P.J.

I don't think that's the correct date for the episode, but it's still a fabulous introduction to Bev and OG Alex.

I don't think Vanessa would've needed to replace Rita in Alan's bed to prevent A-M's conception. Hope was so idealistic, Van could've upset that apple cart in any number of ways, hastening Alan's affair with Rita. I think it would've been really interesting for Alan to have had a woman, a true equal in terms of business (or romantically) to go up against. He never really has that. I'm not sure I would've ever wanted that to be Van, but early Van sure as heck was not going to take his BS, dominating nature.

Lol...they were! Even Alan seems just flummoxed by someone who doesn't just meekly say "yes, Alan" and scurry away.

Well, Hope and Amanda must seem like easy targets for Van. LOL. Not to mention Eve. This Van would've made mincemeat of Reva.

Would she have had story? Sure. Would it have been good story? *shrugs* Other than not needing to venture into the ridiculous, it's not like Reva ever let her love for Bud stop her from sluttin' it up. I don't think Reva worked as well when separated from the Lewises. And I damn sure don't think Kim would've really been happy doing "mom Reva" type stories.

Dinah's entire relaunch is about making Van and Ross look like idiots. Dinah could've been a troublemaker without them developing amnesia and forgetting how they manipulated people right and left at that age. In fact, it would've been a hella lot more interesting for viewers who remembered that about Ross and Van. (again, leading to them feeling old sparks while Blake was humping Ben or **** massaging Beth's tattered ego.) Instead of making them stick their heads in the ground like ostriches, or in Van's case, continually begging for forgiveness.

That is NO LIE. You can watch a hospital scene from the late '70's/early'80's, and there are probably 10 extras just milling around the hospital in addition to underfives that are nurses, orderlies, and residents in a scene. Courtrooms? PACKED. Judges, lawyers, stenographers, baliffs, journalists. Restaurants? Paying customers. Parties? SWAMPED. (go watch the build up to the Slut of Springfield scenes. that bleepin' set is HUGE. There's food, extras, flowers, half the cast is there, and I swear there are TWO fountains, the one that Reva jumped into and then one that Rick dumps Mindy in, but it's been a while since I watched, so that might be wrong.) Guiding Light especially was party driven for a stretch. There were costume extravganzas (before Mindy's wedding Van threw a costume engagement party, which is hilarious for two reasons: Reva looking like a smashed version of the Good Fairy and Rick and Phillip singing in drag.) weddings, and people constantly showing up at the club in tuxes. Hammier...less character driven. "Louder", less nuanced, shock-bait stories (hey, Blake has twins with different fathers! because sluttin' up and being unsure of the father isn't quite enough.) and imo, the worst---the hareliquin/hallmark-ization romances like Vanessa/**** that couldn't just be torpedoed due to fanbases. (see also Manny, Rassie, Jammy) Rant over.

You could also argue that Dinah stomped all over and devalued Bridget, who was poised to be the relatable young heroine at the time.

I'm only glad it ended before Reva ended up in bed with Bill, because you just know, in your soul, that some dumb IIC would've had Reva move on to the third generation of Lewis men. (and that she never slept with Ben Reade, because even though they forgot, he was kin to the Lewises. Or at least Billy.)

We were just talking about how (arguably) Jane Elliot broke the mold and may not have "fit" the GL brand. We had other actresses that "broke the mold" of what a GL actress had been, but "fit"---Lenore Kasdorf, Lisa Brown, Cindy Pickett---and were unique without gobbling the show. And then there was Kim....lol. If there's one perception of GL I could change, it's that it was "the Reva show". Or that it was only the Reva show.

It's bizarre how they didn't age any of Harley's children. Susan ends up nearly ten years younger than Lizzie, and the barely acknowledged Zach ends up younger than James, apparently. I'm not sure anything would've made the story better, but putting Holly's focus on Maureen would've made a hell of a lot more sense. And Holly stealing Maureen out from under ****'s nose while he was bangin' Beth would've been the cherry on my sundae. Then Vanessa could've divorced his ass with a clear conscience.

So, the only child in town Holly didn't kidnap was Maureen? Oh, and dumbass Hart survived days after Dinah shot and then shook him? RME. Apparently, he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere.

And for the time, it's quite a departure in the type of stories GL was telling. (I don't know if any show had truly dealt with split personalities.) I do think it benefitted Ross more than it damaged him, it gave him a rootability he maybe hadn't had before.* (*I don't want my pro-Ross bias to color a perception of how popular he was at the time. I adore Ross, and the fact Marland created a frontburner story for him, lends itself to believing he was a fan fave.)

I don't think any show at the time would've passed on getting Jane Elliot. (I don't think any show at any time would have. She's great.) It's Marland's deep dive into Carrie's psyche that turned Potter off the story (I guess)

Mark Pinter does have a somewhat smarmy vibe about him, which probably should've worked for the role of a cold-hearted grifter who jumped from woman to woman. It's hard to know what Marland's original intent was. With Marland's departure and the revolving door of writers that fall, I think they tried rebooting Mark and Amanda as a love match, which just didn't work. And the character is gone in a little over a year. Not to pick on Peter Simon---but I just don't think he fits as Ed.

Well, no one bats a thousand, and Rea had a lot more hits than misses. Variety, at the time of her death, credited her as casting director at GL from '70-'96, and ATWT simultaneously from '79-'83. That's a lot of talent found. Are you asking if there ever was a Ross/Van/Billy triangle? The answer is no. Billy kind of questions what Van's feelings about Ross are after he finds out about Dinah, but he leaves town and he and Van divorce before Ross and Vanessa start back up in '87. When Van comes back in '89, she chases Ross while Billy flirts with her, but she gets pulled back into Billy's life via the Dylan revelation. And Ross doesn't really show a lot of interest in Van, as he's (mostly) got his sights on Holly. At least from what I've seen of what's available. Nadine does assert that Ross has lost interest in sleeping with her since Vanessa returned, but (and it's hard to gauge) Ross never seemed overly committed to pursuing Nadine. It seems like they were kind of just thrown together because Ross didn't have a woman at the time. After that, it's pretty clear that Van and Billy are always each other's "someone". And that Ross is serious about Holly and later Blake. I think it would've been easy to write a Billy/Van/Ross triangle, with both men having an equal footing in Vanessa's life.

I don't think it would've mattered, honestly. JFP wanted her. She wasn't going to be overridden by a casting director, even legendary Betty Rea. I believe Betty was GL's casting director from '75 to '95. I know it was a long stretch, and she briefly did ATWT as well. There are some misfires. Carrie Mowrey as Jackie Marler stands out as a wash out.

I agree, at least in part. Kimberly Simms shifted the character of Mindy. Krista's Mindy, while not strictly a tomboy, always acted like a girl that Billy had raised. She was physical, never afraid to get in a fight, and often referenced a more outdoorsy upbringing, like having hunted and riding horseback. Kimberly's Mindy was more concerned about fashion. She didn't dance, didn't ride and was all girly. Hamilton didn't really seem to quite fit either mold, although she only had months.

OMG...you found the actor's name! Vanessa's PI is anonymous no more!! Great Job!! @slick jones

There's also some Ross/Vanessa, IIRC. If wishes were fishes....there's just a point that Buzz was way beyond played out. Yeah, not blaming Fletch for some dumb writers decision.

Well....it's a treat for me. :)

And then come back as an annoying ghost. sigh I know. But one can dream.

LOL...see, who can hate Annie all that much? If ONLY Vanessa had stuck to her word. BTW...you are in for a treat.

LOL...I can't argue with Fletch getting knifed.

Maybe Ed could've become a more reliable patriarch. I'm not sure the audience would've forgiven him enough to be okay with him remarrying, even under the best of writers.