Vee

Doug was a nuisance who threatened to expose him and threatened his growing sexual obsession with Vanessa. That was more than enough for Joey.

More from Erika. If it gets removed, so be it.

A very earnest interview with Steve.

Another angle on the Erika/Tuc Watkins/Roger Howarth visit, with Erika visiting with Tuc's kids. As Errol noted on the main page, Erika has wrapped at GH. From her website:

Glad to hear.

Lots of people have had issues with FV and then buried the hatchet and come back. His weren't that serious. But I don't think he'll ever leave B&B.

You know where to find these eps in early November, but I think you can see most of the Viki/Clint scene after the fire in one of the 30th anniversary episodes in early July '93. The fire department has to demolish the hidden entrance to Victor's old secret room to get to Little Al and C.J., which triggers panic for Viki (an early hint to the DID saga) and then various flashbacks, including that scene when she fears that Llanfair will collapse entirely due to the controlled explosion. I'll see if I can find it for you, though. I really don't know what happened BTS when and I'm not sure how many would recall today. I wonder if Susan Horgan (who is credited already at this point BTS) might have some input if she's still active online. I know Joey Thrower apparently told a fan years ago that Robyn Griggs was a headache even then, and I assume that's what got her swiftly canned despite them clearly testing her with Jason and Joey in Malone's first month and adding her to the opening. (She is Jason's unknown 'dream girl' he spots at random on the street before Carlo hires him to chaperone her, which leads swiftly to their fúcking on Malone's official first day in September and just as quickly to their burgeoning connection largely disappearing afterwards, as the focus shifts largely to Lee Ann with both Kevin and Jason in the month before JDP returns.) Griggs had chemistry with Brettschneider but was still pretty stiff in other ways. It is what it is, and you couldn't really argue with focusing in on Yasmine Bleeth and other new hires or priorities at the time. One of the first overt mask-off hints that Blair is actually an active schemer (as opposed to just having a secret roommate and poring over Banner files) comes when she and Cord hit Japan in the second week of November, where Cord asks her to ask the hotel busboy if they can get separate bathrooms and instead she asks him in Japanese 'do you think it will rain today?' (The answer, of course, is no.) It's hilariously underplayed onscreen, but from there they have Blair going full tilt into seduction mode, her hair is down and she's starting to show the other side. I do wonder what would've happened had JL stayed. I hadn't realized that it seems like Jake was deceived into providing security for an arms dealer - I thought he was deep into illicit business as a mercenary to make money, but from what was presented over the last couple months during first Joe Lando's occasional appearances and then the plot material here, it seems like Jake thought he was running security for a legit Japanese businessman only to fall prey to his boss' enemies and get abducted by Jaba when the boss turned out to be crooked. It is hard to watch Megan's swift decline in captivity after Doug Eber takes her and Viki hostage, as she is clearly miserable and terrified and now has less than 3 months to live. Knowing the ending you feel differently, especially as she pleads for Jake to come home and we know exactly when and how that will happen, maybe less than an hour before the end of her life.

Nah, she cut plenty. I can't name them all.

They're probably starting the story because we'll be expected to indulge Nathan with Lulu or something as Frank drags out reuniting her and Dante vs. more of Queen BLQ.

I'm pretty sure more flashbacks will be in the next two days, as they did with Bobbie's memorial eps. I'm giving them time for it - I haven't really had any issue with its handling so far myself.

It would be one thing if it was the first time. But it's not even the fourth.

Just outrageous. But that's what you get if you have baby oiled pecs and are from a family made up largely of FV/RC creations.

I just feel so bad for Van Der Beek. What a grueling illness.

I guess it's good there's another Watts out there.

Many of them have been vague and frankly unconvincing based on a lot of stories over the years. I have no doubt many of Kirsten's medical issues are real. But few require her to be gone as long as she often is.

It's obviously FV and the cast's commendable loyalty to KS that's kept this going on. I would probably write Spixie out together for awhile too if she can't commit to returning and staying. I couldn't care less about Nathan though, a bland pairing with a boring block of concrete. I think they're all worried what will happen to her without the job though tbqh. It's a no-win scenario.

Paggi sucked.

Exactly. I think this is just a move to take some of the pressure off their one-stop shop.

I agree with most of that. I think at the end of the day with Kirsten it's always been about the things they explicitly don't talk about - her mental or physical health or other long-rumored issues, and GH and FV feel responsible for her (and might consider themselves liable if they did terminate her). It's been this way since before Frank got there. When he did take over she was on another long break, and he almost let her go then. I don't know what is the right or wrong choice at this point. If not for her remarkable comeback onscreen in the last year I would say fire her. I've said to fire her more than once myself in the last ten years. I do think her taking off for six months is unacceptable after so many ups and downs, especially when (once again) I don't feel she or GH are being transparent about the reasons.

I am pretty frustrated with the situation, especially as she had a very strong comeback last year. Would I let her go, not yet but if she can't commit to being there ASAP, well...

November '91. A great bit with Max and Little Al: Max telling his tiny son "you're doing a fine job of raising me." Amen to that. The scenes following the Llanfair fire contain some really beautiful stuff, especially some lengthy, very deep scenes with Megan and Andrew at St. James Church, as she reflects on the tragedy and the mess of her life with a scattered family, MIA husband and failing health, and he calls her 'something of a pilgrim' both as an actress and a woman, searching for truth. "You see that in me?" she says, touched, and you can tell someone's never looked at her that way before. The clearly bereft Buchanans listening to Andrew's sermon is also really touching, as you can tell Joey and Jessica are beside themselves re: recent events and Viki and Clint are also spent. This leads up to a sequence in the smoky wreckage of the Llanfair drawing room that they later clipped for flashbacks during the 30th anniversary, a beautiful twofer with Viki and Clint where she sifts through various destroyed mementos - being at a state dinner at the Kennedy White House, her first byline for her father, etc. - and Clint tells her that the memories are inside of them as opposed to material things. Some of Erika and Clint Ritchie's very best work together, and very intimate. If you've never seen these scenes I do recommend them. Even Viki and Lee Ann get some lovely bonding scenes after Lee Ann risks her life to save Jessica from the fire. We all know that won't last. Bizarrely, Stephanie is back again after leaving town with a recuperating Carlo for Chicago maybe 2-3 weeks ago just in time to leave again, in the same outfit she last wore to the airport! She shows up for a single scene with Joey, Lee Ann and Jason at Wanda's to wish Lee Ann the best as she gets out of the hospital, then says she is 'leaving town.' Again! Somewhere! Sure, why not? I wonder if it was a contractual thing. Regardless, they did swiftly remove Robyn Griggs from the Tour of Llanview opening recently very shortly after adding her, Lee Ann and Jason (and then JDP a couple weeks ago, but strangely they never bothered with either Luna or Blair despite both having major roles these last two months). Meanwhile there's a full end credits on the 11/11 episode, and it still lists both Griggs and Ken Meeker (Rafe) as contract (also listed as contract: Christopher Cousins as 'Heinrich Kaiser'). Whatever! The Lee Ann/Jason relationship is also deepening, as he weaves a story for her doing her home recovery since he very obviously cannot read her beloved copy of "Black Beauty" to save his life. This connection is strong despite Max being back trying to make his play and Kevin being offscreen for several weeks at the Buchanan ranch, and it makes you wonder how far out that were planning or just improvising and experimenting with different combinations of characters and actors - most likely the latter, which was healthy early on. For example, Luna, Lee Ann's new bestie, merely clucks about 'this Max fella' taking up all her friend's headspace: "I can feel his aura just as strong as I can feel yours!" Once again they have Asa alluding to his 'first love' Rose Smith (how many did he have?) during the drama with Max, Renee and Wingate Holden's will. She came up in passing a few times in October and maybe September with Kevin and Clint when the Buchanan men went up to the cabin, and I think I know what it's about; the baffling thing is if it all ends up ultimately being a full remake of Asa's link to Max and Patricia Holden with a very similar set of characters. But more on that another time, as the truth about Wingate which Max came to town all fired up about comes out, uh, pretty quick! Only for Asa to finally chuck the incriminating document in the fire in front of Max and his wife. Moving right along! In the middle of this, Cord heads off to Japan with Blair in search of Jake in prep for John Loprieno's big exit. His relationship with Tina is still a bit frayed but tender and they have a sweet farewell that is neither over nor underplayed, followed by a bracing hard cut to the increasingly less mousy Blair's long legs draped across the backseat of the company car taking Cord to the airport, surprising both Cord and Tina. Nicely done. I have to wonder how their longtime fans would've felt though if they knew this exit was coming from the magazines, as this was the Cord and Tina even with the (well-received) KW recast. But I do think they'd been on the mid-tier of activity for some time now, certainly the last 4-6 months. The increasingly tiresome Doug Eber (apparently not 'Ebert' per the credits) saga hits its climax as Viki and the ill, still undiagnosed Megan are abducted in the second week of November. The Eber stuff has only been going since mid-October or so but has moved very fast, and while I still feel it has not overly dominated the show's traditionally long-form storylines, it has taken up a fair bit of time, half the cast seems preoccupied by it and I am ready for it to wrap up lol. Jane is just such a drip.

I don't see a reason to bring a character back until you have a clear direction and/or partner for them. I'd def like to bring Dillon back down the road, but until there is a clear angle that doesn't just turn him into another disposable male or stuffed shirt businessman, that retains some uniqueness, I'd wait. They brought him back with Rob Watkins as little more than a cheap spoiler for Dante/Lulu and nothing really came of it or him. (I wouldn't be opposed to Dillon getting between them again, but that would not be a long-term story or strong angle as Dante/Lulu are the money pairing IMO.) So I'd figure out how to reconceive Dillon first and who to put him with or how. It's not as though the show is currently hurting for Quartermaines - imagine saying that 10-20 years ago.

Chris McKenna (Joey) with Erika and Jessica Tuck (Megan) at GH.

I thought it would be nice to see Jeremy again sometime for an event too.

If there was one thing David Mendenhall was gonna do in an '80s TV show or movie it was cry his heart out. He was a good actor usually cast in very annoying roles lol. I wouldn't hate seeing him for Lesley's memorial at all. But I would bring on Rick Jr. someday.