titan1978

Really sad news! I loved his time on OLTL, especially his first stint and Angel Square. Such a sad year.

I will never forgive Frons and I assume JFP for Alan Quartermaine. I blamed Guza for years too but according to Michele Val Jean Guza didn’t want to kill Alan.

That would have been interesting! Nothing to worry about, if it’s in this thread I will get to it! I am also not religious, but I enjoy moments like this on soaps. Plus even as a kid I loved Dr Hardy. Thank you for posting it! Its interesting to think of the through line with the show- thanks to all the returns during the last decade, there are several cast members who shared scenes with both Dr Hardy and Jessie Brewer. The connection all the way to the beginning is still there.

That was cool, thanks for posting it!

That would have worked much better for me. Although I do love Adrienne Barbeau. I have not really enjoyed Hetrick in anything I have seen her in. I just thought Brenda’s mother should have been a bigger deal. The pace didn’t help, but I don’t think the actor did either.

I wanted to see the Aidan and Liz episode, really lovely. But the conversation with Maxie and Felicia that started the episode made me realize another partner of Maxie’s is dead to violence. I had blocked Austin and Maxie out, so it didn’t occur to me until they were talking about it.

I agree 1000%! And the end of that contract story with her mother was just stupid IMO. Her mother wasn’t cast well either!

I love the idea of having the news spread out over a couple of weeks and seeing people’s individual memories before the service.

The network and the show knew it wasn’t working either. They had Genie fired from All My Children and told her that she was welcome to come back to GH. And it pissed her off so much she held them off for like a year, while we suffered through more Bill. I actually did LOL at your Baby Ace comment @carolineg!

The truth is they needed a new dynamic, he wasn’t wrong about that. Genie wanted Laura to grow up too. So I do understand not wanting to just keep replaying the same things they had been doing for years. And even though we dislike his stated opinions about the pairing and his version of Luke, I never got the idea that he resented his co-workers or the show when he came back. And Luke without Laura would be darker. What he seems to resent were the people that wanted him to be 1981 forever. For as much as he hated the idea of Luke as a family man, nobody can deny he had a genuine onscreen connection with JJ and Bergman’s Lulu. And by all accounts the actors enjoy working with him, he’s bitchy and funny. If anything, I think he stayed too long. He should have left before he did, and probably didn’t because all of them assumed the show was going to end. Frank and Ron, for all their faults, did save the show. I think Maurice acts a lot like Tony did when the whole anti-Luke/Laura stuff started. He needs to make a decision soon too. I am of the opinion that Genie should have been given equal status with him in all areas, even as far back as the first run when they took off. He does his best work with her because she grounds him. Left to his own devices and energies, he can go very big. I like both characters, but I like Laura more. If only I was even remotely as interested in the show right now. I hardly post anymore because why complain about something others are enjoying. I can only say it was nice to see (fill in the blank beloved character) today, or stop being such a wimp Valentine!

You know, I recently read someone put this in a different context. That both of them hated actual acting directions in the script, verbally told writers and Riche to stop it, and GF said something to the effect of knowing when it’s the right time for Laura to kiss Luke, or cry, not just because it’s scripted. That could be entirely wrong, and we may never know the actual context of the refusal. As far as push back- Tony didn’t like working for Riche, and in one of his exit interviews told a story about her basically saying she was saving a spot on the wall for his balls, and him telling her that wasn’t going to happen. So obviously she didn’t take it as much as others did. And physical violence or not, Culliton wasn’t good at GH when it was his stories alone.

Wasn’t this one of his Y&R stories too? Vanessa Prentiss? I know she wore a veil, and tormented Lorie Brooks over her involvement with her son. Killed herself and framed Lorie IIRC.

Those fools at ABC should be so lucky. And I bet both of us could bring the ratings up while doing it too. Because lapsed audience is there, waiting for something worthy of these characters again! Someday you will have to share the budget busting endgame with us.

Brent/Marian Crane is a very dark story from beginning to end. So dark the actor had to take a mental health break from plying the character. On GH, the fire that “killed” Lucky. They played it so realistically that it was hard to watch. I don’t think I’ve very seen someone on a soap as devastated as Laura was. The scenes when Luke tells her, the morgue, and especially later when she was in Lucky’s room. Intense and harrowing.

IIRC, Marland was gone by the time the rape happened. And nobody at ABC was mandating things back then like they did later on, especially advocating for a controversial storyline. They knew he was staying, they went forward with the story, including Laura going to therapy and the slow dissolution of her marriage to Scotty because she was having (rightly so!) intimacy issues and also conflicted about her feelings for Luke. The show chose to play Luke bringing flowers to Laura in the hospital after the attack. And even though Genie finally gets to make her personal feelings clear about a rape romance, they both said that was when the characters fell in love- when he brought the flowers to her. It’s twisted and it’s dark, and nobody should be telling it as a romantic event today. And I think there is a place for a storyline like that, but without the attempts to smooth it over. Laura was a damaged person, and Luke raped her. Laura could easily have fallen in love with him even after the attack, because she didn’t have a chance at stability or a healthy relationship. If anything, choosing Luke guaranteed that Laura was going to live a life of instability, which adds to the later decision to cling to stability for her children. Making it a seduction instead of what viewers saw play out was the problem that the show has wrestled with since. I understand real world popularity lead to compromise in the story. Monty learned her lesson- she never told another actual rape storyline again, while copycat shows like DAYS repeatedly had women raped as obstacles in their supercouple formulas. Although Monica and Alan clearly had scenes of marital rape, they didn’t tell a story around it like L/L. @KhanI don’t think I wish Sonny on anyone either anymore. And I loved him with Brenda. But the end scene of her last full return with Sonny telling her power will always be the most important thing to him really ended them in a deep and adult way to me. He’s never going to be the man she deserves. Jax can also go to hell- on and off screen.

How awful. I’m not a fan, but this young woman lost her mother in real life. I don’t care how much someone loved Bobbie Spencer. Let her have some peace. Me too. I also wanted the bullying by Charlotte and how everyone chose to react to it once he came out to be played. Because that is real life, and that’s what soaps do best. And it was a realistic angle soaps haven’t done before- their young ages and the bullying by a relative/classmate due to him being LGBTQ.

I am all for Tracy having an actual adult love story with someone else but Luke. Tony constantly saying what Luke would and would not do annoys me because it’s clearly about what Tony wants, not the character. And his sabotaging made it so we never got to see Laura process the end of the relationship and kept GF off the show when there was a glaring hole on the canvas for her. I think there was an organic story to be told of Luke and Laura falling out of sync permanently because she no longer needs him to save her, and he is no longer interested in being a better version of himself. It’s what they wanted, we just didn’t get to see her side play out over time like his did. So it came across like Laura was this albatross on the show. Playing off @VeeI would love for Laura to find Luke alive, but in a catatonic state in some Cassadine stronghold while looking for Nikolas. Except she realizes immediately that he is faking it, and breaks him out. And he is angry she foils his plot by getting involved. They have some classic L&L sparks when arguing, have a small adventure, some passion, and then once back in PC they go about healing their broken family. Returns for Lucky and Lulu. But they also decide that as much as they loved each other, and still do, it’s just not right for them anymore for the people they are today. We then learn Luke isn’t well. All those years of smoking and drinking have done a number on him, and at the end of a 6-8 month return he dies. But instead of everyone being broken by it, it’s truly a celebration of their life, and it leads to renewal for Laura, Lucky, and Lulu. I wouldn’t mind some of that improbable magic that used to happen with super couples either- Maybe the whole thing starts with Laura finding Luke’s wedding ring in an antique store. The one he threw off the docks, somehow returned to them. Some romance and magic is missing on these shows right now!

I have mixed feelings about Luke & Laura after the rape revisit. I think they kept them apart too long, and JFP’s reunion felt forced based on what we had endured with them. Although some of that had to do with JJ leaving the show, and what Lucky’s death did to them. However, I totally bought the story and their connection when Laura woke up from her catatonic state for the wedding anniversary. Bittersweet, but a lovely story. I get Tony’s issues a little. Since their return, every time Genie was gone, they kind of put Luke in a holding pattern. He was always in the mix, just not really in a story of any significance. Genie basically refused to return after her second child was born, in part due to her unhappiness with the writing on the show. Later she quit when JFP wouldn’t work with the schedule she wanted that summer, and Luke was stuck acting with a fake Laura and stories about her until they paired him with Jane. What we missed out on was watching Laura deal with all her traumas, heal, and be there for her family while starting a new life. I think it was possible to have her there and still play Tracy/Luke. But ultimately, I think the endgame should be them together.

From everything I have seen, Viki had her place and was important, but not the central figure she becomes during the Rauch years and beyond. In the late 70’s, early 80’s, characters like Karen and Jenny seemed more vitally important based on the material they burned through. Dorian also had more going on. The show’s dramatic refocus with Tina discovering Victor was her father and what it did to Viki was the start of her dominating the show in a way she had not before.

Well for me what you post is ultimately why I got sick of them. The only actual endgame that happened with any consequence was the slow dissolution of Luke & Laura’s marriage. The immediate goals of establishing the Cassadines on the then current show (including the tone they wanted) was a success. Within a few years we had an impeccably stylish Helena just threatening everyone without any major movement. Stefan was saddled with Katherine, who was killed twice, and a relationship with Laura nobody thought was going to last. Everything after that was just a slow slog to the end of the character. We never got to see where the hospital takeover was going, or Stefan and Bobbie’s marriage. I know real world issues happened that they had to work around in 1996- John Beradino’s death, Bob Guza leaving due to his Sunset Beach contract, Genie Francis’ second pregnancy- all played a part in the way the Cassadine story was told. I don’t even remember whatever the stupid faberge egg had in it, or the online game Stefan was playing with Lucky was all supposed to be about. We even got Lesley back, but Culliton clearly had no interest in telling that story. And 1997 became the year Riche got distracted by the launch of Port Charles.

He seems to also be talking about the decline of daytime in that clip, not just internal politics. The way daytime had degraded at that point (and has only gotten worse since).

A few things I can clarify from interviews/social media posts by the writers I have read over the years- Michele Val Jean has said that Carly was entirely Guza’s creation, and that Labine was happy to help them with the transition and let them implement pieces to help with the transition, as the other writers were mostly staying. By all accounts Jason’s accident was also a joint effort, although the idea was generated by Labine and team deciding they needed to do something with Steve Burton, he wasn’t being utilized enough. Guza and his team had a bible, it went through a period of time after he left for Sunset Beach, some say 4 months, some say 6. Miranda was in it. The specifics of Clink/Boom were all Guza and his team, as was how important Jax becomes to Brenda. Culliton used the outlines, and when they ran out it was very noticeable. Tracy being part of the Q takeover storyline was dictated by ABC to reintroduce her character before she was on The City as the lead, replacing Morgan Fairchild. It fell in line with Lois leaving Ned perfectly too. As a viewer, it was clear that the show wasn’t as tight by the fall of 96, and really falls off the rails shortly after Laura’s fake death is exposed. The show’s writing was very collaborative at that point. Nikolas came about because Genie Francis wanted to play a secret, and had spoken about those missing years being a good source for story, including having had a child. She also had been pushing for how important Lesley was to Laura. Lulu’s illness was one of the ideas generated as a possible reintroduction storyline when Luke & Laura returned to the show, and it was deemed not big enough. The entire Miranda backstory was grafted on to Alexis, and the delivery was wild. One conversation with Luke, and he laid out her entire past as a child of Mikkos. And Helena having killed her mother. That was a strange time to watch the show- Guza wasn’t credited yet, but onscreen everything got more Guza like right away. It was pretty clear to me that he had been tweaking things before he was credited. His “relaunch” week sets up all his stories for his return in ‘97, starting with Nikolas being shot at Luke’s and Carly telling Tony Jason was her baby’s father. Speaking of which, AJ being Michael’s father was not planned by Guza, but it was one of the few things he loved that Culliton did. It was a wonderful time on the show. As much as I loved Labine’s very grounded stories, the show had run out of steam after Stone died. It was like Guza and Riche found a perfect balance between the grounded Labine era while infusing some of the action and intrigue of the Monty era. Sonny/Brenda/Jax was a fantastic triangle, and Clink/Boom was an iconic moment on soaps. I was also watching some stuff from this period recently, and I couldn’t help but notice how stuff like the Cassadines could have flopped easily, but didn’t. The audience remembers them and the silly Ice Princess weather machine. But because of the mood the writers and producers used for them, they are more mysterious than silly, all the fog, dark clothes, grandness without spectacle. And the way Tony and Genie play the scenes makes them seem dangerous and scary. Laura is terrified and her past trauma makes that story work (excellent casting for Stefan and Nikolas helped too)!

From everything I have seen, Ellen Holly was a wonderful actor. As others have said, SON and YOUTUBE really allowed me to see Carla on OLTL in action, and Holly was so compelling! And that’s without seeing her original, groundbreaking story. Her place in the history of this industry should never be forgotten. She was a pioneer and had the talent to back that up. Sad that this part of the industry treated her with so much disrespect.

I like her there too, and it does fit. What I need is someone for her to play off. She needs a sparring partner at the paper, an equal. Nancy excels with snappy repartee and I miss that aspect of her time as a lawyer.

He clearly loved writing for her. No wonder when she let it be known she would not renew her contract he reset the entire show and decided to reform the show around the expanded Abbott family.