Marissa Gallant

I'm not enjoying Margaret Micheals at all. And my problem is that is just gets worse with subsequent portayers. I can not stand Santana. And there is far too much of her in the episodes I'm watching now

On 7/20/2021 at 5:01 PM, jam6242 said:

I've noticed that was the norm for newspaper columnists back then. 

Pretty sure that hasn't changed. Moving on.

On 7/20/2021 at 6:17 PM, DRW50 said:

I noticed that he tried to imply Lisa Cameron was a bad actress and also tried to make Nancy Wickwire say her job was dull (she handled that well), but he didn't play any of those games with Constance Ford. He was probably afraid she'd come bawl him out. 

I wouldn't mess with Constance Ford either. Never. Love that she called them out for not acting like real people. I remember several cast members saying that she often said, "Nothing changes but the date."

On 7/9/2021 at 2:47 AM, DRW50 said:

That's true. I also think that the Reginald story just didn't work (although I guess it helped the ratings...?), which didn't help his long term prospects. 

Part of why Reginald didn't work is that interesting villians are multi-faceted. Reginald was very one note. He was almost a cartoon on a show that was not remotely cartoon. 

15 hours ago, j swift said:

As I mentioned previously, there was clearly some chemistry testing with Eden when she parachuted into his front yard.   And, he has this very amusing scene with Minx in the first month of shows where he is applying body oil in the living room, she urges him to get a real job, and he mentions some investors who want to open a new beach club.  I am no fan of Maggie-the-cop (to this day I think her husband's catatonia was actually just a response to being bored to death by her), but those scenes of her sweaty fantasies of a shirtless Warren changing a tire were promo-ed for weeks.

 And it would have avoided those creepy CC and Santana workout scenes.

They did try with Warren. Summer Blake could have been better and more tied into both families, you are correct. I tried to connect to Maggie, but I can't. The catatonic husband isn't enough to make me forget that she is why Joe died. And she really was a sad sack on the show. I would have given her 10 million to go away. Warren and Eva Lazar would have been good. 

Every time that I start to forget creepy CC 2, someone mentions it again and I want to start scrubbing my eyes all over again. Like seriously, I think that's the one thing we all agree on! Lol

2 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Gina vs. Sophia was a nice rivalry... but Augusta vs. Sophia is where it should've been at.

I couldn't agree with this more! That would have been so incredible. We got snippets of a rivalry there, but not enough. I even liked their pseudo truce during the cancer. 

Gina is such a delusional nitwit! Argh. I can't stand her. She's actually standing beside CC's coma bed bragging about being in love with Mason. Sophia obviously didn't slap her hard enough the last time! Come one Sophie- hit her again. Just once for me, please. Pretty please?

I did enjoy Mason and Mary singing though. So cute.

I think I enjoy watching the Contessa smack people more than I should. Lol

It's gonna be a long 78 episodes to Jed Allen...

3 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

She is pretty, yes, and had the eternal ingenue look going on, a-la Genie Francis' Laura, but it kept her locked into a specific role for Kelly.

Keep on those episodes. A lot happened that should not be missed, in my humbled opinion.

Oh, I will. I just needed to admit that the temptation is there. Gina's screeching was driving me bonkers. I have moments of liking her or at least tolerating her. Even occasionally feeling sorry for her. But the first couple of episodes after the stroke, too screechy. Until Sophia put her in her place. 

Oh, the dilemma, CC just fell into a coma, Gina tried to kick Sophia out. I want to watch the episodes until Jed Allen, but I also want to skip ahead to Jed Allen! 

That's an awesome memory. 

I will say, the Lockridges are abnormally attached to their milkman. Lol

1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

Well, wasn't this truly back when they would cast older for younger? Plus, Kelly was Ted's older sister, yet Robin Wright is two-years younger than Todd McKee. Interesting casting choice by the Dobsons and Jeffrey Hayden. Julie Ronnie was born in 1963 and Rupert Ravens we know nothing of; Santa Barbara seems to have been his sole acting role.

Yes, but Robin Wright has a sort of ageless beauty. Her looks have barely changed since then. Yes, she does look older, but it took a few decades to get her there.

1 hour ago, kalbir said:

Two Alexis clones on one show? I once read Santa Barbara described as a dollar store Dynasty.

I guess I don't know Dynasty well enough because I've never thought of Sophia as an Alexis clone. She isn't Crystal either. 

16 hours ago, spike99 said:

the teens plots were supposed to be comedic and fun: escape to hollywood (booooorrrring), the motel, the school. But the audience wanted drama. So Christie was added, then Hayley (Tricia Cast and Stacy Edwards were stronger actresses than Julie Ronnie....). I don't know what was the purpose of Jackie Parks because it didn't go anywhere...A variant of Mrs Robinson?

 

In 1985, we have Gina trying to frame Eden for C.C's attempted murder too. A very dramatic story. And the beginning of Santana/cruz/eden/ kirk square...

When I was a teen, I liked the teens more than I did this time through. But I think TPTB decided not to do a teen story the second summer.

13 hours ago, robbwolff said:

I don't know. It always seemed to me that the teens like Jade, Danny, and Laken were phased out because they were part of families that the Dobsons just weren't invested in. Plus all three roles were played by actors who weren't overly impressive in their performances, unlike Todd McKee who seemed to always shine as Ted. I loved Christie. Unlike Jade, Christie drove story and provided lots of needed conflict. I don't understand why the Dobsons introduced this family and then dropped them so quickly. The Duvall/Bassett family was compelling and intriguing and portrayed by excellent actors. It's a shame Santa Barbara didn't hold onto this family. So much wasted potential.

I think the teens kind of fell flat. I think the Dobsons might have wanted to invest, but the fans didn't. I liked Danny, and think his slide into drug addiction should have happened on screen, not just suddenly Cruz shot him. We know Jade eventually had acting chops- different show, different character. And same with Christy. 

I am not sure, but I know that in her interview, Harley Jane Kozak said she was killed because of the new owners wanting to save money. I think that is part of why the Duvall were phased out. (Pure speculation on my part) i also feel the Dobsons didn't understand normal and couldn't write them well. Also, I doubt that Robin Mattson and Jed Allen came cheap. 

There was SO much behind the scenes that the show definitely suffered. But also, who cares about Theda when Augusta is turning radios on with her feet. Sorry Theda makes my skin crawl.  I didn't miss her at all. I could have missed Marissa Perkins, but she was never enough of a presence. I missed Amy BEFORE she left. I definitely missed Augusta. I missed Warren and Laken. I missed Lane Davies when he left. In fact, I missed LD so much I left too and just came to visit a few times a year. 

And I have said this before, but eventually HIGH drama-all drama and zero relief or joy drives me away. Far, far away...

5 hours ago, j swift said:

Sophia and Pamela were both women who abandoned their children, returned in disguise, and remarried rich Europeans.

Technically speaking, Sophia was taken from her children. She had amnesia, Marcello took her to Europe. She got her memories back, came home, killed her son who wasn't her son, went nuts again. But I do see your point.

Eden started unique because she wanted to be in business. But subsequent writers turned her into a damsel. 

Julia stayed strong.

But there were definitely plot repetitions and parallels. It feels like there was a serial rapist every year. And serial killers. Too many of both.

Gina and Santana drive me crazy. And the never ending custody battle. As well as the constant rewriting of Gina's backstory. (Remember when Gina and Summer were the only Bkakes because their parents were killed?) Then she has a brother and mom too later?

The show wasn't perfect. But it is so much fun. 

10 hours ago, Beach Climber said:

 

They’d throw her guys she’d have heavy screentime with but either nothing would play out, she would shut them down after kiss because she was still in love with Mason, or it was a doomed ONS. Compared toMason who had the marriage to 

 

What is ONS?

I am watching 1985 now. I'm really enjoying it. I agree that a lot gets set up for 1986. And too bad they weren't able to tell the stories.

I thoroughly enjoy Augusta and Lionel together. And Julia is so much fun. 

I love Amy and Brick and it's a shame that  they put them SO deep on the back burner.

Personally, I have a difficult time extending the Golden Age past the departure of Lane Davies. But there are great stories after that. 

12 hours ago, amybrickwallace said:

Speaking for myself, I consider SB's Golden Era to be from 1985-1990. That covers all the years they won Best Daytime Series, but I digress.

I apologize. You are correct. Many people consider that the Golden Age. Others end it in 88, or skip 88. And I did not intend to imply that you are not a true fan.

I'm still at Ted's trial. The DA just collapsed. 

Augusta just confronted Sophia about Channing. Louise Sorel is SUCH a powerhouse. TPTB truly were idiots to let her get away! She just told Julia about Channing and said she wants to kill Lionel. Julia said not to do anything drastic. And she quips I didn't think that was drastic, I thought it was the next logical step. And it hit me again how needed they are in this show. BUT it has to be the right writers. They HAVE to break your heart AND rip it out equally or it fails.

It also hit me that the irony of Santa Barbara is that the true fans don't necessarily consider the Golden Era to be the Best Show winning years.

10 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

In one of Christie's last episodes before she left, she and Mary have a sister heart to heart.  Mary confesses her feelings for Mason, that she sees good in him and believes in true love while Christie clues Mary in on real life.  Mary even asks if Christie believes in happiness and love while Christie basically says no.  It was a good character study of both of them...and it's a shame that Christie was written out.  She had a lot of potential and would have been interesting to see how she dealt with life post the rape trial.

Well, one of them got killed by a giant C and the other one just moved on, so maybe Christie's outlook is safer. Trust no one. And definitely don't trust giant C's. 

Even Jade the bubble head told Ted to leave her alone! Then he goes to jail and writes to her! Idjit! Boy has serious stalker potential. I feel bad for Christie. She knows what she's doing is wrong, but she is thinking jail is better than dead. Theda is gawdawful. Mary is so sanctimonious, but blind to reality. Mason calling her on it is awesome. It is gripping, but Ted has serious issues. Also, when Ted moves out and CC tells Sophia she always coddled him too much. Til he was 2? She coddled a one year old? CC You are another sanctimonious fart. As you so readily pointed out numerous times, you raised him.

And while I'm on a roll, CC has an aneurysm and his doc says he can't try for another baby with Gina. He's all upset that he can't have sex with his wife, but he was smooching on wife number 2 yesterday and telling her that she's the love of his life. 

These people ALL need therapy, but all of the therapists in town seem to be evil. 

And I LOVE IT ALL!

I am watching Ted's rape trial for the first time. Good grief Ted is annoying me! All adults say stay away from Christie, so he goes straight to Christie. His attorney says stay away, nope. So instead, he decks Cruz. Oops sorry Cruz. Yeah that's going to help. And where is Sophia? 

10 hours ago, dc11786 said:

I think the Joe / Augusta fling was suppose to be part of a bigger story.  

Something that stood out to me watching the 1984 episodes last year was a scene between John and Marissa Perkins. It was very well written, but, unfortunately, the acting did not match the writing. In the Perkins dining room, Marissa is going on and on about Joe and her concerns that Kelly Capwell was going to ruin him. During this rant, John Perkins tried to convince Marissa to go to bed with him, but Marissa rebuffed her husband's advances. John Perkins went to talk about his needs and how Marissa wasn't fulfilling them. I definitely read the scenes as Marissa's near Oedipal relationship with Joe was driving her husband away from her and that this set up several story threads: (1) John eventually cheating on Marissa and (2) Marissa's role as a spoiler in the Joe and Kelly romance. 

The decision to kill of Joe Perkins wasn't in the original plans so there had to be a much larger story in place for Kelly and Joe that would have kept them front and center. I would speculate that the original long term plan had John Perkins having an affair with Augusta Lockridge. John and Augusta's affair would have given Marissa enough ammunition to finally kick John to the curb and file for divorce. A now alone Marissa would have been more dependent on Joe for both help around the house, but also for love and affection. I can see Marissa convincing Joe to stay for dinner, and accidentally standing up Kelly. Kelly and Joe's relationship would have started to crumble under the pressure of Marissa's neediness. After Kelly's prodding, Joe would have gone to see Augusta to convince her to end the affair with his father (John would have been more committed than Augusta) only for John to learn that Joe had also slept with Augusta. In the meantime, Lionel would make jokes about Augusta having bed both the father and the son and make crude jokes about only Augusta knowing who was the better lover in a way only the Dobsons would. 

The final clincher though would be when Kelly and (Marissa) would have learned that Joe and Augusta had slept together. Kelly would be upset that Joe had slept with Augusta when he supposedly loved her and they would end their relationship (temporarily). I imagine Peter wouldn't have gone off the deep end and that Peter and Kelly's relationship would simply have collapsed when she learned that Peter had also been sleeping with Augusta. Again, Kelly would have shared a man to Augusta. Of course, Kelly and Augusta would have a scene where Augusta would get the upper hand over her much younger rival (and the daughter of her former rival). This would have also allowed Kelly to reunite with non-serial killer Peter until she and Joe were again thrown together.  

I think the more compelling scene would have been the confrontation between Augusta and Marissa where Augusta would question whether or not Marissa was more upset that Augusta bedded Marissa's husband or whether Augusta was jealous because she (Augusta) had done the one thing Marissa could never do: sleep with Joe? 

To top it all off, once the whole Joe/John conflict settled, Jade would have managed to find her way into Warren Lockridge's bed in order to keep the Perkins and the Lockridges interacting and playing off all the complicated family dynamics that had been built up over the course of the storyline. This also would have played nicely with the Brick and Amy story. 

There are several other reasons I think this is a possibility. One, Augusta ended up having an affair in year two with the mattress guy, a very working class man from what I recall. It would stand to reason that might have originally intended to be with John. Also, I don't recall Kelly ever learning about Augusta and Joe's affair when it originally happened. Maybe she did, but I feel like that reveal was kept in the writers' back pocket so they could drop that bomb at the appropriate time. 

Ultimately, most of the Perkins were miscast. There is no way I could see Robert Alan Browne convincing Louise Sorel to go bed. Also, Valorie Armstrong was a calm, quiet presence, but the writing suggested a much more emotionally manipulative mother who's interest in her son's love life bordered on obsessive. Similarly, Jade, who initially was a vixen, was miscast with Melissa Brennan (Reeves) who was too sweet to play a seductive social climber that Jade was originally positioned to be. I think the Dobsons just cut their losses and went in a different direction. 

This just remains speculation though. 

I love all of this speculation. I agree about the miscast Perkins. They look related, but none of them were outstanding in these roles. (Not necessarily bad actors considering Melissa Brennan went on to be Jenn Horton Devereaux). They could have been a powerhouse family, but the acting always felt off to me. Even without an Augusta/Dad Perkins affair, there still could have been more for this family. Maybe some normal problems vs the OTT problems with the Capwells. A younger cousin delinquent come to stay to interact with Ted, or Christie, another female for Warren. Anything more interesting than what they actually were.

5 hours ago, Connelly said:

Also I don't understand when people say that Cruz and Eden was not an original plan when from the first Marcy Walker episode you can see they shared a romance in the past.

I got that from an interview with A Martinez on the French site. He said it.

I just rewatched Augusta's fan dance. How did Louise Sorel turn on that radio with her foot? Good golly! She made that look way too easy.

3 hours ago, spike99 said:

I like Julie Ronnie. Her version of Laken is naive, ingenue...Not fond of at all of the recast. We switched between miss goody two shoes and vamp. Susan marie snyder's version remind me early days of Jane Wilson.

I'm 50/50 on the character. Not the actress. Sometimes I love Laken. Other times, I want to smack her. I'm not crazy about the push me pull you tactics that she pulled all of the time. I love her with the Lockridges, except sometimes Warren, but not always with Ted. Like when she tried to get Ted to NOT see Sophia. Girl, it isn't all about you. 

I'm on the episode where Lionel is trying to revive his libido by fantasizing about Augusta and trying to not laugh out loud. OMG those two can be so funny AND so dramatic. 

18 minutes ago, spike99 said:

 

The show needed another super couple. The Lockridges were slowly backburned so the writers paired Cruz with Eden. It was a hit with an incredible chemistry...

Should have never back burnered Lionel and Augusta. Should have done anything Sorel asked for to keep her.  I was fine with Laken leaving though...

8 hours ago, Wendy said:

It wasn't, as far as I know. I do know I read past rumors that EDEN may have had a flirtation with Lionel. I also read (had serendipity with Cruz not happened) that Eden/Warren was being considered.

As already stated, early on, I guess the pairing was supposed to be Pearl for Julia, but then she was put in Mason's orbit and voila! Serendipity, part 2.

I've seen the early episodes. Eden definitely had a flirtation with Lionel. It was in the first few months.

Cruz was meant for Santana, but it wasn't working, so A and Marcy came up with the pre-show Cruz/Eden history. And it took off from there. 

4 hours ago, spike99 said:

Pearl/Julia would have been very odd. I like Courtney/Pearl. Julia Campbell was very refreshing and full of life. Too bad the writers made her Madeline's killer ('Madeline was a true villainess mais too much stereotyped).   But they were going to run of suspects...Pearl's past was interesting and intriguing. But again never developped it and Brian was bland. So many missed opportunities again...

 

(sorry for my poor english..I am French)

I liked Pearl and Courtney too. Too bad he went all gaga over Kelly. Pearl should have been a great character but they did drop the ball.

Your English is better than my French. 

I still think TPTB were blind regarding Julia and Mason. Pearl and Julia end game? No. Mason and Victoria end game? Again no.

Also I know Robin Wright is beautiful, but I don't fully understand why every man who ever spoke to her fell hopelessly in love with Kelly. She was a bit needy. I'm glad they never paired her with Phillip the Butler.