j swift

58 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

I do feel as if Pikeman was meant to be someone other than Cyrus Renault, etc

Yeah, I keep going back to the idea that a Pikeman is a reference to a warrior armed with a pike (a primitive fishing tool) and is often associated with German and Russian soldiers

Given the amount of Russian details mentioned during the Cassadine storyline, I can't help but think that was a clue.  Which is why I always suspected Dante's time as a prisoner would be referenced. Also, I'm still stuck on who Valentine went to meet with after Anna house was torched.  But, I think there will be a lot of loose ends left between the writing regimes.

8 minutes ago, watson71 said:

It does make you wonder if any of TPTB ever thought of bringing Gerald or Pammy Davis back to Bay City.  It would have been a good plot twist to have Gerald be Justine’s father and have him plotting with Justine against Rachel.  At least it would have explained the resemblance between Rachel and Justine.

ITA, but do we also have a consensus that Diana Frame never needed to return?

Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but I read that Morgan Fairchild has either an arthritic or a neuromuscular issue, which requires her to be prescribed steroids that puffed her face.  So, I think her current "look" is not just a case of failed vanity.

@Liberty City & @AbcNbc247 ITA on the pacing of the scab writers, but it would be juicy to know how much they veered off course with the original intent for the Pikeman story.  We've all probably seen or read the references to the NYT article surveying daytime writers about the effect of the WGA strike in the 80s on plots, where the Ryan's Hope writers admitted that the Michael Pavel murder was not written as they intended.  So, although there are fewer forums to read such an article, it would be fascinating to hear if the Charlotte and Austin twists were part of the original outlines.

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting on the last part of Sheri Anderson's DAYS novelization trilogy...

We got a Stirring in Salem and A Scandal in Salem, (although neither were actually set in Salem), and now my Amazon cart still reminds me of my pre-order for the third one.

@Mona Kane Croft I am bemused that you still insist Mac was wealthier than Steve three years after you sparked a huge debate on the topic of Mac vs Steve's estimated incomes

Although, at this point I would agree that even though Steve bought Iris's mansion, and owned a big company, his wealth was fleeting and Mac's was generational.

We need a good term for the stasis that occurs when other characters are SORASed

For example, it is wild that Matthew wound up in a romantic triangle with Cass given their age discrepancy, yet within the soap universe Cass remained in his late 30s to early 40s for over a decade while Matthew aged dramatically.

Similarly, it was accepted that Vicky and Amanda became contemporaries, although Victoria was clearly older both in her backstory, and from when we saw Amanda born on screen.

I miss Soap Opera Weekly's influence on discourse, so I still wish one of those editors would coin a term for this "only on a soap" issue.

Final thought of the morning, it is a shame that the characterization of both of Rachel's sons was so fluid.  I prefer Matt when he was an artist, over Matt as a corporate raider, just as I prefer Jamie as an author over Jamie as saintly doctor.  In both cases there was an attempt to make them more like their mother, but it didn't stick

I wonder if there was ever a reference to the spin-off characters once they were cancelled?

Does Robert ever reference his family or their business?  Does Ada ever wonder what happened to Rachel's father?  Did Rachel never call the Cushings to see how their marriage turned out after she and Mac counseled them?  I mean, it would make sense why Rachel would ignore Pam, but as you mentioned @Mona Kane Croft unfortunately ignoring people doesn't just make them go away.

I don't even recall them referencing Somerset or Point Clair as geographical locations after their cancellations.

BTW Point Clair being in Illinois does nothing to solve the debate of which state Bay City was in at the time, (or when it moved), because it was within driving distance for Mac and Rachel either way.

I'm sure Nick had his fans, although I was not among them.  I thought Mark Mortimer was a charismatic actor, and I like the choices Kevin McClatchy made in his scene (messing with Matthew's sculpture reminded me of what Iris did to Louise's flowers).  But, as a character, Nick lacked depth and his backstory did very little to make his motivations more intriguing (spare me the oft-repeated stories of backstage politics that lead to the recast, I've read SOW at the time and I don't need the Cliff Notes).

I hoped Michael's son would be more of a spoiled brat than a rebel without a cause.  I think that whole generation of guys including Rafael and Tomas were not very interesting. Especially when contrasted with how Jake or Sandy were as young romantic leads.  To be fair, Sofia and a few of the Maggie's were not lighting the screen on fire either.  They were no Blaine or Cecile.   

I also think it didn't help that after Michael was killed off, Nick rarely interacted with Vicky.

Recalling that time period, it is crazy how they tried to get away with changing Maggie so drastically with each successive actress.  And I still lament the underdeveloped potential for Toni Burrell.  To think how much screen time was devoted to these other milquetoasts when they had a fillet mignon and left it metaphorically uncooked is a pity.

@Joseph Thank you, I guess?  I mean, you can't infer intentions on the internet, so I'll just take your comment as a compliment (no need to correct if it was not meant that way).

I think we're ignoring the Herculean task was writing Dimitri to be genial.  From the moment the character appeared, he's been kidnapping and shooting people.  He hardly got out of bed all summer because he was philandering and finagling.  But, somehow he's the more likeable one.  Maybe it is because his scene partners were so abominable?

4 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I'm glad we're getting some Sprina conflict and I understand why Trina's angry, but at the same time, I feel like her anger came on too quickly. It should have happened more gradually. 

Furthermore, it feels inauthentic that Spencer, as such a young man, would sacrifice so much for his baby half-brother.

And I can't believe we're going on a year since Esme acquired amnesia.  At this rate, Curtis is going to be able to dance again before Esme recalls her high school classmates.

I know it is unfair to compare GH and DAYS because they are so dissimilar that they are almost different genres, but I was honestly shocked by today's cliffhanger in a way that DAYS often fails to surprise me.

Both shows use a liberal amount of foreshadowing.  I mean, Austin practically wore a "shoot me" sign on his back all week.  But, that camera shot from above was thrilling, and I will be hypothesizing about whom the shooter was all weekend. 

On the other hand, I don't know what to think of Curtis's advice to Trina.  I liked those scenes with Curtis, Trina, and Marshal, although I wish it was just one long scene, rather than cut up like it was.  But, I thought the message about priorities was objectionable.  Why does it matter who is the first text every morning?  These men should be teaching Trina about love using their own history, and giving her a male perspective.  The first text is a sign of infatuation, and that is not the same as affection (just ask Joss and Adam).

It is the circle of life in Bay City, first you tease your enemy that his girlfriend cheated

Then, three years later, you get recast and someone teases you about getting cheated upon

Remember that very unfunny scene where Leo impersonated Gwen so that the Von Leuschner attorney would think they were married?  Didn't the lawyer see through their scam and told Dimitri that he felt Dimitri's love for Leo (barf), but he had to stay married for a year, and he would check back in later, then give him his money?

1. So, how does Megan know that Dimitri failed to get the inheritance (because he hasn't actually failed yet)?
2. And I recall the flashback of how Gwen found out Dimitri was cheating, but was Kristen the one to tell her about the inheritance?

I ask all of this because I assume Gwen's return will coincide with the conclusion of Dimitri's story (there's been no goodbye post from PP on social media, a good clue that he'll pop up again).

22 hours ago, te. said:

Well, they kind of had their "who shot Alexis" in season 4, only changed the word "shot" to "framed". 

Neal McVane was the George Santos of Denver, both congressmen who were bad at drag.

(thanks to youmiserablebitch blog for the photo)

Two random questions running through my brain this morning

1. Does Melinda know that Li is dead?
2. Is Gwen in Alamania and has she interacted with Megan?
   1. Megan told Rolf that the Dimitri failed to get his inheritance from the marriage, and Gwen left to get her part of the inheritance, so I wonder if they met?

But, when Kirby pulls the gun on Alexis, and Alexis hardly flinches, while Kirby is trembling like a mouse, that was a good scene.  It's got all the Dynasty characteristics. Kirby in a tiny hat with a veil.  Alexis being threatened, but knowing the stakes are low.  And, no follow-up discussion when it's over.

Totally inappropriate by today's standards, and apologies in advance to anyone who has pulled a gun on their mother-in-law, but, very entertaining within that context.

Phew!, no babies were switched....

18 minutes ago, adrnyc said:

In 1981, having parents who had a, what was called "shot gun wedding," made one a pariah at school in middle-America. So that storyline was extremely timely and exactly how a teenager would react, again, at that time.

point taken, and lesson learned - sorry for your devastation

12 hours ago, chrisml said:

AW just seemed to be pretty much forgotten when it came to the Emmys after a certain point. 

In another thread, we reviewed a Tumblr that reposted the Breaking News section of Soap Opera Digest from 1984-1992.  To your point about the Emmy's, there were also political issues at play, which I hadn't known before reading those columns.  For example, in response to criticism over the nominating procedure, there were years when NBC refused to submit nominations.  Then, when NBC began producing their own award show, there were articles which implied that the Emmy's retaliated by reducing the focus on NBC soaps.

From the early 90s when the show was not broadcast

So, I am hesitant to say The Daytime Emmy attention were a valid barometer of either AW's legacy or excellence in general.

And, while former cast members may give questionable interviews, we can take solace in the idea that fans continue to discuss the show daily on this thread, 24 years after its cancellation.

1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

So that debunks everyone who kept saying Gwen was gone. I knew she wouldn't be.

I thought there was the usual heavy-handed foreshadowing that Gwen would return after her final speech in the airport.  I assume having them both in today's episode is an indication that Theresa's story is wrapping up very soon.

Welcome @BeeLol - I always appreciate some fresh sources of information

To your point @carolineg, Ben developed psychopathology after living through a traumatic childhood.  He was written as an insane person with uncontrollable impulses.  And (production issues aside) I can see the value in telling a story about trying to recover from that experience through therapy.  Leo has not been written as having an emotional disorder in response to his childhood abuse.  So, his behaviors are a choice, which makes him a jerk.

Going back to my pathological optimism, I feel bad when we all pile up on him, but he's written as having low moral value.  The only thing positive I can say about the character is that unlike many LGBTQI characters who are just a symp for powerful women, at least we get some representation of the 'mean gays' on TV, because he has betrayed everyone he meets. 

5 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Crystal was the reason for the Vegas trip.. but she was non-descript.  Why wasn't she made a friend of?  Her brother was more interesting than her...imho.

Given that the mean new Housewife in the trailer goes after Crystal for being boring, I wonder if this is a bit of editing for storytelling on behalf of production? 

I'm not saying Crystal is a sparkling wit, but I think that they've consciously avoided her perspective so that when the newbie goes after her, it will seem justified. 

7 minutes ago, Errol said:

Isn't that the one about the Hollywood producer's son who killed his wife and her family members? Or am I conflating some stories?

Yes, and his mother had a one day role on DAYS years ago.

Please excuse my pathological optimism, but, at least Sarah's baby and Nicole's baby are different ages and genders, so that can't be swapped

Meanwhile, if they're swapped tomorrow, it may crush my world view.