titan1978

Another absolute legend is gone. Sad for her family and fans.

I’m almost done catching up, but last night I watched two episodes from the end of March while I was working on a project. I didn’t FF at all, and I found myself rolling my eyes and saying ridiculous and oh brother out loud several times during the episode with Sonny at the bar with Nina. Just awful. I can’t believe how much I have to FF of them to make the show palatable! The next episode had plenty of stuff going on I could care less about, but the performers are at least engaging enough that I was mostly silent and stopped to watch. I think Ava has more than outlasted her usefulness, but I would take her and Portia at a table talking any day over Nina and Sonny and those 45’s.

I would love for the round hub of the old Nurses Station (Monty era through first few years of Riche) if we have sets there. Marland’s ATWT’s bibles would be fun to have access to. The killer puppet from Edge of Knight! A hall of twins would be hysterical, as it is such a specific and often mocked trope of Soap Operas.

I think he is absolutely adorable. I liked him on Knots Landing as well. He brings a lot of personality to his characters, and a sense of being a decent guy. I mean the show still has a Cassadine contingent but only Laura who isn’t even a Spencer anymore (but always will be I guess). It’s wild to me. And I am perfectly fine with Luke being gone. But I think Lulu and Lucky should be there. A job is just waiting for her with Alexis at The Intruder! I do want JMB though, or a new recast. But if Lucky comes back, how will Frank use Liz to prop one of his friends?

Add me to the list of TC fans as young Nikolas. I also liked him later, but he very clearly does phone it in if he doesn’t like the material. Great casting, as we got to know him we got to see many similar emotional traits as Laura. It was kind of cool that Lucky was very much Luke’s son, and Nikolas was very much his mother’s son. I also like MC, but he really only comes to life lately in scenes with his son. I would love for Laura to have a Christmas episode just one more time with TC, JJ, and JMB there as Nikolas, Lucky, and Lulu. They really fit well as a family.

Sad news, the love and devotion was so clear. How sad for Susan and the family.

I got the impression when Brenda returned that Guza had clearly decided it was Sonny/Carly as the long term goal. Now admittedly they did not have Vanessa on a long contract. But the writing felt skewed to me. And the baby stuff with Sam- I have read it was going to bring Jason and Brenda together as an actual couple. Also- not to let him off the hook for his writing errors, but didn’t Guza take an extended leave of absence around the time the show fell apart? He was still in the credits, but not at the show. I think his child died.

Truthfully I don’t think back on any of that fondly. A real strange period of Y&R. That was not a successful story IMO.

I think if more people were working on the show from those more classic eras, maybe. But these are not those days, and I highly doubt anyone even thought of Mary Jo, or at least thought about it as a serious nod. It’s pretty clear to me with the Kyle connection it was always Diane.

Saw this cast photo online and immediately thought except for missing Dru, this was the last time I was truly invested and felt the show itself was still good and missteps could be corrected but the show still felt like Y&R to me.

I loved those scenes with Laura, Nikolas, Bobbie, and then later the whole town at the hospital when it was revealed Laura was alive. I still think it was a mistake to not have Lesley rolled in right after her. Talk about the shock of the town.

And back then nobody talked about it. I wonder if I went back and watched anyones hands if I would spot a coke nail!

Well, according to Tony and Genie directly, and alluded to by Kin, LC and KMc, it was everywhere backstage in the 1980’s. I know Monty asked Genie if she got the set cleaned up would she consider returning after her 1982 exit, after being called out by her for what she said when Genie was in the hospital. But by all accounts it was still rocking backstage through the 80’s. Well that was an exaggeration lol, but she did look older than her very young age. But her entire storyline revolved around people way older than her.

It’s like Finola aged in reverse, because of all her severe Anna hairstyles and makeup in her first run. She looks better even as a ghost during the AIDS storyline than she did just a couple of years earlier. I always loved Anna, but I can remember my mother making fun of the super long and flat straight era of her hair- often asking this is the hair of a cop/spy? Then the updos just made her appear older. Look at Genie by 1981- this was a young woman and she looks almost 30.

The things they had to sit through back in the day…also the drugs and alcohol they consumed makes me wonder how they kept it together at all.

It was pretty cheesy in the 80’s too IMO. Frisco the singing cop/spy. Didn’t Terri Brock sing as well?

I think that cue was created when JFP was there. She likes the theme music to be included in the score. Her intro also has the first couple of notes of Autumn Breeze at the beginning, in wailing saxophones.

I’m pretty sure you are correct, the first part of the intro, when the first cast shots are shown (Steve and Audrey), that first part of Autumn Breeze is incorporated into the theme.

MTS has always come across as a not so sweet person to me, I’m shocked anyone thinks she was nice at all! I will always prefer AD, because she had that chilly vibe that always just suited Bell’s Y&R, and also an edge. When her Diane was upset or mad, it could be visceral.

It does look out of date and jarring, especially in the 1992 episodes when Riche had already started to make the show more grounded. Once FOTH and Labine arrived it was like an almost totally different show in tone, but still had plenty of characters that were beloved and could fit with the more grounded material that it all just worked. The only other contemporary example I can think of was OLTL under LG and Malone. Oh, and DAYS- but they went the other direction from heightened romance to gothic to pure camp.

The only other road for me would him actually being with a partner that supports and is allowed into his mob life fully. What could have been with Claudia, even with her instability. Because Sonny is not stabile himself- he is selfish, volatile, impulsive and dangerous. The only thing they haven’t really explored is him seeing himself in a partner and trying to deny his own destruction, or lean into it and go out with a blaze of glory. If anything, I can see a pretty direct line between Guza’s Sonny towards the end of his run and ultimately Jason and Carly having to deal with him to save everyone else. Power corrupts. But that was back when this show was exploring darkness at all times.

I actually like the current version of Laura. Towards the end of Labine’s run, she acted as if she had never been in a dangerous situation before. I get she wanted stability, but there was a way to do that without making her seem like such a basket case, and wet blanket. Then Guza came along and she was an emotional mess for years. It all made sense and was in character, but often it seemed like they had just forgotten Laura was an active part of adventuring with Luke. Now she takes risks again (like the climax of the story with Cyrus, going after Victor), but she still has that family story keeping her grounded. I think she and Kevin are incredibly boring, but I also don’t see a way to break them up with the show the way it is now. I do think Lulu and Lucky are needed. I don’t think Laura and Scotty work because with her he is always trying to be the better version of himself and failing, and she seems to always realize he loves the part of her that was his version of Laura. I think Scotty was well served in the long run by what happened, even if I think sweet Scotty was adorable and Kin was much more handsome than TG. It was so clear Guza had moved Jason into the central axis of the three characters, and once he created Dante it seemed pretty clear Sonny was not going to be the apex anymore. Involved due to all those ties, yes. But no longer the focal point character. I know we have discussed this many times, but when Jason and Carly start saying they made a mistake bringing Michael into Sonny’s world, that’s a serious tonal shift. Follow that up with what I consider to be the actual final scene of MB’s and Guza’s Sonny, when he tells Brenda power is always going to come first… a perfect exit and I don’t really think MB or the show has had him be remotely the same since, and not in a good way.

I seem to recall we were supposed to get an new Alan tribute. Once the Steve Burton thing came to a head I just guessed that they cancelled those plans. Which is a shame.

I forgot to add the original Quartermaines- Alan, Tracy, Edward, Lila and Monica were so much fun. David Lewis was such a great rascal, and scenes with the whole family were always fun. Then you add in literally anyone else and it always just worked IMO. Not a knock on Ingle’s Edward, he was great too. Just not as hilarious as David Lewis.

Romantic- I always thought Bo and Carly (Both Bo’s)were hot, as were Bo and Hope (pre-Reilly) on DAYS. GH- Brenda and Sonny in the 1990’s really set everything on fire. I also thought Anna and Duke were scorching hot back in the day. OLTL- Max and Gabrielle were incredibly charismatic together, as was Tina and Cord. I never even liked Max, but the chemistry was there. I also thought Tea and TsJ’s Todd were incredible together. AMC-Angie and Jessie had sparks and also a very deep love in their stories. Non-romantic- Y&R- Drucilla and Olivia are possibly one of my favorite siblings on soaps. OLTL- Viki and Dorian (Strasser). GL- I just love Alexandra (Bev) and Blake (Sherry) sniping at each other. Y&R-Katherine and Jill (both BD and JW). It’s almost visceral.