Vee

Jason and Todd do clash, but Jason becomes redundant with the new focus on Todd and the loss of Lee Ann (who they initially planned to recast with AMC's Sydney Penny, apparently). I find Jason (particularly in this period) to be the sort of benign prototype for Todd, in a lot of ways. He does get a very sweet sendoff in summer '94 though. Cain is targeting Megan because he is hoping to run the same scam he attempted with equally rich heiress Tina in the summer. (Back when he was Hudson King and presumably first brought in by Rauch.) I wrote about this fall '91 period in here a lot over the last year, but it is interesting how far they go with Megan being tempted by him; Jessica Tuck and Christopher Cousins have real heat. Equally interesting is how they pivot in a week or so's time from Heinrich/Cain to Andrew having that same role in her life after Cain gets outed and briefly flees town. The men swap roles very fast, and Megan and Andrew quickly become BFF.

I actually think he has chemistry with most of his partners, from Griggs and Bleeth to Elaine Princi (and later Robin Strasser and Susan Haskell). And yeah, the matching scar bit with Stephanie was a clear sign at the time.

I have always wanted to get Tichina Arnold (or Tisha) back on a soap but no way they'd do it now. Maybe in their leaner years, but fortunately for them those are not today.

Still insane to me that with Anna gone Zombie Nathan is back on the job. "You died in front of us, have been gone seven years, your parents are superterrorists and we have no fúcking idea how you are alive again. Welcome back to the duty roster." Meanwhile poor Alexa Havins continues to be dressed like a Chinese communist functionary opposite BLQ. I see you, Frank!

They gave a lot of quotes in the press at the time about hiring a Black writer for the story (I know, one Black writer, stop the presses) and IIRC Gottlieb said something about Hank being an 'unreconstructed Black male' vs. the most straitlaced Troy. What exactly that means, or how well it succeeded per a white producer's POV, remains to be seen. But it beats the totally colorless characters we now see on GH or most soaps.

The stuff I have seen of Kevin and Stephanie pre-Malone in summer '91 is just unbearably bad. But I think the Jason/Stephanie hook-up on Malone's first credited day (and Luna's parachuting arrival) in September was legitimately hot, and their connection after had some appeal. I also thought some of the stuff with Stephanie the society girl needling Lee Ann in October(?) was also good. But it's clear OLTL had their fill of Robyn Griggs' alleged IRL behavior quickly because no sooner did any of that stuff go into motion that they sent Stephanie away, presumably until Carlo's demise the following spring (where she is just a plot device to be disposed of). She gets her face in the opening and then gets it quickly removed again. Which is just as well, really. I don't think RG could stand up against a lot of the talent coming in, or even Yasmine Bleeth for long.

I like this testing ground too. And I love Luna in this period, but I always loved her BITD. Sheila is so underrated. I cannot wait to watch the triangle with Hank. I couldn't stand the Stephanie Williams recast, but with Valarie Pettiford I like to think Hank and Sheila are back together today.

IIRC I recall the mags at that time said GH or OLTL or one of the shows hired an unknown soap name as an Althea Chandler recast for a flashback as part of that story. Didn't make it to screen.

Evil Overton (Elon) is crooked as hell.

I thought they all apologized again after coming back? But I agree, it's ridiculous.

They did at least line up and apologize after. I'll take what I can get.

This always drove me insane. It happened almost instantly too lol. Like, bitch you just got here! I had no problem with Skye on AMC, and I think having Skye as a schemer come back from time to time to make trouble on GH wouldn't be the worst thing today. But when she was just hanging around, acting like she had a place in the family and had known them for decades it drove me nuts. I do like to think she's really Adam's kid too.

No. Skye was only retconned in as a Quartermaine in 2001. She was de-retconned as a Q two years later when Guza came back and undid it. She was a grown woman who was never raised among the family.

No, Emily was a full fledged part of the family. Skye was a character awkwardly shoehorned into the family by an EP with an agenda for a favored actor, and was de-Qed two years after arriving. Alan (and largely only Alan) claiming she was 'family' after that was a JFP thing.

Skye is not a Quartermaine.

Frank absolutely believes BLQ is the most sympathetic heroine on the show. I don't have a problem with Chase being so down bad for Willow. He and BLQ have been in a weird place ever since he turned up sterile (or whatever) and tbh he's not the most mature or bright guy period. I just want them to hurry up and get to him and Willow fúcking already. And then they can boot the manchild off the show.

Princi was a very skilled actress and also had the advantage of coming in as a deliberate ringer for Robin Strasser, who a vindictive Paul Rauch allegedly (according to Robin) wanted to erase from memory. The stories are also in a different place for Princi's final year, and the really high-octane baroque opera of the Malone era came later IMO. Meanwhile Robin came back with the disadvantage of the show taking almost a year to figure out how to write for her again in '93 with a largely new team in place, something Malone, etc. all later owned up to in interviews. I don't agree with the people who claim Robin's second run was that messy, but I will grant her first year back has its issues until the Victor saga reaches full tilt. The writing went off a cliff in the late '90s but Robin never did for me. It isn't until her third run, starting in '03, that she came back clearly (and by her own admission) scarred by her last exit and overly anxious to impress. Something that remained with her until the end of the show, though I feel she still gave many fine performances even amidst histrionics.

I still can't stand Jan.

My first thought re: Dalton's body was always about Rick Webber. I have to think that (or David Hamilton, or both) is what is foremost in Laura's mind.

Unfortunately I need it for work but those promos never seem to apply to me because I was a past subscriber, lol. Considering making a burner email to get in on this.

Speaking just re: social media, I think a lot of the impatience re: Leslie comes from new viewers frankly not used to daytime. There's an ebb and flow to this stuff. It's not like Empire where stuff wraps up in 2-3 episodes or less, or Tyler Perry shows which, nevermind. The Eva/Kat wars are heavy but remain good for the show and getting eyeballs. The audience is well divided there. My only real issue is with Tomas still being part of the picture, and the show not necessarily knowing what lane it wants to be in with Eva from day to day, or not being consistent enough re: her inconsistency. I like Eva and think she's a breakout, same as Kat, but I'm going to start taking shots every time she howls 'MAWMAH!' while enabling her mother.

There's a lot of great stuff out there (and a lot of teeming mediocrity). The problem is there is just too much 'content' period, too many streamers and half the shows out there you don't know exist until it's too late in the streaming crash and its ongoing boom/bust cycle, which has yet to settle down. Like I said re: Apple TV - there's some very good work but almost no one in America uses it or knows about over half its product, lol. Who would know it now has an ongoing Bill Lawrence situation comedy starring Harrison Ford and now Michael J. Fox?

The brainchild of Cynthia Cidre, who was accused later of xeroxing elements of Cane for her Dallas revival. Jimmy Smits is still well renowned, but I wish he would get something more lasting too.

I think Michael J. Fox would've likely found another lasting success had his illness not progressed so much further. He tried a show a few years back despite his condition and it was neither the right fit nor time. He's still warmly received whenever he appears in anything, and still has his charm. (I had no idea til just now he is apparently on Shrinking for Apple TV - a streamer almost no one watches, where his costar is Harrison Ford. Apparently they get along very well)

I posted it in the spoilers thread but the interview with Kate Mansi re: directing the show is worth a read.