titan1978

Her story trajectory with Austin was very gross. She taught herself science to fake that paternity test lol. Only on DAYS and under Reilly’s pen does any of this work. It was stupid but certainly entertaining!

John as a priest really made so little sense and was the true end for the character for me. He’s just a plot cypher and Drake doesn’t bring enough acting chops to fill that out. All the talk about Mac in the GH spoiler thread kind of makes me think how did he last as long as he did? He’s not a good enough actor to go as dark as Guza would want, and he had more failed relationships than successful ones. Even Robin and Felicia were gone for years at a time and Mac was still there. And I don’t dislike Mac, I just can see he was just there and not treated as a major character for most of his run.

And she was acting out/manipulative long before Alan raped her! There is a progression, but it’s like two years from just bratty teen, to manipulative, to kidnapping and then trying to make Austin her baby daddy. As a character, she blames the affair for almost everything. But in truth, maybe she is just pathological. Watching it recently, it is pretty clear Marlena knows it will end her marriage to Roman and that he will feel betrayed in a way that he may not recover. I think she keeps the secret as much for her as for Sami. And Roman absolutely does not stick up for her enough, only calling Sami out a couple of times.

I still thinks she had some of the right ideas, just executed them completely wrong. Focusing on a more blue collar family was smart, they just forced it too fast, and Tony should never have been hired to play Bill. But Riche just brought a more down to earth, richly emotional texture to the show. I don’t think Monty was capable of doing that. At the time, I didn’t really care about Mac one way or another. He was cute, but I didn’t start to like him until he and Felicia were in the Ryan story, then running the Outback together.

Even in the midst of the affair storyline, there are scenes with John and Sami where he brings up the fact that he raised her. They have a conversation about it when they return Belle, and John gives Sami a few days to tell Marlena and Roman it was her. And AS plays the beats of having some feelings for him. In my rewatch, she really starts to hate John when he tells them she was behind the kidnapping because she won’t. Before that she wasn’t happy with John exactly, but most of her rage was directed at Marlena. I even think part of the weird relationship was based on Marlena always calling her out on her issues and behavior, and Roman was more reluctant to (which to me is subtext because he missed out on most of the twin’s childhoods), so she leaned into that relationship. When John reveals her secret, she begins to talk about hating him, and never forgiving him. Sami is a horrible brat, and betrayal to her is not colluding in her schemes. John is basically still Roman during the period of Reilly I just finished, which shows they needed to do something to make them their own characters. Yes, he lost Isabella and his life as Roman, but his personality is still lighter. It isn’t until Stefano starts toying with him before Maison Blanche and then after that story that he starts to become more the John Black as we know him. More angst, the growly voice, more serious and less lighthearted.

I just watched the Riche episode. The empathy they showed MB was pretty incredible. No matter what I think of Sonny or MB’s ego, that was very generous and human, in a business that usually treats everyone as replaceable. Makes me miss her even more at GH.

I do not disagree. I think soaps should have an element of romance, and I don’t know why they shy away from it so much. And I have loved my share of super couples. But it’s like you said- the formula they perfected, which was very specific to DAYS had grown a little stale by the early 1990’s. Nobody did supercouples like they did back then.

I was into the early part of his return- the ghost of Tom Horton (which went nowhere as I recall), the early deaths. It was sad for those vets that were killed off before they knew they were coming back. Marlena being the killer was just nonsense though. Because it went nowhere, she was brainwashed, the deaths were undone. I could not take anything else seriously. And everyone got really stupid really fast. I still would love to know what his original plan was. I think if he had come back with an eye on tradition (like his earlier run), and more focus of real emotion and the characters not being treated like hollow chess pieces, I think it would have worked better. It was just a mess. Was Zach killed off during his run? Ultimately a mistake IMO.

No matter how well you get along with an ex, playing a romantic storyline with one that betrayed you in the past in the same place you fell in love originally would be incredibly difficult for anyone. I am so glad to have Felicia back, and I am glad Kristina Wagner doesn’t have to fake it with Jack as Frisco. I hope we get a little of Felicia in investigation mode.

I know- As someone that watched it back then but was kind of driven away by the time we got to Paris, it was really awesome to go back and look at the earlier part of his run. There are things I appreciate even more now than I did then and I loved it back then. Binging it really allows you to see all the little clues dropped in to build all his stories, even things you forget by the time of the big climax. The atmosphere and music were great. All those scenes at night in Salem, almost always foggy. And when they went somewhere else it felt like it- Maison Blanche interior and exterior scenes felt like a different location than Salem. And Salem Place was a fantastic and much missed set. My rewatch was brought on by both boredom with the current Possession and really enjoying the Curlee/Demorest/Reilly Guiding Light when the Pandemic began, before so much of it left YouTube. I can see his style really clearly on GL, even though he was part of a team.

I’m happy to have her back!

It’s no slight to LW, who I would watch any day over Sonny. She is just in the same boat as Alexis (but at least two of her kids are actually onscreen often). I wouldn’t saddle her with Howarth or Easton, so much like Alexis if there is going to be romance they have to cast someone for her and build it. Sonny has momentum in his story, it’s already going. Carly has to have something built up, and the question is will they do it or just have her floating around our ing Jason and yelling at Nina? Maybe Sean, but I fear that would be about as utilized as Laura is with Kevin. He deserves better than that, so does she really.

The first thought I had when i read when did Sonny become irreparable was also when he shot Carly in the head. That was the beginning of the end for me. For me, it was the total domination of Sonny, Carly, Jason, and Michael. As a kid all the way to a teen Michael was also forced down our throats for years. Everything revolved around him. And the diminishing of the rest of the canvas while those four are the show added to the issues. Although, I do think there are immediate story possibilities for Sonny, whereas I feel Carly has been backed Into a corner a little bit.

I loved Langston and Markko so much more than Cole and Starr.

And again, to complain about the latter period of Reilly’s writing on DAYS during his first stint- he brought Roman back and cursed us with Josh Taylor. I absolutely hate him as Roman, always have, always will.

Michael Weiss was my favorite Mike Horton. I always found Roark bland in the part. And both Belle and Brady were watched by Shawn and Caroline, with an angry Roman constantly there to hold Belle and almost decide he wanted Marlena back before getting angry and stomping out the door. It made sense and was even in character- Roman could be very bull headed. His early relationship with Bo is full of conflict. But I still think they did Wayne wrong.

Exactly. Once I saw how the audience was reacting to Sprina, I would have negotiated contracts that allowed for them to go to school but still had a commitment to GH, and worked the schedule out to maximize it. And I know that isn’t easy, but that’s the job. This isn’t DAYS- where it would be 4 to 6 months before you know if the audience is responding. ABC/Frank had plenty of time to figure it out. It’s pretty rare nowadays for a couple to hit that well. They should have capitalized on it.

The show had actual notices with Sprina, and Sydney Mikayla is deserving of her attention. The truth is, if I was a teen in Hollywood and on a soap, I would go recurring for college too. Because the soap will always be there, especially if you are popular, so you might as well have your cake and eat it too. But bigger opportunities may not be, and if those come along the story will be different. So to me, this is a pragmatic decision, and only time and Pilot Season and fall casting for existing shows will tell if they are more serious about school and staying on GH or if they are willing to go for larger opportunities should they present.

I am literally at that point right now in my edit binge. I loved Maison Blanche then, and I still appreciate it now. But I have to say, the changes that I remembered being in the Posession storyline actually begin here. I get Roman being distracted and angry. But his stubborn refusal to recognize Marlena and John are in danger, and also that she would never call him to tell him they were having a wonderful time together. It’s an early beat of someone has to be dramatically stupid to drag the plot out. Jennifer also has to loose some of her brain for Peter’s antics to last as long as they do. Although who wouldn’t be distracted by Peter Blake. Also- the first hints of Father John, and Drake develops what I think of as his “John Black” persona while chained in that dungeon. Gone are the charming smiles and somewhat Roman-esq personality. He is now a man without a past and he is growly and serious about it. I have to admit I find him incredibly hot with all this angst during Maison Blanche. It is also noticeable how much everyone has started talking about God in a much more significant and meaningful way all of a sudden. The Gina/Hope reveals are are awesome as the first time. There are two shocks from the 1990’s that I got to see before any soap mags spoiled me- one was the Hope reveal, and the other was clink/boom on GH. My soap mag purchases were spotty back then, so both of these were genuine surprises. And Stefano never had a better scene partners than Celeste. They are so much fun together and I loved her right away back then, now it makes me miss her so much. She really hates Marlena right now. He certainly was attractive!

I know I read somewhere that Reilly loved Bo & Hope, they were his favorite DAYS couple. I remember it because all I kept thinking was how he didn’t use them well together beyond the Gina is Hope storyline! And while I did see MA’s Jack long before Mark, I loved him as Jack. I thought he was hot as hell and had excellent chemistry with Missy. Peter was hot as hell too.

@carolinegIts funny you brought up GH, because I was thinking this reminds me of rewatching Labine’s run and being reminded that Sonny was once sexy, I did think he was a good actor, and enjoyed him. I quit watching the show daily about halfway through Aremid. The usual antics were not working for me anymore, the characters had gotten really stupid, and the Jennifer replacement destroyed that section of the story. I came back for the secret room, and then left again because it was just silly to me, all camp and not enough grit. I gave Passions a few weeks, but again, it just wasn’t for me. After this and GL earlier in the pandemic it’s kind of nice to have this deep appreciation since the current soaps are not doing it. Although GL was mostly new to me. But especially now I can see Reilly’s fingerprints on a lot of characters- Blake and Bridget come to mind immediately. As does the Frank/Eleni/Alan-Michael triangle. Also- it’s been said many times, but Sami needs that foil of Carrie. The show works better for me when they are both there and Carrie has her number, wants to love her fully but can’t, and Sami is just slightly jealous and therefore crazy when it comes to Carrie. The affair is such a soap classic and filled with his specific storytelling- using several mini -arcs to tell the overall major story. The affair was the story, and from that there were two years of mini stories that kept the momentum up.

I still prefer her with Wayne, and I prefer him as Roman. I know John/Marlena are the endgame, but I will always just root for original Roman.

Marlena figuring out Sami was bulimic and that leading to Sami revealing she knew about the affair was just excellent soap opera, and she used her background as a psychologist to put it all together. These were not the stupid people/caricatures they became later in his run. Marlena loved to hypnotize people back then lol. She did it all the time! I also loved Adair’s Kate- calculating but not the quasi-vixen she becomes later on. Her whole story with Victor, Vivian, Phillip, Lucas, Curtis, and Austin/Billie was just awesome. I preferred her back then and now she just isn’t even the same character. Hasn’t been since Adair left. When Billie was on trial for killing Curtis, I forgot how many people were tied to this. At one point in court we had Roman, Bo, Marlena, Victor, Billie, Austin, Carrie, Vivian, Ivan, Laura, Jennifer…and Stefano not present but tying it all together by being the actual killer. And Laura just flat out wanting revenge in Kate and Bill, and Lucas being the fallout was so great. I also love how Marlena is the only one willing to comment on who John used to be. When people bring up their closeness and the affair and any feelings she may have had she is the first one to say he was my husband, I believe he was the man I loved.

I’ve been binging Reilly’s first DAYS run on YouTube, mostly the Marlena stuff but a lot of other stories have been featured too (Carly buried alive, Curtis Reed, etc), and I had truly forgotten how balanced and really good the show was under him during those first couple of years. When I used to think of Reilly and DAYS, I remembered more of the later original era- over the top, stories/characters in their own bubbles, everyone talking to themselves all the time, the constant triangles with the same people. But that earlier run is more like what he was doing with Demorest and Curlee at GL (which I binged during the earlier part of the pandemic). It really is an ensemble show- all the A and B storyline lead characters have their own stories and crossover with others. There is a lot of emotional stakes, the characters have believable differences in income levels, the younger characters have a point of view, they have working/school lives and home lives. Yes, Carly buried alive was gothic and over the top like the whole show became, but it didn’t feel the same as it does just a couple of years later. Look at Kate- it is a master stroke to make that family the way they did- Horrible Curtis, Austin tied to the Bradys with Carrie and Sami/Billie with Bo. Laura’s return and the eventual reveal about Lucas. Sami- she’s been the insufferable Sami for so long it is hard to remember all the steps that got us there. The affair, her complicated relationship with John before and after her witnessing him with Marlena. Her over devotion to Roman. Bulimia, closeness and then also intense rivalry with Carrie, her rape by Alan, faking Belle’s paternity, the kidnapping with plans to sell her! She has many more layers before the affair/baby reveal. Once that happens she is pretty much the Sami she would be for the rest of Reilly’s run, especially towards Carrie and Marlena. Eric not being there really does stand out though. The affair- it all makes sense. Even Roman’s stubborn refusal to forgive is rooted in his character. I wonder if Wayne had stayed if they would have eventually gotten back together. I know in hindsight it seemed like the show was shipping John/Marlena, but she is so miserable and longing for Roman to take her back. Soaps just don’t take chances like this with their major leads anymore. And Drake still had a lot of charm and personality that just kind of evaporates once his past as a priest is revealed. Once possessed Marlena floats for the first time, it’s like the whole show is different from that point on. The community and crossover effect was greatly diminished, replaced by people mostly staying inside their own story bubbles. And MarDevil was for sure the beginning of constant talking to yourself and almost being overheard. I know the later era and Passions has lots of fans, it just wasn’t for me. But that earlier period I could watch anytime and find something to sink my teeth into.

I really love when the newer talent has so much respect for their show, especially for a scene that I consider to be the single most heartbreaking scene in GH history. Something about watching Stone’s decline in real time, and this love story really hit me back then and it still brings me to tears now.