Khan

I believe that if she had given the show six more months, the show would have found something interesting for Marcy Walker to do (provided, of course, the writers commit to finding her a storyline). But, you know, I don't blame her for leaving, since she had been basically neglected for so long.

For one thing, Stephanie might have had more love interests (if Susan Seaforth Hayes had accepted the role). Not to knock Susan Flannery in any way, but she's never had any sort of romantic chemistry even with John McCook's Eric.

Wait, Andrew Kavovit was born in 1971? That means he'll be turning forty this year!

I think they planned to kill Nell off at this time all along but the killing of Ed did seem very random, and rushed, and had little followup, so I wonder what happened there.

I know I read somewhere years ago that Ed Coleridge was killed off because the decision had been made not to kill off Frank. So, perhaps, it was a budget issue?

As for Nell, she was killed off, b/c Diana van der Vlis (sp?) suffered from asthma and her health was making it difficult to continue on in the role (although, Claire Labine would bring her back years later, toward the end of RH, as Sherry Rowan).

"Malibu Madam" was Megan McTavish's idea; and "Amanda is Brandon's daughter" was James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten's.

Do you think they should have recast Amanda after Kathleen Cullen left, instead of writing her out?

No way. To me, Kathleen Cullen was Amanda. Just as Chris Bernau was Alan, and Beverlee McKinsey was Alexandra. I know GH's Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis) was thisclose to signing on as Amanda when they did decide to bring the character back, but I don't think even she would have "worked."

When was the Long/Ryder period? Was all that with Roxy the amensiac prostitute or Lujack and Infinity their work or was that Ryder alone?

That's pretty much all Long and Ryder. After Long left for the first time, Ryder was on his own, but only for awhile.

Mona was the one who pretended she couldn't speak, right?

Correct.

Were Alan and Hope still together at this time?

I believe so, but the union was very strained, btw Alan's devious behavior and Hope's growing dependency on alcohol.

Do you agree with those who feel Long wasn't any good without Culliton?

Not really, b/c she also did incredible work (IMO) with Jeff Ryder, and later, Nancy Curlee and Trent Jones.

I was also going to ask if you were watching during the 88 strike and if anything seemed strange to you at the time.

What I remember most about GUIDING LIGHT during the '88 strike were "Blake Lindsay," the mystery woman who eventually became Roger Thorpe's daughter; and the fact that the Sonni/Solita story, which was already pretty convoluted, suddenly became a total mindf*ck, replete w/ an appearance from John Cunningham as her dad, Welles Carrera.

If for nothing else, I give then-EP Allen Potter and HW's Pat Falken Smith, L. Virginia Browne and Gene Palumbo credit for not truncating or dumping completely the storylines Marland had set into motion shortly before his departure. Unfortunately, b/c he was no longer there to steer the writing, the stories did become a knotty, confusing jumble, b/c no one apparently knew how to resolve them. It actually took the team of Richard Culliton, Carolyn Culliton and Gary Tomlin to tie up loose ends, particularly where the Mark/Mona story was concerned, to bring momentum back to the show.

Would you say Wilmore or Kobe were better?

Definitely Kobe. I know she wasn't every cast member's, or even audience member's, favorite. At the same time, though, Kobe, in tandem with Pam Long and Jeff Ryder, seemed to whip the show back into shape after the post-Marland period threatened to tear the show asunder.

Khan, what did you think of Sam Marler?

I thought she was okay. Phillip definitely needed a "kid sister" around to keep him occupied. (Who knows? Her presence might've spared us from some of his more ridiculous storylines during the late '90's and '00's.) However, from a looks standpoint, I could never completely buy Suzy Cote as Justin and Jackie's daughter. I wonder, too, whether she would've stayed longer, had Grant Aleksander not decided to leave in '91. Outside of her relationship with Dylan and infatuation with Daniel St. John, the writers just didn't know what to do with her.

To this day, I don't understand why they didn't bring back Tom O'Rourke to play Justin Marler. Chris Pennock just wasn't the same.

I also know the role of Shayne on GL came down to Jeff Branson and Colin Egglesfield.

Granted, I'm not a fan of Colin's, but I think I would've liked to see his take on Shayne.

Of course their attempt to have a core African American family was admirable, but I thought that the execution, from the writing, to the directing, to the acting, was terribly amateurish for most of its run.

Agree.

Her clothes on Ryan's Hope were so horribly unflattering and then it got even worse when Kimberly arrived.

I'd say as much about most on that show. There's realism, and then there's "Ow, my eyes!"

During the interview, she said her producer [...] told her that the audience "didn't want to see talking heads anymore." Those talking heads in the old days of soaps were a lot more riveting than the characters in the current shows, in my opinion!

ICAM. These days, though, soaps almost have no choice but to go back to "talking heads." In most cases, they don't have the budgets anymore to do anything fancier.

Even more repetitive than JR?

Okay, maybe not that repetitive, lol. But how many times did he have to tangle with Angela for control of the vineyards, using almost exactly the same tactics every time, before he got the message? Besides, as rich and powerful as Richard was, it wasn't as if he couldn't develop his own vineyard and label. At least, with J.R., it was a question of birthright: Ewing Oil was Jock's legacy, and he (J.R.) felt he was the rightful, sole heir to it. What was Richard's motivation? Before they did the ridiculous retcon that made him Angela's long-lost son, he was just her ex-husband's bastard son out to make her and Chase's life hell - and that could have been over-and-done with after one year.

So did you agree with the changes the show made in it's last year?

No, just because it took the show too far away from what little ties it still had to its genesis. To me, even Richard and Lance had become afterthoughts to Michael Sharpe; and if the show had continued, I feel, the remaining characters from years past would've been phased out altogether.

I can see what you mean about Vicky - she never should have been put into a Diana Fairgate personality. Jamie Rose did not suit it and she seemed very ill at ease. A banter relationship might have worked better.

I loved that Rose was not the typical, ultra-glamorous soap heroine. FC's writers should've exploited that in two ways: 1) by making her smarter than the average ingenue (like, say, Diana on KNOTS); and 2) by pairing her with a guy who was handsome, noble and even a little funny. That way, not only would you have a friend and co-hort for Chase and Cole, but the fact that he finds Vickie irresistible actually makes her look more attractive than she does (if that makes sense). Plus, through him, you expand the show's canvas - with parents, siblings, even an ex-wife or -girlfriend who is the exact opposite of Vickie and who, along with Melissa, is there to keep stirring the pot - in ways that feel more organic than gun-running Nazis or international cartels. (Man, do I hate the Jeff Freilich years!)

I think Susan Sullivan was one of the best parts of the show so I'm not sure what it would have been like without her.

Well, for one thing, we would have been spared some of the show's more unfortunate storylines. I realize Susan Sullivan was bored, but I'd much rather see her leave the series than have to deal with Maggie as a drunk or an amnesiac off writing some book in the woods with that loon Jeff Wainwright.

I don't know if the show initially planned for Julia to be a killer, but there's something very weird about her from the start. I wonder if they might have been better off casting Abby Dalton as Emma.

Abby Dalton was fine as Julia, but I felt she needed to be there more as someone fighting to keep her son, Lance, in line. Having mother and daughter (Angela and Julia, respectively) fight constantly over how Lance should best conduct himself made for great drama. They should've kept up with that.

I did like Emma though, although I can see why you didn't.

Like with Maggie, I just felt like her stories were, on the whole, extraneous and distracting. Just as I felt Richard outstayed his welcome by becoming the most repetitive villain ever on primetime.

Actually, Carl, I think Chase was one of the show's better elements (although, I can certainly understand why many did not care for him). Angela needed a strong adversary; and while I enjoyed her feud with Richard a lot, OTOH, you also needed someone who better represented the audience's core values. Richard was much too "gray" a character to be that.

Other points:

~ The Melissa/Lance/Cole triangle should have run a lot longer than it did, with her son's paternity used as a big secret that characters uncover, one by one, over the course of several seasons (which, of course, means that Lance, and not Cole, should have been the baby's bio dad). The fact that it didn't, IMO, proves just how inadequate the writers were at this stuff.

~ Vickie, as played by Jamie Rose, should have been positioned in a Mason-and-Julia (SANTA BARBARA)-esque relationship that would've been heavy on banter. If anything, it would've kept her on the show, thus sparing us the horrid recast w/ Dana Sparks.

~ Maggie should have been killed off before the actual start of the series, providing Chase and his kids with an impetus to move to the Tuscany Valley. Then, maybe in year two or three, they could've introduced a Maggie-like character who eventually becomes Chase's second wife and Cole and Vickie's adoring stepmom.

~ Julia never should have been turned into a murderer, and Emma just plain should never have been.

Poor, poor FALCON CREST. I always felt that show had so much untapped potential, but it needed a showrunner who had the genre (of soap opera) in his bones.

I hope Trent Dawson was joking when he asked LN to stop writing him so many monologues. One, they were awfully good; and two, the show's dead and buried, you moron.

Is that Oh Lord in a good or bad way Did you say you were watching at this time?

I was (watching at that time). Fortunately, my memories of THE DOCTORS aren't as...plentiful as those of other soaps, since my mom tended to follow RYAN'S HOPE more. Even so, I'm pretty good at determining how good or bad a particular story was or is by reading synopses, and that one...? Oh, Lord, lol. (Yeah, it's bad.)

Oh, Lord, that storyline...!

"I don't know what the networks are going to do, but I don't think this kind of programming is going to last forever. It can't."

It ain't.

Yeah, but Gary Tomlin wasn't all that bad for SEARCH as a HW. He didn't really get crazy with all the in-jokes and stuff until SANTA BARBARA.

I think at one time, everyone from Nancy Pinkerton to Tina Sloan played her.

Even worse, I think, at one point, every girl turning 18 in the United States was required to play Patti or face the penalty of the law. You know, like signing up for the draft?