Speed Racer

I like a lot of this Brandon/Amanda/Lucille/Alan/Alex thinking here as of late...it's really quite good. To it, I might add that Brandon deliberately gave Amanda to Lucille to raise because he knew that Lucille was a sicko/psycho, and Lucille's presence would effectively neutralizing Amanda's parentage question permanently. Brandon's thought being that if Amanda is as screwed up as Lucille, why would anyone question anything? And that for a long time, Brandon's strategy worked, with Amanda being stored away in an attic and Lucille keeping her there. That Brandon would purposely sacrifice his baby daughter Amanda to cover his tracks and preserve the Spaulding name would probably be the sickest storyline I've ever seen on any soap. Despicable and gross. All of Amanda's warped parenting orchestrated naturally by Lucille and not Brandon removes him from culpability. Lucille stays in town to blackmail Brandon for a few decades (remember that Lucille herself lived quite well - just where did she get her stash) and must keep an eye on any threats to Amanda's well-being. This last bit already depicted on screen - Lucille's desire to see Ben dead. Also, Lucille has known that Brandon has been alive the entire time - and it was she who drove him out of town. In Lucille's mind, Brandon has served his purpose - money. Now that she has it, he needs to leave. She's wily enough to know she can't have him murdered. Having Alan discover this in 1995 upon his return to town (it's not something revealed during the 1980 trial) would been a hell of a retcon story to tell.

"Holly is released from jail and has a farewell scene with Clara, her cellmate. I wonder if the Dobsons might have been planning for Clara to return in 1980, having been released from jail and meeting up with Holly." CLARA! Holy guacamole! I remember her...very likeable. She and Holly were two songbirds in a cage. I know that Holly wanted to see Clara sprung from the clink, too, and felt guilty about leaving her behind. I was surprised that Holly didn't pursue finding a route to make that happen, given her considerable wealth. Clara should have worked for Ross in some capacity, which would have created a bit of friction between her and Holly. It's Clara - along with Evie, who also befriends her - who steers Ross toward a better path.

Both Jennifer and Elizabeth should have been written as somnambulists, who were used to commit heinous acts, including murder, a la Cesare in The Cabinet of Caligari. That way, the dull-as-dishwater personas of both characters could have been maximized to move plot rather than extinguish anything resembling drama. You could have them bump into walls and each other for comedic effect, too. Or something. Anything. DeeVee, you are 100% correct in your assessment. And, having either poison Mike Bauer would have been most welcome. Of course, this comes from someone who very much liked Peter Simon as Ed, almost as much as Mart Hulswit as Ed.

Agreed. "Garbage Can" pales in comparison to many other B52s songs. "Private Idaho" is much more fun. Newer/younger GL viewers might be astounded by these clips, which is fantastic.

A few simple questions for everyone: Are you suffering from the winter storm? Do you have the blues? What you need is a well-deserved break. What you need is to boogie down! More so than you imagine. So, get off your duff, create some room to move around, and view the attached on the largest screen you have at your place. If Tom Neilsen (Floyd Parker) and Marsha Clark (Hilary Bauer) can let loose on tape, you certainly can do so in private. And you should! Enjoy! B-52's on Guiding Light 1982 Pt 1 B-52's on Guiding Light 1982 Pt 2 Private Idaho

"And like so many other opportunities during AM’s run, you can bring Hope back just as AM switches his loyalty to Roger/Thorpe Inc. Hell it even opens up for a bombshell return by Alan. (None of that Tangie mess, instead Alan finding out AM and Roger have teamed up?!? Explosive)" It'd be a great reason to bring Hope back. Perhaps Amanda (a very close friend of Hope's traditionally) calls her up re: AM/Thorpe. And it is Hope, not Amanda, who goes on the offensive. Amanda can't due to her new last name - and because she's pregnant with Ed's baby. Now in GL 95s world, Maureen is alive and also working for Thorpe. If so, then instant-rivalry for Amanda/Maureen. Puts teenage Michelle in a horrible position and embitters barren Maureen further. And as you say, it's a great way to bring Alan back without any Tangie/Toshua/Japanese nonsense. Alan just shows up at Thorpe's door with zero prior build-up, on the very day he's sprung from the slammer. And he's mighty pissed. Five years in the jailhouse kind of pissed. That'd be a great Friday cliffhanger. Viewers would lose their collective minds and it'd all be excellent. (I can just hear Zaslow say...yeah, Alan, your sonny-boy is no longer. He's mine now.) In my GL world, Phillip comes back in 1995 as a closeted drunk. Viewers see him carrying around lots of martinis for a while, yet nothing is overtly said on the show and there's no telltale foreboding music. (We're just thinking - what's with all the booze, Phillip?) Turns out that a quietly enraged, drunken Phillip is trying to destroy Spaulding Enterprises. It's not Roger/AM, as Alan and Alex believe. It does write itself, doesn't it?

You know, shifting AM toward Roger creates a fascinating, unconventional quadrangle: AM/Ed/Blake/Roger. Add Michelle and Holly to that for added kicks.

Having AM shift business loyalties from Spaulding to Thorpe is a fascinating proposal. Yeah, I agree that Roger understood AM better than Alex ever did. Maybe I'll swipe your idea and add it to my thought of Amanda marrying Ed, with AM shifting familial bonding attempts from Spaulding to Bauer. Amanda and AM were stated to be fairly tight...and add Matthew to it and you have something that Phillip, Alex and Alan never had. Add to THAT your idea of AM in business with Roger, and you have one hell of a mess. Perfect! The only thing lacking is AM progeny. Maybe AM and Gilly have some offspring. I don't think you've run across the AM/Gilly chemistry yet, which is off the charts. That's a late 1993/early 1994 thing. Lucy who??

YESS!! I thought I was the only one who say that unusual Blake/Nick chemistry. Not sure I would have had Blake sleep with Nick (overkill), but I would definitely have Blake sabotage Nick out of long-term loyalty for A-M. I liked the ongoing loyalty between Blake and A-M long after Blake hooks up with Ross. Especially Blake's loyalty toward A-M. Interesting stuff.

What appears to be a mid-1990s version of Springfield's family trees can be found here: The Guiding Light FAQ, Part 3 It's pretty decent. AlwaysAMC and GL95 take note. Was Paul Kincaid ever on screen? I started watching GL in Spring 1979 (I think), and I don't remember a Paul Kincaid (Bauer). Was Simone or another Kincaid family member ever on screen?

Isn't it great?! I watched it as well...the clarity is remarkable.

Count me in as another fan of Evie/Janet Grey. Evie certainly lent temperance to big sister Rita. I remember several instances where she gave Rita the "what for", some of which can be seen online. Theirs was a fantastic sisterly bond, very believable. I don't recall any scenes with Evie defending Rita against Barbara Norris. Loved those Barbara/Rita scenes. Berjer was wonderful.

That's one hell of a write-up re: Jackie, DeeVee. A big thanks for that. I'm convinced more than ever that GL very much missed the ball by not making Phillip a raging alcoholic. His four "parents" should have all suffered considerably at his hands, at any or several points from 1984/85 forward.

Another question - what's the backstory of Helena Manzini? She came to Springfield via Justin, correct?

I'm wondering.....was there ever a time on GL when Henry was put in a position of having to decide in favor of Vanessa OR Alexandra, to the serious detriment of the other? I cannot think of a time when Henry was put in that position. Would have loved to have seen that.