Mitch64

No apologies..I LOVED that time right before Marland...the show was going in the right direction, putting Kim and Bob together as the tentpoles, bringing back Nancy and Chris...etc, but it still was fun, campy and more lighthearted and "messy" then Marland's work. That is most likely why I enjoyed Marland's first year the best, he was working tieing up old storylines and working with the "feel" of the show at the time. After that it became a bit of a depressing 'slog" (oh look, another "whos' the daddy story, oh..formerly fun and adventurous Margo gets raped, oh she mercy kills her step dad...and stay depressing! Oh here comes unpleasant version of Tom")

Your right, as I was typing that..it didn't seem very Marlandish to have Lisa snooping around for laughs like Lucy Ricardo but you never know.

Lisa WAS sure that Lucy killed Whit, (remember, Lucy blamed Whit for Martins' suicide originally and took over his media empire to see it off bit by bit) but I think the snooping in the closet thing was during Tad Channing murder mystery..I remember her hiding under Lucy's makeup table and just looking very annoyed at Lucinda humming.

I think Wagner was a bit..vinegary...she was no Charita Bauer...I think that is why Nancy, up to Marland was a bit of a pain (and maybe why the Dobson's used to Bert..found it difficult to write for a good grandma that could be imperious at times.) Did she mention how she and Fulton got along? This is at the point they defanged Lisa and introduced Joyce so I wonder if there was resentment that she got to be the sh*t stirrer?

I still wonder if it was McTavish who came up with this, or if it was changed by the interm writers. The original scene has an exchange between Roger and Van that for some reason, Alan always cowtows to Alex...Van says that Henry knew of some papers that Alex has that could bring down the Spauldings..which means that Alex told Henry at least about the papers, and that Alan knows about it as she uses that to keep him in line. I know Rauch wanted to get rid of Alex, which he could have done without the Amanda thing. They could have made it dramatic by having Brandon rape, seduce or blackmail Jennifer into have sex to hurt Alan and take his "first love" away. Jennifer is pregnant (from Alan) and tells Alex that she fears it could be Brandons. Alex know it would devistate Alan helps Amanda flee, and Brandon names Amanda as his heir (as he did during Marland) and then Roger just ties it all up with some faked documentation...a stretch (as if the Spauldings coudlnt afford a DNA test) but better then the idiocy we got which amounted to nothing (It would have been fun to see Amanda throw everyone out of the mansion and start selling off Spaulding piece by piece to get back at everyone.)

I always think who would have been a good age appropriate recast for Alan, RR was such a miscast...oddly, I think he would have made a good Mike.

I would have brought him back to stay after the anniversary....I wonder how he and Marj would have worked together? He could have investigated the Amanda is Brandon's daughter, found out it was a hoax from Brandon to keep Alan and Alex fighting (manipulating beyond the grave still) and Roger kept the hoax going long enough to marry Amanda and drain Spaulding's assets before he disappears with Mike on his trial. The AM actor looked much younger then the previous one, but he was weak and AM played out entirely by then. But I think Mike as patriarch and a constant foil for Alan with Rick and Abby as tentpoles to take the place of Ed and Mo would have brought the Bauer back to center. It was almost as if Ross took over for Mike after he left but Ross still had some bedroom drama going on with Blake so he was too busy to be patriarch. That was always such a missed opportunity. Even more so then Phillip AM should have had a huge identity crisis, being a Bauer and raised by his mother far from Alan's influence. When they brought back deaged AM he would mention hanging out with Rick and Mel but you never saw it...(the idiots who came for San Crud and the Mob and Jeva more then likely didnt even know they were related.)

I think she was available in 2000, it would have been a good time to bring Hope back as the show was flailing along. Though it would have been interesting if they brought back Hope when in 85 for Bert's funeral and then maybe she would fall into the sack with Bolger's Phillip (he always played older to me then GA) instead of attempting a Beth reunion (he and Evans had no chemistry) just in time for Alan's return. Maybe a bit too Revaish...but I could see the net suits biting on that storyline to bring her back.

I think Aubrey was so busy trying to keep from laughing at Marty's pitiful attempts at straight seduction that her mind was elsewhere! Supposedly there was a scene where he "accidently" showed it and supposedly that was what got Conwest kicked to the curb but I don't think those two incidents were connected. I never heard her being traumatized.

Barr as Hope and Roscoe Borne as Alan would be hot...(imagine Alan being sexy again...) but was Barr ever available?

Pam Long wanted to write a War of the Roses type story with Hope and Alan....I can't see ER up to that...so it wasn't her choice to get rid of Hope (maybe ) I think they could have brought back Hope as a more jaded type, like Marland wrote Barbara, and it would work. Despite the uh, odd OTT choices for Poser's Amanda (come on, Malibu Madame) I think they could have made that work as a woman who found her own power while in Califoria (God knows I did not want to see wishy washy Marland Amanda)

I think that would have made a great way of bringing back the Bauers with "new" actors that they were falling all over themselves writing for. Since Ed was not around Mike would make a great "good" patriarch and having his niece married to the mob was the perfect intro. (I would have had him married off camera with another family and kids to make more Bauers..and pair him with Alex.) They could have brought them back right around the time they split Ross and Blake up when she is chasing Ben and have Ross with Hope instead of the totally devoid of chemistry thing he had with India....(I LOVE India but just no on this, ) and they had brought back Alex at that time so pair her and Mike. JVD always said that he attributes his survival at that time for them "forgetting I was there" in a half joking way. That bad sweater I think was handed off to Alan when he was in the wheelchair..just no to Ross or Alan wearing Chris Hughes/Jim Matthews sweaters.

Denise's sexuality should have been used more..in a positive way..moving on from her back story and seeing her melt this uptight great looking guy (I know, a story done a million times but its a good one) and not just to "catch or trap him" but because they really like each other. I mean Jessica is totally a Marland type...professional and cold..(while men would fall over her) and Denise was a great counter point in a good way. The McColl kids I like just because it gave Lisa a family, and I actually think that the writers at that time wrote Lisa better then Marland did..she was flamboyant and fun and eccentric and loving..the first time she started picking up the problem children of the world (Marcy and then mothering Diana) which granted Marland wrote..but she just seemed more colorful without the restraints of a colder writer like DM.

I think Hope should have been brought back as a recast...but, it was difficult as they aged AM up so much..(I still can't believe they could not have had her attend any one of his 50 million weddings or mention her once in a while) and then they had Ron Raines Alan perving on all the younger hotties running around.

I always thought it should have been Matt and Blake who slept together and he should have been the baby daddy (no twins please...) Amanda should have been manipulating Blake into once again feeling vulnerable when Ross and Van put their heads together about Dinah (I would have them exclude both of their partners as they both couldn't stand her...) knowing full well Blake is going to be Blake and screw up...and Matt should have felt the same way and over his head with his sophisticated rich wife. I actually would have had Van not wanting to get married to Matt and fine with the arrangement as is, not wanting to complicate things (can one soap character not want to rush to the altar for once...) So much to use and it wasn't.

Agreed...and I they did try to make it more GH with a bit more sci-fi going on....I did not like Chris at all but love the Van Dein's and the Isis building...they kept all the vets front and center so it's not like it became Teen Central.

I do have to say that would have made the most sense...I know that she had her fans, but I think at the end the Hope actress really did not have that much chemistry or romantic heroine vibes anymore. I do think that when Alan came back that they should have had recast Hope with Ross...(I would have had her come back to SF for Bert's funeral...and inherit Grandma's house and Ross is her lawyer...) would have been more interesting then Ross with...Calla and stuck in the Jesse/Simon orbit. A Alan/Hope/Ross/Vanessa (who also would be hedging her bets with Alan would have been so much more interesting then what we got.

I just think post hating Reva, and Clark's return...Billy is written as way too buffoonish...something that Van would have avoided..when Billy is first intro..and he has a lust/hate thing with Reva and is clearly in contrast to SF's elites at that time, he is really good and you can see Van being attracted against her will to him. But when the push up the good ole boy, Reva Supporting guy, it falls apart. I also think after they got married Van turned into a wimp which took all the zest out of them...(I could see them as GL's Alan and Monica...loving each other but fighting and bickering to the end...) and really since that time Van was overly soft with him.

During that stupid time that Van is sighing her way to death in Switzerland, (complete with Sound of Music Nuns signing in the background...)when Roger found out she was alive and tells her his intentions (which were always vague...marry Amanda and take over Spaulding...okay) was the perfect time for her to get her business groove back on....especially when Rog tells her that Amanda is Brandon's daughter. That would have pissed her off enough to make sure her family's future is set, and knowing that placid Maaaatttttttt has no brains..she uses her computer (instead of a dumb poetry chat room) to buy up stock and make it look like Roger or someone else is making a move on Spaulding, (maybe even anonymously spilling the beans on Amanda (Roger thinking she is dying admits to Van its all a scam...) to Holly so it hits the press and stocks drop allowing her to gobble more up know they will return..when she returns she sees Alan being dragged by the nose by his trophy girlfriend and Amanda and Phillip fighting for power so she comes in and scoops it all out...(Alan can eventually threaten insider trading charges to Van to recover what he can..) Matt freaks out at this new woman and they split up (I would eventually have her and Ross be end game...NOT with Billy.)

When they first brought Brian on (interestingly, Brian was going to be Lisa's love interest..not Whit the Wig...I think they were going to do a triangle...) he was played by another actor and he was the opposite of Deas Tom Hughes...he was uptight and super ambitious and more then ready to use his dad's clout and money to get ahead..then they recast and made him boring. I would say this was one case of knowing an actor's private life which colors my perception of what he plays, but he was a sleaze on GL (screwing a mother and daughter to get their money) I think on AW too, and then on GL again playing another character during the illfated Conwest era.

Love that time on ATWT...Lisa in the middle of a family with hyper dramatic problems. I never liked Brian but really have never gotten the actor's appeal..he always comes off..sleazy and boring at the same time to me. I can't believe they never brought Diana back..or even a recast Kurt..for Lisa to fuss over.

So there was a Chamberline Corp? I would think this would have given Van enough incentive to take on the Spauldings then sitting at Lewis Oil, obsessing over Peter, taking back a big drunk like Billy, or sighing over Matt. After Van comes "back from the dead"instead of wanting a midlife baby with her bore of a husband...she should have gone back to Spaulding and tangled with Amanda and Annie ( I would have loved to see Van's icy reactions to Annie's historonics and threats...)

I remember them calling him "Dr. Bod" as opposed to Dr. Bob..but Denise has a great body herself and a great sexual energy..I wish she stayed around longer. She would have been great as one of the black Spauldings on GL.

Van and Henry were from Chicago, as the Spauldings originally were. It was rewritten during Long that the Spauldings were always in SF as Henry was. I can accept that the Spauldings had their mansion in SF and a place in Chicago where the corporate headquaters were. After Vans first go around with Billy, I don't think she would have gotten involved again with him...I think her only real love was Ross.

The show was really good at that time...and then they let Sheffer have free rein and ..it wasn't. I gotta say, Ben and Denise are hot.