Scrapple

Usually when one-half of a supercouple moves on, the audience doesn't accept it. There are rare exceptions (Lily/Damien), but most times it's an impossible situation. What made it worse was that the character of Steve was ridiculously changed (hero to drug-dealer), everyone was comparing Lindsay to Meg (Lindsay was a better actress, but Meg had star quality), and nuBetsy went from being the center of storylines to a supporting player. Lastly, they put her with Iva's rapist. The writing was on the wall.

The pairing of Rod and Betsy was ridiculous. Steve and Betsy were one of the five most important couples in ATWT history. Why didn't they just let them ride off into the sunset together, instead of destroying both characters? I know Frank Runyeon and Lindsay Frost had zero chemistry, but still they could have wrapped up a quick little exit storyline for them.

The talk about Kirk reminded me how much I loved the office intrigue at WorldWide. At it's peak, Lucinda's company was a hotbed of conspiracy (Connor, Evan), quirky supporting characters (Ambrose, Jane), and assistants/antagonists and flirt-targets (Craig, Kirk). The show lost an interesting facet when it fazed out the business angle.

I can't figure why they made Iva SO, SO depressing. Wasn't her character on GL fun and full of fantasy (I rarely watched GL). Why would she want to play such a dour character? The final nail in the coffin was sticking her with that doofus they married her off to.

I vaguely remember the character of Mike Karr, when I watched the show as a wee youngster. He was played by Laurence Hugo, and seemed to be a major character, who was always in the center of the action. I remember popping in on the show years later when Forrest Compton had the role, and his character seemed much less important. Am I remembering this right?

Khan, I agree. Hunt Block, although entertaining in a way, made Craig a one-note caricature. There was nothing more cringe-inducing than watching him attempt real emotion (e,g. Bryant's death). Jeffrey Meek was actually not bad..he just wasn't Craig. He probably would have been a good long-lost son of Stenbeck. Jon Lindstrom committed the unpardonable sin of making Craig boring. The less said about Roger Howarth, the better.

Colleen must have been so grateful for both Douglas Marland and Hogan Sheffer. Both head writers took her from far-back burner and put her front and center on the show.

As much as I couldn't stand most of Hogan's tenure, I must admit that his first year-and-a-half was just what the show needed. Characters were revitalized, people were talking about ATWT, Emmys started coming, and most importantly umbrella-type stories started appearing, all resulting from the simple idea of splitting up Hl and Barbara. Unfortunately, once the whole original story finally wound down, Hogan had no second act.

Is Hutch Hutchinson the worst ATWT name ever?

Although I liked both characters, I could never see Duncan and Jessica as a romantic couple. They just seemed like brother and sister. Duncan and Shannon had all the fire. Probably the most ridiculous moment in ATWT history had to be Duncan holding up "Shannon's" shrunken head, crying, "Oh, my wee lassie!" Although her return eventually fizzled, Shannon's surprise return was one of ATWT's best shockers (before the days of spoilers!)

I was just thinking how head writers can either make or break certain characters. Barbara Ryan was on the back burner when both Douglas Marland and Hogan Sheffer started their respective tenures. Both plucked Barbara from dullsville and injected new life into the character. Who do you think did a better job?

I like the idea of Bob's retirement party bringing back favorite characters from the past. See, zanereed would've been a better writer than the actual headwriters we had. Another idea would've been to have Emma Snyder become deathly ill. Before her miraculous recovery, all the Snyders (Seth,Iva, Caleb, Ellie, cured-Meg, Julie, Angel, etc) would come to her bedside. One last idea...bring back different people playing the same role. For example, Tom and Margo (Scott and Ellen) are having a discussion in their kitchen, they walk into the next room, but continue the discussion as Hillary Smith and Gregg Marx, then go outside to finish the talk as Justin Deas and Margaret Colin. You could've done the same with any role where you had multiple actors (e.g. Craig, Lily).It would've made for a must-see episode.

I would've done a couple things: 1) Have Simon come back for Katie. Hooking her up with Chris was ridiculous. 2) Bring back Martha Byrne , even if a ghostly Rose appearance. She was the first woman to win a Lead Actress Emmy, and was a vital part of the show's history. 3) Give Henry and Vienna a proper goodbye (Henry could've stayed with Barbara, but H & V should've had one parting scene). 4)Have SOME final scenes for Lisa. Although I've never been an Eileen Fulton fan, her character was integral to the show's past. The way she was written at the end was humiliating. 5) The show should have brought back fan favorites at the end, instead of bringing on newbies nobody cared about. How about a Snyder Family reunion? What about Duncan, Shannon, Penny? It was like the show was ending after 5 years, not 54.

Does anybody ever think of how they would've handled ATWT when it was announced it was cancelled? Of all the soaps that were given the pink slip, ATWT had the most time to tie up loose ends, bring back favorites, etc. But for the most part, they dropped the ball. Although the show was by FAR my favorite soap, the last year was a disaster in my opinion. If you could've changed one single plot point, what would you have changed?

I loved how all the suspects had their moment in the spotlight in the courtroom. Sometimes the show would entirely consist of one person on the witness stand.

I vividly remember the Stephanie Martin case, even though I was very young. It was riveting, and the actress who played Stephanie (Alice Hirson, maybe?) was excellent, and made you understand why everyone in town wanted to kill her.

I remember thinking what a great find Marisa Tomei was back then. She literally stole every scene she was in. Especially riveting (and heartbreaking) were her scenes with that trashy mother of her character. I did lose interest when they paired her up with that asexual Lord Cushing.

Just curious who everyone preferred when they got on their lecturing high horse: Kim or Emma? And who did you enjoy them giving their tongue-lashing to?

Why are we talking Wonder Woman on a soap thread?

Ironic that both Robert Vaughn and David McCallum both had roles on ATWT (but at different times).

It seems the minor characters were the only stable ones that kept things running in Oakdale...Rosa, Audrey Samuels, Lynn Michaels, Fenwick, Ambrose Bingham, Jane, Lucinda's butler Matthew, etc.

I don't really get all the hate for Steve Andropolous. The Steve/Betsy/Craig triangle was what got me hooked on ATWT, and the chemistry was really amazing. Steve and Betsy's wedding was a ratings high-point for ATWT. I don't think the character fit in Marland's more ensemble-styled writing, but he did keep the show afloat for two years prior to DM. And the character certainly deserved a better exit than he got.

It is strange watching the character of Steve when Marland took over. Prior to that, ATWT was the Steve and Betsy Show. The only other storyline was the Stenbeck Heir saga, and I'm convinced that was only to give Runyeon, Ryan and Bryce an occasional day off. Post-Marland, however, Steve went from being the unquestioned male lead to being simply a member of the cast.Worse for Runyeon, he had to watch his character go from being the good guy to being jealous of the once-reviled Craig. In retrospect, it would have been much better for all concerned if Steve and Betsy had left the show after their wedding, especially since Runyeon had no chemistry at all with Ryan replacement Lindsay Frost. As for John, if he was to have an anti-Lucinda relationship (in other words, someone nice!), I always liked that doctor (Bethany something?) played by Tovah Feldshue. She matched Larry Bryggman in acting chops and was very likable. I believe other commitments forced her to leave the role early, like Claire Bloom did.

So how many ATWT cast members have won Lead Actress and Lead Actor? Was Martha Byrne the first? Also, wasn't Eileen Fulton nominated for Supporting Actress the year of the malpractice suit storyline? I can't stand Fulton as an actress, but I must admit she rose to the occasion that year, and all her work, from Eduardo's death until John humiliated her at her engagement dinner, was stellar.

I'm a big Hubbard fan, but the crime of the century was Kathryn Hays not winning for the year she discovered Bob's affair with Susan. That was the best acting I've ever seen on any soap.