pdm1974

True...I don't think we ever got the full or real story. It is bizarre since his character was the center of the show at the beginning. By early spring, Joe was already dead.

I enjoyed this story too because it used so much of the show's history. We finally found out what the hell happened to Carl! I was disappointed that it got dropped- what felt- suddenly. All the actors played it beautifully. It did seem that TPTB were thinking of making the Williams family more of a focus. During this time, Mary receives a hang up phone call that we're led to believe is Patty. Of course, we wouldn't see Patty again for many more years until SH played her (That was another waste of great story potential when they painted Patty into a corner. I thought the character was fascinating and could have continued if they hadn't taken her so dark.) Having Paul kill Ricky, while it provided DD with some great material, was also short-sighted IMO.

I was pretty shocked when Adam pressed Alexis' face into the fire. It seemed super brutal and violent. I'm glad they're keeping the character around, but I hope they make her ruthless and less some sort of comic relief. It was revealed last season that Dominique was Blake's half-sister....making Jeff and Monica Carrington cousins. Not sure how I feel about the new Adam, but I do think this show needs a real villain. The show doesn't seem to know what to do with Jeff. Hopefully, Dominique's arrival will help. Also, I wanted Cristal's brother to stick around. He was hot!

SB did quirky comedy so well! I think SB was truly ahead of its time. Imagine if it came out now!

I wonder if an early evening soap would work in this day and age when more people are at home and can actually watch...but maybe that's what streaming is for.

I was surprised when Jason was written out. I thought he and Julie could have been a great way to develop a younger set/ next generation of characters. I know not everyone enjoyed Jason's intro story, but I thought it was an important one that explored child abuse in a frank way you didn't see on TV at that point. I was disappointed by the dropping of Michael at the end of season 12. Not only was he great eye candy, but he still had a lot of story potential and could have been a pairing with Kate.

I never understood the whole point of the Karen road rage plot was. Maybe is Jason had died in the accident it would have lead to something.

The budget in the last season had a definite impact on telling the story arcs because characters couldn't really be utilized as needed. There was one episode, I believe, that had just Karen, Mack, and Anne with supporting players as filler.

The character of Alexis needs to be completely salvaged. She's not a threat at all to Blake...or to anyone. She needs to be playing nastier and causing tons of conflict for everyone. Cristal 2.0 has been really strange. They really haven't given her anything to play. Love Monica, and I think they should make her a regular. I'm curious to see if Dominique arrives soon. We need someone to stir the pot. I feel the first season was so tightly written with great jaw-dropping twists. This season has been okay enough but I don't nearly look forward to it as I did during season 1.

At this point, I almost exclusively watch everything on streaming, including the soaps. TV as a whole is moving quickly in that direction. I've said before if the AMC and OLTL versions were launched now the results could be very different.

Wow! I never knew that was the reason for Lester leaving. So the hiring of Gordon Thomson must have happened VERY quickly.

And, am I remembering correctly? Didn't they switch Masons between Lester and Thompson in the middle of an episode? I believe the episode started with Lester playing the role and then they switched about half way through. https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE Just found the link where they did the switch mid-episode. https://youtu.be/UhaecIiMTkE

Her just simply going off the cliff would have been much better. Terri Garber's character came with way too much baggage to ever work. I know they tried to use the story to launch a new romance for Cruz, but it was just too soon.

Pamela easily could have been SB's version of Alexis Colby. I remember this being sooooo unbelievable. How could Cruz not recognize Eden with just a bad wig and glasses on? It was like Lois Lane not recognizing Clark Kent was Superman. There had to have been a different way the story could have been told.

While not my favorite storyline in the least, I thought both actresses were amazing in the clip, and I love the use of the show's history.

I remember being in middle school and seeing this scene! Even then, I thought....this is really odd.

Lord Stewart Markham Cushing. I love it! That's a VERY soapy name!

I can't remember Pamela's husband's backstory. I'm assuming he was supposed to be Jeffrey's father, too.

And Pamela was such a wasted opportunity, too. She should have been a real powerhouse of a character. Marj Dusay would have been terrific to have in the role from the start, and the end result for the character might have been quite different. I don't remember much from Terry Lester's time as Mason besides when Julia and he put Sasha in the freezer after finding her dead. I'll never forget seeing Sasha in the freezer with ice on her while the actress sung "Am I Blue?" in the background. It was that bit of dark humor that only SB could have done...and done well.

Yes, that would have been amazing to have Lane Davies play it. Although, I think Gordon Thompson played it well. If I remember correctly, the Dobsons had taken control again around this time, and they believed Mason had gotten far off track. So, they designed the episode to sort of reboot the character and remind the audience of his backstory. I remember watching the episode recently on YouTube and really enjoying it. There was also a dropped interesting subplot that was launched at that time that never developed into anything. A few times Mason speaks about Rosa and her family having some of their land, which became quite profitable, stolen or bought by CC in a bad deal for the Andrades. Rosa mentions not wanting to dig up old history, but Mason assures her that her family will get justice. Then, after a few episodes it's never mentioned again. it could have been compelling if developed especially Santana returns not too long after. What if the Andrades all of a sudden came into some real money? It's a shame that Wanda DeJesus didn't get along with Jed Allan, or the rest of the cast. Santana was such a viable and interesting character. Very true! I should be so lucky.

Favorite specific episodes... SB had so many excellent individual episodes...I was wondering which ones others remember. My top one is the Capwell dinner when Mason brings Pamela. The dialogue was so sharp, the performances on mark, and I loved all the wonderful backstory of CC/Sophia/Pamela and how their relationship caused Mason so much pain as a child. We also get hints that Eden's losing it, and Pamela drops the bomb that Cassie is actually a Lockridge. Plus, we get the pure pain Mason feels when he realizes his mother is not mentally stable...and he's losing her all over again.

Thanks for the clarification. It's great to see Anna Stuart's first episode. Outside of Jake and Kathleen, the McKinnon's didn't seem to really pan out. It felt like they didn't know what to do with Mary once she reunited with Vince.

I'm not sure what the reason for her firing (and the short-term recast that followed). She was easily one of the most dynamic actresses/characters the show had at the time. It was a big loss for the show!

AW went through tons of changes during the early 80s. It feels like many characters (and actors) came and went at lightning speed as they were trying to slow the ratings decline. I can't remember what was said to happen to Donna, Nicole, and Peter's mother. Does anyone recall? I feel like AW was trying to recreate Stefano on DAYS with Reginald.

I found it okay enough to give it a second view. I agree that having one of the aliens be gay was a nice twist and addition of diversity.