alwaysAMC

I just looked it up and last year's was in May (most have been in April/May). I hope they do another one this year

I’m up to August 03, 1999. *As of 7/28, only Bradley Cole (Prince Richard) is listed in the closing credits; Edmund and Olivia are not, and neither is Pilar. Beth Ehlers is listed as Harley, but we’ve yet to see her back. (This is the first episode in a very long time where the end credits were included in the Vault copy.) The ranch hand, Sam, ended up sleeping in the stables overnight, which surprised Cassie, and she eventually hires him to help tend the farm. Holly stops by, encouraging Cassie to help Sam out, and Cassie surprises her by saying she just hired him. After Cassie leaves, Holly and Sam talk and Holly finds his craftsmanship and work ethic to be impressive. Holly suggests she write an article in the paper about him, but he isn’t interested. On Holly’s way out, Sam wants to give her one of his woodworking pieces that she liked, but she refuses the gift and asks him to call her if he’s ever interested in the newspaper story (this whole thing has been really random). Inside the farmhouse, Cassie answers the phone and Josh tells her Reva didn’t want to come home, so she rushes out to meet him. Lizzie is distraught after Alan’s heart attack, thinking she caused it by breaking his heart when she ran away with Annie. Susan does a good job of comforting her and finds a way to sneak Lizzie into the hospital to see Alan, since the adults wouldn’t let her because they didn’t want to scare her by seeing him in that condition. At the hospital, Alan continues to feel guilty about the way he’s lived life and treated people, but India tries to convince him otherwise. Alan falls asleep, so India leaves and Susan gets Lizzie into his room. Lizzie starts crying and begs him to wake up, which was such a touching and emotional scene (Hayden P did an amazing job here). Alan slowly moves his arm to hold her hand and she lays her head down in his hand. Alan then wakes up and promises he’ll never leave her, which Phillip overhears. Later, Alan thanks India once again for being there for him and good news comes out that Alan won’t need surgery and he will recover well with better exercise and diet, which makes the whole family happy. Beth Ehlers then shows up at the end of the 7/30 episode! Phillip asks why she’s not resting and Harley says her water just broke, she’s going into labor! I’m glad Beth was able to get back in time for the birth. As Harley is in labor, about to deliver, Alan all of a sudden goes into cardiac arrest. India is distraught and Vanessa/Matt, who just showed up, try to console her. Rick rushes in to save his life as Harley is in pain pushing and delivering her boy with Phillip supporting her. They keep going back and forth between saving Alan and Harley pushing and it’s pretty dramatic. Just as Rick is able to get a pulse from Alan, Harley finally delivers their baby and they get to hold him for the first time (8/02). As of now, they haven’t decided on a name for the baby. Buzz is back from England and Selena is hard on him, saying he keeps sending her mixed messages, to which he apologizes. Susan is working at Company and Max and his friends come in. She’s excited to see Max, but his friends are mean and say she’s too young to hang out with them. They’re planning to get into a club with fake IDs, which she wants to join in on, but again they snub her and leave. Max plays along with his friends to seem cool, but you can tell he’s sad that Susan’s upset by it all. After Max leaves, Susan confides in Buzz about what happened, but he then gets the call about Harley having her baby and they get excited and head to the hospital. Max comes back looking for Susan and tells Selena he feels bad about what happened. Selena gives him advice to actually show Susan just how much he cares. Buzz and Susan arrive at the hospital and everyone is excited about the baby. Rick comes into the room and pulls Phillip aside to tell him about Alan’s condition. Phillip goes to see him, but Harley suggests he take the baby with him in hopes that might help Alan. Max shows up at the hospital and Susan notices him watching her from outside the room and is happy. Phillip goes into Alan’s room and starts to cry as he introduces the baby to him. Alan is still unconscious and Phillip begs him to wake up because he wants them both to experience Phillip being a father to a boy. Alan then wakes up and is able to see the baby, which was sweet. Susan gives Max a hard time about treating her differently in front of his friends and Max surprises her by apologizing and saying he likes her. She’s still upset because she can’t change her age and be as old as he is, so she confides in Harley about it. Meanwhile, Jim and Beth show up and visit the baby, but Beth starts to have emotions thinking back to when she and Phillip had Lizzie and she has to leave. Later, she and Phillip have a nice moment where they talk about having moved on successfully and they’re happy for each other and they hug. Drew is starting to have cold feet about marrying Jesse so quickly, and confides in Selena that Jesse not being Jewish is weighing on her. She’s still adamant she wants to marry him, but with the one-year anniversary of her adopted dad dying, who was Jewish, she’s just unsure. Drew and Jesse attend his Jewish unveiling ceremony, which marks the end of the mourning period, and the rabbi mentions to Jesse that they should spend time talking about what each other wants, which confuses Jesse. Jesse asks Drew what’s going on and she’s a bit vague, but ultimately says she has reservations because he’s not Jewish. Jesse says he’ll convert, but Drew reacts by saying you can’t just do that so flippantly. They have a really good, calm talk, but Jesse ultimately leaves and says Drew needs to decide what she wants. Back in SF, things are a little awkward and Jesse says he’s going to move out because he doesn’t want her to have to choose between him and her religion. Drew says that’s not happening and asks him to stay, but he thinks it’ll be best if they have time apart so she can figure out what she wants. She cries and hugs him before he leaves. The next morning after sleeping together, Vicky begs David to let her help him, but he refuses. Ben shows up and Vicky tells them both that David doesn’t need a snake for a lawyer, but David defends him and Vicky gets pissed. She storms out, saying if he wants to use Ben, she won’t be there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong. David later finds Pilar at Company and continues his friendly act with her. Danny is back in SF and tells Michelle everything that happened, and finally answers my own question - the Santos family moved into the island after “Catherine” left, meaning they had no idea. Danny mentions that he briefly saw Carmen talking to Edmund, which they both think is strange considering Edmund told them he can’t stand her. Meanwhile, Cassie and Billy meet with Josh and he tells them everything, and they both tell Josh he can’t leave her down there to fall back in love with Richard as they find their son. They convince him to go back to San Cristobel to get Reva, so he calls Danny once again and asks for help. Danny and Michelle come over and tell them all about seeing Carmen and Edmund together, which scares them. Billy and Josh start talking about having mercenaries swoop in and save Reva, but Cassie is against it, thinking it will be chaotic and people will die. Cassie and Michelle leave and Michelle comes up with a plan to get Reva to come home. She says Cassie should get so ill, which is verified by a doctor, to lure Reva back home. They get to the hospital and run into Blake and Lillian, so Cassie pretends to faint which concerns the ladies. Blake then realizes Cassie is putting on an act and Cassie finally just tells her what she’s doing. Blake says she’ll keep her secret and plays along by insisting Lillian get a doctor because Cassie has been ill for a while now. In San Cristobel, Reva and Richard have coffee on the terrace and he reminds her that she loved sitting out there in the sunlight. The church bells go off and Reva remembers them, and then remembers dancing together on the terrace, which makes Richard smile. He then suggests they dance in case she starts to remember more, so they do, and Reva remembers many more things (this is happening way too fast and slightly cheesy, I can’t imagine the Jeva fans were happy back then). The next morning, they argue a bit over Jonathan, with Richard saying when they find him, he’ll be ruler over San Cristobel. Reva says he’s her flesh and blood and she gets a say, but Richard says if she’s not willing to be Catherine, and she lives in SF, then she won’t have much say - meaning, she can’t have it both ways, which upsets Reva. Reva has a memory that when they used to argue, they would start fencing with their epee swords, so Richard suggests they start fencing (oh brother). They begin fencing and Reva enjoys it, but during a break, Edmund secretly removes the tip from one of the epees! They start back up and of course Richard accidentally stabs Reva in the stomach, which shocks them both. As the doctors tend to Reva, Edmund runs in asking what happened and Richard tells him that whoever caused this will pay dearly. He then notices Olivia’s scarf on the table where the epees were (which Edmund planted), and believes she did this out of jealousy. He calls a guard to bring him Olivia, and another guard whispers to Edmund he saw him do everything. Edmund bribes the guard to say he saw Olivia do it instead. Reva is livid and wants to know who is responsible and Olivia shows up and Richard accuses her of doing it. She says she would never do that and tells Reva she can trust her, which triggers a memory and Reva flashes back to hearing Olivia tell her she can trust her about something from the past. Richard asks the guard if he saw Olivia, to which he says yes and they bring out her scarf that was left behind. Reva then seems to cover for Olivia by saying she found it earlier and brought it to the table with her, so Olivia didn’t do it. Richard apologizes to Olivia and says he’s just so upset with everything happening, he’s acting out emotionally. Privately, Olivia asks why she covered for her and Reva says she remembers being friends with her from the past, but ultimately says she has to get off the island because it’s clear someone is trying to kill her. Later in her bedroom, Reva tries to make an international call but the operator won’t allow it. Edmund shows up and tells her she’s not able to make calls, but he’ll gladly send Josh a note that she’s doing well and then leaves. Reva realizes Edmund doesn’t have her best interests in mind and that message will never get to Josh. She realizes the closet in her room is locked so she’s able to break the lock and sees a bunch of baby clothes and toys. Richard walks in and tells her the closet has been locked since she left and Reva cries over having more memories about her son. Richard tells her all about the day she gave birth and how happy they were, so Reva promises him she’s going to figure out what happened to their son and she’s going to find him. She then hugs him, but an urgent call comes through the palace from Carmen Santos. Richard agrees to take the call and realizes it’s actually Michelle and she pleads with him to talk to Reva. He hands the phone over and Michelle tells Reva that Cassie passed out and is in the hospital and needs help. Reva hangs up and says she’s got to get back to SF, but Richard insists she stay. She agrees and says they must find Jonathan, but after he leaves the room, she tells herself she must make him believe she’s falling in love with him again in order to gain his trust.

Oh - forgot to say, I teared up so much when Shanice gave Ashley that look about Derek being dead. That scene was so powerful and the actresses did a great job there. Very emotional.

Chase looked really good on Thursday's show - I loved his shirt and the color. Are they not doing a Nurse's Ball this year?

I was finally able to watch Wed-Friday's shows today... and wow! This was one of their best weeks ever. The only thing missing (for me) was Leslie/Eva. Doug! I think Deanna is probably dreaming/fantasizing, but it's still so good to see him - what a shock - great Friday cliffhanger. He looked really good too - younger/fresher. There's gotta be something to Nicole leaving the cotillion early... Derek dying - well, it definitely had me tearing up, even though he wasn't my favorite.

Haha thanks for posting! I love seeing more of Nola's fantasies. J and I were born in the same year, how fun

The best moment ever - my whole family was watching that night and we jumped up and clapped right along with everyone. It was so great

Great call out here - I see it.

Didn't Willow sort of lightly blackmail her into keeping the secret? I already can't remember the specifics haha, but I thought Nina was sort of strong-armed into it.

Great scenes today with Gio and Rocco - both actors nailed it. Great cliffhanger too! Those kids are in over their heads haha.

Now that was a great cliffhanger, and for a Tuesday no less! At first I thought Derek was an idiot, but hopefully he was able to push the shooter out of the way so his aim was off. I'm hoping Jacob is only mildly hurt. What a great episode!

Totally agree - she was the heart of AMC for me. Both Ruth and Myrtle.

Ok this is really good! I love the juxtaposition of the bright and beautiful cotillion ball and the dark and dangerous plasma storyline (which is finally interesting). This was a smart move. That little b!tch Francesca - I can't believe she stepped on Samatha's dress like that, but Donnell showing up to pick her up was beautiful. I loved that moment and I'm really shipping them as a couple now haha. Also, Francesca - you need to get that 3.2 GPA up if you're trying to compete with Samantha! 👀 I haven't been this engaged/excited since Chelsea was chained to a bed! 😅

Me too! Look, we have lots of extras, this is great! I loved the dramatic music in that first scene with Samantha, and then the direction in the warehouse scenes is great - the camerawork makes it seem scary, like it should.

Wow! To get and see Marcy again - amazing!

Interesting - will be curious to see how much she was even used in Season 1. She has a much bigger role in the second book, so hopefully they can find a strong replacement that will last throughout the series.

Hmm - our new cop certainly has an interest in Curtis. I wonder what the background here will be. I'm so used to seeing Bennet be more flamboyant, so I had to chuckle when he was acting... less flamboyant today. I hate to admit it, but I thought Joss and Cassius had some chemistry. I laughed when he asked her to stop saying his name so often. I'm glad that Anna was able to escape. I sure hope we see Finola on our screens again soon.

Ugh - I felt the same way about K Michelle after last night. I really liked her in the beginning and had high hopes, but she's clearly not made for this show, which was evident last night. I can't see her wanting to come back again unless she changes her mind on how this all works. I LOVE Angela - one of my favorites! I was shocked that Rosie was able to do that. Even Kelsey seemed too shocked to really even fight back or know what to do. Rosie ate her up. I bet Kelsey was kicking herself on her drive home on how bad she lost that one haha.

Yep! They just mentioned his name being Sam. He's the same guy that arrived as Annie exited - he called the cops when Alan/India showed up. He was supposed to teach Lizzie how to ride horses with Annie. I learned this a few months ago when I did some research on Blanchard. I was so happy to read that she won the Emmy. She's really strong on GL in 1999 and I'm so glad the character was finally given good material. Drew came on with Sugar Hill and I just don't think Taye Diggs could handle the soap grind. He messed up a few times and then out of nowhere, his character and storyline was gone. Then Marcus and Dahlia basically dropped out because that storyline dropped... so Drew was sort of lingering around until they put her in Michelle and Jesse's orbit. Once they started the Selena story with her, she really had some good material to chew on and showcase her talents.

I think he meant that some folks (like me) were wondering if the divorce was messy or friendly, and if being on the set of BTG together was totally fine or awkward. Seeing this picture makes me so happy to see they are friendly post-divorce!

I definitely agree there. Hopefully folks don't take this the wrong way, but Saundra is too skinny and pretty for the role. I want someone I can be intimidated by. A lady with a huskier voice and more grit.

This is so great to see! Happy to hear it. Thanks for posting this

So glad you're catching up and enjoying them! I cannot agree more re: Ryan Brown and his portrayal of Bill - it's just not a great fit. The Annie exit! I was so disappointed. You have this huge character that lasted now for years and her last scene is just running out of a hotel room? It wasn't even dramatic or exciting. I know Signy Coleman likely wasn't popular and the storyline was rather ridiculous, but the Annie character in and of itself deserved a better exit given she was so front and center for years. It just seemed like a brush it under the rug, we're done with this character now and let's move on moment. My guess on July 4th - someone was like 'oh crap, we forgot', so they just threw a quick scene in a week later. Rather sad, but again, with what was going on at the time, a big happy gathering likely wouldn't have worked anyway. I added to my last recap: The 7/27 episode is Hayley Sparks’ last episode as Harley during this run while Beth Ehlers was medically out. I just got to the 7/30 episode and Beth Ehlers just popped back up as Harley! I really thought Hayley Sparks did a great job in the end. I was used to seeing and enjoying her. Now that they've been using the outside San Cristobel set, I've noticed its the same set they used for Reva and Josh's wedding in March 1999... so they had those SC sets planned out well in advance of July. Haha yep - he originated the role, but was only there 3-4 months (April-July 1999). I really liked him, and enjoyed him on ATWT too. Haha again, agree on this Bill recast - just doesn't work for me. Pilar isn't very engaging for me either, so that couple is a bit of a dud. So they really didn't mention The Journal or Holly's job towards the end of the Nursery Rhyme Stalker story and her subsequent rehabilitation. I did just get to a random scene on 7/29 where Holly meets a ranch hand and she randomly asks to do a story on him, which he declines. That's the first time in a very long time that Holly mentions writing or working at The Journal, but not sure if she owns it.

Ok good - I was going to say, surely I couldn't have just uncovered this LOL I'm obsessed with the "Figure It Out" campaign.... what a fun mystery for viewers. But also - go do your homework! This episode- at the 1:07 mark is like porn! Laura Wright, my goodness

Before this past week, I was so oblivious to Loving and The City. I had heard of it, but nothing really registered to me. Being the soap opera intro/opening geek that I am, I've watched countless Top 10s/20s on Youtube and never is Loving or The City ever featured. So after reading more about these Loving Murders and then doing a deep dive on The City and Angie/Jacob/Frankie... I decided to finally search these soaps' openings and wow. I've never seen these before today, and I watched AMC/OLTL/GH back in the 90s. It makes no sense. The City's first opening is an MTV-esque Circuit City ad, and yeah, it's not for me. Loving - I like some of these, and the 91-92 opening is very reminiscent of OLTL's opening in 92! Anyone ever pick up on those similarities? I really appreciate how Loving's last opening in 1995 was related to the current story happening - which reminds me of how Port Charles did their openings. Anyway, my random Friday night wine thoughts haha!