Vee

OLTL hewed pretty close to its history ensemble-wise IMO, with the exception of the Ford influx and too much Rex/Gigi. There could always have been more but it's not like GH now to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd bring back Sarah as Gina Tognoni with an entire family, a husband (on the rocks) and a couple kids. The way the British soaps do sometimes with new characters/families. That's bold and rarely done over here with American soaps, for good reason (Monty did it with the Eckerts in fact, and look how that turned out!), but it would have a long-term story purpose to deconstruct and I'd ultimately aim her at Cameron Mathison's Drew the WSB agent probably. It would also be done in part to juxtapose her seemingly perfect personal and professional life with sister Liz, who got knocked up young from a ONS and left her dreams behind to be a nurse. Anyway. It's insane. Both Maxie and Kirsten need to be gone for years, and her kids need to be split up between Spinelli and Mac/Felicia. That is the reality of who Maxie is, ugly or not. Michael also needs to be gone a little while. I'd make Charlotte not Lulu's daughter too. And nuke Valentin. Don't get me started on the rest lol. I do think Cameron works fine, but Joss needs to be recast and then de-emphasized for a bit.

I liked Zander fine back in the day. I thought he was wasted. (Incidentally, Chad looked extremely good in his ghostly appearance earlier last year and despite his politics I could be open to a Witness Protection undead Zander deal to stir things up with the women in that age range, just saying. Zander was always a bit of chaos.) There are plenty of young people from the show's past to bring on, including Serena and Christina, and they're not all related. Tom Hardy Jr. is another and is Black. Annie Donely. A slew of Wards or potential Wards. It's an embarrassment of riches they don't tap.

He's literally just Michael Easton's brother (or son, maybe)! That's it! But Michael does need a break, and a serious recast. Chad is not viable anymore IMO.

I mean being much of an actor.

It goes deeper than that with Genie, I believe; that part is an old story that was known even in the '90s. Genie's behavior later was not exactly blameless. But I think mostly it's about him and his resentment of Luke and Luke and Laura. I still can't tell Willow or Sasha apart. I don't know who Brando or Harmony are at all and I don't think Chase is particularly interesting. People act like I'm crazy.

He's very attractive but was never exactly Jonathan Jackson to begin with.

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I couldn't tell who that was from just the picture either.

She was back maybe a month or two later as Tony prepared to exit. Laura knew Lucky was in danger and had come to warn Luke. They found Ethan also in trouble along the way. The story was dreadful, as was Tony having spent years at that point vetoing a reunion with Laura. RC got a little of his own back about that, I think, by having Luke leave Laura a mysterious letter when he left town - in typical GH form, to this day I don't think we know what it said. I was also keen to see them. But like you, I had wanted Sly to come back long before. I'd once wanted him to be a Cassadine mole in the early 2000s, embittered that the Spencers had 'forgotten' him lol, but that was back when he was still very young and I don't think that would make sense today. It would be nice to just see him.

IIRC the general impression was the real Luke had simply never gotten out of Ferncliff like people had thought.

Helena was indeed in cahoots with Fluke IIRC, but it's been awhile. They made out, I think. Laura was not on the show at the time - Genie had split between 2013 and 2015, when FV had declined to offer her a contract following the anniversary, expecting to be able to use her on recurring like most of the vets, and Laura was abruptly written off in the fall of '13. She didn't come back without a contract, and their skirmishes since have largely been about that AFAIK.

It was definitely after.

What he wants is Ukraine, and the resurrection of the Soviet bloc. This isn't about money for him. I can think of another way out (not nuclear). But if we went there there'd be hell to pay. Oddly enough, it's beginning to remind me of when the Nazis tried to take Russia in winter. The Russians (as well as other efforts on other fronts) broke them.

It was very clearly supposed to be Bill. First, the guards in Ferncliff or Shadybrook or wherever Luke was originally kept before being 'switched' referred to a second man in charge - not the prisoner. Second, after being 'released' and getting up to no good, Fluke began making crucial mistakes: He mistook the Floating Rib for the Outback, from the early '90s, and then commented to himself that Tracy deserved any pain coming to her for 'what she did to my sister' (Jenny Eckert). He also was investigating Barrett corporate holdings and Cartullo, a company connected to Brenda Barrett. Bill had existing ties to Harlan and Julia Barrett. Tony Geary's medical issues delayed the story and prolonged it, but he made it clear in interviews mid-story that he'd been hooked by the original storyline without explaining its secret - Tony Geary has always been fascinated by Bill Eckert, and has nursed a grudge about the character being killed off for years, so much so that IMO he tried to refashion Luke into a version of Bill and all his concepts for him in the mid-2000s through the 2010s. He talked a lot in the press about Bill being misunderstood and unappreciated over the years, but his most infamous interview about it was with Pure Soap on E! (I think) in late 1993 where he was very candid and pissed about it to, I think, Michael Logan. It used to be on YT but now seems to have gone private. Once Geary prolonged the story, RC apparently discovered that fans had figured out the truth about the story from the clues and got pissed. Suddenly Bill's skeleton was discovered, all the past clues were dropped and we got the DID angle that doesn't really make much sense. Tony also confirmed the story was rewritten as he exited the show, though he didn't get into specifics.

I also am in the relative minority in that I think Finola and Tristan had insane chemistry in that period and that Monty was right to put them back together even if was rushed or done poorly. (I think those scenes when Frisco finds out about them and is struggling not to razz her about it are hysterical) But in fairness I also haven't watched that much classic Robert and Holly period as a little Emma Samms has always gone a long way for me onscreen, though she seems like a lovely person and I hope her recovery from COVID continues. One of his fansites still has like 3-5 long, long interviews archived from '91 through '93 going deep, deep into the Eckert/Bill backstory and all his personas! The man was Invested with a capital I. It's amazing. I would love to see the eps where Bill transitions from his initial fisherman persona into the corporate raider, I'm not sure those are on YT. It was a mistake for RC to change the story and not use Eckert for Fluke, IMO. The actual execution of the story, even before the rewrite, was so stupid, but it could've been well done by better people.

Yeah, that whole period is wild to watch play out online. Monty's grand vision implodes - the scope and audacity of it all still impresses me, though - then Riche seems to be experimenting to find something stable for most of 1992 into '93 and manages a few hits, and that keeps them alive until Labine and Luke and Laura. At least as entertaining were Tony Geary's endless interviews about Bill Eckert and the Eckert family history in that era, though. He just went on and on as Bill kept changing identities and personas. And then he gave his legendary TV interview, I think to Talk Soap on E! maybe, where he bleakly prosecuted the audience for not embracing Bill in fall of '93. I could swear it was Monty who got Alan and Monica back together, too.

I assume Cari Shayne and Sabato chose to leave in '94? They were the star couple for awhile. I believe he's supposed to be Jonah's sibling, but don't quote me.

I like how they did a whole article devoted to 'no, he's really dead, folks!'

Oh, yes, I've seen that. Oy. Howarth is playing Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt, Jimmy Lee's annoying son. I think fans would've warmed to Howarth as a Q 9 years ago, but he showed up about 8 years and 2 other roles too late. The pairing with Maxie squicks me out as he still seems too young for her. Howarth had a viable place on GH once but it's long, long gone IMO.

I don't think recasting Julia is the worst idea in the world. I would definitely not put Drew with Carly at all though. That's just a Jason retread for her. I think Monty had her camped up in tight bun hair and being very haughty when CC first started, didn't she? That'll do it.

He also looked like he was wearing a Three Stooges wig when he returned.

I have my doubts Haskell would work for FV again given what we've heard about her final days at OLTL and her personal feelings about it, as well as those of her husband who refused to return when asked because of that same issue.