Franko

The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire Week Three (Jan. 13-17, 1986) Jennifer: "... Theresa and I are from a small town. I don't think there's even one psychiatrist in Laurelton. We solve our problems with tender loving care." Buzz: "Yes, I'm from a small town too, Mrs. Talbot. And I have found that tender loving care does not help deep-rooted psychological problems." Jennifer: "Oh. Well, your town must be different from ours." Laurelton, the mystery stuff: I wish I was having more fun watching Anna match wits against Sheriff Broder. At least with Monica vs. Alan and Edward, there's longstanding relationships and obvious respect to make sure the conflict mean something. On a positive note, I did get my wish when Bobbie and Jake talked about how unnerving it was that everyone in Laurelton seemed to know who they were and what they were looking for. Alas, this was talked about rather than shown. I'm also getting really annoyed by the trip from Laurelton-Port Charles (a plane ride) being able to be covered in near-consecutive scenes. I get that they want to keep the action moving, but they shouldn't have had Laurelton in another state. Laurelton, the relationship stuff: Patrick's got kind of a bargain basement Steven Carrington quality right now, minus the homosexuality. He spends most of Friday's episode upset about being an outsider from the people of Laurelton, whether it's his off-screen parents or Lottie the hostess. At least Patrika Darbo (Sally, a Port Charles barmaid) didn't dislike him. On another '80s primetime soaps note, Jennifer's got a more pronounced Temu Angela Channing air to her. As for Terry & Kevin, it's hard to like her when she's being such a ninny. Back to Patrick: because he inherited 280 shares of the Purity Water corporation and most of Earl Moody's money, and there's a window of time where he could have killed Neil Johnson, he's now the prime suspect in the Laurelton and Brownstone killings. Bobbie & Jake: I didn't know that Jake apparently doesn't know about Bobbie's past. I assumed that came up, even in passing, when she was charged with Brock's murder. Jackie Zeman and Sam Behrens win my acting crown for the week with their beautiful scene on Monday. "Nothing is holding me back from loving you. A lot is holding me back from getting any closer to you." Sean vs. the Quartermaines: I'm appreciating that Sean's being as direct as possible with Monica. This week he reminds her that it's possible that everybody minus A.J. and Jason could end up wiped out. Sean really is a perfect lover. He clearly values consent. Jimmy Lee & Celia: Who wears short shorts? Jimmy Lee wears short shorts! If my theory about Steve Bond having a three-year contract and a one-year extension is right, then this might have been the time that the extension was getting worked out. Jimmy Lee's off to Brazil to work for Dimitri Cassadine while Celia has to stay home. Savor that hookup with Jimmy Lee, Celia. It will end up being your last. Frisco & Sam: I wonder if there were viewers in 1986 who thought that Frisco would actually cheat on Felicia. Tony & Tania certainly believe it's a matter of time. To her credit, Sam's not giving off any take me now vibes. I hope that Sam's eventual victory over the PCPD's climbing rope will pay off during some storyline. The Webbers and Barringtons: Bobbie and Ginny being so friendly to one another made me think about how much Ginny matured over the last two years. It's interesting that Bobbie could be close with someone who tried framing her for murder a year ago. I guess Bobbie's friendship with Rick carried a lot of the weight initially. I wonder if Bobbie and Lucy could have eventually been friends if Lucy stayed married to Tony. Anyway, Ginny's the suffering madonna in this batch, watching with Rick as Mike goes out to eat with Derek & Lorena and later being accused of promiscuity by her son. This earns Mike a well-deserved slap (sorry, but it was) from Rick. Other thoughts: -- Why is Terry's face still on bottles of Purity Water? She was crowned Miss Purity in 1983. Did they stop giving out the title after Terry defiled the crown? This might get answered soon, but I want to complain about it right now. -- GH's episode structure is also annoying me. The Quartermaines' story pops in about a third of a way into Monday's episode. There's an almost random Bryan & Claudia scene near the end of Thursday's episode. It's like, map out your episodes a little more cleanly, people. -- For the record, Bryan & Claudia are fighting because their girls are apparently going through the terrible twos, he wants her to be a homemaker, and she wants him to share her responsibilities. Claudia actually calls Bryan a male chauvinist pig, which always makes me think of the '70s Freaky Friday. Clip.CafeWatch 'Male chauvinist pig! Why did you call Daddy a male...Watch the clip 'Male chauvinist pig! Why did you call Daddy a male chauvinist pig? Because he is one! But...' from the movie Freaky Friday on Clip.Cafe. Annabel (as Mrs. Andrews): Male chauvinist pig!-- It's nice to see Lila with a little bit of bite as Alan, et. al try to keep her in the dark about their scheming. The show has it both ways, though, when Lila says she's seen far too much to want to see more. "Lila, my darling." "Edward, my charlatan." -- Different Times: Tony suggests the Brownstone get an intercom so that its residents can be quickly notified in a crisis. -- Hey, It's 1986!: The kids at Mike's school apparently have a three-day week. They get Monday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day (first observed in '86), then Tuesday off for a teacher in-service day. -- I've yet to see Jessie. Steve popped up two weeks ago when Bobbie got the okay to go to Laurelton, and Audrey's around on Tuesday to give the student nurses their assignments. Dan Rooney's also MIA. Because she's Mike's boss and landlady, Ruby's around for much of the week. -- Knowing what we know now, Burt's mask slips on Wednesday: "... It was a sorry day when the department decided to allow women on the force." He may claim Anna is different, as she "fights like a man and her training with the WSB makes her unique," but oink, oink, Burt.

I wasn't aware of this.

I've given Lilimae a lot of attitude, but I'll be darned if she (or rather, Julie Harris) wasn't adorable reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to Bobby & Betsy.

I was just about to post Bobbie vs. Lucy. It fizzled out after the mid-'90s, but there was the potential for those two to have a long-runner. Bobbie was mad at Lucy for being Kevin's mistress, then for profiting off the Brownstone murders and causing Terry angst. After that, Bobbie was mad about Lucy getting pregnant from Jake, then marrying and being an unworthy wife to Tony. Damien's affair with Bobbie was because Lucy chose her for him.

Oh, very much agreed. I'm not looking forward to Val's "village idiot" years.

Assorted thoughts and questions from late Season 7 and early Season 8: -- Just what type of show was A Better Tomorrow once it was exclusively Cathy's? Was it just her singing for 30-60 minutes? Maybe she should have been a VJ, or had celebrity guests. I can't imagine Cathy answering fan mail, giving advice or, god forbid, attempting to preach on the show. -- This might be a generalization, but Greg & Laura are kind of the smart man's J.R. & Sue Ellen. Laura's eyes are open about Greg. She doesn't have to experience the annual indignity of the "This time he's changed! ... How could you betray me?!" routine. Things came close to that in the home stretch of the Empire Valley saga, when Greg only cleaned up Lotus Point because he couldn't afford politically not to. -- I wonder where "Holister" came from. Maybe it was Mrs. Simpkins' maiden name. Also, I kinda wish that Peter had to dramatically change his name, like Dorothy/Jill did. Going from "Petey" to Peter doesn't count. How do we feel about "Ezekiel"? -- Peter's sham claim as a Galveston heir is kind of the successor to Val's lie about Ben fathering Bobby & Betsy. Everyone knows or could know the truth, but mostly are keeping up appearances. -- Eric & Michael's catfight (it's too emotionally charged to be a brawl) is just as campy as I imagined it to be. -- While I appreciate someone's bull detector being active regarding Paige, I'm not sure Lilimae should be the one voicing concerns. Especially the one about insinuating her way into Karen & Mack's home. Uh, Lilimae, remember how you wound up at Val's? -- I'm sure we've discussed this, and she probably wasn't interested in doing a soap again, but I keep thinking Pamela Sue Martin could have brought some presence to the role of Jean Hackney. Not only that, but it couldn't have hurt CBS' mission in moving Knots to 9 p.m. Thursday for the fall of '86 -- deliver the killing blow to The Colbys on ABC. (Something Cheers was more than capable of doing.)

The Qs wanted to get their hands on Sean's shipping company (which I think he finagled away from Jimmy Lee). Monica was mad at Alan for fooling around with a nurse (it was a fling out of sadness over an old friend's death and his own middle age). She also thought that the Qs, namely Edward, were being unnecessarily greedy and needed to be taught a lesson. Besides that, Sean was dashing and as Monica admitted, she liked having a no strings attached bit of fun. Naturally, things will get more serious as 1986 continues. I've heard that about JER and Laurelton, and I can certainly believe it. We're about the enter the portion with lots of attention for "Purity Water." Gee, what's in a name?

Yeah, it's just childish all around. It would be funny if, say As the World Turns ended up winning that year. For the record, it was GH again, continuing a streak that lasted through 2000, the last year NBC aired the SOD Awards. On a happier note ...

Twenty-eight years ago this coming week ...

Oh, if only! I suspect that once they hit upon the idea of having Anna for crime/mystery stories, Burt's days were numbered. Even if the Mr. Big twist maybe wasn't yet decided. It definitely feels like Laurelton is an effort to see if Terry has what it takes to be the young heroine, or at least lady in waiting behind Felicia. The Jan. 7 episode has an interesting moment for Edward, where he's reminiscing about making a fortune during an Alaskan silver boom in the early '30s. He was supplying miners with food and whiskey. Edward apparently wasn't there himself, which is a shame -- David Lewis' Edward feels like he'd know how to assert dominance against some wilderness tough guys.

John Cunningham, who played Garth Slater, has died. As it happens, Loving isn't mentioned in the obit. https://deadline.com/2026/01/john-cunningham-dead-1236677389/

The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire Week Two (Jan. 6-10, 1986) Dimitri Cassadine: "Praise the saints! This is a miracle." Sean: "No, no, it's just business." Laurelton -- I should probably divide this section into two parts. We've got the search for Bobbie in Laurelton itself and back in Port Charles, there's Terry taking truth serum. The former should keep my attention, but it's mostly scene after scene of Laureltonians being evasive with Anna, Buzz, or Jake. I wonder if there was any interest in a genuine fakeout over whether Bobbie was buried alive, like the PCers initially think -- these episodes aired two months before Lauren's burial on Y&R and seven-and-a-half years before Carly on DOOL. Bobbie and Jake's reunion at the cemetery is nice, if not as memorable as you'd expect. Meanwhile, the one-two punch of learning about Bobbie's disappearance and Jennifer being away (to further the cover-up in Laurelton) causes Terry to have a panic attack. She cries, avoids questions, and bares her teeth like it's going out of style! We also learn that Terry's nightmares include running down a street, apparently in Laurelton. After learning about her having sleepwalked with a knife before Neil Johnson's murder, Terry agrees to be dosed, and we learn what happened on Feb. 15, 1983: Jennifer banished Terry from Laurelton after an incident where Terry stopped being a good girl. Grandmother and granddaughter insist they're on good terms again and the mystery's been solved. Uh, no, it's not. We still don't know who killed Neil, or what happened to Earl Moody. Anyway, Terry is bold enough to say she and Kevin will get married in Laurelton. Patrick's uncomfortable with this. Hmm ... Sean and Monica's Affair -- I didn't expect to be so taken with the idea of Monica wanting a date night. Monica brings it up on Monday while telling Alan that she wants to rebuild their relationship step by step from the beginning. On Thursday, Monica is especially excited about setting a date for Rio with Sean after they've completed their revenge on Edward, Alan, Celia, and Jimmy Lee. Between those and Leslie Charleson's voice crack on the line about "Sean Donnelly merging with the Cassadines," Monica is giving Robin a run for her money in the adorability department. I also got a small kick out of Celia & Jimmy Lee's excitement over breaking into Sean's office (which was set up for them by Sean & Monica). That's one way to keep the magic going in a marriage. Mike's Paternity -- This storyline's not quite an afterthought for the week, but it comes close. I appreciate that at this point, Derek's not moustache-twirling over how to achieve dominance over Rick & Ginny. It's Mike who's the closest thing to a villain right now, with his lying to Derek and Lorena about not having to go to school, having the obligatory "I hate you all!" outburst with his parental figures, and being pushy while filming in Bryan & Claudia's kitchen. This comes late in the Wednesday episode, which makes it feeled shoed-in, like someone on staff realized they needed to fulfill somebody's episode commitments. On Friday, we also get some filler about Buzz and Rick convincing Lorena to give makeovers to terminally ill patients. I guess it's there to give some shading for Lorena, to make it clear that she's not outright evil, either. Frisco & Felicia -- They're in sitcom mode this week, with Felicia insisting she's not jealous of Sam. The two ladies nearly have a catfight outside Burt's hospital room, which is another strike against Frisco in Sgt. Lewis' book. The week ends with Felicia preparing to see a very ill Maria in Texas, and fearing what will happen between Frisco & Sam while she's away. Other thoughts: -- C'mon, GH writers, independent women weren't that new and unique as late as 1986. Somebody keeps wanting to make a sociological point: Mayor Ken Morgan on Anna: "That woman's arrogance is unbelievable. I tell you this. It is women like her that set back the women's movement a hundred years." Medford cabdriver on Bobbie: "I'm here to tell you, she is one independent lady. ... I knew I should have let her get out of the cab, but women are so damn independent these days." -- I spent nearly nine years as a reporter in southwest North Dakota. My introduction to one community ended up happening while I was covering a scandal. Let's put it this way: at least a dozen people (including eight members of a nine-person board) were out of work or office within a year. I'll never forget a time when I was in that community for something not directly related to the scandal, and was recognized at a gas station. "What are you doing here?" I didn't fear for my safety. My attention was caught by the blend of apprehension, fear, and hostility in that townie's voice. That's what's missing so far from the Laurelton storyline. -- Today I learned Bert gets at least one death threat a week. Who knew? -- Robin makes a bid to keep the adorable crown when she encourages Sean, Buzz, and Frisco to play with pediatric patients. -- Today in Jack Wagner being wacky: Frisco wearing his police cap backwards when visiting Sean & Felicia. -- Chris Robinson and Don Galloway aren't homely, but Rick and Buzz are "hunks" to Lorena? Hunks?!

I'm reminded of David Letterman's Top 10 list about rejected circus slogans. "Yes, we have middle-aged women in spangled bikinis!" (Hmm, maybe Gary's missing years included time as a carnie or roustabout?)

Found on Facebook today, a cast photo taken in December 1980. By my estimation, the only people missing are Renee Anderson (Alexandra) and Jeff Donnell (Stella).

The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire Week One (Jan. 1-3, 1986) Ted to Kevin: "... You're a very bright, considerate young man, and we both know that you love Terry very much." Kevin turns to Terry and gives a "sure, I guess" head shrug I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. There's three primary stories in this batch, and a decent amount of character and relationship stuff, which is honestly more interesting. Laurelton -- We're in the questions on top of questions stage. Who killed Neil Johnson, Kevin and Patrick's cousin? Is Terry capable of murder? Is Patrick? What happened in Laurelton on Valentine's Day 1983? Patrick is presented as the most suspicious and erratic party, so I imagine that was the clue for viewers to turn their attention to either Terry, Jennifer, or Ted. I'm going to try keeping an open mind as I watch this story play out (after all, I've got Lucy's arrival to look forward to!), but right now, I'm more interested in the character stuff. We've got Anna trying to prove herself worthy as being co-chief of the Port Charles Police Department. I also really like Bobbie disapproving of Kevin & Terry's engagement. She says some lines that are interesting to me in light of our discussing Bobbie's mindset before marrying Tony. "You don't get married to achieve stability. You have to be stable in order to get married, and stay married. I think you have it backwards, Jennifer." Sean & Monica's Affair -- Be still my heart, Sean wooed Monica with his Great American Songbook mixtape! It's a nice contrast to the posturing exhibited at separate times by Alan ("Every woman has a little bit of Mata Hari blood in her. Why would you be different?") and Edward ("We Quartermaine men always satisfy our women, Alan. Don't ever forget that. ..."). When it comes to this storyline, like Monica said, there's nowhere to go but up. Mike Webber's Paternity -- Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the last two episodes of December 1985, which included Mike learning that Derek's his father. Mike begins 1986 living at Kelly's (like Ruby doesn't have enough to deal with ...) while Rick and Ginny are anguished. Did Ginny, Mike, or Rick Jr. get mentioned at all when Rick Sr. returned? Relationship Roundup -- Anna & Buzz lead this section. I don't outright hate them together, but I'm feeling a Sherlock & Watson chemistry rather than anything romantic. Other pairs in this batch include Frisco & Felicia (she learns that "Sam," his police partner, is "Samantha"), Yank & Jade (he wants to start anew), and Jake & Bobbie (he fails at keeping Anna from finding out Bobbie's gone to Laurelton). There's also Jimmy Lee & Celia, and Tony & Tania, but neither did anything interesting. Other thoughts: -- Robin being adorable, wondering why Buzz has to work on New Year's Day ... not a bad way to start my journey. -- Scoffing at '80s hair is too easy, but my heart breaks for Sherilyn Wolter and Robyn Bernard, both having to sport 'dos that aged them. On the other hand, there's an endearing retro charm to Anna taking off an earring to talk on the phone and then putting it back on afterwards. -- Jade took "New year, new me" to heart. On Jan. 1, she says she's going to stop working at the tearoom in the Asian Quarter. On Jan. 2, she's a student nurse at GH. -- Today in Jack Wagner being wacky: Frisco breaks into a slight strut walk as he and Sam walk arm in arm out of the PCPD gym. -- If I'm not mistaken, "Someone to Watch Over Me" played on two soaps this week in '86. Besides Sean and Monica listening to Sinatra at his penthouse, there was Kim Hughes listening to herself at Doug Cummings' shrine. -- Speaking of that penthouse, it's the one Robert lived in and the one where Luke had his pre-wedding address to Port Charles. It's not the same penthouse where Tracy was going to let Edward die of a heart attack -- the entrances are on opposite sides. -- Today I learned Laurelton's in the South. For whatever reason, I was thinking it was in Upstate New York.

No worries. Well, wish me luck, everybody -- I'm about to begin my dive into The Decline and Fall of the Monty Empire (i.e. 1986 episodes).

Was Lucky named yet? In 1986, on her wedding day with Jake, Bobbie gets greetings from "Luke, Laura, and baby."

I think you're right about Tony and Bobbie not having been intimate yet. I guess Tony was sort of on the same page as the viewers, who had been watching this unofficial courtship play out for a year.

I wasn't aware of this! It feels like something the writers could have played during any of Bobbie and Tony's estrangements, the question of what was the foundation of their marriage, anyway? Did stability, trust, etc. trump intimacy?

And many happy years to come!

They do seem to fade away, yes. I think 1988 was also when they had Justin Whalin as a SORASed A.J. It's kind of a shame they didn't keep him at roughly Robin's age, since an A.J./Robin/returned Mike Webber triangle could have been interesting. I'm planning on watching 1986-87 GH and giving commentary. Maybe I'll hang around through the writers strike. As fabulous as Tiffany is, she always feels like a puzzle piece as opposed to someone who can naturally generate a story like Robert, Anna, or Sean. From what I recall, Sean and Tiffany hadn't met before 1986. It feels like they should have. If nothing else, Jake could have filled the role of a recurring lawyer, or at least popped in from time to time. Much appreciated. Thanks. After the fourth or fifth time, Bobbie should have just been like, "Screw it, I'm becoming a dog mom!"

It's complicated. I almost feel like I need a chart. The short-ish story (and credit where it's due, this all comes from the Curlyqgrl summaries): Bobbie and Jake, married on Nov. 25, 1986, spent 1987 in a deteriorating marriage and ended the year with Jake walking out on Dec. 31, 1987. Bobbie was attending the party at Duke's Place at the time. Lowlights of Jake & Bobbie's '87 include their four failed attempts to become parents (Gretchen the surrogate, who backed out; trying to adopt Lucy's baby with Jake, which she miscarried; being unable to adopt Melissa and Skeeter, the kids of Bobbie's physical therapy buddy Martha; being unable to adopt at all since Bobbie was charged with prostitution -- she was trying to stop problem child Melissa from being human trafficked), Lucy's hookup with Jake, Bobbie's paralysis from the MOX virus (which began in late May and ended with a full recovery in early September), and Scotty's return. Tony, meanwhile, lost Tania in March '87, gained Lucy as a nanny in April, had sex with Lucy at the end of August, and after some back and forth, married her in early November. I'll try to be brief with 1988, I promise: Bobbie hooked up with Scotty (who had been undermining a possible reunion with an offscreen Jake) at the end of March. This appears to have petered out by the summer and she had a fling with some guy named Gregory, which apparently continued through the end of the year. Meanwhile, it was time for Tony and Lucy's marriage to fall apart. It was a two-prong deal, including Tony getting mad when he heard Lucy say she was glad Frisco was dead (she was being petty about Colton, not Tony, getting a front-page story). After Tony kicked Lucy out (late August), Bobbie picked up the reins as BJ's babysitter-mother figure. In mid-September, Lucy blew it for good when BJ drank nail polish remover. Autumn and winter 1988: Bobbie moves in with Tony to help with BJ. Tony begins to divorce Lucy. Sam Behrens comes back for a few weeks in November so Jake can defend Anna (for allegedly shooting Olivia) and Jake and Bobbie can officially conclude. Tony has neurological issues that results in a brain surgery that leaves him blind. While Tony's out of commission, both Bobbie and Lucy attempt to get custody of BJ. Home stretch, people! 1989: Tony's blind. BJ is briefly kidnapped by some bereaved mother named Hillary. In February, Tony and Lucy's divorce is final. Bobbie is jealous of Tony's helper Valerie. In March, Bobbie and Jake's divorce is final. In July, Bobbie learns that she has another chance at adoption. Right after that, Tony completely recovers his sight in time to save Bobbie and BJ from getting hit by a forklift. Valerie becomes jealous of Tony and Bobbie. In August, Bobbie once again has a mother decide she wants to keep the baby she was going to adopt. In late August, Bobbie (initially unbeknownst to her) has her illegal adoption of Lucas. On Wednesday, Sept. 14, Lucas is christened and Tony proposes to Bobbie. Lucy rattles her sabers about renegotiating her divorce settlement from Tony and it briefly seems like Bobbie tried to torch her and Tony's house so Lucy won't get anything. Friday, Oct. 13 -- Tony and Bobbie wed. I'm not going to take so long with Sean & Tiffany. Tiffany left for Europe on Tuesday, July 10, 1984, giving WPLC to Edward. Edward brought Tiffany back on Wednesday, July 30, 1986, to seduce Sean. The pair finally met on Friday, Aug. 8, when she pulled a damsel in distress routine.

I think you're right, and it was Sue Ellen of all people who reunited them?

Ah, that's right. I forgot about Gary and Val's umpteeth estrangement.

Could we also fold in the idea that Lucy had kept her distance from Gary & Val from 1982-1991 because she was mad and hurt that once again, they couldn't go the distance?