Alan

I think I am the only one who likes both the lawsuit and the gambling stories. I don’t particularly care about Doug but I am already a fan of Vanessa. The heart of the story is not Doug’s addiction (though I expect this to be addressed) but Doug’s debt to Joey and its repercussions on Vanessa. The story also encompasses Jacob and his family by revealing that Marcel is also one of Joey’s minions, and Elon is ok with it. We know why Joey wants a police officer in his employ, what does he want with a cardiac surgeon? And a realtor? The actual scenes of Doug playing poker are extremely short so it’s not something I will grumble about. The heart of the legal story is not about the recurring characters. It’s about the backstory of Naomi and Bill, how the affair damaged their once-close relationship, and exploring the consequences of the court battle on the larger Dupree family. Anita and Vernon intervening to try to protect Martin by encouraging Naomi to go easy on Bill adds another contour to the story. The fact that Bill started an affair with Hayley while she was in his employ is yet another contour. At its core it’s a story about family drama. I like that BTG is not just giving us the “nuts and sluts” soap opera formula although that is present as well. But not every storyline has to be about murders or affairs. With that said…. Showing Naomi take confidential meetings with her clients in a diner and in the opposing counsel’s office is a huge blunder. It’s just as bad as Nicole letting “Sherry” wander back on to the roof without so much as a psychiatric hold. I do think that MVJ and the writing team have picked up bad habits from their recent years on the legacy soaps. BTG would benefit from being more grounded in reality – and yes, that includes offering viewers some clarity on the ages of the main characters. Today’s writer, Cheryl Davis is an attorney. She knows that Naomi should have her own office. I don’t expect it to be as large or as swanky as Bill’s. A desk, chairs, and some filing cabinets would suffice. Of course, a scriptwriter doesn’t have the power to commission a new set. But I hope she made a suggestion. We have seen Joey lurking around outside on the Assembly Studios lot lately. I would love to see a permanent backlot created. A shopping center like Salem Place or Brookside Parade would provide a realistic setting for characters of different backgrounds to bump into each other. No more awkward reasons to be at the hospital. Good call!

Shanice took acting in high school... I need her and Leslie/Dana to start a community theatre.

Bill and Dani being cute together🤭

Nooo not the elevator baby again

LOL the actresses playing Hayley and Chelsea have gotten some criticism for being softspoken but they are superb in this scene.

Something I like about BTG so far is that there is always some charity gala, party, wedding to look forward to. Coming up we have: Ted and Nicole's anniversary party Dani's charity fashion show Anita's police charity gala

So Dani will restart her modelling career at the charity fashion show, I saw that twist coming a mile away.

Thank you for the research @janea4old! I haven't seen the WP pictures since the debut, so it's interesting to look at them again with some more story context. 1. Vernon and Martin - nothing particularly spoilery here 2. Vernon interacting with LADS (Leslie/Anna/Dana/Sherry ), it seems too early for her to have unmasked her true identity at this point 3. Eva dressed in a very Kat-inspired outfit 4. Anita and Dani with Eva at Uptown 5. Anita holding Eva's hand, looks like a tense scene 6. Nicole in pajamas, taking a sick day?

I had to laugh when I came across this while scanning old soap mags. Maurice is merely participating in an age-old tradition.

I need to rewatch to properly digest today's episode because I was distracted with emails. Still, I enjoyed what I saw. I loved the scenes between Nicole and Dani, especially the roleplay. Nicole and Dani have one of the most believable relationships on the show, up there with Anita/Vernon, Bill/Naomi, and Kat/Chelsea. All Leslie needed were some red framed glasses and she could have used the alias Sally Jesse Raphel. It's funny how Leslie has turned out to be the reckless one, while Eva is more cautious, but also feeling ambivalent about going through with the plan to wreck the Richardson family. Leslie seems to think that Eva will suddenly be entitled to Ted's assets once she is unmasked as his daughter, but he is under no obligation to support or even acknowledge Eva once the truth is out. If Ted never knew about the baby, there was no child support agreement, and thus nothing owed. There was speculation about a baby switch, but I didn't pick up any subtext that would suggest Kat means anything to Leslie from what I saw today. I'm looking forward to getting a better understanding of the history of Ted/Dana tomorrow! The police story reminds me of "The Street" in Prime Suspect 5. It has to do with a corrupt police department who allow a crime lord to prosper as long he gives them information on rival crime bosses. It seems like that might be the case with Joey Armstrong.

I think Bill and Hayley's nouveau riche aesthetic fits the characters. The only thing I don't like is how dark and cramped their living room is. The exterior shot shows lots of tall windows and high ceilings but the interior looks like a windowless one bedroom tenement. Even the foyer doesn't really match the living room. I also like how Dani's house resembles a Disney castle with the turrets and drawbridge shaped entrance. It speaks to how the character sees herself.

I'm glad Martin got caught for what he did to Smitty. I thought that incident at Nicole's gala was going to slide.

Tomas is painful!

It looks like Wednesday's episode might be the clash of the Hamiltons: Naomi v Bill and Chelsea v Dani! I really enjoyed today's episode. The legal story gives me Ally McBeal vibes, which I love. Mike Davis is a temu Richard Fish. The Chelsea firing Dani story has been simmering for a month, if Dani has the freakout I expect, it could send Chelsea running to Bill for support and protection from her mother. I misheard Smitty say that he wants to write a piece on #MeToo, the captions clarified that is not what he meant, but it made me think Smitty might be inspired by Ronan Farrow. This has been Danielle Paige's strongest episode, the family interactions today reminded me of her best work on GL. Let's also give Ron Carlivati his flowers! 💐 I'm kidding, but at least this should allay fears that everything he touches will turn to ash.

Just this: "Jibre Hordges stars as Jacob Hawthorne, Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne’s husband and a robbery/homicide detective with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Jacob hails from a family of law enforcement. He is proud of his wife, the family he comes from, serving the community and seeking justice for victims."

LOL, I had the same thought.

I liked RR's Alan but I was too young to have watched Christopher Bernau's Alan, who I think is the gold standard. Ron Raines interpreted the character very broadly - Raines's musical theatre background is very evident. CB was much more subtle, he could tell a story with one expression. CB was also believable in his love stories, where RR's Alan didn't have any believable romances. RR's Alan wanted to possess women, especially Josh's leftovers, but I never bought that he cared for any of them. As an aside I saw RR as Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd a while ago - I had no idea he would be in the cast when I bought the ticket. He was great! You are almost where I am in my rewatch. I am a slow watcher so you will probably get way ahead of me soon.

I really enjoyed today's episode. JDB's continues to excel with his dialogue. We went from "camel toe" to "robbing the cradle to robbing the grave," although the Diego actor flubbed the line. I love the world building regarding the Hawthorne family and also learning more about Anita's past. I'm already wishcasting Anita's former groupmates and the role of Darlene Hawthorne in my mind. I do agree, however, that the outlining was odd. We saw Chelsea and Kat at the country club, then Orphey Gene's, then back at the country club. Why not have lunch at the club? I enjoyed Anita's turn as rapping granny as much as the runway party from a few weeks ago but it was not my estimation of a soap ending, even for a Monday.

CBS Soaps In Depth November 9, 1999

CBS Soaps In Depth October 12, 1999 CBS Soaps In Depth October 26, 1999

Do we think Keith Robinson was always the the first choice for Ted but wasn't available for the first 3 months of taping? If the show wanted Robinson to be Ted badly enough, maybe Maurice Johnson was meant to be a temporary fill-in from the start.

I finally found the time to scan some more magazines

I just read about Victoria Platt (Vicky, GL) (Dr. Raynor, DOOL) marrying VJ Johnson, a coach for the Atlanta Dream. https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/guiding-light/soap-alum-victoria-platt-marries-wnba-coach-vickie-johnson I wonder if this means she will be Atlanta-based, and if she might make an appearance on BTG. 🤔

We are talking about Ted, the character right? Not the actor? I think the character is absolutely needed to finish up the Leslie story. Otherwise the emotional impact of Eva being revealed as his daughter would be muted. Nicole, Martin, Kat, and the rest of the family would have no reason to interact with Leslie and Eva if Ted is absent. In other words when to recast is a question of local convention rather than medium. Which was my original point. I think the comparison is fair.

What factors do you think make US soaps more likely to quickly recast than to give characters played by exiting actors some time away from the story? In the case of Ted, he is still needed to finish out the current storyline, and will probably continue to play a major role beyond the Leslie story. It leads me to believe that there were special circumstances surrounding the recast. In other circumstances, when you know months in advance that an actor is leaving and you have the opportunity to write an exit story, I think the better choice is let the character go, at least for a while. It's less likely to incur viewer backlash from an inferior recast and with time, the actor may decide to come back. That's why I prefer the UK approach.