Dion

5 hours ago, beebs said:

I found the fact they didn't actually show the Grand Jury testimony interesting. Was this budget, or Monty's early attempts to speed things up before she chopped the hell out of scenes?

Likely a device to save the testimonies for the trial itself.

11 hours ago, StevieM said:

GH: That recast of Lois Cerullo (around 2006) didn't go over so well IMO.  I wish the show had taken another shot at Ned & Lois at some point, and I wish they had taken another shot at Rena Sofer.  If Rena ever leaves B&B I would love to see her back on GH.

Lesli Kay played the Lois recast in 2004. I think Lois is one of those unique characters who can really only be portrayed by the original (in this case, Rena Sofer) and it certainly didn't help matters that Lois spent half her time in 2004 haranguing Brook Lyn and the other half pursuing Lorenzo Alcazar.

6 hours ago, Taoboi said:

While it would have been nice to see Noah again, was the actor over at Y&R at that point as Damon or on that sci-fi show with Kevin Sorbo? In any case, I still think he had bad blood there at the time as well. 

He would have been wrapping up his Y&R stint around the time that Julia returned to AMC.

22 hours ago, KMan101 said:

You could at least say it was produced well. EE isn't even produced well

And along comes this snafu to prove your last point...

https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/eastenders-viewers-spot-major-blunder-19536591

GH - Sonny leaves Brenda at the altar and never returns.

Brenda would have still been killed off in '98, but would Guza, Pratt and Phelps bring her back from the dead in '02 without Sonny to play off with? Or perhaps she would have been used to write out Jax. It's also possible that they may have never gotten Ingo Rademacher to return after Titans and the show would have moved on completely from the Sonny/Brenda/Jax era as early as 2000.

Perhaps AJ and Carly would have stuck together and become the new Alan and Monica, as some posters have suggested (though I feel that would have worked better with Sean Kanan rather than Billy Warlock, so perhaps they would have sought his return after Sunset Beach and Sean Kanan would have never gone to B&B). AJ may have also been able to grow beyond his position as the Q family screw-up; reconcile fully and then team up with Jason to take over the mob.

Courtney would have not been introduced, or perhaps Alicia Leigh Willis would have played another character...Sarah Webber perhaps? Then she and Liz could fight over Jason for a few years with Lucky as the 4th member of a quad.

Alexis and Ned may have stuck together longer, since there was no possibility of pairing her with Sonny.

There may have even been some room for some of the more popular characters from PC to crossover once that show wrapped up - e.g Kelly Monaco as Livvie, rather than Sam.

Luke and Laura would have probably remained the same, as would have how things played out with the Cassadines, Felicia and Mac.

1 hour ago, titan1978 said:

I think an interesting argument could be made that Robin at that time wasn’t sure how long she would have to live.  Then she leaves and the medications get better and she sees more of a future, which makes going after Jason less appealing.  She still looked out for him, but not as a couple again.

That's pretty much an argument that I was going to make. Robin initially bonded with Jason at a time when her future was uncertain and she recognised a kindred spirit in Jason, whose future was also uncertain. However, Robin then started a new HIV treatment protocol in early 1997 (there even was a several episodes long mini-arc that went into the pros and cons of the new drug regime) and I think there was a subtle shift in that she began to see more of a future after that. Jason getting shot later that year (for the first time, so it was actually a big deal not like today lol)  was another wake up call and they broke up for months after Robin tried to have Sonny fire Jason. And then of course came the Carly/Michael thing which eventually drove Robin out of Port Charles.

When Robin returned to Port Charles in 2005, her outlook had changed dramatically and she could now see herself settling down and having a family, but not with Jason (after all, they'd already tried with Michael to an extent and it had been a disaster).

I do like this story, but one thing I'm not to keen on is that they seem to have retconned (not sure if in error or on purpose) Gordon Gray's involvement in the baby switch. The recaps that @FrenchFan has been posting confirm that it was Lesley's father who was behind the switch that led Laura to be raised by the Vinings, not Gordon.

2 hours ago, carolineg said:

Thanks about Trey.  I was 99% he was dead.

Yeah, he was dispatched via a car accident in early 2013.

28 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Love GF.  She really is wonderful.  I do think it's a shame she now has no kids on the canvas.

What about Nikolas? He's still there

But yes, as always GF is great. And atm it really does seem that the current writers really do want to write for Laura. For the first time in decades Laura's history outside of Luke and the Cassadines is actually being utilized. There are problems with Cyrus as a villain which others here have already noted, but having Laura as the central figure in this storyline (not Sonny) makes it infinitely more watchable.

14 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Franco's storyline is confusing me. Didn't Terry say that the brain tumor was inoperable, so how the hell were they able to operate on it. All he had to do was get caught in a bomb blast and suddenly the tumor was operable? Is it even medically accurate?

I believe Franco's surgery is actually for the head trauma he sustained in the explosion, not the tumor itself, which remains inoperable.

1 hour ago, Khan said:

So, I'm confused.  Jordan and Bill say Laura has made a full recovery; yet, many years later, when Jaime Lyn Bauer's Laura appears for the first time, she's catatonic.  Did Laura relapse?  Did they say as much on-air?  Or did DAYS just ignore history again?

In 1987 when (recast) Bill returned to Salem, it was revealed that Laura had been institutionalized. Not sure what they said during this time (whether they said it was a relapse or whether they said she'd been there all along), but until that point Jennifer had believed her mother was in Europe.

But I think basically in '93 they could've just made it clear that everything that happened with Kate Roberts happened *after* this point in the Days "timeline" causing Laura to have a relapse, but they instead chose to muddy the waters a bit...i'm not sure.

16 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

They said Lois was a fighter and she and Ned loved each other so much, she wouldn't have just left that way. 

A fighter. Yes, I remember that part now. Thanks

19 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Victor/Diane and Nikki/Josh rushing into marriage - the latter in particular got a ton of criticism as he was her doctor while she was having female problems and in no time this somehow led to going down the aisle)

That was so inappropriate and IIRC they even had Victoria going to him for a check-up just to check him out even though Victoria and Nikki had already discussed Victoria's preference for a female ob-gyn (as opposed to Nikki's stated preference for a male one, which it seems was just to pick up another husband!).

On 11/26/2020 at 1:16 PM, Forever8 said:

I wonder why Ned and Lois got worst breakup? 

Yeah pretty much as @titan1978 and @carolinegdescribe, although the best and worst column itself was actually published about two months before Lois' brief return in early '97 (which was so bad that if it weren't for Thorne and Macy I wouldn't have been surprised if they had gotten worst break-up of '97 as well as '96!).

I had this particular issue of SOD once upon a time and I'm trying to remember what the write up actually said. I think it made the argument that - after forgiving Ned for his Eddie Maine lies and marrying Katherine - it was out of character for Lois to have left Ned due to Q family squabbles, let alone whilst pregnant.

9 hours ago, carolineg said:

And I genuinely thought Rena/Lois would be back to tie up the story but that never happened.

Funnily enough she did come back to support Brenda after the jilting, but I think Ned was out of town. And then Rena Sofer got Melrose Place and also separated from Wally Kurth so I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

9 hours ago, titan1978 said:

It was the best part of the Michael goes to prison storyline.  The three of them had several conversations where they agreed that their choices had led to this.  And if I remember correctly, it was also one of those periods of time where Carly and Jason were both fed up with Sonny getting them where they ended up.  I recall a couple of scenes where they spoke about his impulses kept them in the same cycle.

 

Which also reminds me of the conversation he had with Brenda when their marriage fell apart- he will always crave power over everything and everyone.

 

 

At that time you also had Kristina, fresh from her experiences with Kiefer, running around town calling out Sonny's abusive treatment of women to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately the one person who actually did listen was Johnny, which led to them faking a relationship but Kristina's assessment of her father was absolutely spot on. So much wasted potential with that character.

9 hours ago, DaytimeFan said:

I whipped through 5 episodes yesterday and it’s an excellent season. Far more gripping than Season 3. 
 

The casting of Lady Diana Spencer is so accurate it’s unnerving. 

I've just finished episode 4 and agree with everything you've said.

Gillian Anderson doing a great job as Margaret Thatcher too.

Nicole and Maeve are now married

And actress Theresa Healey has returned to the show, nearly 25 years after her iconic character Nurse Carmen Roberts was killed off on Christmas Day 1995

Though she is not playing Carmen, she is playing Maeve's mother.

On 10/22/2020 at 7:36 AM, Legacy said:

Does anyone know when Nikki/ Neil first started interacting, around the time in 2015 I actually liked there friendship which led to them killing Christine's child accidentally. I e en think they would have been somewhat a interesting couple depending on what juicy storyline the writers can come up with to make it believable.

 

I wasn't watching back in 2002 but in the vault i came across a scene where nikki was talking to him about his drinking, i didn't know they teamed up back in 2002 for the same thing they grouped up for in 2015 so i was curious what other interactions they have had before that.

Victoria actually dated Neil for much of 1998 (despite being pregnant with Cole's child!!). After getting Neil to take her to Cole and Ashley's wedding, Victoria then dragged him off to dinner with her parents (who had recently gotten back together after Nikki's shooting).

Victor had already known that Victoria was dating Neil (and had accepted it), but Nikki literally only found out when Victoria introduced Neil as her date. This led to a somewhat awkward dinner where Nikki was asking Neil questions about his recent separation from Dru. I don't know if this was there earliest interaction though.

7 hours ago, FrenchFan said:

Ah ah Chris’ personal life seems like a mess. 
 

I have only been watching for 4 years so I don’t get all the Phoenix backstory. Was he always a convulted mess ?

Somewhat. He was introduced in 2010 as the unknown son of Chris and his third wife Alison Raynor. Alison had recently drowned so his uncle decided it was time Phoenix got to know his father. Alison had kept Phoenix's existence a secret as she and Chris had a messy divorce shortly before Chris returned to the show in 2000 (Hence in the timeline of the show Phoenix would have been born around 2000/2001 but they SORASed him and made his birth year 1995).

Anyway, it took a while for Phoenix to settle in at the Warner house as he was moody and still mourning the loss of his mother. Harry also resented Phoenix as he wasn't the only child anymore (Harry didn't know about the triplets at this point!). But after a while, Phoenix settled into the teen gang that developed around Evan and Jasmine Cooper and Ula Levi and dated Jasmine for a year or so.

In 2012, Phoenix developed a crush on his teacher Hayley. However, she was obsessed with Chris and led Phoenix on in an effort to get Chris, making Chris believe that Phoenix was stalking her. When Chris rejected her, she framed him for being abusive and ruined his professional and personal life. Hayley was eventually murdered in the 20th anniversary episode and Chris was framed for the crime. Phoenix eventually helped prove it was Hayley's ex who had killed her.

Phoenix then faded into the background over the next year, before leaving to go to art school in Berlin in late 2013.

On 10/21/2020 at 10:22 PM, FrenchFan said:

It's nice to have Jack back. Seems like he will stay, unlike Curtis. The Creep arc was really good and what it brought to Curtis/Esther/Eddie. I like the show right now. I came to love Michelle very much, same with Louis.

Unfortunately it looks like Jack's return stint has already wrapped up, with Phoenix's death being the final straw to make him cut ties with Shortland Street - a bit ridiculous since he and Phoenix never had any sort of friendship, though I guess seeing his dad's best friend lose his own son could be triggering.

Michelle's great. Hopefully Chris makes her wife number 6 and Lisa Chappell stays for years.

16 minutes ago, soapfan770 said:

LOL did Weiss’ & Critchlow’s Mikes ever bring up Margo? 

I'm pretty sure Critchlow's Mike once talked about her with Carrie, but I could be wrong.

9 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Stephen Nicols post DOOL - Skyler SB, Tucker Y&R and was Stefan on GH that popular?

I think at least initially. Stefan and the other new Cassadines had a really strong introduction and I think there was enough story and interest to make him a success for at least the first three years.

It gets a bit iffy after that but I think Stefan's redemptive arc and 2001 exit was at least a somewhat satisfactory conclusion to the character.

Stefan's 2003 return ruined all that however.

So I wouldn't call Stefan a flop, but his later years did not live up to the potential of '96.

Speaking of the NZ election:

Now that Curtis has survived his encounter with the creep (sans one kidney)...

On 10/2/2020 at 2:58 PM, kalbir said:

Besides Canada, Australia, and maybe New Zealand

Yes I do believe Y&R started from the first episode in New Zealand, most likely began airing here in 1977 as we were always 4 years behind.

Finished in 2009 with episodes from shortly after Cassie's death.

Could also be a 55th anniversary tie-in?

September 3, 1981

Steve comes into his house commenting on the weather after He finds Anne lost in thought. Anne tells Steve about Heather's visit and that Jeremy was home when it happened. Anne tells Steve about how Heather accused her of murdering Diana. Steve is shocked and wants to have a talk with Heather himself but Anne doesn't think he'll have any influence over her. Anne wishes Jeff was there and Steve says that he is sure that Jeff still loves her. Steve praises Anne for being more tolerant than most woman would be, but Anne tells Steve that she wrote Jeff a letter demanding to be with him. Steve tells Anne that he is sure that Jeff still wants to marry her and the he will be pleased when he gets the letter.

At Kelly's, Heather talks to two dockworkers about the weather. Rose interrupts and Heather thanks Rose for keeping her employed. Heather says that Burt won't give up chasing her for Diana's murder, but is still hopeful that Jeff will take her back now that the charges against her have been dropped. Meanwhile Rick gets a call from Jeff (who is offscreen). Lesley arrives and Rick tells her that Jeff has a new woman in his life. Lesley waits as Rick finishes the phone call with Jeff. Rick tells Jeff not to keep Anne on a string and to get his situation straight. After the call is over, Lesley can't believe that Jeff has found somebody else. Rick says that Jeff needs somebody who cares for him and wants to go to bed with him. Lesley reminds Rick that Anne has certain principles who do not allow her to sleep with someone before marriage but that doesn't mean she doesn't care for Jeff. Rick makes excuses for Jeff, saying that he is a red blooded, healthy young adult, that he is lonely (except for his 4 year old son who he is bringing up alone), and it has been a long time since he had a woman. "There was Diana!", Lesley interjects, but Rick says that the life of a celibate isn't the way to go. Lesley begins to realise that their argument has stopped being about Jeff and is now about themselves!

Alan and the hospitalised Edward have a telephone conversation. Edward complains about being in the hospital; Alan promises that him and Monica will visit him later. Alan questions Monica about his father's health. Alan admits that he is upset by his father's poor health as he thought that his parents would live forever. "We're too wicked to die young Monica", Alan says. "That's just my luck", Monica replies. Alan says that he won;t accommodate her wishes and adds that if he did, she'd have no Alan and no Rick.

Rose and Heather talk to the postman about the weather. The postman hands Rose a letter, but it is for Heather - from Jeff. Heather is hopeful it means that Jeff wants her to join him, but after reading the letter, a disappointed Heather tells Rose that Jeff is in Carson City, Nevada and that he wants a divorce.

Rick and Lesley have tea. The conversation turns toward Lesley's trip and Lesley promises not to put herself in danger. Lesley wonders if Rick will tell Heather about Jeff; Rick says that he won't but that he will tell Steve. Rick says that Jeff should sort things out face to face but doesn't think that he will. Lesley agrees, saying that the risk of contact with Heather is too great and that Heather will put up one big fight for her child.

Jeremy still has a fever, so Audrey promises to watch him while Anne is at work. After Jeremy heads upstairs, Audrey asks if everything is alright. Anne says that she is just tired and heads off to get ready. Audrey asks Steve for the truth, but he says that he prefers that Anne tell her. Steve then gets a call from Burt who says that Hutch's transfer will happen tonight. Meanwhile, Hutch gets a visit from Gail. Gail notes that Hutch seems depressed because of the weather and adds that she is going a bit stir-crazy herself with Lee out of town. Hutch asks her what a normal life being married is like; Gail says that when you with that person it is wonderful and when you are apart it is awful. Gail then gets a call from Steve. Steve tells Gail that Hutch is being transferred and asks her not to tell Hutch. Steve asks Gail to care of getting Hutch's things packed without arousing suspicion. Gail offers to help Hutch get his things organised in case the call comes through for him to be transferred, but Hutch immediately realises that the call has already come though.

Rick and Lesley's conversation turns back towards their own problems. Lesley tells Rick that she thinks he blames her for not being ready to get back into bed with him. Rick says that he could find another woman but tells Lesley that he only wants her. Lesley says that they've come a long way but she still needs more time. Lesley says that while it has not been "peachy hunky-dory" for her either, the worst thing would be for them to get back together too soon because they each wanted a bed partner. Rick attempts to assure her that it wouldn't be like that but Lesley says she is too afraid to take that chance. Rick apologises for being frustrated and helps Lesley put her coat on so she can go to work.

Gail finishes helping Hutch pack his suitcase and comments that he certainly travels light. Gail tells Hutch that she'd offer to call someone for him but can't as his transfer has to stay a secret. Hutch says that he only has one person he'd want to talk to (meaning Rose) but says that a woman like Rose Kelly doesn't need her life missed up. Meanwhile, Rick is with Rose at Kelly's when Burt arrives. Rose tells him to lay off on Heather because she received a letter from Jeff asking for a divorce. Burt notes that Rick doesn't seem to surprised by this information and Rick says that he talked to Jeff. Burt tells Rose not to worry about Heather and says that she should concentrate on finding a young man for herself. Rose blushes and Burt and Rick tease her that perhaps she has already found one. Burt and Rick discuss Heather's escapade with Anne; a grumpy Heather interrupts and sarcastically tells Burt that picking her up for questioning will really help her when it comes to fighting for custody of her son.

In Edward's hospital room, Monica tells Alan to stop nagging her about the baby (A.J.). Alan is worried about how the cold weather is affecting AJ's health. Monica tells Alan that at least she spends time with AJ as Alan is always off talking to his business partner. Their argument is interrupted by Edward (who is brought in a wheelchair by a nurse). After the nurse has left, both Alan and Monica apologise and Edward says that Alan and Monica should be planning to give him some more grandchildren. Edward says that he needs more legitimate heirs to inherit the Quatermaine trust and is worried that AJ is frail and that (considering his prior heart surgery) anything could happen to A.J. in this abominable weather. Monica is angered and insists that AJ is fine, before storming out. Edward tells Alan that the thought of having more (legitimate) children around the house seems to make life worth living. Alan says that he is in love with Susan and will never consider having another child with Monica. Edward asks Alan how it feels to be chained to a woman; Alan says that Edward should know as he has only stayed with Lila all these years because of their legitimate children.

Jeremy sits on the sofa watching the door. Audrey asks Jeremy what is wrong and Jeremy says that Heather is after his mother. Anne interrupts the conversation and sends Jeremy back to bed. Anne finally tells Audrey that Heather came by and accused her of killing Diana. Anne is worried that Heather is out to get her and might succeed. Anne tells Audrey about the letter that she wrote to Jeff, Audrey tells Anne that she did the right thing. Anne says that she wishes that she had gone with Jeff and that she is tired of being "Miss goody two shoes" and that she wants to be a woman - Jeff's woman.

Steve talks to Dan and Jesse at the Hospital, saying that they should expect a heavy workload. Lesley arrives, followed soon after by Rick. Rick wants to talk to Steve. After Steve and Rick walk away, Dan notes that Rick is looking grim. Meanwhile, Rick tells Steve about Jeff's other woman. Later, Monica walks in as Lesley, Dan and Jesse are discussing the weather and Lesley's trip to Greece. Monica tells Lesley that she really does care about Laura and that she hopes that Lesley has some luck finding her. Lesley thanks Monica. Monica then heads off to the Cafeteria.

Rick and Steve continue discussing Jeff. Rick says that Jeff is interested in the other girl but that he feels guilty. Steve tells Rick that Anne sent Jeff a letter. Rick tells Steve that Jeff sent Heather a letter asking for a divorce. Meanwhile, Heather is at Zelda's office with the letter. Zelda tells Heather that she will have an uphill battle with any custody case as the judge will know about her stay in the mental hospital and that she is accused of killing Diana and that she impersonated a nurse. Zelda tells Heather that she won;t be able to represent her as she has to believe in her innocence.

Anne arrives at the hospital as Lesley and Jesse are talking. She apologises to Jesse for being late. Meanwhile Steve and Rick are still discussing Anne. Steve is worried about the effect on Anne. Back at the nurses station, Jesse, Lesley and Anne discuss the snow. Anne thinks that it is beautiful outside and says that she has decided to take an optimistic attitude. Lesley looks concerned when Anne says that she has decided to look forward to her future with Jeff. Steve and Rick interrupt their conversation. Steve tells Lesley not to worry about anything and just concentrate on her trip. Rick offers to give Lesley a ride to the airport, but Lesley says that Slick is taking her. Lesley then heads for the lift. "A man never really fully understands a woman does her", Rick says to Jesse. "Never", Jesse says in agreement. Rick then heads to work.