titan1978

The only thing I can say is that the lessons they learned from Gloria Monty were all the bad ones. Gritty is fine, but on a show that airs five days a week all year long you need balance. They are not good with balance. Pair that with the misogyny found in both of their work and the lack of respect for history and it’s pretty rough. They also both seems to revel in being unlikeable- her in reputation and him in not writing a single likeable character for very long without trying to deconstruct them.

Anyone watching the show could see the considerable difference between Guza’s first round as HW, and his second after Sunset Beach. Every major story was focused on a man, except for Brenda, who was just stuck between two men. Even Elizabeth’s rape seemed to really be more about Lucky and Luke than Liz or Laura. Also- his entire point of view as an writer was to deconstruct every relationship and character except Sonny, Carly, and Jason. Alan on drugs. Luke loses Lucky and Laura and is mired in misery. Laura loses Luke and Lucky and is mired in misery. Lucky hates his formerly beloved parents. Tony is a kidnapper (including Robin). Justus is a murderer. The list goes on. Riche let all this happen. There have been rumors for years they had tension and did not get along. But still, she produced all of this. I still think Riche’s run from her arrival to the first six months of Culliton as HW was just about perfect. Lots of highs after that too, but that first part was just so good.

Without a doubt. I think she is the single most destructive person to have the EP position on a soap. Which sucks, because her shows usually look great (except Y&R), and she knows how to produce heartbreaking material giving actors wonderful scenes. But the cost is the show is weaker or destroyed when she exits the building.

Phelps/Guza had stronger scripts, better plots and stories, infinently better acting and characters and production values than we are seeing today. However, the characters featured to the detriment of everybody else drove me away as a viewer. But I have enough distance from the product to see that while not for me, it was better written and acted and produced. Their events and stunts were amazing. The train crash, panic room, Metro Court crisis, contagion, all exciting stories and excellent episodes. The problem was their orbit was Sonny, Jason, Carly, and to a lesser extent, Luke, Scrubs, and a female character of the moment (Courtney, Brenda, Lulu). If you weren’t tied to those people, none of the stories had a point of view away from them. And by the end of their time together, it was really Jason that everything revolved around. He pushed Sonny from the central spot. It was awfully hard to watch a soap daily when those are the only stories featured.

Watching the classic New Year’s Eve episode on Hulu. A couple of things stand out- Tony. This was when I had pretty much decided I hated Tony. He had never been my favorite, but he was sliding into his insufferable breakdown that dragged on for years. By the time he was written out I wasn’t upset at all. The playing of all the beats. Seeing Monica explain the surgery to Jason, make a phone call looking for Alan, Jason talking to an unconscious Carly, Tony and Bobbie speaking about BJ. It’s the one thing soaps have going for them all of them don’t do anymore, the daily interactions and small moments around the stories. I forgot about Brenda’s breakdown. A low point for the character. It wasn’t Vanessa’s high point as an actress on the show either. Billy Warlock is maybe one of the all time miscasts on this show. Of course, neither Labine or Guza write with a point of view or strong pairing in mind for him.

They had some heat. The flashbacks when she arrived showing their relationship were really well done, and they really sold that first wedding, considering we didn’t really know Anna at all. As a viewer I just felt they waited too long to pair them. Instead of Duke 2 (which I actually enjoyed when it was airing), that was when they should have been paired. But again, I was not a fan of Katherine, so I feel like Robert was kind of floundering relationship wise then too. One of my favorite scenes on GH of all time is Robert calling Anna boring, and she pays him back by tying him up and leaving him all hot and bothered.

I also preferred Robert with Holly. And back in the day, Duke and Anna were one of my favorite couples. I think Robert/Anna had chemistry, and I didn’t hate them together. It just seemed to me that the time had kind of passed to move them into a couple. I loved Cheryl. Never could stand Katherine.

How did I not remember that Terry Brock was on the show all the way to 1990? She was there for 6 years! I remembered her of course, but not that she was there that long. Some classic Bobbie and Lucy fights. They really do not like each other. Watch when Lucy shows up. Amy follows the drama from the Nurses Station and that smile on her face in the background is so great!

Hulu has a classic holiday 2005 episode up. So many great characters shown, Alan reading the Christmas story. Greg Vaughn’s Lucky was wasted during his run on the show.

The person that posted this video has tons of great GH stuff. I especially love the scene where Robin tells Luke Stone has died, and he reminds her of her father.

I have been watching Labine era GH on YouTube this week. I’ve been watching a lot of the period when Stone gets sick and dies. Tony Geary may not have enjoyed working with that writing team, but as a viewer then and now I loved Luke during this time. He was so connected to his corner of the show, and I really enjoy his scenes with Stone, Robin and Lucky during this time. When he is good and not being overly indulged it is easy to see why he was important to the show, and how well Luke plays off lots of characters. He had unique relationships with Stone, Sonny, Robin, Lucky, Laura, Mary Mae, even Tony.

It’s remarkable that Knots is doing as well as it does when you consider just how much attention L.A. Law was getting. The actors hosted SNL, they were on all the major talk shows. They were nominated for awards, they definently got a lot of pop culture exposure and love. I was a kid but I remember just how often we saw Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey and the rest of the cast on magazine covers. Not so much with the cast of Knots at that point.

She had a masculine edge that viewers were turned off by. I think people had forgotten that Sarah attacked the role. She brought so much edge and you never forgot Carly considered herself wronged and from the wrong side of the tracks, etc. TB’s version was softer, she had become more of a troubled romantic character than Sarah’s emotional, harder edged version. TB still had some fire, but it was different. I think her version seemed more like Sarah’s Carly all grown up and damaged by the mistakes of her life. Her relationships with Jason and Sonny and constantly fighting for Michael. I also cannot imagine her in the role for as long as Wright. I thought she lacked romantic chemistry. But she had that edge. Recasting a character like Carly is very difficult. Many may love Gina and Sandra as Phyllis on Y&R, but as annoying as I find Stafford, her version is the one I gravitate towards. Same with Blake on GL. Stringfield just has the raw part down better than Liz did.

Holy [!@#$%^&*] I did not put two and two together until this post. Also- gross.

I am sure had I watched it then I would agree. I do have a fondness for PFS’s second run with Monty too- introducing Anna, Robin and I think Duke as well. I can’t get enough of the stuff that is on YouTube. I do think Falken-Smith added to what Marland started.

Thank you! PB has never been as compelling as Terry Lester’s Jack. He plays all the layers that we know of from Jack- smug, crafty, even sanctimonious, Lester just does it better. He is way more sexy, and you still root for his Jack in a way I just don’t with PB. I am always here for Lauren as a bitch. They softened her over time for sure, but Bell kept her edge through the 1990’s on this show. I am also here for wet Paul and Andy, even Victor was sexy and compelling in that episode. It is fascinating to watch Brenda’s Jill kind of between her original portrayal and vamp Dynasty Jill. I do think Jess is a stronger actress, but I like the haughtiness Brenda played every time she felt she was on top. But when she crosses into vamp camp it can be cringeworthy. That confrontation between Katherine and Jill was incredible. That Jill, 1984 Brenda is awesome! Longtime viewers- had the Katherine Jill thing been kind of dormant for a while before this period? I didn’t start really paying attention until Nina arrives, so I have spotty memories of things before that. I wonder if Jeanne Cooper got nervous at all about how dark Katherine was getting, how far she would go. It’s not like she hadn’t seen Bill Bell turn a dark older woman into a psycho and they ultimately be written out. He had done it a couple of times by this point on the show. Danny was never as cool as he was in the opening credits drawing. After all this time, I stil feel that Ashley is Victor’s true soul mate, even though I also think for Nikki he is hers. With either Brenda or Eileen it’s pretty clear in the way he plays it.

I’ve gone back a few pages and can’t seem to find the link to these episodes. Can someone please tell where to find them?

I get my continuing drama fix with other shows now, from Netflix to network. Nothing will replace the traditional soap storytelling model. What Prospect Park was attempting was the best shot at getting daytime soaps into a new market and format, because they had the fan base to support a transition and maintained a daily structure. It had production values, talent, and bts people that knew how to produce “daytime”. Unless SONY were to try something with DAYS and Y&R, these last four are the end of the line. Why would I watch something like The Bay, when I can stream Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, or Walking Dead or Handmaids Tale or Grey’s Anatomy (which I don’t even enjoy, but it is a soap and it’s been on the air for over a decade) or Dear White People? All offer diverse storytelling with good acting, writing and continuing storylines and characters. Which daytime does not at this point.

Sean was there until around 1995, so he was more solid than the rest. Anna has had a complicated past with her children.

Holly called him Robert as I recall, it was definently before Mac arrived. I thought Kevin and Lucy had moved away before her Carlivati return?

Soaps are about habits, and also people bitch about changes no matter what. Put those two things together and you have the majority of internet commentary. The genre as we know it is pretty much dead. Continuing story drama may survive, but anything like the original format soaps are down to the four that are collapsing, so even an online story wont truly be a “soap opera”.

They were not a good pairing on GH, but I think the story called for that. As out of character as it was for Bobbie to be with Stefan, I wish we could have seen what Guza has planned there for a longer story. The thing with Tony and Genie is they had a lot of charisma with the talent, and it made them chemistry machines. I thought she had some heat with Sonny, Stefan, Mac and even Tony during the 1990’s period in the show. And Luke had some heat with Lucy, Alexis, and even Helena then. So I totally get being a fan of them together, and also seeing the possibilities for a triangle or two.

Two of my favorite scenes from the Bacchanalia. I wasn’t really a fan of Katherine, but it is heartbreaking when she realizes just how much Stefan loves Laura. And the next clip has a scene with Amy confronting Alan about his addiction, and Laura finding the trunk and the infamous painting. Such a great time on the show. I had forgotten that Luke and Alexis were trying to kill Helena and Katherine “died” instead.

I prefer Falken-Smith on GH. I think a lot of what I loved on the show came from her and then Monty ran with it. The high style, the action elements. His contribution was without question vital. But I just enjoy her work more.

I think Brenda was a great Ashley, but I still prefer Eileen. But that was a great scene, and it reminds me how much the staging and music were instrumental in Y&R. The classic character in the foreground (Ashley) with another character looking on in the background (Jill) as the scene fades out. They always went for the drama, even if it seemed low key. Simmering until it boiled over, then back to simmering.