Khan

I don't exactly buy it either. I'm sure her kid never looked at WT as a lifetime gig. He probably wanted and expected to go onto other things at some point. But I believe KZ was the one who nudged him out so soon. Not just because of what was in store for Luke but also because she herself has said that staying in daytime as long as she did hurt her career in the long run. Meanwhile, I'm stunned to see him so grown up. I still remember when KZ was pregnant with him -- and that was when I was, what, eleven? Geez, I feel so damn old for some reason.

I've always wondered how KZ might have looked had one of her soap characters ever had to go undercover as a man.

Or worse, Karen would have undergone major surgery to look like Maggie and then taken her place, stashing the real Maggie in some mental institution somewhere far away from town.

Chances are Ruth would have found out about Althea's pregnancy and then held her hostage until the baby was born.

I think so, Amy.

Oh, and David O'Brien is hotness. That is all.

I'll be honest: even if Liz weren't in the picture, I still wouldn't want Nick and Althea to marry. Elizabeth Hubbard and Gerald Gordon are fantastic together. Given their sharp personalities, however, I have a feeling that any marriage between those two would just be a hot mess. I mean, great for us who are watching, but really, really not so much for them. But I love that no characters on here are being propped, for lack of a better word, or are being written into a corner in order to push some type of agenda on the folks at home. If this were all happening today, everyone, including Matt and Maggie, would be so in love with Liz and would shout from the proverbial mountaintop how she and Nick were soulmates, age differences and outside obligations be damned. Althea would be written as the selfish bitch who has the audacity not to want what is clearly best for Liz and the father of her baby (with the strong implication that maybe everyone would be better off if Althea were to miscarry the bastard or abort it) and who must be out of her mind not to swoon over The Great Nick Bellini's marriage "proposal"...and no one would even DARE call Nick out on his insensitivity toward everyone in general and Althea in particular. If anything, his behavior would be regarded as the paragon of manhood.

I pray Althea returns to the bridal shower brandishing a handgun. That Liz chick so needs to be whacked.

Could someone PM me as well? I would love to check these shows out.

I wish TPTB had taken the risk and hired an AA actress to portray the third "angel" after Jackson's departure.

I think that would depend on whichever qualities within VW that Agnes Nixon sparked to. Otherwise, I'm not so sure AN would have redeemed Rachel like Harding Lemay did.

That was love, y'all.

You forgot the Sudden Plot Twist (That Will Change Oakdale Forever) where we find out that Bob was kidnapped months before and that it was his doppelgänger who had slept with Susan (and who had been using the hospital as a front for a human trafficking/drug smuggling scheme).

Where did they get the idea to turn David into a buffoon anyway?

Losing Lujack twice in one lifetime was, perhaps, the tragic event that defined Alexandra's character and informed most, if not all, of her decisions. In one sense, then, I could understand her becoming so fixated upon Nick, the OTHER son who'd been taken from her at birth. I only wish the stories that came after the revelation had lived up to its promise.

I never thought I would say this but I really do miss Lisa Ling.

Maybe Phil and Tara (ALL MY CHILDREN)?

I'd also love to hear more about her life as an undergrad at Northwestern. Aside from Alvina Krause, who did she study under? Which methods did they utilize? How did they inform her approach to storytelling?

I think they did see the chemistry, Mitch, but they were afraid viewers would revolt the way they did when Kim seduced Bob in Florida and wound up pregnant with Sabrina.

I think I would like to know what the initial inspiration was for AMC. When she decided that day to create her own show, what came to mind first? Was it the town of Pine Valley? Was it any particular character, family or story? Did she draw anything from her own life (beyond Erica's relationship with her dad) or from novels she had read?

Yep.

Is it true that Collins thought it was absurd for Natalie to be attracted to someone like Trevor? To me, the early part of their relationship had a certain Tracy/Hepburn vibe that I felt helped viewers see Nat as something more than some "ice princess," as it were.

I think so.

What can I say? I remember reading what I remember reading. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. No big.

Richard Bekins: another actor who is much missed on soaps, but who is likely better off w/o them.