Franko

Thoughts on OLTL, 11/28/88-12/9/88: -- I'm making the ensemble share the crown for this fortnight, because like I said, the exploding wedding cake and reveal that Steve Holden died from its impact wouldn't have worked as well as it did if everyone didn't play it straight. Even though everyone shares the crown, obviously special attention goes to De Paiva and Brock. On the one hand, since I'm watching in 2021 and knew what to expect, some of the lead-up did feel drawn out (I liked that Wanda's assistants lampshaded how annoying Ursula was getting about the cake being handled just so). On the other hand, I liked the influx of drama with the Holden brothers, that Max discovered Steve (foolishly) worked for Michael. The explosion's aftermath had some nice details like Asa making sure that Llanview was still structurally sound and Viki talking about dealing with nosy neighbors. -- Ha, after my commenting that Viki was subtly having "I slept with this guy?!" feelings regarding Leo, then she came out with them. That whole interlude with Linda Donovan (played by a woman I feel like I should recognize) was a bit silly. I know Linda was fulfilling a mission, but she could have read the room better and eased Viki into some fun, not been automatically "Beach Boys! Far out! Yeah! Let's dance to 'Surfin' USA'!" -- Gabrielle confronting Max after he's lost the Holden Towers is structured so similarly to the sixth season finale of Dynasty that I started imagining Gaby saying things like "Take this junk, and your blonde tramp ..." -- So, was that it for Virgil? In stuff that didn't make the upload, he got rebuffed by Wanda and then knocked out by Ursula. Then, in stuff that did make the upload, he apparently went back to Heaven? Poor Wanda, not getting to know what happened to him. -- I'm so glad to know that Renee was such a devoted, mother hen of a madam. During the scene where it's apparent that she doesn't know "Candy", I started singing "Little Bitty Pissant Country Place" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. -- You could cut the tension with a knife when Roger and Sarah ran into Cord and Tina. I'm glad Tina let the ex-couple have their final moment. And yeah, by this point, we're unmistakably into the courtship of Bo and Sarah. -- Gabrielle can claim she's into Michael all she wants (and he can creepily manhandle her; foreshadowing to their wedding day trauma?), we know what's up when she was distraught and ran like hell after thinking Max died. -- Ursula acting like a demented Goldilocks while at Stonehurst is just too much fun. Also, throwing it out there -- I know I should think Mari Lyn was a gullible moron, but for some reason I can't. Wade's line about "undoing some of the damage you've done" was way harsh, Tai! -- Notice the sorta-blooper? Larry referred to having lost Laurel when he talked to Brenda. But not Meredith. What's up with that? -- Tina and Cord's honeymoon in Spain was mentioned in David Sedaris' "Santaland Diaries," although what David described didn't entirely appear in the upload. He remembered Cord being challenged to a duel by the bullfighter, when really the guy ended up having Cord help in the ring. For what it's worth, "Sleighbell" did an impressive flamenco dance, as David indicated. (Well, impressive to me, anyway.) -- Okay, so here's where we're at with Eterna ... we know (but Viki and Christine don't) that Leo and Christine are frauds. We also get the whole sordid story of the city, its slave caretakers and the founders' greed straight from Michael. Favorite detail: the Eterna uniforms were mentioned from the get go.

More comments to come later today/tonight, but I'll say this right now: as absurd as Cake Boom is after the fact, it was executed perfectly. Not a detail was missed in the lead-up and the aftermath was handled with a great deal of respect. This is how you do a soap tragedy. And then, when that's all wrapped up, we get a day of Michael delivering Eterna 101.

And didn't David date Linda Dano's character, Cynthia, for a minute?

Thanks! I wonder what Rob will do during that time.

Thoughts on 11/21/88-11/23/88: Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving, SONs and Llanview residents! Viki/Leo/Christine/Michael -- I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing the scenes where Christine learns Viki's her mother, and then later, Viki brings Christine up to speed about what supposedly happened in 1963. It clearly helps that this is all being played and presented as absolutely straight, with no ambiguity. I'm really going to be curious how things play out when the deception is apparent. Or was it teased from the get-go and I just haven't picked up on it? Anyway, at this point, Leo is the weakest link. I get that he can't get out from under Michael's control, and it turns out that he was right about Christine freaking out about the news, but at this point, I want him just to shut up and let the women have their ultimately phony moment. Speaking of the women, I am loving the support Viki's getting from Renee (and Bo) right now. And yeah, Niki Smith in the Peace Corps? As if! Ursula/Tina/Cord/Mari Lynn/Wade -- As great as Erika and Susan Floyd are in these episodes, I've got to give my crown to Jill. Ursula's just so much fun here. I'm getting such a kick out of her continued outrage over Tina's existence. "A sterling silver dish for sweets. For the woman who has everything and doesn't deserve it." It was also hilarious that the experience of preparing a Thanksgiving turkey inspired Ursula to come up with her bomb idea. Grim comedy aside, I also liked that Mari Lynn and Wade weren't presented as easily-manipulated morons. Okay, so Ursula posing as Candy Sweet is dependent on Mari Lynn accepting circumstantial evidence (and the fact that they're meeting for the first time). Somehow Mari Lynn comes across as reasonably smart, in allowing someone she thinks is a sex worker who knew her mom and Renee and is avoiding violence from her ex-lover/pimp to stay at the carriage house. Although Wade has a point about the idea of someone showing up (little does he know!). And again, how can you not love Tina and Cord so happy together? Max/Asa -- To paraphrase A Chorus Line, "Doug Wert out!, James De Paiva IN!" I've tried to keep myself spoiler-free, but I see that Asa will get WVLE. And the Holden Tower was once the hotel that Asa owned and then gave to Pamela (and Renee will get in the future?). Paging the historians! Rob/Cassie -- Looks like it's the end of the line for these two. She just can't trust him anymore and it that's the case, they'll never work out. I'm assuming Mark Arnold was done after the Nov. 22 episode. Bo/Drew -- Maybe it's me, but I get the impression that getting rid of SORASed-too-soon Drew was OLTL trying to put aside a mistake made during the writers strike. And who knows, maybe the attitude was that having Bo as father of a teenager would cause too much attention on the 14-year age gap between Robert S. Woods and Jensen Buchanan?

That whole Game Over episode was (used to be?) on YouTube. I wish I could find it. The Nola and Kelly stuff is worth the price of admission, but there's also the moment when Bea and Tony have had it with Nola and at the very end, the unsinkable Miss R. starts plotting her comeback.

Boston, May 1987 WBZ, the NBC station, only aired the 11 a.m. hour, Wheel of Fortune and Scrabble, of the network's games. They also didn't air Another World, having a Days of Our Lives and Santa Barbara block from 2-4 p.m. (WJAR, the Providence station, aired all three soaps, plus the aforementioned games and Sale of the Century at 10. It was the lead-in to Cross-Wits.) WCVB, the ABC station, aired all five soaps, with the noon news bookended by Ryan's Hope and Loving. (WMUR in Manchester aired everything in pattern, including the 11 a.m. programming of Fame, Fortune and Romance -- a network version of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous -- and Webster reruns. WPRI in Providence aired everything, but moved Webster to 10:30 and also aired Ryan's Hope as the lead-in to news.) WNEV, the CBS station, aired all four soaps and The Price Is Right in pattern. However, they aired Pyramid (on a delay?) at 9:30 a.m. and didn't air Card Sharks.

Thanks so much!

If I remember right, Ursula never died. She just remained at Statesville. It seems that once Jill started playing Opal, there was no more interest (availability?) in having her play Ursula again. Something I forgot to mention was how much I liked Ursula's interactions with the obligatory mental hospital nurse who gets along with her and later, the red-headed Jane Doe she's able to convince is "Ursula Blackwell." I understand that Jill was in one of the early productions of Terrence McNally's It's Only a Play. I'd have loved to have seen that.

Thoughts on 11/14/88-11/18/88: Viki/Leo/Clint/Christine -- When the truth came out, I hope Viki took a moment to give Michael or Leo holy hell for toying with her emotions. I'd love to know how OLTL viewers reacted when just about everything occurring in this part of the storyline turned out not to matter. With that said, I was still moved. What a range of emotions for Viki! More than a little "I hooked up with this guy?", weary horror ("Everything came down to money with my father."; Erika makes a three-course meal out of that line.), barely concealed maternal pride and annoyance then pride again with Christine; the heartbreak of facing her crisis alone (Was Clint Ritchie off for personal reasons, or were the writers wanting to have the field temporarily clear for Roger when it was his turn with Viki?); and having to put up with Leo calling the shots. I'm still laughing at Leo's insistence that Christine will react with fury at finding out she's Viki's long-lost daughter. Run-ins with Ursula aside, Christine doesn't seem like she'd ever get mad at anything. Honestly, the only flaw in what I watched (aside from the fact that it'll mostly get undone) is that Niki and Leo's claimed time as a couple feels generically '60s rather than specific to 1963. I just can't buy Niki Smith as a hippie. Looking like an extra from Hairspray, sure, but not a hippie. And could Renee please stop saying "Viki darling"? Gabrielle/Michael/Max/Frazer/Leo/Megan/Steve/Brenda -- As great as Erika Slezak's performance was this week, I was still most fascinated by Gabrielle. Her deliberately jeopardizing her health by getting exposed to a virus has much different connotations in 2021. To think, Gabrielle, a breakthrough case. And what do we make of her putting her life in Michael's hands, which seems to be a bit of a mutual turn on? That just feels so quintessentially OLTL, a dangerous and kinky pairing. Gabrielle's executing her revenge on the Holdens. I laughed at Megan (wearing too much eye makeup) calling out Gabrielle for bad acting when she fainted in the Holden Tower's restaurant. Max had a good line, too, when he said Michael made Asa look like Mister Rogers. Cord/Tina/Asa/Renee/Ursula/Christine -- This week's episodes helped me realize Asa and Renee were already engaged by the time they invited Cord and Tina to share a wedding. The pre-ceremony stuff is nice, but what's really getting me is how much attention is being paid to the younger couple's second chance. Helping deliver baby Tina was significant, both in the moment (since Cord wasn't around for C.J.'s birth) and in hindsight (since Andrea Evans wasn't playing Tina when Sarah was born). For a long time, this is as good as it gets for Cord and OG Tina. And just so that we're not drowning in sentiment, we have Ursula. Poor Patricia, Tanya and the rest of the campers. Not only are they homeless, but they're having to deal with two total strangers getting into a fight and one (Christine) getting knocked out. Leo warned Christine about photojournalism and Viki warned her about the waterfront ... Sarah/Bo/Roger -- I'm getting the impression that we're already past chemistry testing with these two. In the past, I've shrugged off the pairing (another blonde for Bo?), but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. Robert S. Woods (who was also great in Bo and Clint's goodbye scene) was charming opposite Jensen Buchanan. It almost makes up for the oddity of Bo acting like he's been a widower for longer than he has been. It'll be interesting to see how Roger reacts to his daughter getting involved with a man older than the "young man" he imagined for her. Mari Lynn/Randy/Wade/Rafe/Casey/Neil -- Fun fact about Randy's extreme combover: apparently Paul Rauch had the exact same hairstyle (it was emulating Michael Douglas in Wall Street). Anyway, Randy's arm is hurt when he's struck by a chandelier that was intended to kill him. A round of applause for Mari Lynn, for quickly putting two and two together: Lolly's death and Randy's near-death are imitating what happened on Fraternity Row and the victims are people who were mad at her.

But it gave Christine so much credibility among the impoverished Peruvians, NYC debutantes and steel town just plain folks ... This makes sense. It also makes the difference between pros like Michael and Gabrielle and penny-ante folks like Leo. Paging Ladies Home Journal! "Can This Relationship Be Saved?"

Thoughts on 11/9/88-11/11/88: Viki/Clint/Leo/Christine/Michael/Rafe/Jon -- The search for Viki's long-lost daughter dominated these three episodes. Even knowing how this will play out, I still got some excitement from watching Leo squirm when being separately harassed by Clint and Michael. I'm assuming that at this point in the show, the idea of Christine being Viki and Leo's daughter was presented as something we wouldn't doubt. On a side note, I got the chills a little at Victor Lord commenting about the sins he committed against Viki. (And how!) As for Christine, while she's not as tedious as legend has it, I also couldn't see her being a mover and a shaker like other OLTL women. I got a good laugh out of Viki observing that Christine is not as tough as she'd have people believe. "Tough" was not a synonym I'd assume for Christine. Gabrielle/Michael/Max/Megan/Steve/Delilah/Rafe -- Here we go! My biggest enjoyment came from watching Gabrielle fight for survival and tick off everyone in her orbit. I was a little surprised to hear Megan call her a bitch, as I thought the word was used only rarely on daytime back then. Anyway, Gabrielle blackmails Michael over his arrangement with Leo so that Michael won't get control of (or was it abandon his investment in?; the point is Gabrielle needs Michael's money) her design house, formerly a partnership with Delilah (who douses Gabrielle with borscht during their failed lunch meeting). For added drama, Gabrielle also wants to take the Holden Towers away from Max (and to a lesser extent, Steve). Fiona Hutchinson is just a lot of fun here, particularly opposite Dennis Parlato. Tina/Cord -- Happy 33rd birthday, Tina, daughter of Dooley & Crystal. Even by TV standards, that felt like an especially short delivery. Watching over the hicks' Arizona diner, Tina & Cord spend the rest of this batch getting closer to reuniting as a couple. I actually already thought they had, so it was a bit of surprise in the Nov. 11 episode when they described themselves as divorced but friendly. Let's face it, Tina & Cord 2.0 was a done deal once they slow danced to "Crazy." Megan/Mari Lyn/Randy/Wade/Neal/Casey -- Who came up with having a show within a show, Schnessel or Rauch? Either way, I guess I better get used to seeing more of the Fraternity Row saga over the next few months. Thank goodness I have Megan to keep up my interest. And even though I don't care much about Mari Lyn and Wade not getting to play house, Doug Wert could get it. We'll see how long I give commentary for. I'm thinking I'll go a week at a time.

Both of her pregnancies were written in. The first one coincided with Lucy being married to Alan. She set out to get pregnant so that she'd forever have a finger in the Quartermaine pie. The problem was that Scott was the actual baby daddy. The baby, "Eddie Jr.", died when Lucy miscarried after Alan found out the truth.

What a treat this is. What an absolute treat. Thanks to that teaser for "Brothers" (a failed pilot co-starring Charles Levin), we can pinpoint the first portion as Wednesday, July 30, 1980, followed by the July 31 episode. The only other thing I have to add is that I think Peter Billingsley is in the first Duncan Hines ad and I think I spotted Deborah Harmon in the split second of the Charmin ad at the very start. (Sorry, that's all I've got, confirming the date and naming commercial folks.) ETA: And Charles Kimbrough in the Joy ad. Ha ... the fictional and real-life husbands of Beth Howland. EETA: Jason Hervey in the Velveeta ad. (The mom at the start looks familiar, too.) And Sela Ward for Night of Olay. ... And I'm 90 percent certain that's Carlin Glynn, "Miss Mona" to Henderson Forsythe's "Sheriff Ed Earl" in the OBC of Best Little Whorehouse, in the Sure ad.

1988. I forgot the exact date, but it was in November.

Friday, May 3, 1985, North and South Carolina: You could watch RYAN'S HOPE at 10 a.m. (after Donahue) on WWAY in Wilmington, which aired Jeopardy! at noon. Or you could see RH at 11:30 (after All-Star Blitz) on WRAL in Raleigh, which apparently dropped Family Feud and aired news at noon. WPDE in Florence aired RH at noon, between Family Feud and LOVING. Everything aired in pattern on the CBS stations in Durham and Florence. WECT, NBC's Wilmington station, aired all four soaps, but didn't air Sale of the Century (for the syndicated Name That Tune) and Super Password (for news). WPTF in Durham nearly aired all of the network lineup, but passed on SANTA BARBARA, airing The Pink Panther and Inspector Gadget instead.

Madison, Wisconsin, end of October 1971: WISC (CBS) aired the "Farm Hour" at noon, followed by the syndicated What's My Line? in place of Love is a Many Splendored Thing. The Guiding Light aired in pattern and As The World Turns aired at 3:30, after Gomer Pyle, USMC reruns and as the lead-in to a local children's show. I wonder how many Madison residents of a certain age became young ATWT fans, not to mention if this move happened in response to Dark Shadows' popularity a few years earlier. WMTV (NBC; "I want my Channel 15!") and WKOW (ABC; if that station didn't have a cow mascot at some point, I don't know what's what) aired everything in pattern.

And perhaps more than a little inspired by the less-remembered patrons and hangers-on at places like Studio 54? Like deja vu all over again, as Yogi would say.

If that's the case, then Warren Burton was reprising more than a little of the story he previously played on AMC as Eddie Dorrance. Of course, you could argue Janice Lynde was also doing a variant of her previous work as Leslie Brooks on Y&R.

I actually just watched an episode from 1988 recently. It was on men who weren't communicating with their wives. I was impressed that aside from some tension between one of the wives and the doctor on the panel (Herb Goldberg, author of The Inner Male: Overcoming Roadblocks to Intimacy), the panel approached the subject from the "We've had problems, but are in recovery" point of view. The studio audience had more pathos. Speaking of that, there was an excessive amount of audience reaction shots, roughly one per minute. I'm kinda fascinated by that period when Oprah was an unmistakable TV star, but hadn't yet solidified her status as queen of the universe. I'll say 1987-93.

I'll go with revisiting Luke and Laura's rape. Interesting idea, awful execution.

Not sure if this counts, but soaps have long had bitchy characters who matured. Looking at you, Lisa _____.

It's weird to think what would have happened if Bell had fired Eric and Peter. Imagine another reboot playing out in the '90s. For that matter, what would have happened to the guys? Suppose both wanted to stay in L.A. and/or soaps. B&B would be out, but surely GH, DOOL and SB would have jumped at either of them.

I thought of a few more women from the AWverse who could have returned to the canvas, albeit with some possible changes: Blaine (weren't they considering bringing back Sandy?), Cecile (who did come back, a year later) and Paige Marshall (with or without a new actor as ex-husband Dennis). It worked. It just took 27 years.

@titan1978's choice of the Y&R reboot is a good one. I'll go with similar and even more extreme -- Dark Shadows going all-in on the supernatural with the introduction of Barnabas. Talk about an answered Hail Mary!