Franko

Luckily, Cathy didn't believe that. I think the moment she realized Joshua could not be redeemed was when he showed up at the apartment she wanted them to live in to cajole, then harass her. I've been harsh on Joshua's downfall, but there are some fascinating moments in "Pictures at a Wedding" and "Until Parted by Dark." Joshua saying to Linda's boyfriend that if a woman wanted him to leave her alone, he'd do it. It felt like Joshua genuinely believed that, like he wasn't just saying that to assert superiority on Ken or as his own private joke. If you didn't know better, you could think the show was belatedly laying the groundwork for Joshua having some sort of mental excuse for compartmentalizing right and wrong. The Mack moment might play into that, but to me, it just came across as someone trying an 11th hour excuse that nobody in their right mind would believe. Knots at the movies: Joshua and Cathy alone in Laura's living room was giving me Star 80 vibes*. Later, when he's at her car asking her "how my show went," my mind went to the climactic scene in What's Love Got to Do With It**. *That had to have been extremely uncomfortable for Laura, realizing that something similar to "Night" nearly once again happened in her house. **I know that What's Love wasn't released until after Knots ended. I'm curious if Tina Turner surviving domestic abuse was common knowledge until after she released I, Tina in 1986. Part of me wonders if someone at the show didn't have a tinny bit of regret that they didn't have a televangelist character around to do a ripped from the headlines story once Jim Bakker's scandal happened.

Up to "Until Parted by Death." Did Joshua really think Mack was going to buy his bull about Cathy being on drugs? One more episode to go, and when we get to that scene, I might just have to get out some cake frosting and watch it on a loop, a la Goldie Hawn in Death Becomes Her. JVA approves?

Wait a moment, was Ben playing "Memory" from Cats on the piano for Val in "Awakenings"? It's at the start of their scene, before he plays "That's All." ETA: Val, the opportunity to kick out that nagging little cornpone mama of yours was there on a plate. You shoulda taken it!

John Ingle, a few years before playing Edward.

Not to get off topic, but did you ever see Dreamchild, starring Coral Browne and Ian Holm? It's Alice-adjacent.

I just want to know if Sally, Donna, and the lady playing the daisy all practiced at home, wearing leotards and veterinary cones of shame.

The flowers were total frienemies to one another! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz5XdvqsJc0

The Ann Jillian Story was much better than I expected it to be. I came away with a lot of respect for Ann. I remember we all had some good laughs over Never Say Never, its promotion, and its idiosyncracies (Connie Ray as "Shane," Wayne Northrop playing himself acting opposite Deidre in a scene set in 1987) on the Days history thread. I've never seen the Joan & Melissa movie, but Enter Talking and Still Talking included Joan wondering how her life would have been different if she had continued pursuing a career as a serious actress rather than going for comedy.

One of the weirdest coincidences is that the four prominent actresses who played Tracy from Hairspray followed it up up with a body positivity TV-movie. Ricki Lake -- Babycakes Marissa Jaret Winokur -- Beautiful Girl Nikki Blonsky -- Queen Sized Maddie Baillio -- Dumplin'

Speaking of movies made for USA ... I would watch the hell out of Tap Pant Desire.

Closing in previews is especially rare, so Face Value must have been a total turkey or had absolutely no advance ticket sales.

@Maxim , you might also be interested in knowing that Mia Korf's first gig after One Life to Live was David Henry Hwang's Face Value, which never officially opened on Broadway. It's also related to infamous casting.

"We're friends. We go back a long way. When I need you ... I'll let you know." -- Gary, laying down the law with Karen. Also, I know the broad strokes of what happens with Cathy, but I'm curious what her last interactions with Laura will be like.

Agreed. I do feel a little bad for Peter Bergman, though, having not one, but three new females (Heather Stanford, Alice Haining, Melissa Leo) to act opposite and convey complicated feelings about in such a short time.

Marcy lasted on AMC until at least mid-September 1984. She's in the Wednesday, Sept. 12 episode doing the Liza likes Cliff storyline. Marcy debuted on Santa Barbara on Friday, Sept. 28, 1984.

There was also a line from Gary, which I want to say came around the time he lost the ranch. "(possibly paraphrased) Daddy loved the land for what it could give him. Mama loved it for what it was."

I just finished "The Christening," which features an especially out of character scene for Greg, literally pulling Laura out of the car belonging to her work friend, the guy Greg thinks is Laura's new boyfriend.

Ha! I was waiting-hoping for someone to make the joke for me.

I'm up to "When the Cat's Away," and I got a mostly "adequate" answer about Sheila Fisher. She and Harry couldn't legally adopt because she had a nervous breakdown. Based on what I saw, I figured Sheila was bipolar. Also, hel-lo there, Jonathan Goldsmith. That grey tank top looked mighty nice on you.

Yeah, all roads in Malone's OLTL tend to lead back to that idea.

How about Viki's cousin, Richard Abbott? It could lay the groundwork for the idea that there are monsters in even privileged families (looking at you, Powell and Victor).

It was worse than that. For Christmas in the third season, both Richard and Scooter bought Laura a new car. Scooter's was nicer, and Richard insisted Laura accept it.

I found myself rewatching the infamous "Empty Nests" episode of The Golden Girls*, and it suddenly clicked. Susan Harris must have looked at it as a chance to at least partially avenge It Takes Two. *Dorothy voice: "It was on YouTube, on a channel I subscribe to, and I hadn't seen it in a while, and WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!"

I just had to keep going, and am up to the start of Season Seven. Did they ever say exactly what Sheila Fisher's issue is? I don't want to give her an armchair diagnosis.

The patron saint of bad recasts.