Vee

October is a whirlwind, as it adds Blair and then wraps with Max's big return which I actually really liked, OTT reintro and all. Early November lags a bit because they have the Eber domestic abuse saga that is fortunately wrapping up quick, but Blair's introduction is amazing for me too. I think I know what they're doing with Cain's background and Asa's secret, and it's kind of crazy how many times the show did this both before and long after this (including the fact that it may be a xerox of Max's own past).

She was, but I think the same.

Maybe the three key Margo Hugheses on ATWT? There was a fourth like Bransford who didn't go over well, but the others were very distinctive and to my understanding popular. Vicky Hudson on AW might be the same, though I have never cared much for Jensen Buchanan lol.

Natalia does seem to have carved out a wonderful life for herself. She was never my Emily but she did work hard in difficult times and she's still beautiful.

'It's a pity about Paul and that jet engine.' No, I find it a shame how it's been handled too.

I told you that stuff was hilarious! I love Megan sort of drolly handling the situation like the Ghostbusters trying to handle the possessed Rick Moranis. IIRC Viki sees the real Heinrich Kaiser in the paper and then confronts Cain. I loved that scene too. If you do need help figuring out the airdates let us know. They don't get cleared up again in many spaces online til November. A lot happens in those last 2 weeks of October lol

Teen Adriana arrived in town in the summer of 2003 for an insta-pairing with the (terrible, allegedly messy BTS) River Carpenter recast and sporting a thick accent. Both Dorian and the Vegas did not like them together for various reasons - I think Adriana was a convent girl and River was a 'rebel' - and the Vegas had her whisked off to another convent or boarding school by fall. Fumero arrived in January of '04 when River ran off to find her and bust her out of the school, which is where the recast first appeared. At that time Dorian and the returned David were desperate to secure Aunt Betsy Cramer's (Lois Smith!) inheritance in a silly subplot. They did so by presenting Adriana as Dorian's new long-lost daughter, a Cramer heir Betsy could approve of. This also accomplished the task of Dorian being able to keep River and Adriana apart. Almost immediately the show took note of Fumero and Strasser's chemistry together as well as the very positive audience response to their new relationship, and decided Dorian's 'hoax' would turn out to actually be true. This also led to the Santi umbrella story, but oh well.

Melissa Fumero as Adriana on OLTL. The original actress (Amanda Cortinas) was marginal at best, and Fumero immediately had major chemistry with Robin Strasser which made them change the story.

I like how, for his entire run on the show, Nathan's most consistent character trait remains his love for constantly saying "I'm Detective Nathan West" over and over. Full title and name. Deep characterization. He did it the other day calling up Jason on the phone and I was reminded, hey, Jason only came back to the show shortly before this himbo got murked. I just wish Jason had been like ‘the dead guy?’ Two more very important observations: Sidwell has redecorated Wyndemere to look like an off-season boutique hotel. Where is the AirBNB link? Even though Sidwell is the worst kind of host and never leaves. I hope they put a dummy or mannequin with a big red clown wig behind Diane’s desk at this tiny office soon. Think about it, Frank.

The resemblance between Tomas and the Alcazars was never explained. Just another Ron tease when they thought they had control of OLTL indefinitely, to keep stringing out the Todd and Blair love triangle thread. On OLTL Tomas left the Delgado family decades before and went into the spy world, which is how he resurfaced in 2011 as part of the Two Todds mess. He also was involved with a shady evil spy group on OLTL, not just the CIA. There is plenty of room in those interim years for him to have posed as one or both of the Alcazars for various secret missions or spy nonsense. Me, I just always figured the Delgados and Alcazars were distant relations in some classic soap opera fashion lol. It's not that big a deal. You never need mention it again as that dangling plot was so silly, but I would probably have Lorenzo toss off a line like 'your intelligence agencies even sent a man to impersonate me for their own ends' lol.

Michael B. Jordan talks AMC.

The legacy of the Irna product promo era shines on. ☺️ @DRW50 take note. (I would've edited this into the above but it literally wouldn't give me space)

Per AMC's Kelly Ripa on the Soapy podcast: Chris Goutman was her son's professor at NYU. Small world.

Crazy as hell that they paid Mark twice as much as her as soon as he arrived on the show. He was nobody and she was a young lead going on what, five years. I appreciate how candid Kelly remains about this stuff. It reminds me of when she dogwalked ABC over that Michael Strahan fiasco. This podcast has shaped up to be very solid work with a series of strong discussions. Take note, Locher. Chris Goutman was her son's college professor at NYU!

A new challenger emerges.

Temporary pacemaker?? I'm no doctor, but they take those out?

I would again pop in just to say that 24 (which I know you mentioned) is what put Smart back on the TV map as the drunken, tortured First Lady opposite Gregory Itzin. She was a viral success there, before virality. It's funny what shows do that.

I believed for many years (and still do) that the Llantano Mountain 'quarry' locale from the 2000s where young folks used to go to make out was the remaining ruins and rubble of Eterna, lol. So I can relate. I thought Jason and Lee Ann were just living above Wanda's but I can't recall offhand, I need to get back to November.

You can even tie that off in a line of dialogue if you want. My angle was always simply that the CIA or whoever had Tomas posing as Lorenzo at one point. End of story.

Agreed, and I think Viki is bracingly in her element there when she finally returns in the fall. I love the stuff at Halloween with Luna and Lee Ann, two women notably not from urban Llanview, just hanging out drinking and being pals. I don't think Blair and Viki ever worked together again after how things go very poorly for them at the Banner early on, though they did become fond in-laws. One of their last scenes on the show together (ever, in 2013) is the two of them bonding over Todd's latest departure and Viki comforting Blair. I like to think Blair is still running the Sun today, her renewed Melador business from GH aside. (Can she do both as a journalist? Food for thought. I would not get rid of Melador though as that passion of hers has been there since these very first days with Mia Korf, making her own jewelry in the boardinghouse.) I just think the past lives stuff is a fun and rightly brief romp, and shows just how versatile Loprieno (and Witter) were. It's some of Malone's later attempts at florid fantasy, particularly in the 2000s, that have a much rougher track record.

Alec and Brenda would be a must for me. But there's no way Alec doesn't turn out gay lol. Which I think VM would actually approve of given her own son who I know she's so proud of. He would be just Early Brenda II, but gay. Lila Rae I can see being another houseguest of the Qs (a la Brenda herself) who then ends up raising hell in various spheres because of her own personality and blood connections. Maybe Skye also stops by and makes her own trouble, who knows. I would probably bring Lorenzo back in some way eventually, but probably not for too long.

Always nice to see them.

What happened with Martin has to come back. A bunch of them know Joey Armstrong killed a man to keep that secret. Sooner or later it's gonna blow.

I wish they would invoke the Rick trauma or David Hamilton when dealing with this, because that has to be where Laura's mind goes in this situation. But I do think she would handle it better given that history. Genie can overact at times, but I think she is usually on point these days. But I also rate some of her more 'big' moments much higher than some folks. I loved her very extreme reactions to undead Stavros in 2013 because I thought that was exactly how Laura would react to the return of a zombie rapist, and I loved her howling when she put him back in the deep freeze after she thought he'd killed Lulu (the ending shot for that episode on just her wild eyes through the cryogenic glass was amazing). And I thought she should've won an Emmy for Laura's breakdown in '02. Those scenes with the delusional Laura and Luke's horrific 'wedding' in the attic were amazing.