P.J.

It's hard to determine when Vanessa started acting strange. Gatti debuted sometime between May 9th and June 19th, just on a quick survey of the credits. Vanessa goes to Grace's in July.

Right? I guess Jessie being their daughter is just too easy. I suppose if I paid more attention to the Ross/Calla relationship, it would seem like there was some jeopardy there, but I can't stand that woman.

Jennifer Gatti didn't start until '86 and Bolger had been in the role since '84. I do find it strange that they recreated anything for Beth's memorial when Bolger was gone about six weeks later. I suppose some kind of involvement was heading Vanessa and Ross' way since the Infinity trial, but I'm not sure why it's Dinah and not Jessie. Or if there was a switch midstream. Jessie had a little crush on Phillip at Kurt and Mindy's wedding.

Sally doesn't cater to Reva, true, but this year she's meddling in Billy and Mindy's marriages. She's on Vanessa for going back to work, and she encourages Billy to stay meddling in Mindy's. I don't know what she's doing in regards to Kyle, but I suspect she's offering up "advice" to her other son too. Billy does seem lost---he needs someone to fight (as he later does Roger during '90- 93), and he seems to let Kyle take the lead in all the business matters. He's only fighting Vanessa, which seems almost cruel in light of the fact she's spent the last two years as a devoted wife, forgiving everything, and believed in him during the Infinity story when almost no one else did. I understand his frustration at times, but it seems out of character for him to not realize something is wrong with Vanessa. And like you said, Reva is much the same way. Schlepping around Cedars and taking pics at summer camp isn't riveting television. I've always found that hilarious. Marj had been a working actress since the '60's (hello, Hogan's Heroes and one of my favorite Star Trek episodes) not to mention having successful runs on two other soaps, a guest starring gig on Facts of Life, etc etc...but Kim was worried. Hmmmn..'K.

Spauldingfield has been uploading. The first half of this episode(about the 26 minute mark) then this: this has been up for a while, but it's classic Billy and Vanessa, and Ross' bewilderment is hilarious. Yeah, I know stuff had to be going on with Jordan, but Billy's function in 1986 seems to be being Kyle's "yes" man. RME. I don't tend to like Miss Sally who just loves to spout her opinion, but it's a little sad that Patricia Barry was just kind of dumped.

Damn it, 1986, I watch you against my better judgment, and then you throw me a bone, getting my Billy/Vanessa heart fluttering. (I can also see they're trying to rebuild Ross/Vanessa...there's a sweet way Ross can't take his eyes off her, and ends up ignoring Calla. *giggle*) It's obvious that Nancy Curlee really gets Billy and Vanessa. She seems to write their best material.

One gets the impression Malloy wanted to be top banana, and wasn't interested Kyle being less than that. I guess he could also see the writing on the wall---without Billy in town (since I assume he also knew Jordan was leaving) Kyle didn't have an ally really. Given how much time and story they'd already invested in Kyle, the show was probably scrambling for story. Not to mention, they were going to have to cover KZ's pregnancy. LOL...well, Reva had slept her way through Billy's family. Why would Josh hesitate to sleep with one measly sister?

Exactly, there would've been a completely different power dynamic between any EP and an actress in her first role, and an EP and a three-time Emmy winning actress who is arguably the "face" of the show. It does kind of poke holes in Zimmer's reputation as "truth teller" and standing up to power, if she disregarded his history because he wasn't messing with her paycheck. It would be interesting to hear what Beverlee had to say about him, given that she was on AW when Maeve was.

Honestly, I don't think the book company really thought any soap fan would care about details or particulars. It's not exactly a history of Winston Churchill. They probably rushed it to publication, thinking KZ's fans would forget about her.

I think there was an intent to recast Kyle. There's something about an accident and plastic surgery. I don't know if Long's return put a kibosh on that, or if they just decided to bring Sonni on instead. It was a strategy, back in the day, to submit two totally different "sides" of the character. With her being some character in Phillip's book, it's almost like being twins. Later, the strategy became to show "connected" episodes that gave the judges the idea of the story. I have no idea what they do now. Both Billy and Sarah insisted they saw Reva. I don't remember if they saw it separately, or if Billy saw it and showed it to Sarah first, but Billy was definitely in the thick of it. I believe he went to WSPR to get a copy of the show, and then used a lab tech there to try and enhance the still to determine if it was Reva. He brings it to Josh, and then offers to go to Italy himself and look for her. Billy's judgement was questionable, because he's still drinking at this time. Right? I guess I wouldn't have wanted a completely, earnestly idealistic Beth either, but I just don't like BC in her return. I had not really put what Elvera said together with this before. It does make you go 'hmmn'? and wonder how much was known about the situation then. I agree that they seem like complete opposites. I don't really get the feeling they were especially close, they've never done a Locher room interview together that I know of, and the ones I've seen with Maeve, I don't think she's really said much about Kim. Maeve seems to have been closer to Rebecca Hollen (Trish) and Ellen Parker (Mo) and Maureen Garrett, as she, Ellen and Maureen shared a dressing room. The one comment I do recall (and I can't remember if I read it or it's a Locher interview) was that the years where Vanessa was basically just Reva's foil were a little more difficult for her. Which is completely understandable.

Rumor has it, it went back to her days on Another World. Allegedly, Rauch acted inappropriately, and P&G separated them, sending Maeve to GL. It is interesting to note, in one of those Locher room interviews, Maeve said she was the only actress who read for the role of Vanessa, and it was more for Marland to see how she read the lines than an audition.

BC in her second run might as well have been Reva Jr. I know you have to put Beth in relationships, but most of them are really twisted. I would've paid to see Matt and Dinah hook up. Of course, leaving Vanessa free to walk out on his ass and never look back. I'm actually surprised Rauch didn't do it, and if Moniz had stayed, I'd lay odds he would have.

I thought Kim was on SB longer, and I didn't think it was at the same time as Marcy was on GL, but some SB expert will have to chime in. Technically, she's got the timeline right, as Reva had to have been in San Cristobel before Goshen. But either she doesn't remember how she got to Goshen, or they never really explained it. I certainly don't know those particulars. Or if Reva was ever technically in Italy (Billy spotting her/or someone who resembled her in some travelogue footage from Italy was how they explained Josh leaving town in '91.) I didn't buy the suicide attempt either, not because she's too selfish, but because Reva wouldn't have been broken by Kyle marrying Maeve. She gave up Josh because she was pregnant with HB's child, FCOL. She knew the deal-io. God, I loved Vince.

Well, Reva never let her sheets cool off. Her barring Kyle from her "golden ticket", makes perfect sense to me---Josh was available.

Well, Billy is a fighter, so it is in her DNA. It was usually played for comic effect (like at the Masquerade Ball when she jumps on Phillip for taking a swing at Billy after Billy had punched Alan).

Good Lord---she couldn't have really submitted some part of the dramatization of Phillip's book, could she? I would've assumed she submitted some part of Reva's suicide attempt.

So much about Kyle's exit makes no sense. I didn't get the entire scoop, but when he leaves, HB is worried that Kyle's going to sell his part of Sampson-Lewis to the highest bidder. Why would he want to screw over Billy like that? Then Billy and Josh are fighting, and when Josh calls them brothers, Billy corrects him with "half-brothers" and some stupid remark them having different mothers. Billy NEVER would've disrespected Miss Martha like that. Ugh.

Restaurants with more than two customers in them, hospital emergencies with actual victims, and my favorite, parties with obviously professional dancers who twirl through scenes. During Billy/Vanessa's wedding/Alex's debut, there's a couple that randomly dance from the ballroom through the bar area. It's just so damn gorgeous! That fight between Mindy and Roxie is hilarious. Krista is throwing herself all over the damn place.

You were far from the only one. I was shocked to read a critique of the time, criticizing Alan returning to his wicked ways and busting up Alan and Hope. It seems so alien to me now, because I've watched him obsess over and then discard so many women. Making Alan a faithful husband would've been like making John Dixon not a curmudgeonly old crank. Or, y'know...Reva a nun.

Vanessa's high-handed snobbery is a thing of beauty. She was only a little campily obsessive over Ross, then that aspect went away after Carrie left.

Josh pretty much did. A fact that was probably made easier because he didn't have a lot going on. It's not like manipulating Floyd was some huge arc. Vanessa was the fly in Quint and Nola's ointment, therefore I guess had to earn her redemption. The good thing about the writing back then is that characters could do nasty, but not unredeemable things. Nowadays, the writing takes characters to such extremes, sometimes you can't redeem them. I'm not sure Long really invested in a character other than Reva, but she did better by Vanessa in the '89 return.

Maeve. But I know she'd probably lose if it were a poll. I should say, I also love Maureen Garrett's voice.

Calla Matthews (Jessie's mother) had contracted syphillis from her husband, and became infertile, which was one of the reasons she was hesitant to be in a relationship with Ross. Jessie left town to go to Duke University. Calla and Simon followed. I do agree with her, Maeve Kinkead's voice is so melodic. And it can drip in venom in a heartbeat.

Episodes are kind of streaky until about mid-'82. Although there are several clipped storylines that give you a good feel for characters/stories. Y'know...for someday.

GL does have Infinity, and ATWT had Bilan. (Bilan was the daughter of the drug-dealer Bob married, but I swear, we didn't know for months who or what Bilan was.)