Soaplovers

I think bringing Dano back to OLTL as her original character Gretel/Rae was a last minute thing because P & G wouldn't let ABC use the Felicia character. So even though she had ties to OLTL from back in the day, she just didn't fit into the OLTL of the late 90s/early 00s.. nor did she really fit into the other soaps at ABC either.

I think Evie came in mid 1976 after Rita broke up with Tim because she realized she was leading him on. And Evie became upset with Rita because she didn't tell her that she had previously dated Tim before she came to town.

RI has Newport.. which is sort of their version of the Hamptons. And they have Providence as their main city.. which is very diverse and pro LGBTQ... and it's a 45 minute train ride from Providence to Boston (people usually will commute from Providence to Boston for work and vice versa). So I could see one of the housewives being from MA.

This Sarah/Xander Lake Geneva weekend getaway trip will either be where Xander finds out that Sarah knew about the Phillip situation, or an emergency happens that prevents them from going. Brownie points for the Lake Geneva mention since that's the getaway for a lot of people that live in northern Illinois/Chicago. EJ is kinda hot... though I never thought that about him when the previous actor played him. I do think a Dimera owning the hospital would be interesting since the Hortons/Brady's have always had a rivalry with the Dimeras... and carrying that over to the hospital would be organic.

Phillip/Harley made more sense as friends (as they were portrayed to be during the Pam Long era).. and I could even buy them being a short-term couple.. but end game they were not. Didn't GA say he thought it out of character that he would choose Harley over Beth.. or that he would leave Beth/Lizzie back in AZ in order for him to chase a vendetta? I know that when Beth Chamberlain came back as Beth in late 1997, she was told instantly that the writing would be slanted toward Phillip/Harley.. which surprised her as well. When the Lorelei story came up, it actually made all of her out there/out of character behavior Beth displayed from 1997/1998 through the early/mid 00s make sense. I liked that the final months of the show, Beth became more like Beth of old so at least the show ended on a positive for her character.

I remember this funny bit with Donna in 1989 or 1990 where Michael had asked Donna why she didn't have a female friend and/or really any friends. I laughed when he mentioned how she was close to Iris, but backtracked by saying 'ok that was my fault' when she gave him the looks that could kill look. I remember there was a bit where Donna then tried to befriend Rachel and I believe Felicia in separate scenes with the two both looking at Donna in bewilderment. It didn't seem to work. After Felicia and Lucas married, I do remember a few scenes between Felicia and Iris where they were being nice yet throwing subtle shade at one another. Then Donna would come into the scene and then it seemed as though Iris and Felicia would both focus on their annoyance at Donna. I do recall Felicia did get silo'd into her own orbit at times... and that Lorna and Jenna had more interactions with other characters outside that orbit.. moreso than Felicia. I think the isolation of Donna/Rachel/Felicia became more pronounced/obvious once Iris was written off the show and JFP came into the EP position in 1995. Even after JFP departed.. the isolation of characters into bubbles continued until the last few months of the show when Amanda started interacting with Cindy, Paulina resumed interacting with Rachel/Amanda, Vicky/Lila began sparring again after being in separate orbits for over a year, etc.

I think with the Silk Press Sheila/Eva/Ted/Nicole situation fully out and in the open (for the most part)... I have some predictions for May/June: Kat/Eva/Tomas: With the revelation that her father, who she held up as a hero, is not as perfect as he's presented himself to be.. I see Kat focusing her energy on supporting her mother and pushes Tomas away (she had mentioned to Vernon about how Tomas had asked her to step in and talk Naomi into dropping the lawsuit and how she didn't feel comfortable with that). With Tomas pushed away from Kat.. he becomes the one individual that's nice to Eva and also feels a bit of guilt since his telling of what she confided in him to Kat ended up being the spark that made Kat resume investigating Eva. Eva will also go to Tomas for comfort... and that will cause even more conflict/issues between herself and Kat... and Kat and Tomas. Nicole/Ted: As we've seen for the last 2+ months... Nicole is not anything like Dani and her response to Silk Press' bombshells proves that. Even if she opts not to file for divorce.. I predict a messy War of the Roses type of situation. Although she kind of bought this on herself with the bottomless pit of trust she had for Eva irregardless of the fact that she came recommended by Mona. Martin: I have a feeling that his memories of the being Silk Press Sheila's little brownie friend will also revive the nightmares full stop.. and May will have this be the A story with Smitty and kids affected by this secret of his from the past. If found out.. will Smitty leave him, or will Smitty continue his unhealthy devotion to Martin (and it is unhealthy)? My wishlist for May/June for the B and C stories: And also, I hope we get some more focus/development on the Joey/Vanessa/Doug situation.. and also connect the threads of that threesomes to Jacob/Jacob's partner/Jacob's dad thread... and also get to see who else Joey starts to set his sights on (perhaps a Dupree.. since they're vulnerable right now). Naomi/Jacob: Cute couple.. but why are they together. As the late Agnes Nixon would ask if she viewed them .. why are they together? What is it about Naomi and Jacob's pasts pre marriage has led the two to find one another and get married? Naomi seems a control freak... is it a way to not be like her 'weak' mother Dani so she calls the shots? What draws Jacob to Naomi? Is it her sense of justice and passion? Is it the Dupree last name? Ashley/Derek: The last time she was on, we finally got a bit of personality from her that isn't so perfect. She's high strung/anal about her surroundings and her life. Is she like this because she was a latchkey kid due to her single mother working all the time? Is she only with Derek because he's 'simple' and 'uncomplicated'.. someone she thinks won't try to upset her routines? As I say... I don't know if the writers/producers have the 'why' figured out for these two.. and if they can figure that out.. story can generate from that.

In regards to Sam and Amanda... both of them were immature and crappy people. She was a spoiled daddy's girl while he had a chip on his shoulder. Both were stubborn and pigheaded... and I'm thankful I've resisted wearing the 2025 lens of assuming women are empowering and men are toxic.... when quite frankly both men and women could stand to be a little less toxic (in real life, of course).. not on my soaps where toxicity should be the norm.

It's called being pro-active.. something that soap operas have failed to do in the last twenty to twenty five years. The Duprees are not a compelling family.. .a lot of telling and not showing. I'm actually more invested in the non-Dupree characters then the Duprees right now.

That's been an issue with me... the lack of a cohesive 'Have Not' crowd that has focus other than Leslie/Eva. I would beef up Jan, Mona, Laura, Joey, and few other male characters.. and not just be out to overthrow the Duprees.. but co-existing and broadening the scope of the show since the show is called Beyond the Gates. I think the set up the show has with everything revolving around the Duprees will become predictable especially if they always win. It would be like Victor Newman on Y & R for 40+ years.. always winning, hardly ever losing. With MVJ/Guza.. both trained under that mindset... I fear that will happen. I've always heard from a performer that is playing a character like Leslie/Dana that you have to find the victim/hurt beneath the surface in order to play a villain/villainess... and I think that's why I enjoy watching her.. because she brings so much more to the part than what the writers put on the page.

Brooke was a commercial mainstay back in the day.. she probably made more money and treated better doing that then how she was sort of treated by the show during her time on the show. Ironically.. Kelly was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs

Perhaps Lujack/Beth should have been the other couple involved in that location story with Tony/Annabelle instead of Claire/Fletcher or Jim. Since Lujack was a Spaulding, the whole fallout could have caused him to further distance himself from having anything to do with Spaulding and Alexandra and as a result, pushes Beth away and potentially back in Phillip's direction. Out of the three Pam Long major mystery/action stories in her first stint.. the fishing mystery story was probably the best... although I did kind of enjoy parts of Infinity and the cabin mystery stories as well.

Word of advice... you have to view the show without the 2025 lenses.. which means you need to 86 the misandry.

That's because India, or the India MKA ended up playing, was created due to the fact that both she and Kristi Farrell were liked by TPTB, but the part they both read for didn't exactly fit either one of them so the show created two brand new characters for both actresses to play (India and Roxie) and opted not to cast the character they were intending to cast (A cousin of Beth's). I think that's why the show seemed to struggle at first with how to write both India and Roxie in their first months on the show because the characters weren't ever intended to exist. And yes.. Grant A had a great body... but I didn't find him hot when he was playing Phillip.. only when he was playing Alec on AMC which baffles me since it was the same actor in both parts LOL

I know that Secret Storm had moved back to the 4/3 PM timeslot in the final months on air, so it's possible that they were trying to employ new techniques/elements to lure the teen demographic. If that episode was around November/December 1973, I do wonder if the owners (AHS) were still trying to shop the show to other networks still.. or if they had accepted that the show was going to officially go off the air in Feb 1974 at the time of this episode airing.

The penthouse was my favorite set... and it changed hands from Margo to Draper/April to Miles/Nicole then to just Miles... before he opted to give that beautiful place for that drab house with the even more drab Beth. That was a jump the shark moment for me LOL

So Cat wasn't a creation of Ron C.. but something that the strike writers generated? Perhaps the new writers will give her some layers and purpose on the show that doesn't revolve around Chad since isn't he on his way out next year?

Anita should have saved the mother speech considering the dismal job she did raising Dani... but compared to Silk Press Sheila, I guess she would be mother of the year. For me, I would preferred longer scenes of Nicole/Ted, Smitty/Martin, & Eva/Kat... and not done the whole Dupree Mafia scenes. The only Dupree I only really care about is Nicole... and having their reactions diluted from Nicole finally being center stage. Unpopular opinion: Anita singing was kinda cheesy and cringe LOL

What Kat's dress reminds me of

A talented soap opera writing team would accept the challenge of keeping Eva as Ted and Silk Press Dana's daughter... and having her co-exist amongst the classist Duprees. However, the writing team seems pre-disposed to the easy way out so Eva will end up being Nicole's daughter... when we have far too many Dupree women in that generation and no hetero Dupree men in that generation. I'm tuning in now to watch the episode since I anticipate it being a stellar episode... but I'm hoping that May sweeps will start to move away from the B & B tendency of focusing on only one main tale at a time and also start beefing up the non-Dupree cast members and their stories. It's kind of why I don't mind Derek and Ashley since at least they're not connected to the Duprees... plus I find myself liking Vanessa/Doug also for that same reason.

A degree does not make one an expert at their job, it just shows that you can follow directions from a technical standpoint. It doesn't mean that they're creative. JFP was all about the look of a show without considering that technical beauty can only carry a show so far if there is nothing interesting to go along with it. Equality means calling out flaws equally in both genders.

I did notice a decline in the quality of the performers being cast once Betty R vacated/retired from her position. We would have been spared from the nightmares of some of the castings that dominated the show in the last decade or so of the soap. JFP was an example of someone, no matter the gender, who had no business being in the position they were in.

Within the Dupree family, I predict Vernon/Anita will be conflicted about what to do about Bill and his role in the whole Ted/Silk Press Sheila situation... especially since Bill knows where the particular bone about Martin is buried. Dani, Chelsea, and Naomi's reactions to what Bill possibly did isn't hard to guess.. but Hayley's reactions will be interesting to hear. Especially given her recent pregnancy scare.. she might not be so much on Bill's side, or she'll totally surprise us and be totally on Bill's side. Either way, I think Martin's secret will be the main focus in May sweeps.. with the fall out of the Eva secret playing out in the background... while the Joey/Vanessa/Doug thing continues to boil/develop.

Beth #1 being recast right before she and Eric come face to face was jarring. We spent the first 50 episodes or so getting to know Beth and see her rapport with her kids, co worker, and even her mother in law. Her Beth seemed content with her kids and job as caterer, but you could tell she also had a faraway look that you just knew meant that she dreamed of what life would have been like had she and Eric gotten together. Plus, she came across as someone that you could see eventually moving into more wealthy circles based on her demeanor. Seeing Beth always looking off into space probably helped fuel Brooke's dreams of wealth because she saw how unfulfilled her mother was. Once Beth was recast starting in episode 52, that whole vibe completely changed and Beth #2 seemed to almost like living the middle class life.. and that her Beth would feel ill at ease around wealth, etc.

I know there was one brief scene in the summer of 1989 where Lillian did mention Calla.. but in relation to her past relationship to Ross and it was to Roger while he was a patient at Cedars. I think he was trying to pump her for information on Ross.. and for some reason, Calla's name came up. I could see perhaps Beth mentioning that her mother Lillian was visiting Calla.. but not exactly giving any sort of details as to the going ons in Calla's life off screen.