KMan101

I need to start rewatching again. It's been a couple of years now. I agree that everyone was far too islanded in Season 4, but it seemed worse in Season 5. Season 5 was like two different shows. Jake and Alison's horrible relationship was completely separated and then you had Jane go psycho over Jake. While I enjoyed psycho Jane (to a certain degree), it was all so ... pointless to me. I also didn't really enjoy the Richard Hart story (some of it I did, like Jane and Sydney 'killing' him). I didn't really care for Jane and Alison and Jane and Jo hating on each other. Jane always seemed better than that to me. Same for Jo and Alison. I never bought them as catty with each other. I don't think some of those choices should have been made. I also agree about Kimberly. They were on the right path with her and then all of sudden it all went out the window. Very disappointing. The institution story, IMO, started the downfall of Melrose Place. I also didn't like Sydney being mowed down on her wedding day. The show was already losing so many faces and they had pretty generic replacements (Jennifer, Kyle, Craig). I feel like they were all clones. Jennifer of Sydney, Kyle of Jake, Craig of Billy (to a certain degree). Samantha of Alison, etc. I didn't hate any of them (well, Sam came close until she had a personality transplant in her affair with Jeff and fought with Jennifer). Jennifer felt wasted to me. I've never been a huge Rob Estes fan like some so I had no use for Kyle. It felt torturous sitting through his drug story and him and Amanda just didn't work, though I did feel he was a bit more on her level and they did, to a degree, match each other well. Always liked Peter and was kind of meh on Peter and Amanda ending up together. Peter's best relationship was with Michael and I thought Taylor brought out some interesting sides to him. Amanda as a tortured heroine in Season 6 did nothing for me. Terrible choice. Season 6 was so ... I don't even know how to describe it. They clearly struggled between camp and somewhat serious. I think the balance was MUCH better in Season 7, which I mostly enjoyed, even though it was a shell of it's former self. Season 7 was fairly solid, even though I thought it was ridiculous Matt was killed (off-screen) and had some diary and was suddenly BFFs with Amanda (it was likely because she and Michael were the only two really left that ever interacted with him. Would have been better had Michael been the one to initially deal with it, not Amanda). Biggest problems overall would be the personality transplants and shifts in character to fit the story. I loved the shock value of MP, but it's clear that characterization would often be thrown out the window. Alison always annoyed me, and at the same time, I couldn't help but like her. She was best as a raging drunk. Billy and Alison were way too focused on at times though. They should have ended up together but sometimes, in life, that just doesn't happen.

I agree about Holly and Billy. I saw a lot of potential but something just always felt a bit off. Like they were never totally invested and I really never enjoyed Buzz paired with anyone. GL had a lot of missed opportunities throughout the years. I hated the way they wrote Ben Reade, and also depised Jammy and the touting of Michelle and Danny as this amazing supercouple. They were BORING when that boring Nancy St. Alban took over as Michelle. It aged Michelle way too much. I actually never minded Nicole Forrester as Cassie. It was Cassie and Josh I disliked. Laura Wright was always so annoying to me on GL. She fits Carly on GH much better. I also always felt they should have brought back Roxie instead of inventing Cassie, so that's probably why I was never 100% behind Cassie as a character. I also never really liked Hart and Cassie and didn't like how they killed off Hart, although casting Frank Grillo to me instantly made Hart a throwaway character, which is clearly how they saw him. Hope, Alan-Michael and Mike were other missed opportunities. I never realized Mae would have turned out to be Nola's daughter. Why did Lisa Brown refuse to return? Because of the piss-poor writing for Nola in the past? I think Claire would have written well for her. Claire Labine had some good things on GL but also some misses. A very mixed bag, IMO. I really wish Millee Taggart stuck around. I really liked what she was doing. And losing so many familiar faces over the years really hurt the show. Fletcher, Vanessa, Holly, Ross, Phillip, Ed, the poor writing for Blake, Rick and Beth ... and they spent waaaaaay too much time trying to make Bradley Cole happen and I never ever warmed up to Gus Aitoro, sorry Ricky Paull. I also always thought they should have brought on Trudy Bauer. Also thought getting rid of Selena was a mistake. Patti D'Arbanville was great.

Sonny Corinthos and Luke Spencer, easily. Benard should of stayed gone in 1998 and Geary should have retired years ago.

I've always felt that was a mistake too. Especially all the times they kept bringing Alan-Michael back. As well as Mike Bauer. He should have stayed around in 1997 when he came back for the anniversary.

I can't wait for Barbara to go. Lord she's so annoying. She constantly interrupts and I just adore how Sherri and Whoopi throw her shade when they do. Sherri got so annoyed the audience laughed. Barbara caught it and even questioned it but Sherri played it off. The show has lost it's edge, honestly. I agree that with Rosie it was the last real attempt and now it just feels like COMPLETE fluff. Not that it wasn't fluffy before, but they at least tried to be serious at times. I personally think Jenny gets a bad rap. I only really watch it for Whoopi. I don't always agree with her, but for the most part I do. I also don't think there's that much hate anymore. Star's been back, Debbie's been back. Rosie's been back. It's not going to be a reunion like the Real Housewives have. Wigs won't fly, punches won't get thrown. It's clear that at the end of the day they all respect Barbara. I don't get this fascination with women hating each other. I miss the days of Meredith and Lisa. Hell, I even miss Joy.

Yes. It was such a good birthday gift last year, LOL. I miss AMC a lot. More than I ever thought I would.

I loved Catherine Hicks as Faith. By far my favorite, honestly. Even though I liked Karen Morris Gowdy in the role. I don't think Faith was ever written 'evenly'. I also think they didn't seem to know what to do with her half of the time.

Wow, no wonder she became an alcoholic. LOL. Funny seeing her history like that even though I know all of that. You realize how much they put Erica through. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

Thanks from me too. I appreciate anything Y&R uploaded. I've only regularly (well on/off, right now off) watched since around 1997/1998, so I love seeing the classic episodes.

1999 and 2000, minus a few missteps, were great, IMHO. I know many hate on PASSIONS but as Chris can see, the show gets VASTLY different. It had a lot of potential in the beginning. I really hate it went on such an awful doward spiral into complete craziness. Deanna Wright was my everything as well at the time. She OWNED that role and just wait. She gets much more delicious, especially in 2001, with Ivy and Grace. I know Wright left over her religious beliefs, I believe, but dang, I wish she had stayed.

Yeah, that's where I watch. EDIT: Hmm, looks like that's gone now. Damn. That was fast. Anywhere else to watch anybody? I hate dowloading but will if I have to. EDIT AGAIN: I found a new channel, after logging into YouTube, and it's starting with December, so damn, I have to find the rest of October, November and first half of December.

Ugh. I'm glad I'm behind then. I still need to post some more thoughts. I'm finishing up October and took a break after the explosion. Leanne's death was incredibly sad. Darren's a mess and I love cray Sienna (her talking to the pregnancy pad was priceless). I also like that Nancy went back to short hair, I think it works better for her. Darren being Sandy's son and his reaction is somewhat LOL. I don't really care, even though I like them both. I'm also already tired of Fraser shoved down my throat. Lindsay losing the baby wasn't surprising, I figured she would. I absolutely love Lindsay, Mercedes and Cindy covering up Paul's murder. Can't wait to see how it continues to unfold. I'm also enjoying Will's undoing. Ash had such potential. I was disappointed most in her death, TBH. (Actually, I think Callum's was a mistake too). And the way Patrick manipulates Maxine without her even knowing it is crazy to watch. Cutting out Ash, her job, her self-esteem ... I did like they had her get some of that back when they broke up so she could sleep with Dodger to create the next 'reveal' they seem to thrive on. And damn, Claire was creepy, but I would have liked to seen a little bit more of her. Not sure how I feel about Freddie and Sinead. It seems like Sinead has a new love of her life protector every month. The last one was Trent, which was a two second relationship. And lol at Ziggy sleeping with Frankie. I sort of liked Ziggy and Ruby for some reason. And I was so happy to see that creature go off on some cult 'change me' recruit vacation. He's so annoying. This story makes Phoebe somewhat unlikable. It's actually made me like George, who I couldn't stand initially in this. I'm really not here for this story. Or Danny and JP. Yawn. I'm not sure what to make of Danny's wife yet. I like her more than him already though, even though he's not terrible, IDK. Something's not working for me. And I'm seeing the setup for the JP/Robbie/Finn story. Anyway, still gotta watch November and December. Also starting HollyOaks Later. I see it's mostly Tony centered and they're using the ones that get mostly ignored on the regular show (Esther, Tilly, Callum and Holly). Hated seeing Myra's exit, very sad, and was glad to see JP get that time with her. I liked her going up against Browning. I will point out it's clear they go for shock value on a pretty daily basis. Not something I'm complaining about at all but damn, it seems like something constantly happens (and I get I'm watching where numerous people are exiting at the same time). I do like we get some character time though.

So thanks to YouTube (and right now, bandstandmike) I've been watching different bits here and there. Makes me miss GL a ton. It's always been my second favorite, after DAYS. Anyway ... watched the 5th Street fire (when Vanessa and Matt saw each other weren't dead in the fire/explosion and made out for like six thousand hours in front of everyone). Lots of Justin Deas literally yelling from a rooftop. Seriously? Ugh. lol. Melina Kanakaredes was so endearing as Eleni. The recast's accent was so overdone. I also watched December 1995, centering around Reva and Hart both back in Springfield. Wendy Moniz, no offense Gina Tognoni, is reminding me why she's the only adult Dinah for me. Marshall Hilliard wasn't that bad as Hart, he was dumped for Frank Grillo right? Yuck. Why? There was still so much there with the show and the cast and it's now even more sad that in 10 years the show would be near the pits until the final year (well, the last few weeks when many people returned). I don't think 1995 comes off that strong to me. I know I've watched mostly McTavish stuff I believe, and it's clear they had little interest in characters such as Gilly by this point. It is great seeing Nola, too bad she's pretty wasted. Reva's return seems like it was ultimately handled badly, even though the fallout has been great to watch, it comes off a bit ugly and Reva seems so overly villified by everyone like she chose to take a 5 year vacation away from everyone. I get she was around/in town and didn't say anything but still ... And Cynthia Watros has been amazing. She's so good. Oh and I have to LOL at the apparent Tangie proppping (I believe I'm jumping timeframes back to the fire). I love me some Marcy Walker and she clearly wasn't the problem. The writing was basically "Tangie was soooo wonderful." or at least that's how it comes across at times. I loved how they had Vanessa and Holly both rip her but of course they come off looking like complete bitches. I haven't really minded Holly vs. Tangie though. I feel like they tried too hard to make her work when they honestly didn't have to. I also feel like when really thinking about it, 1997-1998 was the point where GL ultimately never recovered, IMO (many characters exit, etc). And then the San Cristobel garbage helped kill it even quicker, IMO. I never minded the Santos as much as they seemed to be hated, but I could take or leave Danny. Carmen was fun. Anyway, I'm rambling. Just wanted to post some thoughts to maybe spark some discussion. And it's been nice to watch a GL with a budget. I almost forgot what it looked like when they had actual sets.

I wanted to get back into watching, but haven't yet. Is there a good starting off point due to the transition? Maybe I'll just jump in with December. I was thinking of starting in September (I can get through them fast if they're interesting enough) because I notice that's when things began to change, in terms of casting, etc.

Thanks John for posting the link! Sorry to those I hadn't sent a PM, just checked back in here ... The first Frank was so bad. I always preferred Daniel Hugh Kelly's Frank. I'm not sure what I feel of the last Frank. I can't remember his name this second and don't really feel like looking it up, lol. How many Frank's? 4? 3? I always felt RH downgraded most of the time when they recast. Sometimes they hit a bright spot (Randall Edwards, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Karen Morris Gowdy) but man, I was often never impressed. Even the Patrick recasts. The second one grew on me the more I rewatched but I always preferred Malcom Groome. And Nancy Addison Altman is just so terrific. The cast had some really great actors. Not that I didn't already know that but watching the episodes again after such a long lapse from watching the reruns on SoapNet makes me remember why I really enjoy RH. I'm so glad I saw the first several years and now I can see the last several years.

Will do.

I'm sure this isn't news to many but I've noticed on YouTube two users (that I've found so far) have uploaded a crap-ton of Ryan's Hope episodes. One has the earlier years, while the other has the years SoapNet never aired straight from 1983 all the way until the very last episode. I'm not sure it's EVERY episode, I haven't even begun to start watching. I don't want to link or name but I'm noticing more and more soaps popping up on YouTube and they're staying up so for that I'm very grateful.

Oh and because they deserve it: Carmel/Jim <3 though I've heard she's had more interesting/better pairings. I like them both and they constantly make me laugh. Jim's reaction after he realized Doug had 'gotten some' the night before (when he slept with JP) was absolutely hilarious. I loved the twist of him as Dr. Browning's stalker, I knew it wasn't Myra but I just LOVE the shade this woman can throw. I'm so sad the actress left and I have to watch Myra exit. Also, Trevor's a pretty good baddie to watch. The actor just can't seem to make me hate Trevor even though that man has his hands in EVERYTHING, lol. I see he's in the opening now so I guess he's around for the time being? And I really like the opening, sure it's green screens but I think they do a good job and it seems frequently updated, likely due to the constant turnover. I see mass exits are pretty normal (for all the UK soaps) especially in production changovers.

Added my thoughts in your quote

Yeah, I'm getting that, and seeing that, and it's .... ugh. But there's a lot about the show that's actually entertaining. It's an easy 23 minutes, lol, but the ugliness ... and yes, people do just disappear. I thought GH was bad but HollyOaks seems to follow that "story rotation" but IMO it's probably budget and how much they can use people.

Can't believe I haven't given HollyOaks much of a chance before but I'm watching it and really enjoying it. I started with the April 29th episode the other day and am already into the end of July. I'll be caught up likely this week. I like that it's quick and there's cliffhangers constantly. The acting is alright, the plots were easy to get into, as were the characters. Very easy, without doing much research. I am aware of who's gone by now, from when I was watching. I had to start with the first week of May/end of April because I saw a video of Texas falling slow-mo out of a window on her wedding day. I knew I had to watch this show. I do kind of like/dislike at the same time, how there seems to be all of these crazies around. Sienna (I sort of love her, but they were writing Nancy really pathetically at the time) is definitely crazy. Mostly love her. Patrick is creepy, and I sort of hate seeing what he's doing to Maxine, although I'm not totally spoiled to them, though I did read she and Dodger hook up? I think Patrick's gone too? And I'm SO tired come July of hearing about damn Texas and her murder. Girl was STUPID. Bye. I'm sorry to see Ash is going to bite it soon, along with Doug and Leanne. I liked all of them. At least slimy Will is getting off my screen soon too. Wish he'd take his pretty but awful actor brother Dodger with him. All he does is cry and get angry and drink. Yawn. He is pretty tho. I really like what I've seen of John Paul and have already looked up videos of his past story with Craig. Meh to the Danny romance but he turns out married? And Ste's father? LOL. I love how outlandish this show is. I love Gillian Taylforth joining the show as Sandy. Makes me wish they never killed Kathy on EE. She belongs on EE as their matriarch but I'll gladly have her on HollyOaks. I'm blah to her boys though. They're alright but not particularly interesting. The younger one, Jason, seems to be the most likable. I've read Joe cheats on Lindsey? Blah, I ike her. You could see where the show is going with them right from the start. I'm enjoying Paul's over the top breakdown over the dead Lynsey. LOVE LOVE Mercedes. I'm aware he's done for soon. The McQueens are hilarious. They don't seem to know what to do with Theresa at all. Also sorry to see Myra's exit coming soon as well Phoebe/George/Vincent took me a little by surprise but I should have seen the George/Vincent angle coming. I like Phoebe a lot but she can be a little annoying at times. If I hear Sinead and her accent shout KATY one more time ... I like her though and it was interesting they put her with Ste (I've read all up on his history), who they seem to write differently on a regular basis. One day he's angry and beating someone, the next day he's cleaning the house for Sinead ... then he's coming on to Doug, but wait he's yelling at Doug. Oy. I'm SO glad Tony finally told Diane (at this point remember I'm at the end of July) about the cancer. I like Diane a lot, except when she's nasty, it does her no favors, and Tony is alright but the cancer thing seems like they don't know what else to do with him. I do like Cindy being there for him, love her too, and her bitch of a daughter. What happened to Callum? He was shot by Robbie and in the hospital and he's been off my screen for weeks along with Martha? I know they both exit (such a shame the Kanes were axed, IMO, wasted potential with all of them), and Callum exits on that Later show? Anyway, some rambled thoughts from watching episodes from May, June and July 2013. Sort of not looking forward to the John Paul/Finn story. I just can't buy that this kid I just saw fishing with Tony will end up doing what he will do. I guess I'll have to see what's currently happening to judge, but I'm sure it will be a heck of a story. I feel like this show punishes the good characters beyond belief (is there REALLY a need to see John Paul gay bashed and assaulted?) and if they do something wrong they're punished. Like Maxine's abuse by Patrick. It seems like just a lot of ugliness, but I also like that the UK soaps are generally more gritty and not afraid to pretty much do anything.

Haven't watched the show in quite a while. But all the changes sound interesting and DTC seems determined to restore the show so I'll gladly start watching again.

Ooh. Such a good example, lol. Totally agree. I'm trying to catch up watching online. This show is so painful to sit through but at the same time I can't stop watching.

Yeah, not surprising at all. BYE! Jenny McCarthy and Brooke Shields would be great additions.

Yeah. Season 7 was so much better than Season 6 and I never gave it huge credit before but it was solid, and felt like a mature Melrose, but Lexie/Eve were great. The show was also hugely expensive to produce which played a big part. I don't think ratings were THAT bad but I really don't know. I'd have to go look, but one doesn't go without the other, really. Not to mention Locklear's reported salary at the time was insane.