Vee

Becoming part of Murphy's repertory players is probably very good for his career, at least until Murphy discards him. I can't fault him for taking the work.

Absolutely deranged behavior after what she went through with 45. But it has nothing to do with what she also went through with Alarr.

Oy, I spoke about her dreadful performance (and the pigeonholed role she found herself in as Jamie) in one of my many past longwinded Dallas diss posts in that thread. I thought she came on with real promise in that first episode or two and quickly became terrible. I will speak a bit more on her when I get back to that thread. Good to know about Sheehan, the one both GH and KL let get away. I just know that by the time of Season 14(?) when they allegedly went looking for him to return he supposedly couldn't be found.

I may be biased as a Trekkie (where she famously played another hyper-ambitious woman), but I really liked what I've seen of Elizabeth Dennehy's performance. Yes, she was arch and very different from SS, but there was a kind of fearsome intelligence and off-kilter sexiness (a la, yes, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction) that really worked and seemed suited to Roger's child, even if she wasn't originally intended as that. I only saw so much of her with GA but I thought that might've really worked. Nonetheless, no one can argue with Sherry Stringfield's Blake.

The Post's reporters themselves follow up:

Lots of typically dishy Politico detail from inside the WP newsroom:

I knew Tyler and Maura had it together even then. It's a real tragedy this couple can't ever be revived with Tyler back in the role, let alone that we can never see him with Nicholas Chavez.

I'll talk about this more when I go into the episodes in detail, but I was surprised to see Leonard Katzman's name on the writing credits of the (excellent) season premiere and to learn he apparently stayed involved in some creative capacity during the dream season. There's a claim he came up with the notorious Angelica Nero, but I don't know how that's true.

You're right, I forgot.

So I've gotten several episodes into Season 7, the year of the big Lorimar creative swap between Dallas and Knots. It's very interesting and yes, notably different - the drama is often both more blunt and more arch, and there's a lot more scenes and story threads either beginning on, driven by or between men alone. Greg Sumner in particular has taken on some jagged edges. But it's still Knots, and still largely solid thus far. Here's some obnoxious, longwinded notes on the first few eps: Ep 1 (The Longest Day): Written by David Paulsen from Dallas (later to reportedly revitalize Dynasty in its final, cash-strapped season) with Arthur Seidelman directing, this leans into the action quickly and even invokes horror movie vibes as Val tries to bust the Fisher house open while Sheila Fisher cowers in the shadows of her living room. The cutting and pacing is great. Joe Regalbuto as Harry Fisher is excellent as ever. The woman playing Sheila is extremely variable, but she really sells their final scenes (which I'll get to). My question now is who is still covering for the baby theft and why? I guess Fisher calls the nefarious lawyer or adoption dude from last season who also talked to Ackerman, but who could have the clout to swap the birth records, etc. and why? More people inside Galveston Industries connected to Scott Easton? It better not be Greg. Abby's very poor cover story on how she found out about the babies - a random anonymous call - stuck out to me, and sure enough it sticks to her for several eps as people just keep asking her about it. (I know it comes out in the end.) Just like the nonsense she engaged in with Ruth and faking a sleepover at Greg's at the end of last season, she's smarter than this. If I were Abby I would've made the cover about Galveston's incriminating papers, since those are gonna come out anyway - she could say she stumbled upon them and found the information. I do really like that the entire baby situation descended into a bureaucratic nightmare with people standing around helpless in the suburban streets, playing he said/she said with the cops, waiting to disperse and having to agonize and struggle through the legal system for a couple episodes. That's realistic to the scenario, as opposed to the whole thing magically tying up at the Fishers' front door. Sumner showing up at Pacific World Cable to taunt Abby in expository terms re: last season while Abby seethes is very Dallas, and a bit too arch for him. Ever enterprising, Laura is already back in the real estate game and ensconced in a new realtor job with a faux-Scooter office buddy to boot within like 24 in-universe hours of last season's finale. Sure, whatever. I don't think the Dunne team would've pulled that. At least her hair is great. Greg’s deranged romantic gesture, luring her to a glamorous empty house on the job also feels Dallas-esque. Greg does get off one characteristically great line: "Things are really hoppin' at the ol' cul-de-sac." Val posting up outside the Fisher house at night is how we roll. I wouldn't leave either! We never close! Episode 2 (Here in My Arms): In brief: There's a wonderful set of scenes here where Val monologues about having been where Sheila Fisher is, and understanding exactly how she feels. But the tearjerker ending is the real centerpiece, with Nick Sgarro doing the great handheld POV shot of Val coming down the stairs to see her children, then crumpling and taking the babies in her arms. It's incredibly cathartic and deeply earned after the teeth-grinding bureaucratic drama and potholes and switchbacks of most of the last two hours. Also done with minimal dialogue, which will happen again. Episode 3 (When the Cat's Away): The show seems to be set on ultimately moving towards pitting Gary against Greg a la Bobby and J.R. Ewing, to fit into a comfortable power male soap framework. I'm not sure if I'll buy it, Empire Valley or no Empire Valley. I just don't think they've ever had that intense a relationship. It is worthwhile that to Paul Galveston, Gary was the son he wanted and never had, and that's an emotional beat they could play out - I'm just not sure they ever will. The more compelling dynamic here is the relationship between Abby and Greg, which has straddled an edgy line since the day they met. I've said before that I think Abby wants to be Greg Sumner more than she wants to be with him, but I also can't remember if they've actually consummated their desire before now. Nonetheless what they have between them remains almost a torrid, dysfunctional emotional affair; they so clearly relish each other's company and the constant gameplaying re: Empire Valley, and Abby has a real spring in her step prancing out to the EV site to intercede with Greg and this poor hot architect of Gary's, who has been through a lot. Watching Val and Lilimae get used to the twins is cute. I still can't get over seeing Val as an active mother with small children, though I know it heavily dominates the second half of the series run. It's such a major change for her and it's exhilarating to see her and her family and friends adjust, as I know Gary ultimately will too. Gary seeing an old drill bit and having an audio flashback to his childhood with Bobby on Southfork (and a mention of Bobby's special treehouse fort, which Miss Ellie beautifully monologues about in the Dallas season premiere) is an interesting touch. But Gary's total meltdown and panic attack late in the episode with Abby feels histrionic and OTT to me - I don't really buy that Gary would be this traumatized and insensate by his brother's death given the state of those relationships. I haven't seen him like this since his freakout over Val's hospital stay in Season 2, let alone his bender in Season 4. The clock-watching race with Gary, Abby and Greg to the big blast at Empire Valley over the wrong parcel of land all feels a bit over the top, but the blasting climax is well-edited together. Olivia's back! She just keeps getting bigger. There's a nice classic Knots bit of family business with Abby juggling both Olivia and her homework and Greg on the phone and getting them mixed up as Gary returns early. Greg calling Laura after a night with his secretary? a hooker? is a jarring choice. Have we ever seen him casually pick up or smash random women? I don't think so. He's not J.R. Joshua trading on Val's baby miracle on TV to Val and Ben's disdain as the Fishers watch the sermon at home is a nice umbrella story touch like ones the show has done in the past. Also nice was Val finally telling him off. Poor Ben gets to squirm as Gary shows at the house to see Val. Doug Sheehan is always very good, and has wonderful chemistry as ever with JVA where they don't often feel that scripted; it was sad to hear the story from Joan years later about how she tried to give him a gift when he was let go only to discover he let her balloons float away into the sky and vanished from showbiz. It really is amazing though given what's already heavy in the text and subtext here that they managed to hold off on a Gary/Val reunion and instead kept playing the tension and longing with other partners for what, 5 more seasons? If they hadn't tanked Ben (over budget cuts, possibly?) who knows what else you could've done. Episode 4 (The Christening): Sheila Fisher is still not doing great in her old nursery. Not the gigantic Mickey Mouse phone! Freeloading Joshua is already whining about the crying twins, fully locked into his unsubtle villain rush arc, as the new creative team allegedly came in with orders from on high to dispose of Alec Baldwin ASAP (I wonder why). It was already being set up last season very well, but now it's full throttle. He clashes with Ben as the new manager of Pacific World Cable (an interesting angle in and of itself), fúcking with him re: Bobby Jr., etc. Does Joshua know about Gary being the dad? I can't remember but I certainly got that vibe in this episode. Then of course there's tossing Cathy around and pretending his momma is dying. As noted up top, many scenes now begin on either the male POV (like dashing Ben waking to discover intruder Valene at his beach house) or are about male agency or between dueling men (Mack's many travails, Greg's schemes, Ben vs. Joshua at the TV station being played up more and more). The intimacy between Ben and Val is still so playful and tender though, as they tease each other on the floor and then later as she hesitantly and emotionally suggests naming her son for Bobby Ewing, caring for how he feels. The emotional core of the show is still there, particularly in the scenes with the women but not limited to them. And it's nice to see the Mack/Ben friendship remaining such a deep throughline. More scenes of Sumner this episode feeling like he's been snorting male supplements between seasons, increasingly framing his scenes around eager young women who are either willing casual sex partners or prospective new assets like his overeager would-be secretary - again, seemingly trying to make him a more cosmopolitan J.R. More out of character though is his losing his cool and hauling Laura out of her car by the arm when he sees her with her co-worker, which feels alien to his character but of a piece with a new creative team clearly fascinated by William Devane. Jill Bennett returns! Once again she's threaded in via Mack, who's still investigating the illegal adoption of the twins (maybe he can actually figure out who knew what in this scheme, or did what when and why - remember the Tidal Basin murders? I forgot all about that). While the show is clearly more masculine this season and Jill's behavior is part of that, there’s also a refreshing forwardness to Jill that is new for the show; she is a single woman a generation removed from most of the others, who calls Mack on his shameless flirting with her last season then kisses him first. Is this a male-gaze take on the material, sure, but it's also bracing and new for the show, and Jill is a career woman with agency (so far) and not a blow-up doll a la recent developments with Greg or J.R.'s many conquests. Mack then goes home and guiltily buys Karen flowers - were they floating a Mack/Jill affair at this time? She hasn't seen hide nor hair of Gary Ewing yet. Nice to see Lotus Point as Val and Karen crash the office with Bobby and Betsy! Poor Abby. The Fishers' farewell to the twins is impressively dialogue-free, silent but unexpectedly heartbreaking to watch as the regular characters on the scene are all clearly deeply moved, watching the lonely couple slink away alone. Knots is still Knots, still finding unexpected pathos and angles. Eric and Michael are back! Very weird seeing Gary and Abby walk into Val's house for the christening. Is it their first time together since Season 3? In other news I caught a glimpse of them together in the same frame and I'll tell you what would really be scandalous: Cathy robbing the cradle with Michael or Eric. Are they already teasing Paige Matheson by Mack pondering having his own kid while marveling at the twins in the nursery? I'll get to the final Dallas crossover (and my thoughts on the Peter Dunne dream season) in the Dallas thread - suffice to say, I've been intrigued and mostly pleased so far, which I rarely am with Dallas. Thank you for suffering through the return of this.

Zero. I don't even know if it's legit.

I absolutely believe that they were supposed to have fúcked. I think the kid could've even been his initially. She and Dominic had considerable chemistry. But I guess in the end I'm glad it didn't go there romance-wise. I also wonder what the Laura/Rick story in 2002 initially had planned. One version I heard which may be untrue is that initially, the nurse in the attic in flashbacks with Rick was Bobbie. It seems clear that the basis for the story was Chuck Pratt's own childhood trauma story from Melrose Place, with Alison remembering her molestation by her father in the attic of their family house - rumors also exist that this was the original aim on GH too, and that Genie vetoed it. Then there is the whole medical consortium subplot, where Rick apparently came to town as part of a cabal scheming to take over GH. None of that really came to fruition. So I'm really curious what was on the books and if any of it could've worked.

So I'm about 3 episodes into Knots maestro Peter Dunne's infamous dream season and I have a lot of thoughts - most of them positive to Dallas for a change. I know it will go off the rails, but I've been pleasantly surprised. Watch this space, I guess?

Exactly. Which is more self-obsessed and sociopathic to me in a way than some of Robin's excellent but very particular work - Mary O'Brien feels like a credible portrayal of a 'normal' woman whose deep disorder would often go unnoticed.

OLTL was the black sheep despite being the daytime workhorse. That was all there was to it AFAIK, at least all I ever heard. The story went that Frons went to the mat to save GH, but had to sacrifice Guza to do it.

There was also the CGI experimentation on GH in those years in the late 2000s (Jason boating to Wyndemere, IIRC). The gossip went, in those days, that FV's OLTL staying under budget and turning a profit was helping to shore up the other two financially struggling shows which ABC valued more. AMC moved to L.A. because it was no longer financially sustainable on the East Coast.

That was the other interview I was thinking of. I think she did a great job from what I've seen. There was a flat affect to her demeanor as Heather at times - different from Mattson's own studied flatness on occasion - that highlighted the void at the center of her.

SPOILERS: He was never going to long-term, but now he definitely won't. I recommend reading the full free article above. It is absolutely damning. The Times smelled blood and went for it. In other less political news, the deeply amoral creeps at Puck (who have tried and failed to launder Will Lewis' reputation in recent weeks) nonetheless have an interesting piece on the failed Paramount/Skydance merger, however biased it may be. It also links back to one of the soapiest, most deranged IRL twists I ever heard and one daytime should snap up, in which a software exec involved in the merger's jilted ex once put up a billboard of the two of them in Times Square.

As always @janea4old @marceline @DRW50 @JaneAusten :

This link has a non-paywalled gift link to the NYT piece on Lewis:

They'd also (allegedly) been covering budget overages at GH with money from OLTL for years. And I don't think any of that (or the MOCA remote with Franco) was cheap.