Soaplovers

I guess these episodes were before Erica became islanded in her world. I questioned why the show isolated Erica in the early 80s.. they corrected it in the mid 80s thankfully.

I'm with you, I wonder what changed with Depriest because her later stints differed quite a bit from this one. In the latest uploads, we got mention of Jason Aldrich..so it looks like the ground work is being laid out for his return. I wonder had depriest stayed if the Dancys would have remained..or if they were meant to only be around as a unit till the Joan Dancy story resolved.

I get why she refused to return... she came back in the early 80s and was let go after Paul Rauch came in...so she didn't want to risk having that happen again. I recall when my mom was alive, that I had asked about the character of Carla Gray..and my mom (who was a pre teen) said that it was an awesome story..done well and intelligently..and was sad that her character got phased out since there was huge potential for her character.

Didn't they audition the actress before casting her as Greta? I will assume no.

And don't forget Murder She Wrote

I didn't even know Ellen Dolan was Maureen because by the time I was old enough, she was playing Margo on ATWT. I noted that her Margo was more serious than Hilary B Smith's version of Margo (Smith was my favorite Margo). With that said, I only recall Maureen in the early 90s where she was set up as a stay at home mom that felt unfulfilled and went to get a job as an assistant at Spaulding. Imagine my surprise when I realized that Maureen had been played by Dolan in the early to mid 80s.. and was a hospital admin... so I couldn't buy her getting a job as an assistant when she'd had experience running a hospital for two or three years before becoming a full time stay at home mother (I was surprised to see that Ellen Parker was still playing Maureen when she was a hospital admin.. but she didn't come across as convincing unlike Dolan, who always had a very confident stance. With that said, seeing Ellen Dolan's take on Maureen.. she was much perkier, feminine, and strong willed... also she dressed very trendy as well. I could have seen Dolan's Maureen eventually becoming the heir apparent to Bert down the line since she did have a calming presence. I'll admit I think Pam Long wrote Ellen Parker's Maureen better than Curlee and co did. The Maureen of the late 80s was funny, sarcastic, full of spirit and had a lot of self confidence. I noticed the whole Maureen trying to have a baby, being jealous of Holly, etc didn't come into play till Long left the show. I always viewed Maureen as more of a Pam Long type character than a Marland type of character (since her left months after she was introduced.. and Pam Long wrote most of Maureen's stint on the show.

The August 3rd and 4th episodes continue the fall out of Joan Dancy's death with some great acting/scenes featuring Maggie, Penny, Jerry, and Nola. I did love that the show remembered that Toni and MJ were still in the cast and that they had the talk about the elephant in the room between them (Alan).

So I watched an episode of RH of Dallas at last. It's an interesting show with a fun energy that isn't toxic like Atlanta/NY, nor is it slow building like OC. Based on what I've heard about her, Leeann seems very calm and sedate while Kameron reminds me of that killjoy friend that everyone tolerates, but secretly wishes would decline the invite so that everyone can have a good time. D'andria does intrigue me, though I think she'd be better off forging her own path since she's never going to get what she wants working with her mother. Sometimes you have to cut the cord with a toxic parent, and this is one of those times.

I will say the first couple of episodes that Marj played Alex in late 2002 were decent, she was more understated. but I think that was because the writing was being tailored to JC as opposed to Marj... but after a short time, the writing changed and Marj became super OTT. What's funny is that Myrna on Capitol was closer to Beverly's Alex so it confuses me how Marj didn't play that as Alex. And I love Beverly as Alex, she was just perfect. Her voice and delivery were like butter to me. With that said, I did like Joan Collins in the part because she was closer to how Beverly played Alex, but still put her own spin on it. During the ex wives club episodes, I could have envisioned Beverly playing Alex in a fairly similar way.. but no way could I have bought Marj playing that whatsoever. And I agree that Keifer's Blake stuck out like a sore thumb in those scenes... her Blake was too emotional and intense, when the DNA of Blake had always been cool, guarded, and controlled. And I think one of the reasons India's return didn't work in the late 90s was because Marj and Mary K Adams didn't have that same chemistry/history/intensity in their interactions.. never mind hardly interacting India with Philip/Harley during that time.

Bryce was eye candy, not the model type.. but a realistically handsome guy. My late mom was still watching the soap (though she struggled during the 2000s).. and she was happy that Bryce was resuming the part. And she went on message boards/forums back than and the veteran viewers were excited he was back, while new viewers were not sure what to make of him. Yet, by the time he was let go by Goutman (and didn't Bryce even hint that Goutman didn't understand the Craig character).. those same viewers had been won over and even admitted that they now understood why viewers loved Bryce.

The first several months that Liz K played Blake..the show had her playing PR with her and Vanessa clashing..and I give Liz K credit for trying..but she wasn't corporate material. The show had her working at the hospital in mid to late 1993 for Eve as her assistant..and I thought (she should be doing PR for the hospital)..and than when she married Ross..she gor a job as a secretary for Frank's PR firm..and I thought to myself who is this person..where is the version of Blake that was an even combination of Roger and Holly...cold and ruthless like her father and sarcastic like her mother. I can see why the show did turn her into a ditz because their attempts to keep Blake the way she was couldn't be done so after a year or two into Liz's stint..the she had to change Blake's character. With that said, I did like the show having blake and Frank end up together..long term friends sometimes will turn to one another later in life.

I think Blake could have worked with Keifer playing the part. Sherry's Blake had a sardonic sense of humor and was guarded/cold.. the Blake before her Elizabeth D (Glenn close lookalike) was cold, but tragic. All three actresses bought out different facets of Blake's personality...but I miss the corporate Blake that Sherry played that Liz Kiefer couldn't play.

The holly situation wasn't black and white. Ed and Maureen were having problems before Holly came back to town..and they separated..before Ed and Holly hooked up. So maureen forgave it because the circumstances were not cut and dry.

Agree to disagree. I think Meghan had to do that because bravo and the other women weren't too keen to expose it. So I applaud Meghan for being aggressive and smug. Considering my mom battled breast cancer and the after effects...the whole Brooks thing didn't sit well with me nor vicki going along with it (and I'm sorry...she might not have came up with the scheme..but the girl figured it out. This is a woman that watched her kids and man like a hawk.).

Nah, Lydia had her second chance and it didn't go well. Perhaps if her mom Jusy was the housewife, that would have been better. I kind of liked Meghan, to be honest, she is the one to help expose Brooks and lead to him not appearing on the show anymore lol

I will agree with you on the Alice situation on AW. Nixon basically used the Tara/Phil/Erica story on AW with Alice/Steve/Rachel cause at the time she didn't think AMC would be picked up. With that said, Nixon adjusted the Tara aspect to fit with the character of Alice.. who wasn't insepid.. but was confident, sarcastic, and had backbone. Plus, when Cenedella carried on with the story.. he maintained the version of Alice established by Irna Philips/Agnes Nixon. But I think if a new writer comes in and sees the character differently than the actor.. it will cause problems. The actress that played Rita quit because of that, and so did Maureen G in late 1980 (stating that she saw the growth of Holly being regressed after the Santa Domingo story while she envisioned Holly becoming stronger as a result.. and the actress had a good point since the character did survive prison the year before). Sometimes writers don't always fit on all soaps.

Even some of Marland's very own creations weren't all that great... it helped that they were played by very good actors. Rita, Holly, Amanda, Hope, and Katie were characters I've heard Marland struggled to write. Sometimes it could be due to how a writer sees the character, or it can turn out that how the actor sees the character differs from how the writer sees the character. I found an article/interview with the original actress to play Holly (lynn deerfield) and she had expressed how for the first four or five years. the writers let her give input on how Holly would be.. but than she mentioned over the last months of her playing the character, the writers were trying to change her character and that it seemed to go against what she thought the character of Holly was. I'm guessing she was referring to the Dobson's.. and possibly how Rita (their creation) was keeping Holly/Ed apart.. and that Holly was more passive and less assertive (based on what I've read of what was going in 1975/6).

I get the reasoning behind hiring them because both are younger and both have smaller children in order to provide something different. Several of my stroller mom friends are enjoying their scenes, but they said the main draw for them is Shannon If you're wanting toxic, high octane drama.. than RHOC won't be for you because that's the family oriented franchise. I actually think the show should have given Peggy another season because throughout the 12th season, she was going through reconstruction.. and based on what I witnessed firsthand with my mom when she was going through it. It isn't a fun experience especially when you're uncomfortable, in pain because you're being injected with a certain # of CC's that stretches your skin, and you're usually on pain killers. So with that said, she should have been allowed a second change.. and perhaps just have hired either Gina or Emily to fill the 6th spot (or... just do 5 housewives.. which OC has always done up through the 10th season before the show opted to expand to 6 or 7),

I think a character like Rita differs from Reva due to the fact that roger and holly were back...and there was unfinished angst with alan/ed and there never was an answer as to what happened to Rita when she vanished in 1981. Sometimes a character cant just be replaced in a story (meaning Reva wouldn't have fit as going against Alan in that time period since she had no ties with ed/roger/holly.

I heard that Marland didn't have a good handle on the Rita character and that she lost some of her complexity once Marland took over.. and that the actress quit. That was a rumor I'd read awhile ago so not sure if accurate or not. It's a shame she opted not to return in the late 80s when Long/Curlee were interested in bringing her character back... they would have had a field day writing for her like they did for Roger/Holly

So Ben didn't join GL till 1977.. interesting.. so what did Evie Stapleton do for the year or so she was on before he joined as her primary love interest thus kicking off the Amanda/Eve/Ben triangle?

I heard one of the smart things the show did in 1986 was put the focus back on Jo. I was surprised even with the heavy Mccleary focus and the attempt to unsurp Jo by bringing on Maeve McGuire..that the focus was heavy on Jo and Stu up through the end. I had no idea that Ann Flood played a villainess in the final weeks of the show, quite a nice departure from Nancy on EON. And I liked that Stu was heavily focused on finding his best friend Jo during that period. And I think having the final scene be between stu and Jo was the best way to close out a 35 year show. And having the cast waving good bye in the closing credits was a nice touch with Jo giving the final send off. It was a great way to send off a beloved show. Pam long and Addie Walsh closed out the show well (if it had to be closed out, this was the best way).

I recall in seeing episodes from 1984 when maureen became hospital administrator that Ed had trouble with it because he didnt want his wife to be his boss and because it kept him in check (checks and balances). I think in the last week that he decided to enjoy his life and came to Holly for once (it was a nice switch). Ed/holly were supposed to be the end game during the Dobson/Marland era...so it made sense they ended up together at the end. @vetsoapfan in regards to the finale being about things from the late 70s till 09...I do agree with that to an extent. It is fascinating that most of pam long's creations and couplings ended up being featured a lot. At the same time, when Alan passed away...why didnt rhe show think to get someone to come back as Alan Michael and Amanda as well (maybe undo the retcon establishing her as Alan's daughter agajn)..and maybe having Hope return cause of Alan's upcoming death and returning to face her demons (she never came back to Springfield after leaving in late 1983..and had bottled the bottle into the 90s. With that said, I liked that blake and frank ended up together (been watching old episodes from 1991 where the two were friends that flirted..and frank was hot back than too

I think one of the Bells (I think Bill Bell Jr and Maria Arena Bell) had a proposal for a soap that was in competition with Manhattan Lives/B & S ... curious as to why both didn't get picked up.

How were you able to block Lucy Cooper from your mind? LOL I think the reason India didn't have a stable, more permanent place was due to the actress not wanting to be tied down long term. It was tough to keep jet setter India in Springfield long term in the 80s, and it made sense having her come and go during the 90s and 2000s. What burned me in 2009 was when fans wanted her to come back (since Philip was back from the dead).. and the show saying there was no plans to bring India back nor a reason to... and the actress said she was open to making visits. I think that was why Jenna was created in 1992 because the show needed an India type character. It was great the show realized India/Jenna were a like when after Jenna's death in late 1998, India remarked that after hearing about Jenna.. she wished she had gotten to know her.. and Alex chuckling saying that the two probably would have had a lot to talk about.