Franko

Yup, you're right (and Google News Archive Search confirmed it) -- the episode aired Thursday, Sept. 4, 1986. My mistake. I was so certain when I heard the voiceover promo. The "It Will Excite You" promo also places the action in the fall -- new graphics and a logical reason for Mac and Rachel to be at odds. They would be/were dealing with the fallout of Mitch's return and Matthew knowing who his dad is.

The voiceover during SFT's credits places that episode as airing on Thursday, May 1, 1986.

Followed, of course, by the patented Edith "Ha!" and mini-spit. She *did* put the kibosh on Ed Grimley, Jr.'s audition as Bela.

Thirty years ago yesterday, Victor Jerome bit the dust.

Woof! And here we go! Bye-bye, EON. I was right, RH was near-instantly hobbled by the switch. SFT seems to have gotten a little bit of a boost. I wonder if it was people who tried Loving and weren't hooked or early tune-ins to DOOL. And over on CBS, Capitol is in the rear, but holding its own pretty well against AW.

One of the things I've always been amused by is just how many hoppers there are. I was here when this thread launched and I sure didn't know we'd be up to 100+ pages. Just beyond Pine Valley, Genoa City, etc., apparently lies Soaplandia. Can't wait to see more!

Ah, thank you for clearing that up. For whatever reason, I was getting the impression these snapshots were meant to show the monthly average.

I'm thinking it would be the entry for Sept. 1984, which I believe corresponds with April 1984. Notice that GL is in second place for the month and within distance of GH.

So, if the January 1985 entry corresponds to (approximately) August 1984, that means that from March 1985 onward, we'll be able to track October 1984 and the effects of the Ryan's Hope/Loving rotation. Look at Y&R pulling ahead there. Related to Victor & Nikki's wedding, I'm guessing. A harbinger of things to come.

In hindsight, it seems like a mistake to burn through a TV-movie's worth of storylines. That could have carried the show for a good couple of months. Also, Roger comes across as a total horndog, reuniting with Ann and then ending up with Merrill in less than two hours.

I'm gonna rule out Marcy just because it was the shortest run. Justin and Marj's performances seem to have had a lot of detractors over the years. I've got nothing against her personally, but let's go with Marj just because she was so, so miscast.

I always like to think early Carla and Sadie are the missing link in this pattern.

EON beginning to circle the drain. Losing more and more affiliates couldn't have helped. Also, seeing the healthy distance between RH and LOV's ratings makes me understand why the former's fans have been so ticked about the upcoming timeslot switch for 35+ years.

@beebs said it best. I'd also like to point out that an unsolicited bibliography? Really?

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess GH's higher numbers were related to Genie's temporary return.

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure how they would have gotten around that problem. Alas, we ended up with TPTB being perfectly okay with presenting a 1 +1 = 3 situation (not literally, of course) and oddly enough, everyone going with it. ETA: I'm now cracking myself up picturing a really convoluted, Heaven Can Wait on crack situation where bad Luke, then good Luke, die. Good Luke's spirit ends up in the body of a third man (also named Luke). He looks different from TG to everyone minus the audience. TG, meanwhile, has to spend the next 30+ years never appearing in a scene with a mirror or reflective surface. Okay, enough of that silliness ...

Okay, I'm going to throw out an idea: Should GH have killed off Luke in spring-summer 1980 and had Laura fall for and commit heroic acts with his good twin and/or lookalike? On the one hand, it's not the most original idea*, but it would work later on** and I can't think of an easier way to do right by Gloria, Pat, Genie and Tony and the fanbase. Obviously we can't turn back time, but something to think about. *OLTL did it in reverse with Marco posing as Mario around this time. **A few years later, the real Sky and Raven on EON. A decade after that, Kevin arriving after Ryan on GH. Being a '90s kid, I knew the beat before the song. I still sometimes sing to myself, "Biggie Biggie Biggie, can't you see ..."

You're welcome, @Khan. I really liked the bond between Laura and Joanne, and how it was affecting Laura and Claudia.

A few months after the rape, Luke did something really disgusting. As Laura and Scotty were dancing at the disco, he changed the music playing to "Rise."

It all just sounds so rich and juicy! The kind of material an audience and a creative team can really dig into. Also, I'm loving that tidbit about Kitty's singing voice. How easily the pleasant can segue into the complex and tumultuous.

Ah, my apologies. I was hoping you'd be able to shine some light on all of this.

Yeah, Bill raping Laura was clearly depicted as a rape. The idea of it being a seduction apparently only came up twice: when Laura first claimed to a now-sober Bill that he failed to seduce her, then when she told what happened to Tom Horton. Technically Bill went to jail for involuntary manslaughter involving Kitty Horton's death, but considering she planned to blackmail him about the rape, his sentence can be considered related to the earlier crime. I think I've gotten the information correctly. If I missed anything, please let me know. What I wouldn't mind seeing is the episodes after Bill got out of jail, where Laura realized the extent of his devotion and renewed her friendship before falling back in love with him. Talk about your acting and writing challenges! Then again, Bill Bell was a skilled writer, who must have known the difference between playing all the beats and quitting when you're behind.

Interesting choice. Would you elaborate? This comment inspired me to re-read Marie Horton's character history. I'd love to see those scenes where she and Alex are trapped in the wilderness. They were trying to stop Mary Anderson from uncovering the truth that they are Jessica's parents, but the plane was sabotaged (by Kellam Chandler ... Alex had a lot of enemies in those days!). Anyway, Marie remembered why she loved Alex and why she ended up fearing him. They come oh so close to re-consummating their relationship, taboo because Marie was still a nun at the time. It's probably just coincidental (and Marie had been a nun for several years already), but if you told me this storyline was partially inspired by The Thorn Birds, I'd believe you.

I wish they'd update that Tumblr soon. I was feeling rather nostalgic tonight.

Thank you so much for that context. I was just going off of what was happening in that episode and decided Brittany seemed too dull for my liking. Donna may be a snob, but she's *my* snob, darn it! Also, the next episode would be the last for this Peter, according to AWHP. In just over a month, Michael arrives. Reginald and Mary won't show up until next summer.