Mitch64

Especially since GA was in his late 30s early 40s around the time Rauch took over. Having Phillip and Rick acting almost as if they were in their 2os was silly. I would have Annie actually mistakenly kill Alan (or maybe not so..maybe she starts poisoning him I would have him getting bored of her instead of carrying her purse of evil deeds all day long) and then Phillip is forced into Spaulding patriarch, putting a crimp in his and Harleys relationship, brining both Amanda and AM back...with occasional visits from Alex to run interference, or cause trouble (Marj/Alex isn't bad when in small doses.) Someone up thread mentioned Mike's women..does anyone remember when Reva first hit town she was flirting with Mike? I remember her in a big fur coat sitting on his desk...(why...was he lawyer to her to get a divorce from Billy?) I just watched some of the 60th anniversary episodes..and Reva is just walking away from yet another argument with Annie, and she closes paths with Lillian and Mike walking by, and she looks surprised and quickly waves. I wonder if that was Kimmer remembering that she knew him, etc (Kimmer looks great during the anniversary episodes I must say.) Speaking of this time period, I know Rauch in in place, and McTavish was fired before Liabson, but the material seems to still be McTavish outline going into the anniversary..with the angel etc. I wonder if she outlined the Amanda is Brandon's kid or if that was a Rauch/interim writer thing...it seems all McTavish's style.

Lizzie being inspired by her glamorous grandmother's career as a not starving artist would be great, and connect with Beth's former artist ambitions which were forgotten when Rauch and team brought her back as a screwed up stuck up mean girl. I would have thrown in Marina at that time who was played by Aubrey and was wasted. I would have Lizzie being a Morgan type and Marian being a Nola ( I would even have her live in Nola's old room, "A girl who lived here before carved initials N.R. + K.N..who stupid and silly, she probalby love it here in this dump!") Marina wanting a Spaulding lifestyle and Lizzie wanting to follow a artist career path. I know what you mean about joining Spaulding, but I love the "Ex Wives Club" as a highlight of the post Curlee years. Maybe India made it her goal to befriend "Phil-eppes" mother and Elizabeth signs over her stock to India to be a thorn in Alan's side and to f*ck with Liv.

I LOVE this! Totally agree and that was my first thought when Joan/Alex appeared..and I LOVED Joan/Alex but I knew she wouldn't stay long. Plus they could have pumped up her return as yet another mother gone to Europe for years who were estranged from her kid. I would have had Elizabeth paying off a long time Spaulding staffer to keep her updated on things, and hearing that Lizzie was lost between her parents drama and when Alan faked his hear attack she did the same thing Alex did, report it drop the stock and buy it all up to come back and kick Alan. It would also be a good way to bring a recast Mike back..he and she were a couple again.

Actually, I have to say, Long had Bert mention Simone when Bill died..as in "Oh, I need talk to Simone, this will be so hard on her,' and Meta was mentioned a few times, (mainly when Charita was ill, she was visiting Meta and Mo went to visit them and came back with "Bert is great, but Ed she lost some weight so don't be suprised," ) mainly to prepare us for her return after her amputation. And of course, after Charita died Bert took care of an ailing Meta off camera. Its weird, (and I know others disagree) but Long and company I felt did a great job at respecting history and bringing thoughtful things like this in, what went wrong in 85?

I remember the little red headed girl who played Christina played her like a brat...she was manipulating Rita into Evil Step Mom mold, and when Rita told her to set the table or something , she threw the napkins down in a fit...so Blake was always going to be trouble! I also remember that was the time that "Freddie" was at boarding school (mooing over Phillip???) so it doesn't make it like they grew up that much together so the the drunk screw is less..icky.

I'm neither here nor there on Dano...but I am thinking like they should have...if Dano likes Wheeler and is willing to work for the GL cash for fun..why not have her do somehting of importance..."Linda Dano joins Gl as a mysterious woman who may know..."Who shot Phillip" or some such thing. It has been so long that viewers wouldn't remember Elizabeth that well and she has been away for years..."I know what it is like, what that man does to you..breaks you..hallows you out until you have to escape to another world (haha) to escape him. I did that, and it took me a long time to find my strength, and my son, you will too. Until you can fight, I will for you." or some such soap nonsense. There is always a hint that Elizabeth is not quite right still, but she has a backbone.

Dorothy Lyman was on GL for the last few months? Was it like Linda Dana who played Harley's cell mate that who did it favor of Wheeler and to keep her union insurance ? Speaking of..I wish they had brought Dano back as Elizabeth Spaulding at that time. In my scenario it would have been an alter of Beth shot Phillip (to protect Harley who she thought was being attacked by Phillip, it was the same alter that killed Professor Rayburn that Beth created after the Bradly rape) Alan would think that Harley did indeed kill him, so instead of framing her in his mind he was seeing justice was done.) Elizabeth somehow had the docs declare Phillip dead and sent him to be cremated(or so everyone thought) and then brought him to her estate for him to get well and to protect from Alan (who SHE think is the shooter.) Anyway I think Dana could play a woman who waws previously a victim and who is a bit...still nutty herself.

I don't know...we accepted Alexandra as a never before heard from sister...I know at her intro she was estranged but all the drama around Brandon's death and will and she was never mentioned. I think a branch of the Bauer family was acceptable...but Johnny was just so damn dull! I always wanted ATWT to bring on Chris Hughes brothers grandkids, this would have worked well during the Dobsons efforts to "contemporize" the show...I could see a farm girl moving in with Nancy and Chris and Nancy having another Lisa on her hands!

It's odd, as Long got rid of Bea Reardon (who just disappeared) and brought on Jack and Lainie who along with Hawk and Sarah..ran the boardinghouse. They were first on recurring and then offered contracts as if they thought of a story to get them involved..yet they didn't do anything. I like the idea of an older stable Bauer couple, and am okay with Faux Bauers...though I would have said that Meta raised Johnny and sibs after their parents died, giving a connection to history. We know why Hawk and Sarah had material as tehy had to prop up Reva..but what made Long create this couple?

For Meta definatley Teri Keane who was brought in to fill a Bert role as Johnny's mom but got nothing to do. I think she seems someone from a blue collar background who could also feel comfortable at the Country Club, and the thing I liked about Stuart's Meta is that she was supportive but could tell she was tough cookie (her scene in the kitchen with Claire is classsic.) which Keane could do. Also I guess I just remember her as a preschooler on the Edge, and she always seemed stable and calm but could lay someone out. I do think that Audrey Peters would have been good as well (despite their resembelance, I never bought her as Reva's mom. Speaking of Reva, as others said, her best material post resurection was under Wheeler. That was the Reva that seemed to connect with Long's Reva..she seemed tired but still had fight in her, was loving but also self centered...and you could see that she had a life loving men, sex, food and well, lets be honest..booze, with no apologies.

I always thought they should have brought him back for Bert's memorial, (well, there were a lot of people they should have brought back) especially as Rick was going through his drug phase...have him point out to a clueless Ed that something was going on with Rick.."While you spend your time worrying about this Claire woman, Rick is falling apart. But I still wish they had brought back Meta at that time, have her take over the boardinghouse for Bea as a favor to Mo, and stick around to tangle with Claire and set the young people in town straight.

This was especially true after they killed off Maureen. A Bauer needed to be the tentpole comfort character..and there was no way that Simon could do that. I do think MOL COULD have been placed there when he was older, IF they kept him from doing his "comic" mugging.

Agree, but since MH was the Ed I saw until high school, he is kind of "my Ed." The 70th anniversary show, where they brought back Don Stewart would have been the perfect time to bring him back, and try to keep him there. With the fallout about Rick's paternity of one of Blake's kids, with Ed being stuck in the middle of Rick and Ross, (and his "step daughter" ) and references to Ed finding out Blake was Rogers, the storyline would have more depth to it then the "shock" value it was played. Of course, if we are dreaming, having him in place if they went through with a " Roger has ALS" would have really been interesting. I think Simon had some energy early on...Long played him as a nice guy dad who had some edginess, and he had chemistry with Parker. It was just as the years went on Simon made Ed a cold fish... I know they did try to get MH back but I don't know how hard they tried.

Yes.... I think Toby played older and was supposed to be in her 30s...(I always someone like Alex to comment on Amanda Alex: "Well, California must have been good to you, you havent aged a day," Amanda, "Its the California sun" Alex: "Well, this Dr. Sun does excellent work dear!" They have Amanda refer to Phillip as her "little brother" just so we know. Its kind of like Deas not being that much older then Frankie D, or on ATWT Lyla actress being a few years older then Colin, its just one of those things soap viewers accept.

Maybe its the script writer who seemed to understand Alex...there are some great lines here that are true to her history "I have dealt with far WORSE then YOU!" and "Everytime my brother and I competed I WON!" E &B don't seem to know what to do with Alex, as she just disappears after this (Marj jumped to AMC as she had no filming dates scheduled.) It is too bad as this as this is an Alex which fits Marj's energy(Bev's Alex would cooly insult and threaten Annie) and still fits Alex's history..I will always love "Ya got quite a bark on ya, don't ya honey?" Yes Ed not being there is just dumb...I really don't think the role would be that hard to cast...but the whole thing is dumb...the Santos are members of the Lakeland Country Club and have been all the time but no one know them?

I do think Kimmer was at a bad place here..she knew that Reva was tangential to the story, and that Annie..or the Clone..or the island, whatever. was going to drive it not Reva anymore. She got burned by Hollywood and not getting a good role (which I think she would have been great in a sitcom) and she was in her 40s stuck in a soap..inferior material, but still on everyday and realizing what became of other women over 40s in soap, you are either a mother/grandmother or you are nothing. Funny, she loved Rauch and her worst material was under him, but then, she was on everyday. Kimmer is an actress, with a huge ego..so you think she would allow the camera to not focus on her standing there clapping (plus I am sure she actually was clapping for another actor winning something) and her being..."mean" to younger women goes back years...on the Shayne reunion on the Locher Room Kriste, who has no shits to give or is too ..flaky..now to care...said, "Oh, I know how mean you were to me when I first came on Kim Zimmer" but in a way, where they eventually became friends. I remember interviews during this time when she was complaining that now there were 6 characters during that time that were doing Reva things...(Jenna, Blake, Dinah...who knows who else) so she was grasping for relevance at this time.

Just have one couple who have kids..like almost the rest of us..you know, planning a family. To make Abby all of a sudden, "Oh I don't want kids, my career" is stupid...we all have conflict about our careers and family and it would be interesting to see people who do want to have kinds deal with a messy life like that as we all do. I think this shows that they really wanted to phase out the Bauers for years...Mo couldt have kids? Ed all of a sudden decides he doesn't want to have any more even though he married a woman who as the quote from the "Birdcage"..."is practically a breast!" Then Rick and Abby, who should be the most normal down to earth people on the show, don't have any?

I forgot about her bob!!! I always used to laugh at Reva barging in a room with Josh training behind...holding her purse figuratively. With Alan doing the same for Annie/Faux Annie I think both of them should dump their men and hook up together, as all they do is obsess over each other! Josh and Reva at this point should be becoming bored with each other..Josh should realize that he lost sexpot Reva years ago and is now stuck with this bossy soccer mom..and Reva should be appalled that she IS a boring soccer mom. Annie would have been smart to sit back and let them self destruct as they always do.

Rick and Abby were such a lost opportunity, but all GL could think about Josh and Reva and "shocking"stories. Rick and Abby were poised to be that nice couple that are "normal" and the calm in the storm whose house everyone likes to go and hangout. Especially this phase..just let Abby be pregnant to bring in some new Bauers. This is also the point where Reva gets very annoying and becomes Springfield's biggest Karen! Why does Frank bring Jeva to barge in on the Spaulding party? Why does he let them watch as the safe is searched? I just remember this time with Kimmer in those bad beige pantsuits that Reva would never wear, with a perpetual scowl on her face and yelling. The mob stuff as we said had potential...and Lenz is a great Chelle, but it just starts off (and stays) so stupid. No one in this mob thinks that having a young woman, a doctors daughter and member of a prominent family in this medium sized town, body found with a bullet in her head, would raise any notice and concern? What happened to cutting breaks...setting up a meth addict to shoot Celle, acting like it was a mugging that got out of hand? The mob is so dumb and then Carmen camps it up as the most ineffectual mob boss in the world! the show was written by idiots for idiots! (And I kept watching so what does that say about me???)

I can't even imagine Long working with JFP, creatively and with their temperaments. Long loves old fashioned soap and community and family relationships...JFP really disdains traditional soap and is a micromanager, and Long can be a bit prickly about her work and interference. But if Long can go rounds with the ego monster Zimmer then I guess she could handle JFP. Ah, a JFP and Zimmer battle...a soap Thunderdome!

Such a weird time..(well, what wasnt a weird time on GL post Curlee leaving...) remember when they fired Labine, then they couldn't find anyone to replace her so they rehired her and MADD made a statement "The votes came in (the ratings raised by a point) and a recall was called for" or some dumb thing, they they replaced her with Lucky Gold of all writers. Rauch did sabatogue but it didn't take much...things shot down: Liv and Holly (though it would be Childrens Hour where one would not return the affection..) and Mae being Stacy Chamberlin, which might have been good but Nola was off for years, and Rick would be at least 19 years older then her. Not promising stuff.

How great that would have been to see India and Eddie scheming together. Instead of Alan and Faux Annie...India and Eddie scheme to divide and conquer Alan and Alex...by seducing them and taking them for all they are worth. They have a bet on who can get the other to marry them first...India wins (my version of Alex would be someone who learns from her mistakes so she just wants Eddie and for eye candy henchman) ..but then someone poisons Alan...with India and Eddie both suspecting the other. It was high time to get rid of Alan at that point and to push Phillip up to Spaulding patriarch. I'm sorry, I just can't stand Cole...but if we ahd to have him I prefer one who looks like he took a shower.

And Jeffery happened because ConWest went to a fan event and saw the fan fraus freaking out over Cole's "rock concert" Why TPTB thought the people who actaully have time and the inclination to go to a fan event were not representative of the viewing public at large. God I hated Jeffery worse then if Buzz/Fletcher/Richard rolled into one character. I think that Joan/Alex summed up both the island and the mob in two of her lines: Eddie: "Have you ever been to San Cristobal?" Alex: (with a bit of a sneer) "NO, but I have heard of it! I'm sure its a charming little island." Carmen: "I am Carmen Santos, and you are moving into my territory." Alex: (barely acknowleding her) "And I am ALEXANDRA SPAULDING, and I couldn't care less!"

Definatley the Island of WhiteBread people did the most damage. It was not only dumb, it was already outdated material by the time it started airing. Rauch dusted off his fairy tale island from the OLTL OTT era and pushed it on GL like it was something new. Prince Richard was one note (how do you write for a fairy tale prince...unless you he gets together with his princess and leaves town forever and then it would have all been with it.) The only way to write it was like the Dobsons did orignally with James Stenbeck, the fairy tale prince turns into a nightmare. Once Cassie is married she is only allowed to go to certain places on the island..why? Say a hot guy of color is cast as a leader of the rebels who kidnaps her and shows her what was really going on in the island..the natives working to prop up the royals and their rich friends...leaving Cassie torn...she then sees Richie is as bad as Eddie (with a more polite facade) and then works against him ( I would have had Richard be the one to hold Cassie in the tower) But no way would Rauch and team present something that was not bland tripe that they thought the fat dumbies at home still watching the soaps (their view of their audience) would love. At least the idea of the mob made some sense...the straight lace Bauers, pillar of SF contracting with this shady family. Only the execution sucked. Having no Bauer patriarch to go up against Carmen hobbled it from the start.

Eileen seems to be very much like Lisa in this (and looks great) but what was with her grimace at the end of "When I grow up I want to be just like you!"