j swift

It seems like one of the problems of using cast photos in the openings was that characters broke up, women cut their hair, actors were recast, and production had problems keeping the opening current (remember how Erica Kane had that unfortunate spikey hairdo for years on AMC?) Also, with the huge number of floating head openings in various soaps, there were always those awkward actors who couldn't quite pull off the turn to the camera and look sexy at the same time pose (aka Holden).

If Jason had died in the pilot, bringing Jeff to town trying to uncover the secrets of his family while trying to manage their business, there could have been more story potential. At least there would have been some real stakes, rather than the morbid potential that Jason was secretly dying of some mystery disease at some point in the future. Also, I would have cast Connie slightly younger and more of a California prototype to contrast Sable (Barbara Stanwick seems to be gasping for air in some scenes, making her far too vulnerable and not glamorous enough). I would have chucked Francesca, made Monica into Connie's daughter, and waited to introduce Fallon until the cliffhanger of the first season. Finally, I would have never had Miles rape Fallon, which made him a totally nonviable long term villain, because he crossed the line into evil too early. I would have given Fallon more contact with Blake, because it seemed odd that she got her memory back and then totally ignored her father and her brother. But, I would have kept the alien spaceship because it was such an iconic choice and could have been used to make Fallon into a Shirley Mclaine-type psychic healer, which would have been very LA.

Hindsight being 20/20, (and aside from the waning interest in primetime soaps by the time it premiered), I can think of a few structural issues that doomed The Colby's First, Jason and Sable had too many kids, Monica and Bliss were redundant and neither was given interesting character definitions nor plots. It was obvious from the pilot that Jeff was going to be revealed at Jason's illegitimate heir, and four kids in one family is way too many. Second, there were too many Dynasty parallels. For example, there was no need for the Colby's to also be into oil, when in real life oil tycoon Marvin Davis had just bought a 20th Century Fox, and Jason could have done the same thing. Also, I think it would have been intriguing to flip the script and have Miles be more of an antagonist, making a male version of Alexis, rather than just repeating the same old recipe from the primary show. Third, there were no real bitches. Fallon was completely defanged in the recast. Connie should have been a cold bitch, but her second life as secret lover of a farmer made her too sympathetic, and she was rarely given any quips or bon mots. And Sable had much better scenes when she crossed over to Dynasty in the final season because she was finally given some independent agency. Her two seasons on The Colby's were spent securing her children's positions and trying to hang onto Jason, rather than ever being motivated by self interest like a classic soap bitch needs to be. Lastly, I think they didn't take advantage of using LA as a backdrop for the story. LA socialites are protected from the press because the news tends to be obsessed with actors rather than the real people with money in town. There were some stories that intersected with the entertainment industry, but Monica's foray in to music production was cringe inducing. Where was the plastic surgery, get rich quick, youth obsessed, aerobics crowd of the 80s?

I was just watching an episode of Thorne and Caroline and it made me wonder: in the course of her limited time on the show (not counting the backstory), how long were Ridge and Caroline actually together as a couple?

I recall watching the inciting incident, because it was well hyped, but the weeks of Eden in the cabin bored me so I did not keep up with it until Elena was shot. That's interesting that Cain was treated by Alex. I just read Alex's entry on the French SB site and I never realized that he was also involved in Caroline's fatal illness storyline and dated Gina. So, Elena must have chosen the spot to knock out Eden based on its proximity to Cain's cabin; pretty tricky. Wasn't Alex's clinic in Europe? Which does leave the question open of why Cain sought treatment there, as well as how long he owned the cabin, how he afforded his life without funding from Elena, and what was Alex's specialty given that he treated infectious diseases and psychiatric patients, but I guess those are details that we're supposed to over look.

My issue with Cain was that his motives were always so ill defined. When he held Eden at the cabin he seemed very mentally unstable, but then after getting shot and recalling his past he seemed stable, but then once the rape storyline was introduced he was suddenly unstable again. He mental health crisis was attributed to PTSD, but the recurrence of his symptoms was never explained. I mean he went from a recluse in a cabin to having a full social life without much intervention. Also, his relationship with Elena was never well explained. Was he just a paid accomplice, or was he somehow devoted to her cause? And how did she find him and convince him to take Eden hostage? Then, was he keeping Eden because Elena paid him or was it because he was delusional? It would have made more sense if he was being treated by Elena's adoptive father who somehow concocted the trio of Elena, Pamela, and Cain. It seems like he was side character who somehow gained audience support, so the writers found a reason to keep him in Santa Barbara, and then when the Dobsons were fired he became a victim of the new regime.

In the reboot Alexis was just arrested and then seen in prison wearing orange pumps to match her uniform. It was an homage to this scene of OG Alexis in jail that someone was kind enough to post on Tiktok #dynasty #joancollins #dame #alexis #adam #jail #detentionce.mp4

We have an Amazon Fresh supermarket in my neighborhood. It seems built for delivery rather than weekly shopping, because it looks more like a warehouse than a market. But, the oddest thing is that they are frequently out of stock on major items like flour and soda pop. If Amazon is out of stock, you know the supply chain must be an issue.

For me it was never the taping ahead that was an issue, in fact, I don't give a darn if they tape two years in advance. The idea that productions would change course due to audience response has always been a fallacy in my mind, and I don't think it matters when scenes are taped. I don't like the production model where they film multiple episodes with one group of characters in a single set, and all of the action takes place within that bubble. This was the same model before COVID, so I don't think it is a reaction to the pandemic, I would guess that it is just cheaper to film a couple of actors on one set and then edit it into multiple episodes. But, it feels claustrophobic. I recall the classic Y&R when everyone would have breakfast together, then go to the office, then off to Gina's for lunch, and the Colonnade room for dinner. The change in setting allowed different characters to interact and it felt like a town. In Salem, people go weeks not seeing their relatives with whom they live, and nobody seems to care what is happening on the other side of town.

I think the other side to this question, (and maybe it needs its own topic), is when has a soap opera made a comeback from a low point in its history? Some might cite Gloria Monty's fabled first run at GH. However, her success was due in part to creative decisions, as well as, the heightened interest in the rest of the ABC line-up, a very successful marketing campaign with "love in the afternoon", and mistakes made by competing networks in not modernizing their soaps. I would be happy with many of the ending cited in this topic, if it meant that more writers and producers got the opportunities to create their own soaps after these culminations aired. But, I would hate to see Y&R end after the Jabot takeover, if it meant a third hour of CBS gameshows.

I often wonder if we make too much of Lemay's memoir? It was written after he quit his longest and most successful job, but before he had many other experiences both in and out of the soap field. I recently looked back at the emails I sent after the one and only time that I ever quit a job in my entire career, and I don't feel the same way now that I did then, and I am able to find humor in things that used to infuriate me. In my memory he wrote some of the great mystery stories, because the repercussions were widely felt throughout various characters. His work on Friends and Lovers was mostly centered on young love. And, I've always appreciated the nuance he brought to characters. For example, Mac could have been just an older gentleman oblivious to the motives of his wife and daughter, (like many older rich guys on soaps), but he was bit a playboy (who could forget the bracelets that he gave to more than one woman), with an ego, and was therefore more complex than most. We saw how Iris became more "one note" when written by other head writers and I think it is a perfect example of Lemay's artistry. For whatever reason, I get defensive of Lemay's work because it was such a highlight of my AW fandom, and I loved the book. But, it obviously only tells one side of the tale, and the opinions offered may not have stuck with him in his later years.

This has been said before about Jim Reilly, but I took issue with the restrictive morality that drove every single plot. Characters were literally thrown into pits, assaulted, or sent to hell, because they merely kissed someone out of wedlock. It lacked any sophistication or nuance. During all those days of repetitive dialogue, endless monologues in rooms with one's enemy right outside the door, and numerous recaps of recent events, just once I wanted a character to gain some self-awareness or question the ethics that guided their beliefs. People went back and forth from good to bad but nobody really evolved. I mean if Erica Kane and Rachel Cory could grow to learn from their mistakes, I would hope Dr. Eve Russell could show a little progress over the almost nine years she was on screen and begin to wonder why she was constantly being punished for loving someone other than the father of her children. However, I am still amused that everyone in town use the full hyphenate of Lopez-Fitzgerald, when referring to anyone in that family.

In the new Dynasty Alexis does not run an oil company, or any business, that would cause her to interact with a self-made cowpoke like Dex, so there would have to be some finagling (maybe he could be her attorney?) Also, Amanda is lesbian (or at least had an affair with a woman) so there's less chance of an Alexis/Dex/Amanda triangle. My favorite of the OG series was Caress, I hope she somehow appears in Atlanta.

I like the idea of "secrets exposed" as being a good theme for stand alone episodes. With that in mind, I would recommend GL when Alexandra exposed Roger at the country club (12/2/93 according to soapcentral). Not only is it a tour de force performance from Beverlee McKinsey, but it serves as a great recap of the story. Similarly, I would choose John Dixon humiliating Lisa at their engagement party (11/95 again according to soapcentral). Larry Bryggman was such an excellent actor, and it rare that male characters are given the emotionally driven monologues outside of courtroom and romance scenes and this was a great use of history for the long running character of Lisa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbobwoZNQLo

I think it would have been hysterical if they had cast one of the prior actresses that played Cristol to play Rita

At the risk of applying logic to an illogical situation, one of the things that doesn't work in the MarDevil reboot is that nobody seems to be using the communication devices that are literally at their fingertips. I know the devil emoji showed up on the phone, but why aren't people warning their loved ones and keeping them informed of the danger? It's 2021, aren't the Brady siblings on a text chain where they can tell each their suspicions about Marlena? Don't Belle and Shawn text each other throughout the day to know when they're coming home? Haven't Doug and Julie facetimed with Kayla since Thanksgiving? In the 90s it made sense that most of Salem wouldn't know information until it was published in the newspaper. But, today information would run much faster than it seems to amongst the Bradys and the Hortons. I find myself yelling at the screen to Tripp, "why don't you message your father before confronting evil demons at work!"

Little known fact, Stacey's first dress, with the jagged bustline, was from the Wilma Flintstone collection 😊

Noelle Beck is/was such an incredibly beautiful person, but those dresses and veils were awful. At least the one with Trucker was pretty from the front, then you turn her around and she's wearing her own seat cushion. The bridesmaids did have it a bit worse, because they had to wear those tiered skirts in various shades of purple. And Gwyn's gold lame dress just screams, mother-of-the-bride who has slept with most of her daughter's lovers.

And, I fully support the preservation of old soap episodes for historical purposes. It is just not something I want to watch on a daily basis.

Maybe not that unpopular of an opinion, I am not entertained by watching entire episodes of old soaps, but I appreciate fan edited compilations about stories and characters like those done about Guiding Light. Even when SOAPnet played classic Ryan's Hope and Another World, I grew quickly bored both by the pacing and the having the knowledge of what would happen to all of the characters. I've never re-read a book, and I rarely re-watch films, so the thought of watching daily repeats of old soaps would bore me to tears.

I'm intrigued by the idea that a Diana/Sally rivalry could have fueled years worth of stories (daddy's girl vs. the abandoned daughter is a classic conflict).

There's some ironic amusement that the producers of Mansion of the Damned, A View from the Bay, and Erica Kane's autobiography chose to make those films in little towns like Monticello, Bay City, and Pine Valley, but nobody suspected that they may be con men, when it would have been easier, and cheaper, to produce them on a Hollywood soundstage. 😏

The Another World Facebook page just posted this picture titled as The Frame Family (Alice, Steve, Sally and Diana) and it fueled a ton of questions I know so little about Diana, except for the fact that she was short lived in Bay City and dated a stable boy. 1. When (and to whom) did Steve give his exposition drop about having amnesia while living in Australia? How did the audience learn about Steve's backstory once he returned? 2. Diana is referred to on AWHP as Steve's adopted daughter. So, did he adopt her with his late Aussie wife, or was she the wife's biological daughter and then he adopted her? I'm guessing he never got around to adopting Sally because she was an adult when he returned? 3. Why didn't Diana have an Aussie accent? 4. Did we ever find out why Quinn lived in Australia when she got the job working for Blackhawk?

The whole story feels as if it was “inspired” by a film of the era called Jagged Edge. The set up is similar, guy is charged with the wife’s murder, there’s some questions about his innocence, his lawyer gets him acquitted, the real killer is found, they fall in love, then the husband turns out to be a dangerous. So, given the similarities it seems like the story was planned to fill the plot of the movie, which was a familiar writing strategy of that time in soaps

The weirdest was Bobbi, who had reverted to her original form during the baby scheming, was suspended from the hospital due to her involvement with an evil doctor. Then, one the first day of the revamp she was inexplicably back at the nurse's desk in time to see Bill Eckhart in his hospital bed. And Anna had been dating a creepy member of the Jerome family, but suddenly started playing S&M sex games with Robert and tying him to columns. It was as if there was time shift but nobody told the audience...