Soaplovers

So I wasn't a fan of Monica and I was glad the show tossed her ass out there. However, it seems as though the newbies are just as toxic/vile as Monica.. so I'm not sure what the producers/Bravo goal was for season 5.. because if they were hoping to not be toxic.. I don't think they succeeded.

I viewed Val being naive at the start of Knots Landing as not out of character. She was in a new state and different way of life. While she could read JR and others like him in good Ole Texas, California was a whole different ballpark... and I think she didn't suss out Abby right away because she was usually around men moreso then women in Dallas. And women operate differently then men.. especially back in the late 70s/early 80s. The one thing I noticed in the few episodes I watched in season 7 vs season 6 is how the show is presented Ben/Val. In Season 6, Ben/Val were slanted as 'end-game'.. with Val seeing Ben and gettting her memory back, Gary telling Val that they tried marriage and didn't work, and also when Cathy is singing 'We Belong'... the focus was on Ben/Val.. while Gary/Abby were happily in love as they found out they inherited Empire Valley. In Season 7, Ben is presented as put out that Val is putting the twins over him.. and Gary is being presented as this 'wonderful father figure' for the twins. It's sickening because Gary is a loser... hot.. but still a loser. Also, I wonder how different the Joshua/Cathy story would have gone if the same creative team were in place in season 7 vs in season 6. It totally switched gears and became more violent quickly in season 7

The Val baby story was an example of character over plot.. because Val had her first baby taken from her by JR.. that having it happened for a 2nd time, and no one believing her was the straw that broke the camels back. The little touches of Abby telling Val about the babies harkens back to when Val showed a letter from Olivia that told Abby where her children were in season 3. And then the country music playing during the car ride... chef's kiss

I think Holly and Reva worked when they interacted since both were more of a man's woman...and were different enough from one another that they wouldn't be threatened by the other. Plus, both actresses kept wanting to work with one another going back to the late 80s.

Val and Ben are so good together! I said what I said...she was too good for Gary. Downside of the show becoming a primetime soap was the 'endgame' couple. Gary being 'shot' did seem a perfect cliffhanger. Season 3 and 4 each had 22 episodes so it makes sense season 5 also was to have 22 episodes. Writers nowadays crying that plotting a 13 episode season is hard make me laugh. KL in season 4 proved 22 episodes could be high quality with little to no filler. Even season 5 with the added 3 episodes was also well plotted and paced nicely. You had the Chip/Diana story winding down, Wolfbridge building all season, Val becoming pregnant by Gary, Gary/Abby's stormy new marriage, Karen's pill addiction story, and Greg/Laura becoming a couple were all plotted well and paced to run at different speeds. Modern day writers could learn from 70s/80s/90s primetime soaps/dramas.

She was the final girl in Friday the 13th: Jason Lives in the mid 80s. A few reaction channels have remarked that her performance was very showy and almost hyper.. compared with the acting of some of the other people in the movie. Problem was that Kelly/Morgan weren't an interesting couple.. no matter who was playing Morgan. I didn't think the two had chemistry at all. And Geraldine Court... she was very lackluster on GL. Although I guess she would have been a decent Ann.. one that was blind to her husband's infidelity with the newscaster. Also.. Marland seemed super toxic and controlling. He should have just came up with the overall story/outlines.. and let his writer write the scripts.

Season 5 is really where insufferable Karen really comes into play. She was more well rounded in the first four seasons and also had a sense of humor.. which goes away after season 4. Come to think of it.. Is Karen the Karen of all Karens?

Jane Elliott was/is a good actress... but sometimes a good performer just doesn't fit in on a show. She just didn't fit in with the vibe/atmosphere on GL. Someone in a previous message described her acting as intense and I think that could be why she just didn't fit into GL. I still am amazed that not only did Mart H get fired as Ed, but that Peter Simon was hired without him even knowing he was going to be replacing Mart as Ed. He didn't even know who he would be playing until right before he started on the show.

Season 4 retained the original 'Scenes of the Marriage' concept/atmosphere mixed with the soapy attributes it became known for later on. Kenny/Ginger were actually used to great effect with Kenny/Gary partnering up to help Cijii.. with Ginger feeling neglected in work and life by Kenny. Abby/Gary made a great power couple. Richard/Laura's marital issues come to a head when another venture by Richard fails as Laura continues to be supportive yet thriving in her role in real estate. Mixed in with the pseudo triangle with Cijii when Laura/Cijii become emotionally close with Richard left out again. Val finally having enough of being strung along by Gary in the first half season 4 was awesome... and I kind of understood her backside a bit when it came to Gary. Karen finally getting closure in regards to Sid, plus her new relationship/marriage to Mac is a new lease on life for the character.. and we start to see her character start to morph into the know it all without a sense of humor that we become accustomed to in later seasons. @titan1978 I think Annie could have come back.. but the show thought Diana and later Paige filled the role of the wayward rebellious daughter role. Annie at Lotus Point would have been interesting. Lastly, seeing season 1 through 3.. it is so apparent that Val and Gary were not going to make it as a couple. Gary was too hot and cold.. while Val was too clingy... and Gary wanted more while Val just wanted a typical suburban life. I often think Gary loved both Abby and Val because of the functions that both gave to him. Abby encouraged him to not wallow in his self-doubt while Val was supportive of him whenever he failed.

The only noteworthy thing about the Jessica Walter episode was that this helped jump start Diana's obsession with NYC and fashion designing..reasons provided when she moves there at the start of season 6. Looking at the Paige character...wouldn't it have made more sense if Annie Fairgate have been on instead of Paige? Other then Paige's brief fling with Michael..every other story given to Paige could have been given to Annie instead.

Dallas is 'on demand' on Freevee... Dynasty is free to watch on Pluto TV. I think this is a first step for KL to see if it can obtain some interest in the streaming era. They were successful in reruns back in the 90s/early 00s on TNT.. and even did ok on SoapNet... but no attempts at streaming have been done in the states that I could see. In this method, you make a bit of coin showing it on a loop on the Primetime Soap channel.. and if something happens.. then we'll see it on a streaming format like Freevee On Demand.. or something like that.

I forgot how well Val was written and treated in these early episodes. The Lie just played.. and while it was a great showcase for Laura... Val had some great scenes throughout the episode.. and the best scenes were where she wasn't saying anything.. it was all in her expressions. Lots of subtext... something the Latham's would know nothing about.

With Knots Landing debuting on LiveTv, I watched some of the final episodes of this series. Season 9 truly felt like a different show that happened to be called Falcon Crest without the charm and family atmosphere of previous seasons. It seemed sleek, cold, and devoid of any personality. And having Richard marrying that non-descript woman and raising the children bothered me. He was rewarded for his bad behavior while his poor late wife Maggie drowned and died. Pilar was not a bad character.. but she was no Melissa. Melissa/Lance should have been the end game.

Jersey: For whatever reason, the producers have always seemed unwilling to do cast changes even when things get boring, stale, or downright toxic. Dubai: From what I'm hearing.. Aylan thinks she and her 'team' (Stanbury/Taleen) won the reunion.. while Lesa was delusional thinking she was best dressed. Lesa's hubby is a saint being married to her. OC: While season 18 is a strong season, I do see the same element that has hurt Jersey brewing on this show. Tamra is too evil and I think she needs to exit after this season.. and she can take Gina with her. NY: Brynn, acting quite the ditz on WWHL, did state that Jenna/Erin were the MVP's of season 2... and I'm hoping that means Jenna is finally playing with the other cast members instead of pulling that whole 'oh I'm so shy and awkward' persona last season. I still hate that abusive Ubah was allowed to come back when she should be kicked off the show.

Rick and Abby should have been the next tent pole couple.. but the show didn't really know how to write for tentpole characters. Abby wasn't all perfect either.. she was a hot head and would defend a friend no matter what. Even Reva had to calm her down a few times when Abby was in defense mode. The show just didn't know how to write for her, and the actress had enough presence that people did grow to like her.. and with Rick too boot.

I liked the Dreaming Death story moreso now after the pandemic. It involved the Cedars crew, killed off a contract character (Lesley Ann in a gothic way) and helped solidify the Jim/Hilary coupling after she almost succumbs to it. Infinity was interesting because it was an umbrella story that involved most of the cast.. and it led to death of Lujack. I was hoping to see the fall out being Alexandra renewing a Lewis vs Spaulding feud.. but that story appeared to be dropped when Pam Long left as headwriter. Also, I have to say the Susan Piper story had a lot of promise.. and the way she died in the quicksand pit was very memorable. And I think Floyd as a killer might have worked if there was a bit more motivation written. Given that he was kind of a born loser in the 1979/1980 so it would have made more sense if he accidently killed Andy Ferris, freaked out, and tried to cover it up instead of confessing. That would have fit more with his character then him becoming obsessed with Beth and kidnapping India.

From what I remember, there was build up in 1994 for Dinah coming for a visit. There is a scene where Ross and Blake are waiting at the airport for Dinah...Ross excited and Blake nervous. And then she wasn't on the plane and Ross was wondering what happened. Only to find that Vanessa had asked Dinah not to come to Springfield because she was afraid it would hurt her case if Dinah was in town. This is most likely why you saw Ross tear into Vanessa on the witness stand...and why when Dinah came back in early '95..she had an axe to grind against Vanessa. Dinah was justified in her anger toward Vanessa in '95. She had soft moments with Henry...and had a typical older sister interaction with Bill. And I liked that she gave a bit of hell to Blake...karma based on how Blake was to others. I do recall Vanessa/Matt were supposed to be a fling...and it would have been better if it stayed a fling. It limited both characters. I don't recall what the plan was for Vanessa post fling..but I do recall the writers had wanted Lucy and Matt to be paired..no chemistry..imho. I think had the actress that played Julie opted to stay...I think she and Matt would have been interesting. Especially since Bridget vs Julie had been brewing for 3 years.

Based on these statements.. Mary Stuart should have been Trudy... a tell like it is individual

RHONY: I don't know... the debut season of the new NY cast members wasn't horrible.. but the powers that be needed to do a little bit of cast adjusting for their 2nd season. I would have 86'd Ubah because that individual is a walking red flag and seems almost boastful about abusing her significant others... and told Jenna she needed to share all aspects of her life or she needed to exit stage left. We shall see RHONJ: I haven't watched it yet.. but maybe this new format might be the way to go for the other franchises. I always roll my eyes at reunion time because all of the women look like ridiculous in their outfits and it's mostly a lot of yelling and cross talk.. and Andy Cohen just sucks as a moderator. I still don't understand why he won't just go away LOL RHOC: @Taoboi You noticed my lukewarm feelings toward Lesa on Dubai... but I tend to have those type of feelings for a housewife on every franchise that I watch. For instance, on RHOC.. those feelings go toward Gina. Unlike Lesa, Gina has no real value to this franchise at all... and I think she has something on Bravo/Andy because other more qualified housewives have been let go while she remains. She did herself no favors with putting Jenn's business out there and including it on the show. Not only did it make Jenn look bad, it also made Gina look like an idiot. And I wouldn't ever want to use Gina as a realty especially since the girl can't keep her mouth shut.

I could see a few bigger name soap performers being cast along with new blood. Debbi Morgan would be a given, and I could see Ms. Fox in a shorter term role on the soap.

I liked the Scott and Heather coupling... but the show didn't know how to write for them as a couple nor as individual characters (though Heather fared better then Scott). Any character that wasn't Cruz/Eden, CC/Sophia, Mason/Julie, Kelly, or Gina didn't fare well with the writers even if the story arc was interesting.

Agree to disagree. Derek seems non-descript to me as a character, but I can't judge it by just this one scene. However, Robert Newman was kinda hot.. and this Josh was loads better then the Josh we got once Reva invaded Springfield. And I kind of like the hair on Vanessa in this scene.. it seemed a bit funky and showed that Vanessa was still free and untamed as a character.

Oh.. Derek Colby... I've heard that name before.. but never saw him on an episode. Only time I saw the actor was in the Moonlighting screen test video.. and he was attractive.. but I don't know if he had that 'look' to be a memorable actor.

I think one of the strengths of the OC is that there is always some sort of cast rotation from season to season so the show always feels fresh. Even during shaky times like season 15, people knew that a cast change or two would happen after the season was over so people could hang on. Jersey, Potomac, etc have always had trouble with cast changes.. they always come too late and when the happen.. they aren't done well. BH would have a new lease on life if the show cut Kyle loose.. she drags the show down.

RHOC Jenn is equal parts Lauri and Lynn Curtain in terms of cluelessness and ditzy act. However, Lauri had better wallet radar skills and Lynn seemed to have had a skill/job she could fall back on if needed. Gina is doing too much because shr knows deep down that she hasn't really done anything to warrant keeping an orange. Alexis went from Jesus Jugs to Single White female. Shannon, at her core, seems like a nice person...but obviously lacks coping skills and good taste in partners. Emily's sense of humor, family life, and her ability to push back when provoked have earned her the orange. I sometimes get Jeana vibes from her Dubai: Stanbury channeled her Ladies of London persona for this season and it works perfectly for her. She struggled last season because she didn't know to chart the Housewife waters. Lesson here is to just be yourself. Lesa's only redeeming qualities are that she seems to be a good mom and she has great taste in men.