can't remember but I think that Sierra dying may have been a scab idea. I think that it was also a scab idea to have Lucinda stab Barbara in the back after Barbara signed BRO over to her when she was going into prison. The whole psycho Laura obsessed with Bob story was also quite clearly strike-oriented, as the tone was wildly different to anything Marland did (it was very '50s noir, complete with the mug being shocked when he sees the disturbed femme fatale in her bra), and I think when he was still writing it she was more interested in Tom.

I thought he was saying that mostly to try to manipulate Rebecca. The whole cheating thing and Rebecca throwing herself at him is so dull, although they actually had a bit of chemistry today, for once. And it caused a lot of fan meltdowns, which was worth the laugh.

He's also behind a purge of anyone with Christie ties, it seems. This has alarmed Republicans who played go-along-to-get-along with Trump because they thought that it would lead to people like Mike Rogers being in major national security roles. Rogers has now been dumped. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/15/politics/mikes-rogers-leaves-trump-transition-team/index.html I actually do wonder if we'll see some Republican Senate opposition to some of his choices for the Cabinet. Soaps really need voices like hers today. I guess she is still out there fighting.

The need to find a group, any group, to blame for Hillary losing continues: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/11/hillary-clinton-2016-women-214454 Lesson Four: The Federal Government Should Have Stayed Out of the Bathroom Women tend to be big preservers and enforcers of the cultural status quo. When feminism entered into an accord with social justice warriors who complain about “cis-women” (in other words, women whose gender identity matches the sex on their birth certificate—the opposite of transgender women), remade sisterhood into siblinghood and campaigned for transgender bathrooms, it activated a not-too-far-below-the-surface longing for authoritarianism in many middle-of-the-road women. Gay marriage was a big leap forward. Feminism and the lesbian and gay rights movement have long found common ground—it's one of the many ways that women can be in this world. But in the past five years, the folks in the trans-movement insisted that being a woman was no longer a matter of biology and a lifetime of accrued experience but one of preference. Some feminists, well-represented by Elinor Burkett, balked. They were shouted down. And instead, younger feminists dropped the gendered pronouns and started calling each other “they.” But when women’s rights and trans rights become allied, a lot of people, many of whom were women, started to feel like cultural mores were changing too fast. I'm not going to act like everyone is fine with this or that anyone who "balked" at it is a bigot. A woman I know who is not a bigoted person as far as I can tell was confused and unhappy with the talk of bathroom changes, because of all the fearmongering that men are going to dress as women and use bathrooms as a place to rape and attack. But she voted for Hillary - happily. And I just don't believe this type of issue moved a lot of votes. It's just more othering and scapegoating. This is an old argument and it's one that was used to exclude and shame lesbians from feminist groups - they called gay women "the lavender menace." And here we are in 2016 with a new spin on the same old thing. Women like this Peggy person are why so many are adamant about the failures of older white feminists. Even when that's not always fair, people like this undercut any chance at everyone coming together, because it's always easier to use a catastrophic election loss to score points.