j swift

Cleveland Amory was famous for hating everything on TV, except cats. He really liked cats and promoted the humane treatment of feral cats into the public conscience. That being said, it always seems unfair when TV critics write about a soap that they did not follow. It would be like a literary critic only writing about the second book in a trilogy without the benefit of reading the other two. It reminds me of when the NY Times wrote a review of the online versions of AMC and OLTL, the main thesis was that they were difficult to follow for the uninitiated fan. Of course, those shows were not meant for uninitiated fans, and few people would watch one episode of a soap and expect to immediately understand the plot. Also, he repeats that old yarn about Eileen Fulton being accosted on the streets of New York by a fan who could not tell fact from fiction. I dislike that story because it diminishes the intelligence of soap fans. Sometimes that mythical tale happened to Ms. Fulton in a supermarket involving a tomato and sometimes it happened on the street. However, I would give a hubbard squash to anyone who could actually verify those events.

I don't know if this counts as the type paranormal that you dislike, but there were repeated references to a psychic connection between Eden and Cruz that was supposed to confirm that they were each other's destiny. Before their wedding there was that weird story where Cruz was kidnapped by a mad scientist on an island. It involved ESP, wild animals, and Eden had a vision of the site of their wedding which Sophia was able to interpret as Pebble Beach (I bet if Sophia had a shared vision of the awful hoop skirts that Eden's bridal party wore she would have warned against it). Also, during Eden's baby's kidnapping there was a psychic character who helped solve the mystery. Is that the Xmas when Lionel was arrested and the Lockridges move their celebration to the jail? I remember that episode as really solidifying the charm of the Lockridge family, along with Minx's humorous take on the police of SB (although I can't remember if Laken was present).

Thank you for not seeing it as disrespectful because that was not my intent. To me, it is just remarkable that daytime shows in the 1990s thought nothing of styling the wife of a small town doctor in Italian silks with an asymmetrical hair cut. As you said, anyone with money could buy those outfits, but the sophisticated styling was what stood out to me. My amusement was derived from the idea that they valued urbane glamour over authenticity of the setting, but who could blame them, given their access to such high end designer clothes, jewels, and stylists. And it is stark contrast to the costumes of the later years of the show.

The irony here is that there is a never verified story that Marla had a clause in her 227 contract that if Jackee got a spin-off then she could never return to the main show. While on The Jefferson's, Marla's character got a spin-off that quickly failed and she felt lucky to be able to return to the main show. However, once she was the lead on 227, legend has it, that she resented the attention that Jackee received, so she put the clause in place. Jackee was given a spin-off, it failed, and she never returned to 227. So, the fact that she was hired on Days using Jackee's proverbial coattails is ironic.

I was just thinking about how amusing it was that the women of east coast soaps had such sophisticated fashion sensibilities in their choices of clothes, makeup and hair styles. I guess it would make sense that Barbara, Lisa, and Carly would keep up with the trends, but it is fun to watch the 90s episodes to see how often the other women are wearing major designers. It was also a different time when everyone was much less casual in their daily attire (from 90210 to Clueless every young woman wore a blazer with every outfit). However, I was watching an episode and in one day in Oakdale, Lucinda wore an Escada suit with coordinating coat and shoes, Connor wore a Donna Karan suit, and even Kim Hughes was wearing Armani head to toe. And think about how avant garde Kim and Carly's haircuts would seem to be in such a small suburban city. I'm not dissing the midwest, but one wonders about the authenticity of the availability (and affordability) of these small town women wearing high end fashion. I doubt that we would see many women in a suburban midwestern Target today looking as chic as those ladies. It wasn't just that their clothes were expensive, but it was complete polished looks that they tuned out on a daily basis (with the obvious exception being Emma Snyder). In real life, Ellie would have needed another farm just to store all of her hats. It is fun to look at, and I never questioned it when I watched them at the time, but upon rewatch, the fashions styling was really remarkable.

I would suggest that the reason Gwyneth's reveal was such a surprise is that there was not enough groundwork in terms of clues for the audience to be able to guess whodoneit, and the murders were implausibly committed by a woman of Gwyneth's age and experience. Perhaps a final "kaiser soze" like montage of the murders would have tied things up better but I was left with a lot of questions. For example, how did Gwyneth learn to make poison makeup? Where did she buy lethal candles? How could she lift enough cement to kill Jeremy? Why was Trisha's disappearance more traumatizing than killing her other child Curtis? They showed a pen in a promos for the murders so it was reasonable to assume. I think it was a rush job that was poorly written because there were too many loose ends. Steffy's final scene with Gwyneth, and Tess's use of the stalker to gain press were interesting. However, a week later everyone moves to Manhattan and never experienced any consequences from the serial murders. In fact, from the dead body in Ally's rug to the smiley face murders, one would think that the ex-Correntth residents had never met a serial killer

Is that when there was so much press about her salary? I recall that she returned with a large contract

I think it makes a huge difference when writers actually watched the show and then gave their recollections. It reminds me of the All My Children novelizations when the author always included a note about what the characters were wearing because that was obviously what interested her. It was a much more engaging form of writing, but was also subject to errors, such as those included in my favorite soap history book Soap World by Robert Laguardia, because their editors were not knowledgeable in soap opera cannon. In the late 1980's SOD played catch up so that the publication matched the prior week of shows. There were weeks when the magazine covers a month worth of shows in order to be contemporary with what was on air. In order to do so they relied heavily on the production synopses rather than employing writers to actually watch the shows. As a result, you can no longer follow the story just by reading the magazine. Which is why I treasure these forums. Every day people engage in smart dissections of the daily drama, often minutes after the episodes end. It is the closest thing to the "old school" soap columns and magazines of the 1980s.

I agree with @Franko that Bobbie's blindness scheme to keep Noah Drake, followed by her humiliation over his sudden departure from Port Charles really changed the character. From there she went on to her relationship with the abusive DL Brock, which resulted in her becoming an empathic stepmother to Terry, buying the brownstone, and becoming a de facto Mom to many of the youth of General Hospital. However, she backslid significantly during the adoption of Lucas, which caused her to be fired from GH (although that was swept under the rug when Gloria Monty returned and Bobbie was somehow back at the nurse's station when Bill Eckert was brought in), as well as during what I think was her most interesting period when she married Stefan Cassidine. I always felt the Damien Smith stuff was out of character, and her brief foray into undercover work to help Melissa was ridiculous. But, I really enjoyed the setup of the Stefan story and how it played on her history with Luke and Laura.

@FrenchBug82 Rob Lowe reenacts Kevin Dobson's hour in the makeup chair

I disliked Nick more than Dylan Hartley, (and Nick seemed so much older than Kelly) Something about the mullet-DNA in that family was very unappealing. I forgot that after Nick, Kelly met a psychiatrist named Justin Moore (played by Larry Poindexter, later of GH). It was during the phase when she worked at La Mesa and had her own apartment. Kelly was trying to create her own identity away from the other Capwells. That was also a lost thread that would have differentiated the character of Kelly from the other Capwell kids. As for Kirk, I enjoy the 80s yuppie qualities of Kirk that contrasted him with Cruz. He plays not only on Eden's desire to please CC and save the company, but also on her expectations for upward mobility that a cop on a boat could not fulfill.

I know Gina's family was messed up and retconned over the years, but who were Hayley Benson's parents and how was she supposed to be related to Summer? Suddenly there was Summer, Mack, and some other kid that Phyllis didn't raise well? The French SB site notes that Stan Benson was Gina's half brother. I think the other missed opportunity was not introducing more of Stockman Demott's family. He could have been married before Gina and she could have had lots of stepkids who didn't like her.

It seems like hyperbole to say he was a non-entity from day one because there were certainly a lot of story opportunities given to Warren that didn't pan out. Including his Oedipal-like relationship with Augusta, the sunken treasure, he was a murder suspect in Channing's death, and his newspaper. As I mentioned previously, there was clearly some chemistry testing with Eden when she parachuted into his front yard. And, he has this very amusing scene with Minx in the first month of shows where he is applying body oil in the living room, she urges him to get a real job, and he mentions some investors who want to open a new beach club. I am no fan of Maggie-the-cop (to this day I think her husband's catatonia was actually just a response to being bored to death by her), but those scenes of her sweaty fantasies of a shirtless Warren changing a tire were promo-ed for weeks. For me there are two key missed opportunities (1) Summer, connecting Gina in with the Lockridges thru her sister had a lot of potential. Warren could have helped Gina fight the Capwells and used his newspaper to garner support. Lilly/Ted were a pale retconned comparison to Summer/Warren. (2) Santana, looking back it is odd that they never paired Santana and Warren. They were the same age, considering that Warren and Channing were friends from school. It would have established that Santana had a type, sons of rich guys. Santana could have used a stable relationship with Warren in order to gain custody of Brandon. A Warren/Santana/Cruz/Eden quad seems like a natural fit within the SB ecosystem. And it would have avoided those creepy CC and Santana workout scenes.

Somebody asked a question on Facebook and now I can't keep the Mitch storyline straight in my memory. Here's the timeline as I recall, please feel free to correct: After St. Croix, Mitch returns to Bay City, he hides in the Cory barn. Rachel finds out she's pregnant after one night with Mitch in St. Croix, there's a confrontation with Mitch, the barn burns down and everyone thinks he's dead Rachel goes on trial for Mitch's murder, Mac finds out that he's sterile from the drugs that Janice gave him and that Matthew is Mitch's son ("Oh, Rachel") Mitch returns from the dead, goes on the run with Rachel, and they fall in love. Rachel is exonerated, gives birth, and she and Mitch plan to move to San Francisco Mitch goes to San Francisco, but Steve's return from the dead distracts Rachel. After Steve dies in a car accident, Mitch returns, he is influenced by a vigilantly father's rights group to kidnap Matthew, Rachel saves Matthew after a car chase, Mitch is arrested and goes to jail, until Sam marries Amanda and Mitch is released wanting to have a relationship with Matthew. Mitch has a relationship with Felicia, they break up, he remembers that he was a photographer, moves to Africa, and never talks to Matthew again My questions are (1) How long was he thought dead after the barn fire?, (2) How long did he stay in SF, and (3) How long was his return/kidnap story (on AWHP it notes that he returned for a week in 1982, but I think of the kidnapping as being longer with a chase in San Diego that is shown in one of the anniversary clips)? Did Bill Espy quit three times, or was the comeback always a short term gig? Was the kidnapping a plot device to reunite Mac and Rachel?

I'm leaning toward a fake out because there's been so much foreshadowing of Liam's death (from the wedding topper with its head chopped off, to the psychic, and all of the drama around his investigation). It is easy to see how Liam could have to escape, pretend he died, and then return in the cliffhanger at the end of season, just as Fallon has moved on with another guy. However, as a newly committed viewer, I would be let down by a fake death. There's been so many good scenes of Fallon and Liam as a team that I would hate for him to betray her trust by faking his death. We know he can't get amnesia again because that breaks all of the soap rules. And we know that if he fakes his death Fallon will forgive him immediately, which all seems too predictable. I'm still hoping for either Blake to die on the eve of Fallon's IPO, (which would have an impact on the entire family, as well as her relationship with Liam, and be a great intro for Amanda), or for Cristol to die (which would impact Adam, Kirby, and Blake). Either way with the number of times that they've mentioned the date of the IPO it has got to have something to do with the death.

It is ironic that Laken is not even home for Lionel's introductory episode. The episode ends on a cliffhanger with Warren mistakenly knocking Lionel out because he thinks that he's an intruder. Then the next episode picks up with Lionel regaining consciousness and trading quips with Augusta, while Warrren sits around in a robe, and nobody even mentions Laken or calls for her to come see her father. She's in LA during Ted and Danny's summer adventure, but I do not recall a follow up scene where Laken greets her father or remarks on his return. She such a nonentity that her presence is not needed.

I think it is most noticeable in the sets that seem sparse, like the strip club and the lobby at La Mirage. (BTW, did Sam know that Lachlan Buchanan (the twinkiest stripper in the South) went back to stripping? I recall he made a joke about it, but Sam seemed surprised to see him at the club.) It is less noticeable when they return from places where they would have seen other people like when Adam comes home from the hospital, or Blake and Cristal come back from the track. (I thought going from the Carrington Racetrack to the Carrington Plane was very Batman, going from the Batcar to the Batplane). (Also, what was up with the scene about Blake telling Fallon to buy plane, when her father who works for the company already owns one? I keep thinking they are setting up a plot that Blake is secretly working to destroy Fallon's company from within but nothing supports that theory). (And can we agree that only in soaps dresses come in those boxes with the lid wrapped separately from the rest of the package, and only in soaps would a woman want someone else to pick out a surprise wedding dress?)

I think there's one other interesting piece to the narrative Erika is trying to sell on RHOBH. When she first left Tom she stated in a couple of different scenes that he would try to punish her. The implication seemed to be that the stories implicating her in Tom's fraud would be his revenge for her betrayal. Luckily nobody seems to be buying that excuse, but I thought it was at least a creative attempt on Erika's part to explain her complicity. That being said, I have some sympathy for a woman pushing 50, who seemed to bury her gold digging head in sand, and now is anxious about how she will support herself in the future. I feel like it doesn't diminish the suffering of those who were victims to Tom's fraud to feel some compassion for Erika's anxiety.

I've been thinking a lot about the origin of SB and I've come to the conclusion that one of the largest issues was the writer's inability to define female characters in ways that didn't make them redundant from strategical plot perspective. Perhaps it was the age of the writing staff, or the fact that younger dramas like 90210 were years away from creation, but they really did a terrible job at creating a variety of female prototypes. Y&R was considered revolutionary when it began because it focused on young character, SB went even younger, but most of the teens were phased out because they were not unique enough to sustain audience interest. There were no Blair Waldorfs, Kelly Taylors, or even Lilly Walshes, to motivate me to follow from year to year. I've already mentioned that original recipe Gina and Santana quickly became redundant as Eden protagonists/younger distractions for CC with substance abuse issues. It could be argued that they were given different backstories, but their purpose within the plot was too similar to provide stories for both characters. I would propose that same was true for Kelly and Laken, they were both daddy's girls whose love lives were the main focus of their plots. Jade and Christie were interchangeable as middle class girls envious of their richer friends. Sophia and Pamela were both women who abandoned their children, returned in disguise, and remarried rich Europeans. SB would never have passed the Bechdel Test (two women who talk to each other about something other than a man). I would challenge anyone to recall a significant scene between Eden and Julia. The relationship between Kelly and Eden shifted according to the plot. And Sophia's relationships with Kelly and Eden were unexplored after her initial return. Julia and Victoria shared some fun scenes while Mason was kidnapped, but that quickly dissolved, and she seemed to only talk to Augusta about man troubles. All in all, there were too many female characters who were either ill defined or unexplored and I think it was a key element to many of the missed opportunities for stories that SB experienced in its short run.

This show gets more and more absurd: 1. The odd soapy way that everyone speaks to each other - case in point Sam's ex-boyfriend, "I'm your ex whom you weren't sure about, but then we impulsively slept together, and you haven't told your current boyfriend" - why don't they just say, "previously on Dynasty..." 2. Everyone gives up their secrets with very little duress - case in point Oliver telling Joseph that Alexis paid him to come to Atlanta. 3. Fallon is mean and unsympathetic, unless anyone from Jeff to Liam or Blake points it out and then she is instantly sympathetic 4. They refuse to acknowledge COVID, but go to extreme lengths to create scenes that don't need extras - its getting a little claustrophobic that 75% of scenes happen at the Manor. 5. Each episode there's an important scene that happens off camera, case in point the dissolution of Sam's club deal, why didn't we get to see his ex getting fired? 6. The costumes, great to look at but it is absurd that Sam would be wearing a see through jacket at the reception desk of La Mirage (why doesn't he have an office), Jeff is constantly in head to toe Gucci, and Fallon inexplicably stops to change clothes in between every scene. 7. That tiny male model that was cast to pair with Kirby, when she threw her leg up I thought it would catch him on his shoulder he was so short.

Karen and Monique tried to paint the picture that Gizelle was conning them by returning to a relationship with Jamal, rather than showing any compassion for Gizelle (who has been very unlucky in love) who had been betrayed by no fault of her own. It wasn't like Gizelle was trying to self-produce because Jamal barely showed up to film with her. So, their glee at her heartbreak was a poor reflection on themselves rather than a triumph over her prior shadiness. Quoting anonymous gossip blogs takes a lot less mental capacity (even when compiling them into a binder) than deriving an original bon mot which is why I am still on Gizelle's side.

Agreed, but has this series just evolved into a show about three guy friends and five women who barley tolerate each other hanging around Southern California?

RHOBH - What was up with Garcelle's sweater that she wore to Kyle's house? It was just sleeves and a cowl neck? RHOP - I continue to be sympathetic toward Gizelle because her humiliation at the reunion felt like an undeserved gang-up. However, her desire to have Karen apologize for coming after her "family" seemed delusional. Gizelle has come hard for Karen and never backed down or apologized, so thinking that Karen would afford her that grace is not reasonable. I've always felt that Robyn shines in the confessional. She has good quips and is quite observant when it comes to her opinions of the other ladies. I am particularly intrigued by the groundwork that seems to be put in place for a mental illness/depression storyline. Depression is under diagnosed in Black women, and it would be an interesting opportunity to shine a light on that issue. I am not intrigued by the new housewife at all so far. The inner harbor in Baltimore is pretty far from Potomac, which makes me wonder where Wendy lives. However, she seems devoid of humor or any self reflection, which is not a good sign. RHONY - With regard to Eboni, I agree that it is the inorganic nature that she was introduced that seems to be the issue. Along with the claustrophobic nature of the ladies always being confined to closed spaces. I like Eboni when she's drunk, and I think there is something interesting about her desire for fame which motivated her to work for Fox News and ruined her credit. However, she hardly seems like the right person to educate the other women on the movement because her relationship to the cause seems mostly journalistic rather than actually working on issues regarding inequality. Lastly, I have three issues with RHONY Bershaun. (1). She's a shapeshifter, in the confessionals she looks 10 lbs heavier than when she appears in Salem. (2) Was she married to a banker or a baker? I can't figure that out. (3) I am still waiting on the rest of the fandom to do the research on her many lawsuits.

Yes, when Eden was first introduced she was a Fallon Carrington prototype, a spoiled daddy's girl. She parachuted out of an airplane and missed her target by landing in the Lockridge front yard. Warren was there in his signature red tank top and it was some clear soapy foreshadowing of a romance, which would have been odd since his sister was dating her brother and they were already playing out the family-rivalry-romeo-and-juliet plot. Lionel claimed that Eden reminded him of Sophia. He (for lack of a better term) stalked her for a few episodes, then he took her to lunch, all the while dreaming of Sophia. Regarding the serendipity of Eden and Cruz, in an article upthread it was mentioned that Cruz was heading for the chopping block after the Andrade family was fired. Of course there is the long told tale that Cruz was saved by a chemistry test with Eden. This is made obvious in the rewatch because Cruz suddenly becomes more involved in solving Channing's murder than he was when first introduced. It takes 200 episodes to solve the murder and it seems like Joe was supposed to be the one to solve the mystery, using Sophia's help, but focus quickly shifts to Cruz. Looking back, I enjoyed Cruz and Eden, but her character was definitely tampered down to become a romantic lead. Early Eden has some of Marcy Walker's Liza qualities, she is a little mean to Gina and a little dismissive of Santana. She complains a bit about the lack of closet space on Cruz's boat. She's a daredevil and she's into riding horses. Then, she starts calling Sophia "Mama", she breaks up with Cruz when he dares to suspect Sophia in the murder (I mean she did lurk around in a disguise for months), and she becomes more of a damsel in distress. Her daddy-issues were an interesting motivation for the Kirk Cranston story (Kirk preys on Eden's desire to please CC and save Capwell industries during his coma), but I wish Eden was allowed more depth than being an object of desire in need of rescue.

I agree that Jed Allan brought a sex appeal to the role and their chemistry was worth rooting for, as opposed to the smarminess of Paul Burke (as previously mentioned the scene of Burke in a tank top and high waisted shorts working out with Santana make me repeat my lunch). What doesn't track for me was Sophia blowing up the off shore oil rig, that caused her divorce from CC and the downward spiral that included the affair with TJ. Her motive was insecurity over CC's relationship with Pamela. However, there's no logic to Sophia being jealous of Pamela. First of all CC left Pamela for Sophia, so his preference was obvious. Second, he made no secret of his disdain toward Pamela when she returned to Santa Barbara. Third, Pamela was always a bit unstable veering from anxious recluse to murderous maniac, so she wasn't much of a threat. I preferred Sophia as an object of desire to guys like Stephen Slade and Lionel who idolized her. I did not like it when Sophia was put in a position to try to pursue CC and she was made to feel inferior to women like Megan and Gina. Although, after TJ, her affair with Ken made complete sense and was such an interesting wrinkle that this aging actress could be so easily taken in by a con man who made her feel wanted. I also would have liked a bit more character study of the differences in her relationships with her kids. Eden was always torn by the abandonment of her mother versus the childhood fantasy of have her magical return. Kelly worked side by side with Sophia at Armonti and was therefore able to have more of an adult relationship. Ted, was just Ted, he didn't seem to think about his mother that often, and certainly never sought her approval like he did CC. And, of course Brick was abandoned and forgotten. An aging actress is such an interesting idea for a soap matriarch that it was a shame that Sophia was left so unexplored as a character.