Mitch64

Yes, Mike wasn't even at his own sister's funeral....there is mention from Lillian that he is in Washington.....(what they don't have planes? I am sure he is big shot enough to get the time off...lazy...) Yes, they showed the clip and they had Reva talk about it..I don't remember a scene between the two of them...("Nice red dress dear..") but it actually held more weight then FauxEd and after seeing interviews with Zimmer I can see that while she wasnt on the show for long before Charita died, she respected her and said that she was a "force of nature" on that set that everyone loved and listened to.

I remember that..can you imagine that..it would be even more notorious than Roger being recast. For some reason I think they were considering the woman who played the German caterer on Mindy and Kurts' wedding...she looked like Charita. But why go to that trouble and not jut bring in Meta or Bea? I do know that in an interview Long said she always wanted to bring back Meta..now why she didn't who knows.

I remember when Don McLaughlin on ATWT died Helen Wagner commenting that the atmosphere on the set became strange...people were fighting and normally ATWT was a calm set, and that all went away once they acknowledge his death and filmed Chris funeral. I could imagine that, even though a lot of the actors never worked with Charita that her presence was even greater on that set and that they would want to do it not only for the viewers who grew up with her, but the cast and crew.

Island Man actually, while being no great shakes as an actor, had that "thing" that makes a good soap actor..(believe it or not they don't all have to be GREAT thespians) and I don't mean his chest. He had good chemistry with Zimmer, Wright but especially with Moniz Dinah. He was the one character who could call her out without totally vilifying her. I know the cartoon thinking of Rauch and company was that Dinah was the bad girl and Cassie perfect, but it would have been interesting to see Moniz do more then whine about her mommy issues or hang on to a total turd like Grillo's Hart (even though they had no chemistry I think he an the vapid Cassie deserved each other.) I agree, he and the Clone doctor could have done so much more..(I would have made Clone Doctor a recast Jim Reardon in conflict with his nephew Matt over Van. ) And yea, I remember that Grillo had more chemistry with that weird actor who played Cassie's ex, then either of his female costars. It was Kobe that said they wanted to keep Bert alive for Rick to be able to make a phone call..."Grandma, I need you." which was weird and dumb. I think that Charita dying of course threw them...(I remember the Christmas episodes had Bert taking a nap upstairs in the Bauer house, which was no "unBert" like that I knew they had to hastily rewrite. I think that Long was the only writer attached to the show that could do Bert's death justice (and in her defense, I think Long would have written the hell out of it) but she was on maternity leave and Ryder was totally clueless (the show had absolutely no warmth during his stint.) And yes, her death could have been the catalyst to turn the show around...bringing back a recast Hope(just before Alan returns) who I would have inherit Bert's old house and want to continue her legacy (taking over the old "Patient Advocacy" program,) though having a hard time living up to it. I would have Alex do whatever she could to manipulate Hope to stay, so that there was another Spaulding to "mother/smother" and she and Hope argue over AM. I actually think that the actress who played Reva's mom would have been a good recast for Meta, and she and Charita knew each other so she would do it justice, but they could have also just brought back Lawson as Bea for a mother figure.

Yea, he was created by E & B...and went through many bizarre changes..he was a doctor, who of course, was connected to San Crud (though he looked and acted like he was straight from California...) but was an art collector...(uh, no...) and then became a secret agent. He was WAY too young for Reva..and frankly, Zimmer(attractive as she was) was at the stage where she could not pull off having a boy toy..plus even younger Reva would have thought Noah was a boring generic hunk. The push of Dobies was no doubt from the Rauch camp who were still trying to make Reva work as an ageless love goddess and Zimmer who not only was feeding her insatiable ego and need for airtime, was wanting to be in scenes with someone other then RN. An interesting plot that Labine could have written was to have an earlier menopause story for Reva, or just have Reva feeling her age, not have guys falling all over her, and dealing with that.

The show was such a mess before this that any writer would have a hard time trying to fix it. I did like that they tried to show Danny and Chele's relationship was bad, tried to break them up and I actually loved Aunt Meta vs. Claire. I never understood Rauch's determination to turn Reva into that normal mom, beloved figure. You're right, it never played to Zimmer's strengths and it didn't help that they dressed her like the Insurance Agent she played on Seinfeld.

It is funny..and really all Reva there...and no one seems to run after her after she leaves the church...I think they are just happy there can be a bit of quiet...and no one notices this big blond woman in a wedding dress wandering about ("George, I think I just saw the Slut of Springfield bump into our trash cans...well, from what I hear that is JUST where she belongs!") I did like Original Recipe Reva, (though not taking over the whole show..) I just really, really dislike Post Resurrection Reva...like Marland and Nola, no one could writer for her besides Long.

Thanks for the clip..I wonder what would have happened if Marland had stayed with GL longer? Interesting to see a bit more of the Boarding House then the kitchen..and..interesting attitudes on abortion here...(I get that Floyd is against it, and Bea and Tony being Catholic...but they could have had someone else mention a different point of view.) Thanks, I always heard it was Peapack, which, should have sued GL and Wheeler for making the place look like a dump! Speaking of did NSA (Michelle) really say that Wheeler was kind of a b*tch on a Locker Room episode? If so I can imagine Alan clutching his pearls!

I remember ..(McTavish of course) Lillian was saying she saw Reva come out of a dress shop or something and her dress was stuck in her but or something. Stupid and I could see Nola saying something like that..(they had Nola saying at Chirstmas, when Van is saying Josh and Annie are laying low, "Well I don't blame them now that Reva is back in town!") I always wanted a Reva/Nola catty session but I don't think we got it!

Really? I was making fun of them having Alan do a press conference that way, I had no idea that Wheeler was so "on target" with realism! The unfortunate thing is, the show had no budget to have a tornado, flood , or one of the hundreds of fires which inflicted 5th Street. Plus, Peapack is a beatiful area...it's where Reva did her hyper dramatic dive walk after she dumped Kyle at the altar. Why not use some of that and not..the junked out backyard of Harley..(not that I doubt a Cooper would have junk in their backyard.)

I'm sure you didn't have press conferences in a baseball diamond either!!! And you're picnics didn't take place..right next to that dirt road, and you could say hello to people driving...well the list goes on and on! Lol..It would have been so easy, make a few good sets for gathering places...(for what its worth I thought Company and the Towers looked good) and avoid everyone living in a hotel...(during that weird time that Rick and Beth were married, they showed them living in the hotel...though sometime they would be in the Bauer kitchen...it was just so goofy.)

I love that Cedar's set...it works perfect as a gathering place with a lounge to talk (gossip) Wheeler could have done a set like that and made Cedars a community center of things again instead of people talking on the side of a dirt road.

I loved ATWT/Marland's use of the sun rising clip to show us it's a new day, sometimes in the middle of an episode. Marland had people recapping constantly but making it morning and people having breakfast (usually reading the Argus "James Stenbeck is ALIVE..AGAIN??") made the recaps make sense. Old time soaps would have Nancy and Chris, or Bert and one of her family recapping things at dinner, but that lost vogue for soaps later with a disdain for traditional kitchen scenes ( I thought ATWT and GL lost a big sense of their midwestern identities when they got rid of kitchens and really people eating..that is when people gossip and talk about the day...I guess New York producers and writers never eat in their kitchens.) The weekend thing always bugged me, no one ever says, "How was your weekend?" ..."Well, I worked out, met friends for drinks and found out my supposedly dead husband is still alive..." Big parties and weddings would naturally take place on weekends, but the day after, everyone is back at the office. It made more sense in hospital based shows, but why is Alan back in the office after a masked ball the night before?

Well, Henry as a "companion" as even Bert saw that he was gay...poor Bea..having to date someone 20 years her senior who had no interest in women (God only knows where Van and Quint came from!) The white washing of Reva, while Long did indulge in it some, wasn't hard and heavy until Rauch/B &E where you thought Reva was Bert Bauer. Long had Billy and Reva calling each other out, which is what made the dynamic interesting. You had Josh who was obsessed with her, H.B. who doted on her, and Billy who saw her pretty much as she was, which really made it interesting. Post Resurrection Reva was worshiped by every Lewis man and well, the entire town (well, expect Dinah, I wish I had her "Oh Reva, just SHUT UP!" clip.) It was weird, Van was a spitfire and her and Billy'd dynamic was great..and then they got married, she quit Spaulding, and walked around the house in shoulder pads and big hair tending to all the Lewis men. Then they threw this addiction story on her, which given her "retro" history, I could see..(having given Dinah up, she becomes obsessed with Little Billy ) gut Dinah didn't exist at that time. Also, if they wrote it that she was bored out of her freaking mind being a stay at home mom, and subjecting herself to Billy and H.B.'s bombast, I could go with it, but of course, they didn't do that. It made no sense and was never mentioned again. Poor Maeve...then the exciting next story they gave her was being Ross's...secretary???? Vanessa a secretary???

LOL..I remember the establishment of "fun" Carrie...very similar to establishing "fun" Ellie Snyder, which made them both seem annoying. (I remember Ross lost all of his edge as Carrie had them both in matching track suits as they began to "jog" and she would make health shakes for him..blahhh!

I think Bert and H.B. might have been...interesting? Agreed on Billy, and I love the Billy who hated on Reva...when he became big teddy bear Billy, Reva Fan no 1 I lost interest.

Yes...they had "contemporized" GL and PG wanted to do the same with ATWT. ATWT was always their number 1 show and their top priority and they needed to do something fast. The problem was, the Dobson's were a bad fit for ATWT and they didn't want to do it...and it showed.

But somehow...it worked. Long was intending for H.B. and Bert to get together..but with Charita off screen for the amputation and then Bert's amputation storyline...they had to do something with H.B. and Gates and Zimmer had chemistry. At first there was no sex but I think Long set it up nicely after Billy and Josh humiliating her at the party that she wanted to be comforted by H.B. and well, Reva is Reva she can't go for a cuddle. The pregnancy was a bit..much. Long had far worse mistakes like turning Van into a boring hausfrau hooked on pills and running a pregger Reva over.

I like her twisted sense of humor..I was all in on that..but history?? Chele and Bridget dont have a bond like they did before..Chele acts like Nola is a total stranger and even calls her Mrs. Chamberline even though she is her aunt..Alex looses all her power and becomes a meddling annoyance..etc I really liked Brent/Marion and loved how McTavish tweaked soap conventions...instead of pregnancy test change it was an HIV test..love the scene on the laptop.."The part of Marion Crane is now being played by....BRENT LAWRENCE" there was a lot of creativity there but it was built on a weak character Lucy as victim though McTavish seems to understand a great deal of the audience really doenst like her and we enjoy seeing her tortured. I think she really needed a strong producer and a cowriter to reign her in..like they would have needed to RIDE her..and it could have worked.

So you found the "Beth" quote! I know this is not a quote topic but my fave...Alex, in the middle of everyone freaking out that Phillip is "dead"..and Blake faking fainting..is giving orders and then ."..and would someone please pick that MOOSE up and get her off my floor!"

Ha..the Pratt/Hammer interview was hilarious as she totally dissed McTavish for that.

There really wasn't..she was with Brian, but they were not lighting any sparks and he was a boring character, and because that dullard fell for Shannon she goes dark? But it did work for the character, which is odd, as GL tried it with Beth (who was off screen for years) and it never worked, and the character lost all connection to her past and became a plot point, the vixen, the bitch, the victim, the heroine..whoever was writing that day changed it. Beth's change should have been easier, raped by her step father, Lujack dying, being kidnapped and attacked by Blackburn, having amnesia and basically controlled by another man, then bacially being dumped by her Prince so he could come home for revenge...it should have made sense but didnt, which goes to show what day to day writing does for a character.

It WAS very plot driven...Babs changed overnight and after being friends with Tom and Margo, decided to go after Tom...for..reasons? I can see if Margo and she had a fight over something or if she really wanted Tom..plus having it a fake screw took the umph out of it..all that drama for nothing. However, there were some great scene and I love how Babs does not want Bob, Kim or Lisa finding out.

I did like that they had Beth and Rick together after Phillip's "death" but it was so incoherently written. They should have gotten slowly closer during Harley's trial. But the show did it after Beth married Alan (uggh) and Beth by that time was just a weird plot point written differently everyday..and we could never invest in that either. Would have been nice if Rick helped Beth center herself again, while we would know she was just using him as a safe haven they would believe they were in love and for the first time in years Beth would feel "safe" and then, Phillip comes back. But then, I would have had Beth be the one who shot Phillip, and it was one of her alters to protect Harley (she sees him grab Harley and immediately goes back to Bradley..which would explain how she killed Blackburn and went into a fugue..) and she blocked it out.

Ha...I also love that she says "Dave was the only choice" well..yes, because the other writers offered turned it down (they knew GL was on a speeding train to cancel town, that their was too much interference, and that the pay was crap) so Davey WAS the only choice!