carolineg

18 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

Sigh... 1996 for DAYS was wonderful, start to finish. The Aremid storyline will always be my favorite, and it should be noted that it was during the Aremid arc that DAYS not only hit No. 2 in the Nielsen ratings, but *STAYED* at No. 2 until December of 1997.  We can thank "Tony" (or whomever) for framing John and the Lady in White walking around town in white lace for DAYS' Nielsen victory, not a possessed Marlena ...

 

I go back and forth between Aremid or Maison Blanche being my favorite. Aremid is probably better overall but I loved all the Stefano/Marlena/John stuff and finding Gina/Hope in Maison Blanche.  The Possession is not really one of my favorites, but it was fine at the time.  I don't ever re-watch it though.  

I still think the Lady in White is the most annoying character ever.  So much crying and wailing.

28 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

I remember thinking at the time that he was not well suited to play a cop.

 

Kristen Storms has her charms as

Maxie- screwball comedy, bitchy rivalry, and she is capable of drama.  Much like LC as Monica though- they have made her into a tragic character several times over the years, and stopped writing to their strengths.  

She is kind of like a modern Lucy, that unfortunately never was allowed to actually go as far into selfish or as fun as Lucy, and never got that one rival (Bobbie) or romantic pairing to carry her through (Scott).

 

Genie Francis could play light and dark material equally well, although she excelled at emotional material.  Kristen is being asked to play that kind of material often, and it just doesn’t sit as well.

Oh the summer of sleaze!  I was firmly in the Jason Liz camp, and have never understood why it didn’t happen.  I recall rumors that it was yet again (SJB’s Carly) a pairing Steve did not want to happen.

 

The only time I enjoyed Sam was when she went bad during this.

 

I also had forgotten how involved Manny was in everything.

 

Even though at the time I was mad Laura was gone and the vets except Luke and Tracy were all but gone, I did enjoy characters like Lorenzo, Patrick, Skye, Jesse, Ric, Georgie and Dillon, etc.  I just needed more balance.

 

Also, how typical of JFP and Guza- the majority of characters I liked that they created were the men.  The women got such horrible writing.

The guy that played Jesse wasn't very good.  

I really like Kirsten Storms and I think she plays Maxie well, but GH never really utilizes her right. And they dress her terribly..    I sorta wish she just stayed playing Belle on Days. I always thought her and Spinelli were popular?   Maybe not.  Spinelli was an annoying character always lol.

I liked the Summer of Sleaze.  It was ridiculous and made everyone look bad but it was literally the only time I liked Sam.  I am not a Liz/Jason shipper or anything but they really got nothing overall.  I mean, a kid, sure, but they never got a chance to be anything more.  It was bizarre and I am sure behind the scenes stuff, but they deserved a shot.  They have good chemistry to this day.

GH has always puzzled me in the way they discard vets while shows like Days literally still use their 60 plus stars to lead stories lol. 

2 hours ago, YRBB said:

March 1996

After 40 episodes of threatening to rape Hope, finally the whole Jude St. Clair story comes to a head and, I’ve got to say, it’s pretty fun – Hope’s escape, Bo risking his life to find her, Jack determined to prove Jude and Peter are connected. I like that Peter shot and killed Jude. Overall, this was a good story.

 

The infamous “Letter” storyline has begun and I’m anxious to see how it develops. Marlena's got that damn letter in her bag for over a month now and hasn’t seen it. Jesus.

 

Vivian finding Stefano in her bed made me gasp. A great twist.

 

There was something very touching and poignant about what I assume is Sarah's last appearance when Jack mentions that she told him she didn't know anything about love the first time they met and she says that, after watching him, Bo, and Hope, she does.

 

I didn’t expect the feels I felt when Hope and Alice hugged once Hope returned to Salem (which finally gave Laura, Mike, and especially Mickey, Maggie, and Shawn a reason to come out of storage).

 

It’s utterly fascinating watching Kristen's slow transformation into a villainess. Say what you will about Reilly's DOOL, but this is masterful writing, expertly delivered by Davidson.

 

And it's always good when Sami reveals the tragic hopelessness at her core. It helps ground her. 

I love this era.  I loved everything about Aremid and it's ridiculousness.  Unfortunately, when I re-watch I generally skip ahead to Paris shenanigans after Aremid ends.  I feel like the show just treads water for those few months in between.  I mean the damn letter is the star of May Sweeps 1996 lol.

ED does so well with Kristen's descent into villainess/crazy lady.  I hated her in 1996, but looking back it's actually understandable.  John and Marlena practically swoon all over each other 24/7 but they just decide to not tell each other for really no reason at all lol.  I won't spoil it for you because it gets so good, but I will say I hope Marlena still has that letter framed somewhere because it took a lot of time for her to get it and read it.

Peter was a great villain.  It's too bad there were personal reasons he couldn't come back because he's a villain that should have returned several different times.  Heck, even now.  It's a shame the story was really less effective due to recasts.

I definitely think Sami/Austin/Carrie really gets good after this, but Bo/Hope get worse.  You can tell Reilly didn't care to write for Bo/Hope the way he did for Austin/Carrie and John/Marlena.

One thing I love about Reilly is that the entire cast is involved in these stories.   All of Salem except Carrie/Austin/Sami were involved in Aremid.  The entire town basically all goes and hangs in Paris during that storyline.  It's a little silly but I like how so many people are connected during these stories.

13 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

Was he a cop? The only thing i remember for sure is that he was very cute, and ended up dead.  The first of her dead partners.

Jesse was a cop.  He was Lucky's partner and I believe died in the line of duty.  It was the first of Maxie's dead partners but his death actually began the set up to Maxie/Lucky's weird affair.  

I mean if they are only going back a few years why aren't they starting with 2013 and the 50th when the Nurse's Ball came back?  Are Jack Wagner, Rick Springfield, and Vanessa Marcil too expensive to pay residuals to?

I think WN was pretty sexy in the 80's but in the 90's no lol.  RoJohn/John was definitely the sexier of the two, but I don't think either are classically handsome.  I can see the appeal in both of them and WN was hot in Dynasty.  By the time he returned to Days all the charm and most of his chemistry with DH was gone.

Also count me in with those that hate Marlena's short 80's hairstyle.  I like her so much better with longer hair always.  I was devastated in 1997 when she cut off her awesome long Paris hair for that unattractive, shaggy short hair.  It makes her look older and matronly.

16 hours ago, titan1978 said:

There was a period of time when I thought GH would maybe pair Luke and Alexis, at least for a tryst.  I also thought Alexis and Jax should have been given a shot.  But I also like V, and wanted her to get with Jax as well.

 

I also thought Laura had chemistry with Mac (after the Felicia affair), Tony, and Sonny.

 

What was up with Maureen and Roger on GL?  If they had not been forced to kill her off, I wonder if the show would have gone there.

Yeah, it definitely seemed like Luke and Alexis were going to hook up for awhile.  I am always curious why Jax and V were dropped completely.  Probably BTS stuff but V seems like a character everyone liked and would have been a solid post-Brenda pairing for him.  

I also thought Genie and Maurice had a lot of chemistry lol.  Genie is a real chemistry magnet. Even though I thought Diana was a dud of a character on Days-she was really good with Drake.

Probably unpopular but I always wanted a Jason and Brenda fling on GH.  Not forever love, but I think it would have shaken up a lot of things.  Also better than the mess that was Jason and Courtney.

I second the Jax/Alexis thing.  I thought they were 100% going there in the early 2000's but then they just didn't

I always thought Days should have paired Chad/Will too.  

55 minutes ago, KMan101 said:

 

Yeah that seems to be the case with Frank/Vanessa. Shame. But we get Nina's legacy and Kim Nero. Anywho ...

 

And agreed on LW's Carly. Definitely the worst traits of both. I can't even imagine SJB playing this version. And it wouldn't be written like that with her in the role. Also think they do a disservice by not using Bobbie more. Like Heather Tom, I dream of SJB still playing Carly. But that's all it is. lol. And at least Laura Wright can act circles around Mo, unlike Heinle who sleepwalks through her scenes. Anywho ..

 

Agreed on Jarlena. It's their best option at this point. I'll take it at this point.

I mean, I have no idea if that's the case with Frank/Vanessa but it seems like it.  You know Guza would have camped out in Vanessa's back yard to get her back if he could have.  Frank just seems indifferent. But her stock was a lot higher back then too.

LW's Carly in general doesn't bother me.  She just comes off loud and obnoxious.  I didn't have a huge attachment to Carly to begin with even with SJB so it's not as jarring.  I liked both TB and SJB and Carly as a character should be a lot more interesting than she is.  But LW seems like a great team player, loyal, attractive enough, and honestly always tries.   Her lack of chemistry with MB bothers me more than Sonny and Carly.  They are fine, but they should be so much better.  But then I hate when they pair Sonny with some young petite brunette, so I guess I am okay with it.  Carly could do better though.

AH and her messy hair bother me.  And I liked her on loving.  She is the KeMo of Y&R.  Boredom is their acting choice...

4 hours ago, Dr Neil Curtis said:

Right! They hated each other...

Stefano definitely changed gears away from Marlena about 15 to 20 years ago, but I can still buy it?  He was obsessed enough to kidnap her a billion different times so I'll give it a pass.  I think Deidre Hall still looks stunning and Jarlena were great today.  Ridiculous and OTT with a side of bad acting, but their scenes were still good soap to me.   I squealed in my living room over John's dialogue and obviously I could tell it's a show on a shoe string budget but John and Marlena still resonate with me as a soap viewer.  

58 minutes ago, KMan101 said:

 

Exactly.

 

I think some folks on social media are pressed (basically the Cin stans) that the fabulous Deidre Hall is currently leading DAYS as she should and leading a storyline right now and they hate it. Ron knows people want to see Marlena. Stories good? No ... it's a lot of wash/rinse/repeat but that's what Jarlena fans seem to want and I get it at this point after being punished by Higley and Tomsell.

 

It still boggles my mind this show drove away Sarah Brown and seemed to have driven away Vanessa Marcil. Not sure why Frank can hire any out of work daytime actress but Vanessa Marcil sits at home. I get Laura Wright fills that void and they've merged the two characters but it doesn't work.

Cin stans definitely hate Marlena and John for some reason.  I think Ron wants to feature John/Marlena and it has to be a Marlena in peril thing because, at this point, Jarlena have certainly outgrown any third party interferences that aren't wacky or villainous and it's all Ron knows how to do. Can you imagine him writing a serious cancer story or something?  On Days now?

I think it's weird to think Days became "The Marlena Show" after she joined because I only really think she was super heavily featured was in the mid 1990's.  She was always a lead but never overtook the show like Reva or Sonny did on GL or GH.

I know SJB has/had issues with GH, but I don't really think Vanessa does.   I just don't think there is much interest on either side.  FV doesn't seem to want her and she doesn't seem to care. When is the last time the show even mentioned her?   She seems perfectly content to just do a Lifetime Movie a year and raise her kid.  I am sure she will come back one day if only for the end.

Laura Wright fills that void fine and I guess it's sorta a merger of the two parts, but not the good parts of Carly and Brenda lol. Not anything that made them unique.  LW plays Carly like a soccer mom and that's fine, but it's not Carly.  And her and MB just really have no romantic chemistry.

1 hour ago, John said:

GH: Was Oscar's Mom Supposed to be Brenda but VM wouldnt retturn so they created Kim

 

GH: Wasnt Rebecca Herbst originally to be Alexis Daughter leading to a Cassadine/Sppencer love story but they made Becky, Sarah's sister, Elizabeth

I heard the Elizabeth thing a long time ago, but I think it was that she was going to be the long lost daughter, not Sam.  Not sure if it's true or not. 

The VM one was just a rumor.  There is no real evidence to suggest that Brenda was ever going to be Oscar's mother.  I think the show just didn't know who the mother was going to be and fans speculated. Just like they are with Dev now even though we have no indication Brenda lost her son in Turkey lol..

I have always wondered though if Cooper Barrett was supposed to Julia/Brenda's sibling or Julia's son.  Or if they just randomly named him that.

14 hours ago, BetterForgotten said:

And with the unfortunate timing of her Tweet regarding John Callahan, Nancy Lee Grahn is another one I am surprised has lasted this long on GH...

 

Alexis hasn’t been the go-to lawyer in years, her romantic relationships have largely failed, and her connections are pretty thin overall.

I actually really liked Alexis and her relationships.  I liked her with Ned, I liked her with Jax, and even liked her with Sonny.  But then I saw NLG's twitter and it colored my entire view on her and her character.  She's a reason stars shouldn't have social media.  Her and CC both just seem like drunk crazies and it stinks because they are good at their jobs.  But saying all that Alexis really isn't all that necessary to the canvas on GH.  The list of people I'd get rid of before her is pretty long though. I did enjoy her this week when she told Sam she was an idiot.

2 hours ago, KMan101 said:

 

Yeah, Belle, Brady & Philip were the worst aged (but then came EJ) up. Brady and Abby should be the exact same age. I always resented they didn't grow up together. lol. Then you had Philip and Will who should be the same age, basically. Belle should be a year younger than Abby! It's sooo bad.

 

Will and Shawn-Douglas are actually the best in terms of aging up and only really being aged a couple of years more than they should have been.

 

Brady should not be Sami and Eric's contemporary.  

 

I mean, lord. EJ was born in 1997 and became Sami's "soul mate" (gag). So ridiculous. Two years YOUNGER than Will and he's now in his 40s and her love interest. LOL. Yikes.

 

But then we've had Mike Horton aged and de-aged and then put back more where he should have been. Same with Abby. Oh DAYS ...

It's weird Days seem to struggle with SORASing while other soaps do an okay job at it.   I can't think of an instance where GH hugely threw me with SORAS the way Days has.  

51 minutes ago, ghfan89 said:

This goes back to power plays between the TPTB. Guza wanted Ric as Lily's brother, but since he was a FOJ, Jill wanted him as Sonny's brother to have more ties to the canvas. Jason and Courtney happened because Jill pushed for the idea, then Frons came aboard and agree with her. Guza was basically outnumbered. He did not care for Courtney and offed her the first chance he could.

Well that really stinks that Guza was outnumbered.  It really was a quick drop of Jason and Liz that's for sure.  But I get the decision to change up Ric, not because he was a FOJ, but because the story probably would have been better with Brenda and then she left.  But in all these years I am surprised none of Lily's relatives popped up to get revenge. Besides the useless kid Migel and lily had and he just was as lame as his parents.

17 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

From what I can recall, SB was against any romantic storyline at that time except Robin.  He did comment in interviews that Jason would never truly fall for Carly because she couldn’t be trusted and acted too impulsively.  I know that several kisses were scripted over the period of time between her being with AJ and then Sonny, and they really only kissed like one time.  And then again when the PC Hotel was on fire and TB was in the role.

 

I always kind of assumed he thought Jason needed to be with a “good” girl.  Robin. Liz (when Lucky was dead).

 

Also- was there ever a plan to really pair Liz and Jason?  Again, it seems like at times they were going in that direction only to have it stop.

 

Also GH- Luke’s big last story was not originally DID.  It was Bill Eckert.  But Ron wanted to twist instead of have it make sense.

Hmm.. that's so interesting he clung to Robin.  I wonder why?  Didn't Kmc say specifically she did not want Jason and Robin when she came back?

I think there was a plan to pair Liason in 2002 but then I think Guza became infatuated with the idea of Jason/Brenda and we got Courtney in the interim.  And what about Ric?  He was clearly supposed to be Lily's brother and they just completely changed that.  He had flashbacks of a car blowing up.  Never explained lol. Wasn't there always rumors of a Liason pairing and it got nixed by Frons?  Idk what's real or fake with the Liason/Jasam stuff though.

12 minutes ago, ghfan89 said:

Why SBu was against it is anyone's guess. I've heard multiple things to it being personal, to him making comments that Carly was crazy and he didn't get why Jason would put up with her.

 

No it was earlier than that, when Riche was fired and Guza left at the end of 2000. Those were his plans for Gia and Zander retrospectively but JFP had other ideas, which included bringing on McTavish as head writer. Courtney she brought on cause she worked with ALW on AW. Guza was gone for over a year, and by that time JFP already created Courtney as Sonny's sister, and turned Zander into a sorta love interest for Carly.

That's all super interesting thanks!   My memory about some of the 2000's is off.  I am much better at the 90's. 

I am surprised SBu was so powerful back then.  It was before Jason was the savior of upstate New York, but I guess this was probably back when MB was off the show and they needed a mob lead.

I don't think ALW or Courtney is the worst. They just made her out to be the most awesome thing ever.  She was fine with AJ.  Zander and Gia were just much more interesting but probably because they weren't shoved down our throats.  Gia being Sonny sister would have been such a fascinating dynamic.  I actually would have really liked to seem them play that instead of Sonny's blonde perfect sister.

30 minutes ago, ghfan89 said:

What I heard was that SBu complained to Wendy Riche about the Jason/Carly plot, but when she wouldn't listen he went to Shapiro to get it changed. I think Guza wanted Carly with Jason and then Robin with Nik. There was a blurb in the magazines about a possible story with Nik and Robin falling in love only for Robin to find out The Cassadines having been holding Robert hostage the whole time he was "dead". 

 

Another big one dropped was Gia as Sonny's sister. Gia and Taggert's mother, Florence, was suppose to have this huge past with Mike. Gia was suppose to be the half sister of both, caught in the middle in a similar manner her love interest Nik was between the Spencer and the Cassadines. All this rich development was dropped because JFP wanted Courtney.

 

Zander was suppose to be SBr Carly's adopted brother. There was even dialogue with Zander and Emily early on about how he grew up in Florida.

Why was SBu against it?  Robin and Jason were good, but not a supercouple or anything lol.  I assume that means it was something personal and that is pretty unprofessional.  I remember them chem testing Robin and Nik and Brenda and Jax being super fan girly about it and all for it and thinking it was a little bit of an extreme response to Nik and Robin having lunch at the Outback lol.   I was open to it.  It was becoming increasingly obvious Jason and Robin weren't compatible anymore.

I heard the Gia sister story.  I think that would have been good.  I loved MR as Gia.   But wasn't she recast around the time this would have happened?  I don't recall the new actress being very popular, but I don't think the show put much effort into Gia after MR left.  And, I guess ALW isn't really popular either, but Courtney was pretty decent when she was married to AJ.

I am not sure why they didn't have Zander be Carly's brother?  It really wouldn't have changed much except it would have been creepy to chem test them like they did with TB's Carly.  It would have made him more important to keep on the canvas though.

20 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

With Brenda there would have been so much more emotional investment.  I wonder if they would have had the miscarriage or let her have Sonny’s baby? Jason had already been saddled with one kid that was not his to raise.

 

Also another intention that never happened- Guza clearly wrote Jason and Carly as a couple.  And even back then, I watched Steve try to play against it.  But it would bubble up as a place of contention between the three during sweeps.  I always thought it was because of Sarah and not necessarily the character.

This is purely my speculation, but I think they would have let an S&B baby live.  And Jason and Brenda would have been a minor thing and in the end S&B would end up together.  I think Jason and Carly could have ended up together too.  Him and TB's Carly had good chemistry. And Michael would have been just raised by them.  Sonny and Brenda having a kid would have negated needing Michael to be the child that ruled Port Charles.  Although a Sonny and Brenda child probably would have ate the show even more lol

.I always thought it was so obvious and odd SBu played against him chemistry with SJB.  I don't know what that deal was but wasn't he super invested in his pairing with KMc?

26 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

 

Then Culliton had one issue after another.  Genie went on maternity leave and didn’t want to return Because the writing had declined so much and she wanted to be with her kids.  Geary and Culliton fought over where the story was going.  Robin went away to college, KM only appearing during breaks, disrupting her andJason’s story, Maurice Bernard quit.  Riche was distracted launching PC.  The show had about a year and half of terrible stories and dropped characters and plots.  The only thing I remember starting with Guza and him having a hand in finishing it after he returned was Carly’s reveal as Bobbie’s daughter.  The rest of his OG plots all dissolved.

 

What strikes me all this time later is how much of what was so good during that time came from other stories and he just adapted them.  Genie Francis wanted to have a secret and tie it to her missing years (Nikolas).  The bone marrow story had been one of the rejected ideas to bring Luke & Laura back to town (which was deemed not big enough/enter Frank Smith part 2).  Jason’s accident and Carly and Jax were set up by Labine.  I’m not saying he wasn’t talented, but he got that show at the exact right time.

Yeah casting was rough at that time.  Didn't Rena Sofer leave rather abruptly too so Ned wasn't doing a whole lot either?  And I am sure it didn't help when VM quit then unquit screwing up the S&B happily ever after.  Thanks for breaking my teenage heart so you could have your nervous breakdown story, Vanessa!  And I am sure it didn't help that the girl that played Miranda didn't work out and neither did the girl that played Gina Cates.

The thing about Guza is he was really good at big events but stuff did fall into his lap.  The Sonny, Lily, Jax, Brenda stuff.  The Laura/Nik stuff, some really good casting finds in SJB and TC.  But he also did tweak things right like moving Jax to Brenda when Rena quit and I think he paced things pretty well.  And honestly the Carly/Bobbie story was the best story at the time. The baby Michael stuff was by far the best stuff to come out of 1997.  I am not defending him because he spent years ruining GH but I think Guza was okay until 2003.

18 hours ago, titan1978 said:

For all the hatred between PFS and Monty, they worked together again on GH a few years later!  
 

GH-

 

Guza left to start Sunset Beach, and the show was still pretty good for about 6 months.  Then it fell apart.  I have always wondered how all his stories would have played out- Miranda is a Cassadine (ended up as Alexis’ backstory), Lesley is alive, the faberge egg/Lucky’s video game, Bobbie married to Stefan, the Cassadine takeover of GH-  all of it seemed to be building to something only to fizzle out, and hardly be touched by him when he returned.

 

GH again- was the original story going to have Rick having molested Laura?  Also, what about the hospital story they were doing at the time?  Genie left and that was it.

 

GH- was the plan really to pair Brenda and Jason before Vanessa and JFP could not come to contract terms?  I have read Sam got some of the Brenda plans.

 

Count me amongst those wanting to know what PFS’s Ice Princess story entailed.

 

DAYS- the biggest question of all- what was Reilly’s original Salem Stalker plan?  I have read here a couple of times that by the time we get to killing Alice, the plans had already been changed.  Was it always Marlena?  When did they decide to kill people that were not in the original plans?

 

 

I always thought some of that Cassadine stuff got pushed back because of Genie Francis and her maternity leave that lasted really long. 

I heard about Miranda being a Cassadine, but wasn't there a lot of stuff just dropped back then that wasn't Cassadine related also?  Like Mac having some backstory with Jax and the family? And the entire Dr.Dorman murder, drug stuff that lead to Lily's father could not have been the original plans. 

I feel like the show was really messy for a bit and Guza probably didn't even know where he was going with it.  Also most of this stuff happened when PC premiered so I am not sure if GH got all the attention it should of.

I think they were going to pair Jason and Brenda before Vanessa left, but I don't think it was going to be endgame or anything.  I think Guza wanted to do it since 1998-they interacted a ton after Sonny left. 

I have heard this story for years-I don't know if its just on other boards or if it originated with a KeMo or Guza interview or if it's some S&B fanfiction- Sam basically just took Brenda's place in the story he had planned.  Brenda sleeps with Sonny, there's a who's the daddy with Jax, Brenda ends up with Jason and they fall in love.  I would think a S&B baby would have probably made it and in the end S&B would be together.  I mean, it makes a lot more sense with Brenda in the role.  

I definitely have an old SOD or SOW somewhere that Guza said he did not expect Vanessa to leave and he had a ton of story planned and had to change a lot.  So knowing Guza, he just thought I'll hire another petite brunette and no one will know the difference as was his MO in the late 90's and early aughts.

34 minutes ago, Dion said:

 

Funnily enough, I'm not sure whether Shawn was actually SORASed in 1999. Recasted with a much older  actor in Jason Cook, sure. But being a sophomore in high school meant his age was still consistent with Collin O'Donnell's version. In any case, Shawn was only three years older than his real age during the Last Blast era, whereas Belle and Phillip were respectively like 9 and 11 years older than their real ages!

 

Not sure if it has ever been mentioned onscreen (Maybe Hayden's mom might have actually said her name) but most sites seem to agree on Carolyn.

Yeah I kinda forgot about awkward in between aged Shawn.  I remember seeing him and Brady and Belle as kids but I can't recall seeing kid Phillip at all.  I maybe would have waited a couple of years to age the whole crew because the adults had so much story but like I said my bigger problem was them going from teens to a bunch of people that wanted to settle down and have kids at age 20.  I guess that happens on all soaps, but I don't remember seeing the late 90's teens on GH being that obsessed with marriage and babies when they were in their early 20's.

2 hours ago, KMan101 said:

 

I never cared for Brady and Nicole with Eric Martsolf in the role. Friends? Partners in Basic Black? Yep, gimme that all day every day. But, honestly, after the ugliness between them with him forcing her to dump Eric and skip town, which ultimately led to everything, it kinda bothers me they're all just fine with each other. But that's DAYS. Maggie is like the best person Will Horton knows!! Dontcha know?

 

And to be fair, Kyle/Arianne were together and share a daughter, right? ... they had chemistry. I do sort of lol at Ari hooking up with Kyle and now she's with Shawn Christian. Kyle seems like the better catch. LOL Anywho ...

 

Nicole/EJ were great. Another reason I hated EJ/Sam

Nicole and Brady were whatever.  I am honestly pretty indifferent to all his love interests.  But I liked Brady/Chloe the best probably.  They had good chemistry but they were a little too cheesy with the singing and the cancer and scarred face lol.  I liked Nicole/EJ.  It was miles better than Sami/EJ, but I loathe that pairing.  I'd rather she end up with Rafe than with EJ.

I love we all can agree Victor Webster was super hot, so I let that all slide as far a SORASing.  Because Nicky Alamain was always a strange choice for a character to bring back. So glad he was able to met Melanie lol.  I mean it's bizarre we have never seen Andrew Donovan but we brought back Eve?  That seems like a weird missed opportunity.  It's like on GH where we have never seen Tommy Hardy, who is a dr.  or Liz's mom.  Does poor Liz's mom even have a name?

26 minutes ago, Franko said:

Popping in to share some thoughts. The Langan era was when I cut my teeth on DOOL, so I'll admit to being biased by nostalgia.

 

I definitely agree that Belle (and Philip) were SORASed too soon. For that matter, so was Nicky Alamain, who could have easily fit into Philip's role, rather than being approximately Austin and Lucas' age. In retrospect, the writers shouldn't have burned through so much story for Carrie, Sami, etc. in six years.

 

Kyle's take on Brady seemed so flamboyant and affected.

I don't think Belle being SORASed as a teen was that bad.  It was more after.  It's not like John, Marlena, and Kate and Victor looked too young for that. And hope was very young when she had Shawn. And I think Shawn D was ready to be aged.  I think they just burned through a ton of story with Belle/Shawn/Phillip moreso than Carrie/Austin/Sami.  Belle was married twice and had a kid by the time she was what 22 or 23?  It was too much.  With Carrie/Austin/Sami it was a lot of airtime and focus but it was really only one storyline thread.  Sami and lucas scheme.  Carrie and Austin stay apart over and over.  Maybe her affair with Mike should have had more story, but weren't they both leaving at the time?  Idk with Belle I feel she went from teen to a 30 year old super quick without anytime to be in her 20's.  With Sami I felt she did a lot more until they saddled her with 1000 kids.

Also I agree about Nicky Alamain but that actor was super hot.  I do think they de-aged Nicky once CC came back as Carly but I could be making that up.  I mean, if I can't remember he probably didn't do anything important.

1 hour ago, Antoyne said:

Aww I actually preferred Kyle Lowder over EM big time. He was the Brady and I knew and EM was the Ethan I hated on Passions. Plus he’s too old.

EM is too old but he reminds me of Drake in his mannerisms.  It's always jarring when both Eric and Brady look older than Sami and it's not like AS looks super young or anything.  I think Belle was aged up way too much as well because now shes Sami's contemporary basically when Sami kidnapped her as a teen and her conception was a narrative on the show for YEARS.  But Paul is the worst.  He should be around Belle's age, but is Will's but they in theory were born at similar times?  Idk, once I start on this line of thinking and get to EJ my brain just starts to hurt.

23 minutes ago, KMan101 said:

 

I wasn't huge on Kyle as Brady, even though I liked him far better, simply because of how awful they wrote Brady. But looking back I regret I didn't appreciate him as much in the role.

 

I think Eric fits the role better now, personally. But I agree with you I hated him as Ethan and thought he was horrible. He's come a long way. He's definitely too old but I think he works better as Drake's son, personally. The ages on DAYS are all fucked up anyway at this point lol. There's a 9 year age difference between Kyle and Eric. 

Kyle played Brady like a selfish, spoiled brat which probably is all writing.  But his incessant whining about Isabella was OTT. And I will be honest, him and Chloe singing was just a lot.  When they broke out singing the Sound of Music-I get second hand embarrassment just thinking about it still..  I also don't get how Brady had a vastly different childhood experience than Belle.  Poor Carrie really had it the worst when you think about it and she ended up okay (for soap standards)

2 hours ago, KMan101 said:

 

Same. I have nothing better to do either lol.

 

They were so well cast. Langan really played up that family, even if it was ugly between Brady and Marlena for a time. He milked that [!@#$%^&*]. I disliked a lot of his tenure but after years of Higley ... he looks great compared to her and others. LOL. Tomlin wanted to but I think he was derailed at times, not that he didn't make some bad decisions (killing Jack, writing off Carrie again)

 

I think a character like Robin is needed. I'd certainly rather have her at this point than Maxie, Lulu, Sasha and Willow honestly. I don't think I'd want a recast. Folks love HER Robin. But almost everyone is recastable, imo. They should probably just use Emma at this point. Why did she pop up (I figured they wanted Robin/Kim but went with Emma/Brooklyn instead) and then literally vanish? Did I miss her leaving? lol

The Brady/Marlena stuff was just so untrue and bizarre.  I get angst but they were making crap up that was nothing like we saw onscreen ever.    I  have always been bummed they never made Brady as close to Marlena as she should have been.  He didn't even know Isabella and this is probably unpopular but I always thought Isabella was super lame.  Yeah it's sad she died but get over it.  Your Dad's been with Marlena basically your entire life calm down.  Brady has always annoyed me.  Although I like EM better than Kyle Lowder.

I would watch Robin over pretty much everyone on the GH cast. I would rather watch her read the phonebook than Chad Duell and his crew try to be interesting.  And I probably wouldn't even consider her one of my top ten faves of all time.  She is absolutely needed on the show and I really think she has a lot of versatility. She's a doctor. Anna needs her.  Carly needs a foil.  Liz needs friends. Sonny and Jason need their cheerleader lol. I don't need to see Willow and Sasha 4 days a week because I honestly think they are the same person most of the time.  

20 minutes ago, KMan101 said:

 

LOL. I loved Jensen's Eric too. He was perfectly cast as Marlena's son and Sami's twin. He was great with Christie Clark too. Just loved him. Still do! lol.

 

Agreed on Sam. lol. And yeah. Her and Jonathan Jackson would/could never ever work. I'm pretty disappointed though how Lucky is ignored and became a deadbeat. JJ is so famous in the role but they CAN recast. I'm just glad they finally did it with Nikolas. And of course now they're wasting Marcus Coloma.

 

Anywho I guess we're probably derailing the thread a slight bit ... lol

Total Thread derailment, but I have nothing better to do lol.

Christie, Ali, Jensen, and later Kirsten Storms all really looked like Marlena's kids and believable siblings.  Even though I guess Belle and Carrie weren't related but still.  Kyle Lowder as Brady did not look like John and Isabella's child though.   They all really interacted well together.

I would welcome a Lucky recast with open arms.  I rarely think a role is unrecastable.   I certainly think Lucky needs to be on the canvas.  And I wasn't so wowed with JJ in 2010 or whenever that I need him to return.  I think Robin missing from the canvas is a huge issue as well.  I know KMc appears when she can and you probably couldn't recast, but her presence is missed.