Soaplovers

https://www.instagram.com/donovan.yaqo/

Problem is that they're styled younger and act younger/immature vs how people acted like the 80s/90s. Some of the styling was a lot better in the 80s and 90s.

In the Riley Sager fandom... Home Before Dark and Lock Every Door usually compete for most favorite. I liked it just fine.

Riley Sager always knows how to write a mystery... even it's horrible and/or over the top... his books are very readable. I would describe him as a Ron C of mystery thrillers.

Is it bad that I cheer SPS stepping up to that annoying June? I don't think I'm supposed to have that impulse lol

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKqS0g6vPSR/?img_index=1

Manhatten Murder Mystery was my fav Allen/Keaton pairing.. moreso than the more famous/over-rated Annie Hall, Manhattan, etc.

I liked Jan's hair being put up on Friday's episode.. it was the best she's looked. While I don't think Mona is class betrayal, I do think she's the type that makes work her whole life because she doesn't seem to have anything else in her life other than being a surrogate mom to Laura (the first week did hint at a backstory for Mona.. me thinks she gave up a child), church, and her Have Not get togethers. I think Mona thinks of her job and Nicole/Duprees like a family, but they would fire her in a heartbeat if they were looking to cut staff/expenses. The first week of the soap did seem to give little nuggets of story that could be told down the line... - Mona's speech about not marrying nor having kids, looking at Laura as a surrogate mom (either Laura was her child, or perhaps she reminds her of the baby she gave up). - Jan being a single mom, mentioned Ashley's dad wasn't the best of people, etc. - Hayley mentioning she was an orphan.. and Dani taking her into the family hence why her stealing Bill was the ultimate betrayal to Dani/Naomi. Will their backstories get more exposure down the line... or will they end up like Victoria Winters.. who never found out who she was. TBD.

I'll be honest, the core of ATWT has always been a little cold and stodgy. It worked well until ABC exploded with their more youthful and exciting lineup of daytime in the late 70s/early 80s that threw the rest of the soaps for a loop. Also, ATWT had a lot more damage that needed to be repaired vs Guiding Light when they took over. I think I read somewhere that it took 18 months of head-writing GL before they felt confident about the shape and direction of the show... and they weren't given that amount of time.. only a little over a year at ATWT before they were gone. Also, just because you're a talented head-writer/writing team doesn't mean you're an instant fit on a soap opera. Marland was a natural fit on ATWT & GH, while he coasted off of the Dobson's the first year of his tenue at GL before it appeared to be not as interesting by 1982.

That's why I enjoyed when Kobe/Long took over and finally gave Phillip a voice about the whole Justin/Jackie/Elizabeth/Alan situation.. and he voiced them to Mindy and saying he always sensed tension, but no one ever told him what was going on so he was always confused. He explained how he lived with Justin, but that he never understood why he was living with Justin/Jackie.. that he and Justin always clashed, etc. And one of my favorite scenes was Mindy deciding to question Justin to the point where he's annoyed with her, and I think there is a look in her eye that conveyed that she had an idea that he was really Phillip's dad. In fact, both Mindy and Rick knew the truth and never told Phillip. And I think that Alan was planning to tell Phillip because Bradley Raines was blackmailing him.. but Bradley told Phillip.. who had such a meltdown internally that I don't think he ever recovered. Once Phillip found out at the country club and he realized almost everyone knew, he grew closer to Beth because she didn't know the truth.. and he kind of low key pursued her partly because of that, party because he was sticking it to Rick, and also because he wanted to protect her from Bradley in a way that he wasn't protected.

Charles Pratt Jr wrote The intitation in 1984 that co-starred a young and blonde Hunter Tylo. Watching that movie foreshadows how he will write soap operas when he head-writes. Joanna Johnson - B & B - Killer Party (1986) Harley Jane Kozak GL, SB, Texas - The House on Sorority Row (1982) Kate Mcneil - ATWT - The House on Sorority Row (1982), Monkey Shines (1988)

Very good points. I didn't explain properly that he put the Phillip story in B/C position because he needed to put other things in place before Phillip finds out, and having Pickett leaving in mid 80 officially probably postponed the reveal because he needed to ease the new Jackie onto the canvas by re-establishing her with Justin, Phillip, Elizabeth, etc. I know that some of the actors probably weren't happy with his pacing and different way he wrote/structured the story. I know that Maureen Garrett felt frustrated with how she was written post Roger and felt that the writers made her character operate with less agency than before Roger falling off the cliff (I wish more 1980 episodes would surface) hence why she opted to leave when her contract expired at the end of 1980. Looking at the 1979 (when they were up)... Holly was front and center trying to survive being in prison and prove her innocent vs the few 1980 episodes that surfaced from summer 1980 where she's a zombie with no real indication that she's trying to move forward. And there were some rumors the actress that played Rita felt the same way (but again, I wish more 1980 and 1981 episodes would surface to review). And what he did to Diane Ballard making her more one note vs the more layered and complex character pre 1980 also should be noted.

My late mom was such a fan of Diane Keaton, and I recall as a very very young child being taken to see this movie. RIP

Reading through these posts, it does make sense that perhaps Marland didn't view the Phillip story as important since it does appear as though he puts it into B or C level position with the writing off of Elizabeth, and basically downplaying the whole Justin/Jackie/Alan situation by focusing on Alan's marriage to Hope and his affair with Rita while Justin/Jackie remarry and deal with the whole Ross/Carrie situation. Long/Kobe do the sensible thing by reviving the story and shifting the story to Phillip's perspective. It's a shame that they fired Justin and just focused on him with Beth over dealing with the fall out of learning of his true identity.

While I understand Mona's stance on SPS, it makes sense that Jan would be more open to establishing boundaries/start anew with SPS. Even during their 'Have not' brunches, the show always seemed to portray Jan/SPS as having a more natural connection then either had with Mona. I think that boils down to both being single moms, having made bad choices about men in the past, and both always kind of wondering what the other side (The Haves) is like.... and Mona has this weird belief that she's part of the Dupree family (even though Nicole wouldn't hesitate to cut her loose without any notice.. but some people need to learn the hard way).

Those 1983 episodes (if dated correctly) look to be near the end of the Dobson's second head-writing stint. While their work on ATWT isn't as good as GL (and I feel the same way about Marland's work on GL vs ATWT)... there were a few things that the Dobson's did on this show that I liked. I'm guessing this was before Eileen Fulton left the show for several months and was recast with another actress that acted somewhat like Lisa.. but wasn't our Lisa. - Maggie and Margo are Dobson creations... flawed, neurotic, heart in the right place, and their own worst enemy. - Tom/Margo were a good couple and creation - James Steinbeck wasn't such a cartoon like he became later during the Marland era and after. - Steve/Betsy as played by Frank R and Meg R really had chemistry. - Miranda/Bob... I feel weird for saying this, but I actually don't mind them together as a couple though his true love was Kim.

There was a Christmas 1982 episode floating around where Sara was talking about moving and missing everyone so I assume she was gone by January 1983 at the latest. I think the Dobson's used Sara quite well during their writing regime and keeping her focused on through 1978/1979 at least. Marland seemed to be the one to move her more into the supporting realm with her stories being as a therapist, her files being taken by Andy Norris, marrying Adam Thorpe, and just worrying about her son. By late 1982, she was just a diminished background character that probably would have survived the first year of the Kobe/Long era (since the hospital was a strong focus until late 1984).. but more like a supportive talk to like Katie ended up being as well.

Lisa really set the stage for characters like Erica, Dorian, Reva, and so on... that one of a kind character that could be selfish, but also had likable traits that made you watch them even if they did something you didn't like. It's really a sad thing that Sheffer/Goutman totally made her almost a background character once they came onto the scene. Up till mid to late 2000, Lisa still had a pretty strong presence/focus on the show with her 40th anniversary episodes being a highlight. Out of all of Lisa's loves.. I truly think Grant Coleman was her true love while Bob Hughes was her first love that she didn't cherish when she had him. I thought the Locher Room tribute to Eileen was well done with me being intrigued to see if Ellen Dolan's one woman thing about Irna will ever see the light of day... while I agree that Hilary is missed on soaps.

That 1991 opening was dramatic with all the symbols of a romantic and passionate love. That intro makes one think they're going to watch a show with emotion and passion.. but it was still a muted soap opera without much of an identity. Perhaps the show should have amped up the passion, emotion, and thrown in some camp. Part of the reason why I think the Loving Murders was so good was because the show finally leaned into an identity that worked (a mysterious mystery in the vein of Edge of Night) with the final reveal to be full of emotion, guilt, and intensity.

Actually.. .when Justin first came on, it was revealed that they were a couple until he dumped her to go with Jackie (most likely due to her father being a well known doctor). That was his story his first few months on the show before Jackie showed up with her dad and it being revealed that he did the same thing to her that he had previously done to Sara. I was surprised that the show went back to testing Sara/Justin again in late 1977, but I think this was the period after her hubby Joe passed and before she ended up with another unsavory character.

Mona... a typical bitter child free woman. She needs to go away and not appear for a few more weeks until she can come back and act like an actual human than a stereotypical one note character. Tomas is no match for Silk Press Sheila... but really who could Mr Roboto match wits with? LOL

I knew it! She was shifty and shady since day 1... Miss I have 4 degrees!

I'm wondering if her various voices/accents is a way for Pamela to pretend/be someone she isn't? Or maybe Cady is just trying out things because she doesn't want to play another Dixie or Rosanna

I know that Long bought Hawk onto the show, but did she also bring on Rusty and Sarah... or were they introduced by the writers that wrote the show during her 18 months she was off the show? I know that Hawk/Lillian wasn't Long.. but was she the one to break them up to reunite Hawk/Sarah.. or was that the scab writers that did that? I do think it's interesting that the show introduce older characters in the late 80s (The faux Bauer parents, Sarah, Maeve's mom in a recurring basis)... but I wonder why the show didn't think to make one of those intros either Meta or Trudy to provide a female to replace Bert. I think characters like Sarah and Lainie weren't needed and just reminded viewers that other characters from the past could have been bought back on a recurring basis (especially after Roger/Holly came back onto the canvas).

By 1989, Guiding Light truly becomes a strong ensemble show where lots of other stories/characters were getting focus/writing that didn't have anything to do with Josh/Reva. From late 1988 till summer 1990, Reva is basically part of an ensemble and not the main focus of the show. I think had Kim Zimmer not quit that she would have been written properly during the last golden age of GL and not been the sole focus of the show. The one positive of JFP was that she wouldn't have put up with Zimmer being a diva. And when she first came back in 1995, she wasn't the sole focal point.. the show still had some sort of balance between multiple stories (bad as they were)... and that lasted through 1996. I think when the show had a brief surge in ratings at the climax of the Annie Dutton story in summer 1997, the writers/Rauch wrongly assumed it was due to Zimmer and the focus became all Reva, all the time after that period.