DRW50

Thanks as always @slick jones

Happy birthday, Bill.

I was incredibly moved by these scenes, especially Peter's performance. It felt so tender and real, especially when you remember Bo just got out of a years-long coma and wasn't going to be able to put up a front. You're reminded of how long these legends have populated the show when you have a 70 year old man grieving men who were almost 90 or 100, but Bo's response to Victor's death was a poignant reminder of how fresh these wounds are no matter your age. Normally these types of moments don't even make it in soap episodes in recent decades as they are seen as too boring. The more somber moments being balanced by Bo meeting his grandchildren was also lovely. And the scene where Bo forgave Shawn may be the only time I've been in lock with Brandon Beemer's take on the part. There's a certain element of suffocation with soaps, as shown here, when you remember so many of the kids are named after long dead relatives, or when they grew up, were paired with the kids of other longtime characters. That aspect always makes me yearn for new blood (new blood that doesn't suck, anyway), but there are other moments, like those with Bo, which make me appreciate all the history the show has.

@Dion @AMCOLTLLover @Bright Eyes

Thanks as always @Huntress always appreciate you popping in and sharing info about these shows. What are you thinking of them at present?

Kevin Kline's description of soap fans makes me laugh.

Not to ramble too far off topic but it happens a lot with comics too, especially only wanting to keep cheap talent around and pushing out creative voices. There are some patches where creatives can go to start their own worlds...wish that was true with soaps, but who knows, maybe it can happen someday. I never thought we'd get a new soap this year.

I think it's become more common in other genres in recent decades, as the industry as a whole has collapsed - these are complaints that have been made about creative talents in the MCU, Star Wars, Doctor Who, etc. The MCU is in that place now as they burnt so much goodwill that even when their new movie got strong reviews, the audience didn't show up - similar to how AW got some praise for their 89-93 material compared to some of the barren years beforehand, but viewers just weren't coming back. (I know they did return, somewhat, in the JFP run, but not enough to make up for the big budget she used)

I saw some people mentioning this and I was curious too - did Bo already know Caroline was dead? Maybe they decided it was too much for Bo to process losing Caroline along with Victor and Doug.

@asafi Thanks for sharing. A nice milestone. I'm not sure if she is referring to just DAYS, as otherwise she isn't alone (Ken Barlow and Rita Fairclough on Corrie are two others).

Someone making that must have had a laugh. I have to admit I never saw any chemistry between them.

@Paul Raven Thanks again. I guess this is the "demon fetus" story I remember reading about. I wonder if the dream plays out any better onscreen. And of course Tom Baldwin is back for more Steve/Audrey misery. I wonder if Lee returns in time to interact with him again. Mellie - I was going to ask if Shonda Rhimes was watching but she would have been 6 around this time. You never know...I probably started soaps around then. Speaking of Lee:

I put that down more to how badly written that period was than anything else, similar to how the only ideas for Rachel were blindness and amnesia.

Kristina needs a long break, so that would just leave Alexis. I think she works well enough in a supporting part, although they have written her into a corner over the years. Tracy has the best of both worlds as she can have tender moments with the people she cares about, then gets to throw all her trademark venom at Drew. I'm just glad the show was willing to knock the halo off his head.

It could have been interesting, given that she and Alex were friends. I imagine he would have ended up bringing out her Solita personality. For all the talk of crazy fans, for a long time fans did seem willing to embrace the rivals of...well, Reva's rivals. (no wonder Kim felt insecure as it happened three times with her) You don't seem to get as much of the tribalism until the "Manny" era. I guess some might say "Matessa" too, but as I could not stand Dinah in those years, I am not one to talk about their fans if they managed to repeatedly put the kibosh on a Matt/Dinah pairing. And at least that did not seem to involve death threats.

This was late 1993, right before Roger is shot.

That could be it too. I just remember a slap at some point. That would have been around when she was made at Holly for "ruining" her one-sided relationship with Alan Michael. I don't know if you will be getting to 2000 (if you do - buckle up!) but there's a character who was intended to be Stacy.

When written correctly or played correctly the antagonist will often have a sizable following, although this can go too far. It's why having a balance and allowing your heroes to be called out by other characters is so important. Speaking of that, I did not realize Sonni got a lengthy montage when Michelle Forbes left, or that Pam Long was willing to showcase Sonni/Josh so much for her farewell. The care taken reminds me of when Anne Heche left AW a few years later. Given that Sonni was brought in an as interloper, it shows just how much respect the show had for Michelle's talents and how much she captivated viewers in those two years. Oh I think Holly gives Blake a smack in the mouth. I think it was during Liz's early days as Blake as that is when they become estranged for a good while, although I may be wrong.

I was going to put this Lisa Brenner interview in the AW thread but I'm not sure she says much about AW in it. I admittedly skipped around a lot as the interviewer's style annoyed me.

I do think Zane could have been a decent long-term addition if they hadn't disposed of him - up to Lucas' arrival, at least.

I would consider recasting Nikolas again just for the sake of those around him, but you may be right.

Watching this longer clip I truly am impressed with the effects but also the direction - the moments of fear in the ballroom before the blast are wonderful. What I appreciate most here is the lack of a montage and the lack of aggressive editing. This all looks better than quite a bit you could find elsewhere at the time, let alone now. Julia should have avoided weddings.

@alwaysAMC Glad you made it to the soft rock theme. I share your disgust for the Gilly story, as many viewers did. Gilly was never a big character, but she was a part of why the early '90s feel real and different for GL, and she deserved a much better exit. This was also the last worthwhile role Amelia Marshall had on daytime (I don't even know if Passions fans would disagree). This was also Petronia Paley's only major chance at story and as someone who always appreciated her work, I'm sorry it did not go better for her. And I liked Charles Ewing a great deal on Loving, so I was even more unhappy with how they treated Griffin. It's a deeply offensive role, in many ways. As for slapping, you may enjoy this, if you are able to find anything onscreen underneath all the ham. It really goes into hysteria in the second clip. As a bonus, you also get a quick glimpse of why the Billy and Mindy recasts were not accepted by viewers. One positive I will say about this clip is that it's one of the few times I remember the show making clear that Roger was able to defend himself if he had to do so.

My favorite moments are with Erika and then Robin and Tim Stickney around 7/8 minutes. There are also little yellow bumper moments with the crew, which I enjoy more than the real ones. There's also a music video at the end to I Will Survive, with Linda Dano and JFP having a cameo (they certainly do know how to survive). Also a fun bit with a frazzled crew member showing cards with the names of every EP she presumably worked for at the show (or maybe just every EP, period).