Franko

The timeline doesn't quite work, but I've become fond of trying to imagine the insanity of Santa Barbara under the leadership of Bridget & Jerome Dobson ... and Gloria Monty.

You need at least one self-identified outsider. They don't have to be from the wrong side of the tracks, but by design, intent or circumstance, they should feel out of sync if not isolated from others in their circle.

For a long time, I was under the impression that Jake's last episode was Thursday, Dec. 31, 1987, when he decided to leave Bobbie. He is in the Monday, Jan. 4, 1988 episode, when she's dealing with the fallout of his leaving (and the hospital's swamped with patients!). I get the impression, but I could be wrong, that from there up until the big return in November, Jake functioned as an offscreen character and mostly during the winter. Things like "Jake sends Bobbie a letter, which Scotty sees first," or "Jake and Bobbie are unable to talk on the phone." As for The Facts of Life, Sam was in the finale two-parter, alongside Kathleen Freeman as Blair's new secretary and Meredith Scott Lynn, Mayim Bialik (in the Tootie role), Seth Green (Eastland would have gone coed) and Juliette Lewis among the students. It's like watching the original Good Morning, Miss Bliss pilot, where Hayley Mills' classroom would have included Jaleel White, Brian Austin Green and Jonathan Brandis.

I don't know if there was necessarily drama so much as Sam wanted to try his luck with primetime. It was good that he came back in November and early December to wrap up Jake and Bobbie's relationship. And was apparently also set to be the male lead if The Facts of Life continued or had a spinoff with Blair running Eastland.

For what its worth, the Loving Murders was announced as an upcoming storyline on Monday, June 12, 1995.

Speaking of which, today is the 28th anniversary of both the announcement that Jill would begin working on Another World and that Loving would be rebooted (the SoHo move, new title, Morgan Fairchild -- but not her role, apparently -- and serial killer storyline were all announced in one fell swoop).

Choking on a macaroon!

I'm going to guess that the partial episodes on March 6 and 9 were because of coverage of the ongoing United Mine Workers strike. On the 6th, President Carter said that he was invoking a law to order the strikers back to work. On the 9th, that law went into effect. Side note about news coverage: It's quite trippy to watch 1990 episodes of One Life to Live, where the lead-up to the Persian Gulf War is taking up enough air time to practically be a storyline!

I wonder if Frances Reid ever found out that she was near the chopping block ...

"Forever" was a bad choice of words on my part. The endgame for everyone but Tony (and Genie) was pretty clearly to have Luke and Laura back. I should have written it as "If Bill Eckert had to exist, then presumably they'd have liked him as almost Luke until they could have the real deal again."

I don't know if it worked all that well, but I suspect that the powers that be would have prefered this incarnation, the "almost Luke," to have gone on forever.

To put that in perspective, Netflix's apparent longest-runner is Big Mouth, likely to conclude with 81 total episodes. The Handmaid's Tale, on Hulu, is likely to conclude with 66 episodes. Star Trek: Discovery, Paramount+, will end with 65 episodes.

Ballard and Ewing are certainly on track to meet that goal. With thanks for you being so thorough, and with the knowledge that there's less than 110 episodes left of Loving itself ... Ballard -- 27 confirmed episodes in '93; 48 confirmed episodes in '94; 35 confirmed episodes so far in '95 (41 more to go!). Ewing -- 28 confirmed episodes in '93; 78 confirmed episodes in '94; 54 confirmed episodes so far in '95 (53 more to go!). And, just because: Morgan -- 45 confirmed episodes in '93; 80 confirmed episodes in '94; 46 confirmed episodes so far in '95 (80 more to go!).

Let it be noted that Geoffrey C. Ewing likely appeared in all 23 episodes of Loving that aired in May 1995. @Kane's site doesn't have a recap for May 18, but we can make an educated guess that Ewing appeared that day. Also, Ewing, Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams will end the month as the three actors with the most appearances. And assuming that she appeared in the May 18 episode, Debbi was in 23 straight episodes from April 20-May 22.

It's a shame that aspect of Pam's characterization didn't last. I guess it was a casualty of so many people on DALLAS (and in primetime soaps as a whole) becoming/being well off. Once you've got it, it apparently doesn't matter how, or how it's affecting you. There's a wonderful YouTuber, Cool Channel Network, who's been doing some amazing recaps. These words about Bobby really sums it up.

Did Billy and Marcy Walker have an amicable divorce? I ask because earlier in the Billy discussion, the idea of his doing a New York soap came up. For whatever reason, All My Children was the first one that came to mind. I'd have cast him as Andrew Hunter, fresh from prison.

That's a fair assessment.

If they hadn't gone to a point of no return with Jill, could she have fit on that tier?

Preaching to the choir here, but soaps are the ideal media to fully tell the stories of COVID, abortion and gun violence. I wish the remaining shows were willing to go there.

I've said it before, but NBC Daytime's stable of guys from circa 1999-2006 helped me realize it wasn't a phase.

I actually have to keep reminding myself that William Smithers is *not* William Duell from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I need to re-read my copy; there may have been a hint about J.R. possibly being Digger's son. Wow, I completely forgot about Vera. And that Maureen loved getting it on with J.R. (which clearly doesn't jibe with how Joan van Ark played Valene).

Raintree took some interesting liberties in that book. For example, Lucy being the product of a rape between J.R. and "Maureen." And Sue Ellen being at least a decade younger (she's Miss Texas '75, not '67). It also goes into more detail about why J.R. and Julie's relationship exists; he comes to her for the kind of sex he wouldn't dare expect/ask from Sue Ellen.

So many possibilities with that scenario, which could have happened at any time throughout Season 7. It could be one of the Empire Valley people, letting Gary know that they mean business. Or either Joshua before his death or a crazy fan after his death. Or an unbalanced Cathy or Lilimae. Or even save it for the end of the season and have Bobby and Betsy, not Karen, be held by Phil Harbert. After that, though, Bobby and Betsy would never be allowed to be kidnapped again. Wouldn't want to overdo it.

I'm not especially well-versed in the later seasons, but was Vanessa Beaumont the show's one and only attempt at trying to give J.R. someone who loved him with almost no strings attached?