Soaplovers

I do agree that the last week of Depriest's stint was edited a bit by Marland. I think she was credited because I think she did the outlines for that week and each episode for the script writer to write.. and he probably just added some little details. I'm not too keen on the new script writers thus far.. I liked L. Bertram the best and I actually thought Anne B Howard's scripts were quite good. For me, I just don't enjoy Marland at all. He isn't my cup of tea.. and he may be critically good.. but ratings weren't always great, nor horrible, under his regime. I think the sudden whiplash shift in tone from Depriest to Marland didn't help the show in the long run. It is interesting that all the things people assumed Marland created on this show (Dancys, Billy/Greta, etc).. weren't created at all by him.. but he inherited all of that. Depriest gave him a good template to work with on the show, but his tendency to drag out stories do him in on this show (the Joan Dancy story is dragged out for several more months when Depriest set it up to probably be resolved by November... and Carolee/Steve don't reunite for many months when it looked as if Depriest was ready to get going on the story.) Still... I do think every soap writer appeals to different people.... Pam Long/Dobsons/Depriest appeal to me.. while Marland/Harding Lemay doesn't really appeal to me. It's the opposite for other people.. and that is what makes the world go round

I think depriest quickly ended the conrad story. Marland said he didnt realize he could end a story quickly when he started the Doctors. When watching the Doctors under Depriest..it seemed the show was on uppers...lots of energy and cliff hangers at the end of each episode. Almost two weeks into Marland's stint...it feels like the show was given a triple dose of prozac.. too low energy and slow. I do think he probably edited her last week of episodes she was credited in...but the energy and dialogue were still at higher levels. I think Depriest was ahead of the curve in terms of energy and excitement. It also explains why she had longer stints head writing in the 80s (Days from 81 to 84..and AW from 86 to 88.) The 80s were all about energy and OTT. It's also why she fit when she co he wrote Sunset Beach in the late 90s.

Late to the Gretchen news... I still remember when Tamra backed off of going after Gretchen.. and than Gretchen revealed her true colors. If only Tamra had thought to do that from the start, we probably wouldn't have been subjected to filler Gretchen for five seasons. I was actually thinking Emily reminds me of Jeana, but it's a shame her hubby is kind of creepy. Jeana's husband was hardly ever shown, and I wish the same for Emily's hubby.

Well Marland stint has started.. and the pace has slowed down quite a bit. The words are good, but it just feels off to me.. kind of cold and lacking of emotion thus far. Marland may have the knack of good stories/plots, but he doesn't have that magic touch in terms of emotions and warmth.

I recall reading an interview during her script writing days at Y & R.. and it wasn't a shock that she was canned the second Latham left the show. She seemed kinda vapid and shallow... perfect for Bravo and Housewife land If there truly is a #metoo story with Cohen, I hope no one will be surprised. Just by looking in his eyes, you can tell there is something off about him..like he lacks empathy or something.

She wrote some episodes of the Doctors that was pretty good. Marland's episodes start in today's Retro reruns, but Depriest left the show in a really interesting place for him to pick up the threads. Depriest even wrote two or three episodes (one which talked about a patients right to life vs their right to die with dignity.. and the other episode had an interesting speech about women's rights, etc). I think Depriest quickened the pace and that might have turned people off that were used to a more leisure pace. Marland even admitted he kept the Joan Dancy story going longer than he should of. If Depriest had remained, I think she would have resolved it much quicker (hints were dropped in her final episodes writing where Joan's true killer admitted nervousness over the return of her step father Jason cause she was unable to lie to him.). The Joan Dancy story reminds me of a Columbo mystery where the audience knows the identity of the killer including their motive, but we watch to see how they're caught. Perhaps Marland wasn't sure how to proceed with that type of story (and he was known for dragging a story on too long... hello Carolyn Crawford murder mystery on ATWT anyone?). I think you should review 1976 (Feb through September 1976) because she had some strong script writers that helped flesh out her story and outlines.

I'm not surprised OC did better than NY... OC viewers are a loyal bunch, plus the show does change their cast from season to season.. so if something isn't to your liking in a season, there is a pretty good chance that it won't be repeated in the following season (i.e. Peggy or Lydia.. for instance). Now, if Vicki were let go.. you can bet that OC would get a ratings bump since she isn't popular outside of forums. I used to love RHONY, but when Bethenny came back and hijacked the show.. I said 'see ya'. I like a show that rotates casts in and out.. which is why I stopped watching BH and Atlanta as well. I am hoping Dallas gets a slight cast adjustment for season 4 (adding a new housewife.. maybe getting rid of a housewife, etc)

I guess today's episodes on Retro were Depriest's final episodes as head-writer. I'll miss her as head-writer and it is a shame that she wasn't given another couple of months before being given the axe since she'd done so much in her 7 month stint to liven up the show. Good: Putting Matt/Maggie back in the center with the Joan Dancy story. Restoring MJ's personality and placing her firmly in the Steve/Ann orbit, while Carolee is slowly coming out of her catonic state. Finishing the Conrad story at last. I give Depriest credit for trying to make Scott/Wendy work.. but she saw nothing was working and instantly ended the story with Scott killing himself (which actually makes sense considering the way the actor choose to play the character). Eleanor seemed to be up Depriest's alley and you can tell she enjoyed writing for her. Creating Dr. Paul Summers.. and having a credible backstory and motivation for not liking Matt Powers. Plus, kudos to tying him to Ann from before both came to Hope Memorial. The back and forth between Paul/Ann was entertaining. The Dancys. Finally.. we have our answer as to who created what. Depriest created the backstory, and almost all of the Dancy's (Marland brings on the father, but she had created the backstory, as well as, given him the name Barney). I will be interested to see how Marland will write the Dancy's vs Depriest. Undecided Paul/Stacy is an interesting pairing... and I think @EricMontreal22... this pairing is as close as we will ever get to getting a sense of what Where the heart Is was all about. Penny... I miss her snarky retorts and being dismissive of Althea. Pairing her with Jerry has softened her too much (no wonder Julia Duffy quits months into the future). Nick/Althea.. Depriest got them much better than the Pollock's did... but wasn't sure what the point was to teasing viewers of them again.. unless it was a way to give them closure at last. Bad: Toni, Toni, Toni... wasted and hardly shown during this 7 month stint except as a stepford wife for Mike. There was one good scene in July 1976 where she and MJ talked about Alan. Other than that, she wasn't written for at all. Rico was wasted, but I can understand why he couldn't stay in town with Stacy... that girl is a restraining order waiting to happen. Overall, I loved Depriest's writing on the show and I think she fit the show better than Cendella and the Pollocks (circa 1973 to 1975)... @vetsoapfan... I liked her stint. While she isn't on the level of Rita Lakin, but she was loads better than Cenedella and later Pollocks. So I'm bracing myself for Marland. I really don't like his writing at all, but I will keep an open mind. Except, I have a feeling he will be dragging out the Joan Dancy and Carolee stories.. when it looks as if Depriest was aiming for a November resolution for at least one of them (perhaps Carolee being reunited with her family, but Ann's part not being revealed until later.). And the show seemed to give hints that Stacy would be taking the fall with Paul getting off scott free (he has done nothing as of yet, to implicate himself). Today's 2nd episode was a good cliff hanger Friday episode (9/17/1976)... with Matt heading to learn what the board has decided while Paul is sitting in Matt's chair with a look of glee on his face.. while Carolee is coming out of her catonic state. A perfect place for Marland to pick up.

I think for the future of RHOBH, they need to either come up with a new gimmick, or have LVP focus just on VPR. On that show, she can be the sarcastic boss that is wise and all knowing in a supporting role (where she observes the conflict without having to start it). Sadly, than Kyle's already big head would get bigger cause than she'd be the OG of BH, when story was played out the moment her sister Kim left the show. It's odd to me that Kim's absence was felt more on the show than the other previous housewives departures.... when you take out the source of conflict, what do you have to replace it with?

I could see the Dobson's working on AMC due to the humor the show was known for, as well as the show's choice of featuring larger than life characters. They proved on GL that they could masterfully write a community based show with deeply enriching characters... and they proved on SB that they could write tongue in cheek... and AMC had both the humor and community based elements that the Dobson's would have been a master at writing. I think the reason the Dobson's didn't work on ATWT was because while the show had a community based element to it, it never had the humor nor passion that GL and SB had. For me, I think the Dobson's would have worked well on Search for Tomorrow (community based with a unique sense of whimsy) and All My Children.

I always viewed Vicki/Clint as a couple from opposite sides.. that realized over time that they were too different to truly stay together for the long haul. He came from a more male/macho family where the man was the head of the household while Vicki was raised in upper society, and since her father expected a son.. had groomed her to take over once he passed so she was used to being the one in control. I often think Meredith (if the show hadn't killed her off) might have made a better match for Clint. Sloan, to me, represented what Vicki thought she should have been with. They had a lot in common, they were intellectually drawn to one another.. but I never viewed them as a sexual couple, but a couple brought together due to friendship, mutual interest, and intellectual attraction. In the real world, Sloan would have been her end game.. but in soap opera land.. it was Clint sadly. I know Clint came in right before Joe passed away, but was the plan always to pair Vicki with Clint.. or did that come about because the two had chemistry? I know the show tested Clint with Pat and Dorian when he first came on...but I would imagine Vicki didn't even think to look at Clint in that way for awhile.

Ah fall of 1991...when the three big stories were the Sheila/Lauren story, Nikki's alcoholism, and Nina having David Kimble plotting his revenge against her via disguise and wooing her mom (the words killer carved into his face by a surgeon was surprising and his death by trash compactor..wow).

I think having Sloan dying and the stress/sadness of that made sense for her DID to come out...Vicki never was good with coping with stress....but not even mentioning her first true love Joe was an insult. She should have said she hadn't felt this sense of loss since Joe left her..even Express regret that Kevin/Joey never got to know their father, etc. I think the abuse element made sense...vicki and victor had this emotional incest vibe from what I read of the early history...with sweet Meredith being almost like their child. I think it would have fit history wise if it wasnt sexual abuse..but emotional abuse that eventually led to Vicki's DID... hence why Nikki Smith was wild and free (because she was a part of Vicki that was repressed).

Cenedella did create Joan and Jerry...but I think it was Depriest that retconned it to make them.siblings..with Jerry trying to explain why he gave a different last name from Joan (turned out he gave the last name of the family their mother Virginia was working for in Switzerland). I think Jerry was meant to be in only one episode..but he and Penny had great chemistry. He doesn't appear again after his introduction episode for almost two months. And it was hinted that Jerry and Joan were connected as Cenedella was leaving..but it wasnt revealed until weeks into depriests stint what that connection was. I'm hearing Marland comes at the end of September. She is setting up the next thread quite nicely with the next chapter of the steve/carolee/Ann story with MJ being added...and Matt being indicted with the hospital board preparing to vote he leave his post as chief of staff. My theory on why Depriest was replaced was because the viewership for the Doctors skewed older..and someone posted on Twitter an article from summer of 1976 where viewers werent too keen on these changes. I do have a feeling had Depriest stayed on that she probably would have resolved the Joan Dancy story by November sweeps with the Carolee story taking over next. And I'm guessing that Nola/Matt were being set up as a possible barrier to Matt/Maggie...that got changed by Marland.

14 episodes is a good season length... the Housewife shows of the past used to be 12 to 14 episodes with a one or two part reunion. Sometimes bigger isn't better.. and I agree with Carole from RHONY.. the more relaxed reunion wardrobes were better.. more relatable.

How were the notes from Nixon and Cenedella different, did they say? Nixon was very detail oriented and I assume back in the day, she had to fight as hard to get anywhere as Irna had to. I dont know why Depriest had shorter term stints (except for Days where she was conned wrote for 2.5 yeaes..or Another world 1.0 where she lasted almost 2 years). But I am loving her take on The Doctors and am sad it is close to an end since the story is at a pivotal point...but she will he leaving the show in a fairly good hands for Marland to take over. Speaking of which...Marland is always created with being this genius..but he's over rated. The only show I can see where he worked any sort of magic would be GH (that show needed help)...but when he took over GL..it was in great shape...and when he took over ATWT..it had already been repaired by Bledsoe Horgan...and he didnt do much to tweak what she had put in place except for those horrid Snyders (and now we know he didnt create the Dancys on the Doctors...but seeing that family, you could see how they would inspire him...but early Dancy's were more likable than the Snyders..imho).

Jada hasn't done much yet as Carolee...she's basically been catatonic with a brief second where she called out Steve's name. She does resemble Carolee Campbell..but she has a more fragile aura than CC ever had. I dont think we will be getting sarcasm or one liners anymore once she comes out of her current mental state. Oh I forgot Althea's return in late 1970 had lots of flashbacks and wait till her therapy sessions during that period.

The first two or three years of the Pollock's tenure is quite good.. but by 1974, they start running out of steam.

I remember when Pam Long had Kathleen Cullen return for Christmas 1987.. and she was a warm, smart person that knew what Phillip was after.. but agreed that Alan needed to be taken down a peg.. and gave him her proxy.. while enjoying a warm visit with Ross.

That was a good scene between Monica/Gail. It's interesting that the Pollocks' (during their year long stint) created the Jeff/Monica/Rick/Gail/Heather branch of the show... but it was Marland/Falken Smith that utilized that group to their fullest potential. It proves that they saw potential in these characters and decided to stick with them rather than firing and replacing them with new characters. When watching reruns of the Doctors (during the Pollock era).. they had created a train wreck character by the name of Stacy Wells... and it looks like they took that template with them to GH where they created Heather Grant... and both characters are alike.. except I think the Pollock's fixed what they did wrong with the Stacy character on GH.. because their Heather was interesting and more subtle (at least when played by Cher's half sister).

@Cat I don't think OC is quite in bad of shape as BH, ATL... because the women on the OC don't care about showing their flaws (Shannon and Kelly especially LOL). I kind of wish Vicki would ditch Steve.. because I miss the Whoop it up Vicki of seasons past. I want to see work Vicki again as well. Jury is out for me on Gina (part of me thinks the show should have downgraded her to a friend of.. due to the marriage issues and having to edit a lot of stuff out before the season started).... and Emily (in interviews, she comes across as balanced and normal with a quirky side.. like Quinn in season 3)... but on the show, she doesn't fit. Now, I do think if a housewife doesn't fit.. it can be a good thing because it can provide organic conflict (Teddi on BH.. the one bright spot). I am wondering if perhaps another change in the Real Housewife formula is in order. The shows started out about their individual lives and gradually morphed into group dynamics and contrived get togethers. Perhaps the format/formula needs to change again because cast chemistry is difficult to have, yet you also need to change things up. I'd rather of had Kenya come back since she's married, going to be a mom, and kind of has a life outside the group.. while Porsha doesn't have anything to offer (plus, Kenya vs Kim Fields was a great organic conflict). Kenya can help get a feud started.... Nene, Cynthia, and Kandi have not been able to do so. You need Kenya to get viewers on a new girls side. Eva M being a new mother I guess will be her gimmick/story for the season.. but I still recall how she claimed Paul Rauch was mean to her when she was on Y & R (but in this case, I could see why he was mean to her because the girl couldn't act to save her life).

I think the fact that the show keeps having Marlo appear is rewarding her for her bad behavior. I want to see elegant women that can shade with the best of them, have active lives outside the group, are married, have children willing to be featured, and do not resort to physical violence. What does Porsha have on Bravo? I still can't think of why she keeps getting a peach when she has nothing to offer. Atlanta needs a revamp, just like BH.

This is a soap I wish had survived into the 90s and thereafter. It was created during the 80s and from what I read..the final product that debuted differed from what the bible intended.

Yeah...the Pollocks destroyed two possible long term antagonists dr john Morrison and Dr Dan Allison. They had some strong years and not so strong years (they writing off Margo...a wonderful anti heroine was when I knew they'd burned out). I'm really dreading the arrival of Marland..from what I hear..it will be in mid to late September. He can craft a good plot, but his dialogue leaves a lot to be desired and his shows always leave me cold instead of excited. Love or hate her, but Depriest and her script writers took the excitement that The Pollocks were known for..and were able to infuse the characters with some depth (not quite to rita Lakin levels..but there are some mountains few can climb). The reason Marland did so well on GH was because that soap was more about community , etc. The Doctors was more about passion, competition, angst and fury (Nick Bellini alone had that lol).

I'm excited to see the show in this new form. I mean the Hogan Family went on for a few seasons after its star was fired.. so it is possible.. plus Darlene/Sara Gilbert was so strong in the 10th season of Roseanne.. that it makes sense to turn the show into an ensemble.. but I hope the directors tell Metcalfe to tone it down (still not happy she was nominated when she really wasn't that funny in season 10).