Vee

Yeah, I personally didn't see much of it in her '90s-2000 run, but I do feel it was there from the beginning of her subsequent return in 2003. From then on she too often took it to 11. As I said I think what JFP did to her scarred her - on some level I think she partly feared it had been a fault of her performance, and vowed never to let it happen again. I still loved her and (almost) never found her unwatchable or anything in later years, but she went way, way up and didn't need all that.

Only when Higley took over. And I don't think Higley had any idea who it was at first, no. It was not a Malone plot. It was actually fall/winter on the run. And that was Ron Carlivati's first big story, which tied into Viki's resurgence and new romance with Charlie. Some of Carlivati's best work, IMO.

The thing is, Paige's past secret did not remotely figure into the initial character. She existed solely as a very two-dimensional B&N spoiler (like Daniel Colson in 2004) for a storyline that never actually happened due to BTS stuff. Paige's secret and past life was only created by new writer Dena Higley in '05 as something to hang Spencer's character on. Also, the McBains were all introduced in 2003-04 by Malone. The Spencer link - John's father's murder - was again only created in '05-'06 by Higley.

Paige originally came on at the tail end of Michael Malone's disastrous second run in 2004 - Frank Valentini fought hard to get Mary Beth Evans for the role, but at the last moment ATWT offered her a contract as Sierra and she took it. Kimberlin Brown took the role for maybe six months and did nothing but fück Bo on his desk. At the time Paige was little more than a transparent spoiler for a Bo/Nora reunion Malone was never remotely able to execute. Later, with Cady Huffman in the role, it seemed like they hoped Paige could supplant Nora - the actresses had very similar styles, and HBS was locked in a contract dispute with ABC which kept Nora in a coma for months. Only fan outcry saved Nora's life. Paige as a character never worked or went anywhere, but Dena Higley was obsessed with her creation Spencer Truman so that (along with the logjam BTS that allegedly kept the show from reuniting Bo and Nora for years) gave Paige a year or two more of longevity. No one cared about any of the Paiges, including the final one, Alexandra Neil from Texas.

Chrysta Bell discusses TP on her blog:

Nancy is no fool. She knows pageantry is all Trump cares about, and she can take it from him.

I think Robin played Dorian too OTT at least half the time from 2003-onward. I think it was because she was very scared she'd be let go again - that really hurt her. David Pressman had a cameo in a 2003 storyline, playing a Shakespeare-spouting homeless person Antonio and Jessica consulted re: Keri's death when Antonio was being blamed. He was not much of an actor, but I realized later that didn't matter - it was the show paying tribute to their beloved crewmember.

Good luck explaining this away:

BTS footage from OLTL staff legend and camera operator Howie Zeidman. I've never seen this.

LOL:

Michael Graziadei (Daniel, Y&R) is a murder victim's shifty uncle on the new season of True Detective.

Welp:

That's the brief and polite version.