Vee

That headline is misleading. Dyer's interview blamed a new producer coming in (I can't keep track of them - was it Clenshaw?) and claimed he didn't like the Carters and began dismantling the family and firing Mick's kids, but I thought that might've begun with another EP. He said the pairing with Janine was a byproduct of that. It seemed like a rather convenient personal narrative, but many soap actors have a version of that same story they believe whether it's true or not.

They need to start giving Maurice Tony Geary breaks. Let the audience miss him insofar as they can.

There's a lot of things they could do, but I am far from convinced the dude playing Derek could sell that kind of story.

I also think Beth was actually very good as Irna. And I thought Kim nailed Charita Bauer.

I will hazard a hot take that the audience will largely return. It's a different kind of show and the viewership is different.

Exactly. There's at least a dozen things to fix on the show if not more, but in the longview of building a soap this has honestly been a drop in the bucket time-wise. Still, certain folks in the thread have been predicting doom for this show ever since their fanfic spec scripts were returned to sender. They need it to hurry up and die.

We all know Jacquie Courtney did it as I'm sure did many others. The difference is Courtney and those others didn't often seem barely there onscreen.

I didn't want Cody to be a cad - they tried that when he first came on and it was one of the most unpopular introductions in recent show history. I do think he can be up to a little mischief and various shenanigans, but I thought the mostly settled man in the stables close to Tracy, Mac, the kids, etc. was good for him. That didn't mean he couldn't be the wandering happy stud servicing various lonely heroines, or couldn't settle down with Tracy.

Stopped me dead in my tracks with that one, thanks.

I agree with that, I just don't think Vaganos is interesting enough to make it viable, not when Molly has lingered on canvas since birth with no breaks and very little compelling story as an adult. Like Adam Huss, she does a good job but can I see her leading story? No. I think we need to miss Molly and forget her years of pointless omnipresence before you recast (or even bring back Hailey Pullos someday if she serves her time and debt to society, but I don't care which tbh) with someone more exciting to watch that still retains the unique element and specificity the character has always had going back to childhood, even when it was often annoying as they turned HP's Molly into Spinelli Jr. in the last Guza years. We need to begin to remember the aspects of that personality before she became a bland nobody sitting largely in the background for the last decade-plus, and then reinvent her with someone new or some new story after maybe several years' break.

It's more FV cheapjack utility plotting/couples: They exist, are on contract and/or are free, ergo they're paired regardless of whether it works. This is worst of all with the Black characters of course, and to an extent also with older vets in limbo. Kevin was available for Laura years ago and Frank clearly did not want to hire someone new for Genie, Jon Lindstrom could be depended on to appear and did not need a contract; thus a couple was born. What's almost as bad is how he has trained some fans to think like this: Insert Person A into Person B. I do like Cody, or did like him a lot over the last year. He became kinder, more easygoing and less obnoxious. I love his bond with Tracy and I'd still put them together. But Molly is indeed so basic, and a spent character period who needs a long break from the canvas. This recast is serviceable but not interesting to me and the character is tired. Unfortunately I don't see them doing the Lulu spoiler pairing vs. Lulu/Dante, and Tracy is clearly not happening so if they can't find somewhere interesting to put him soon I might be tempted to cut him too. Which is too bad, because as I've said (and as @prefab1 did) mischievous but inherently decent (or less so!) guys like Cody, happy-go-lucky sort of studs like him, are what soaps often used as their bread and butter. Chase OTOH I would can almost immediately, but not before having Willow use and dump him to screw with the Qs. He's like a little boy playing dress up and has no personality whatsoever. Curtis would also go.

It was very weird seeing her in this kind of role after her bland Star Trek character(s), lol. I do think she did well though I often wanted to throttle Santos. I've liked Shawn Hatosy since The Faculty aeons ago so I am glad to see myself again vindicated. Fiona Dourif is stunningly good, and so similar to her father. I think it's criminal she wasn't much known outside those Child's Play DTV sequels until recently, where she played very fun, demented material more in the family wheelhouse; seeing her in a more straight role here was jarring, but she was excellent. I wish she'd had the chance to work with David Lynch like Brad briefly did.

Good news. Next: Can we curse now?

Finally diving deeper into the RTD2 era proper, as it's rumored this week's episode may or may not be If anyone is gagging for extremely belated thoughts on much of Disney's Season 1/Series 14-onward, you know where to find me.

Ironically, Spirtas and several others on the film couldn't stand her lol.

Surprising to hear about Lar Park Lincoln, she was awfully young. Like soap fans, the horror world never forgets; she was always royalty there. It's been especially gratifying for me this last decade to see so many daytime stars from cancelled soaps embraced by the horror fandom who remember their early work after their soap careers have largely ended, but Lincoln was ahead of the curve. I look forward to seeing her Knots run in time, which seems a world away from her mousy Carrie-esque character in Friday the 13th.

I disagree, I think he's great with Sara.

The many scenes discussing Dana's troublesome dead spouse (Alan) do not seem coincidence to me. I do think there is more there.

Not Derelict!

They were wise to keep Jay Ferguson beyond his role as an early spoiler for Darlene and David, once it became clear Galecki was not going to return. Ferguson is such an amazing actor and very similar to Goodman, and was wonderful with Sara.

I've only begun getting back to it recently on Netflix after Season 2, but I'm glad it had a long, solid run and got to go out on its own terms. I do wish Michael Fishman had appeared this season and hadn't been phased out.

I have never heard an unkind word about Cameron tbh. I just think his skills are with this kind of character, be it a roguish scoundrel or someone worse (like the current Drew).

Again: Some of us have been sensibly critiquing this show all along. It's not an all or nothing proposition.

I agree with all of the above. The difference is that this time last year Patrick Mulcahey was clearly using it to refashion him directly in the old school Ryan Lavery mold, except during the Gillian years- a sort of cocky, scheming, gladhanding rogue who might get his comeuppance in the mess with Nina and Willow, and seemed (IMO) poised to end up falling for his frenemy Nina, and remain a more palatable male lead with these characteristics. Now Drew is just a straight up dick. But I think Cameron does both takes very well.