P.J.

Rebecca Hollen was such a lovely presence onscreen. The affair with Alan was the only story she really got to sink her teeth into, she's in the Andy story, of course, but she's only in it for a couple of months before he's shipped off to jail. Trish really was a stabilizing force in the Lewises, and it really felt she got booted to leave Billy dependent on his "new" brother Kyle.

1987 wardrobe is all over the place. It's not all bad, but I think they were trying to get her away from her look with Billy and then a tad sexier when she was reconnecting with Ross. (The dress she wears to after Dinah's graduation looks fabulous on her, as does her Fourth of July dress, even if that's a tad long for summer.) She wears slacks more, she's growing out her hair. I'm not sure anyone's look is really fabulous that year. Some of the stuff they put Bev in was hideous. And I'd argue they dressed Vanessa better than her daughter. Vanessa's arguably one of the few fashionista characters GL ever had. But it was always a classic look. Maeve really rocked the pencil skirt in the '90's. I think I've seen some stuff where they tried to dress her younger with Matt---and that's just not Vanessa. She was never "trendy" and she wouldn't have strayed from her look. That stupid line from Van's memorial runs through my mind, where Matt makes the stupid remark about how sometimes he's have to remind her to change out of her casual clothes to go to the office (or whatever...) ANYONE who knew Van knew she wouldn't leave for the office without her heels and clip on earrings, looking fab.

Not to mention Vanessa hating her sister Eve. Van, Henry and Ross even head to Bermuda (or Jamaica, I can't remember where Alan and Rita went to tryst) as Van and Henry are hoping to catch Alan and blackmail hom into buying Jocelyn Electronics. Rita gets out of the villa in time, but Ross ends up breaking up with Van. So yeah, I'd think Van and Rita talked. Van really used to love taunting people.

*shrug* I don't know. But when Van comes back to town, Henry teases her into going to Ross' and he and Holly are there. He and Holly fight, and she slaps him, running past Van and Henry at the door. Van thinks its Nadine until Ross describes her as both Roger and Ed's ex-wife.

If their time overlapped, it probably wasn't by much, and I couldn't find any reference in the recaps that they met. I just found it a bit odd that Van wouldn't have recognized her, because she had dated Ed and because it had been such an important case for Ross. But fwiw, I've never found any reference to Van meeting Rita either. And that seems very unlikely to me.

Johnny leaves town, dumping Chelsea because he visited Roxie and decided he still loved her.

But he didn't need to be behind a mask. He and Alex weren't onscreen at the same time, and per established history, before she came back, she'd been out of town for twenty years. Maybe it was supposed to be a surprise to the audience (ala James Stenbeck's "Hello, Barbara" return) but I kinda doubt it. Sometimes you just have to honor your history. Later, when Vanessa returns, she doesn't recognize Holly.

I gotta admit, Nadine having Alan's number, unlike his most recent conquest Reva was an interesting choice. Before I never quite understood why Ross was ever interested in that airhead. But there's a scene around AM and Harley's wedding where she's telling him why she left town, and it almost made me sympathize with her....and I hate her skanky ass.

WSPR was the more interesting work place, that's for sure. That's due to the Holly/Roger conflict, where the Journal was always a snoozefest with no interesting characters. It was more like "anyone who doesn't have a story works at the Journal."

Re: Henry and Vanessa: I think it's Vanessa's pot-stirring that solidifies their spot in town. Springfield was full of do-goody types at the time (Hillary, Morgan, Trish, Hope, Amanda, even Nola is changing her spots). Vanessa is running around upsetting apple-carts in everyone's perfect little lives because she can.

It just feels like it's being dragged out way past it's expiration date. But at the same time, given the other lackluster plotting going on (Alan plotting to punish Phillip by exposing him to Rick, Mo moping around while Ed diddles Holly, Alex being fascinated by MaskMan) I can see why they tried breathing more life into it. But omg...spare me Reva wringing her hands over Marah's kidnapping. I've softened on Dennehy--her writing is atrocious. Not that it's any better for Goulet and Neil, but those characters are just so ill-conceived I don't think anyone could've made either work.

While I'm not blaming the Reva focus per se---the Will/Sonni/Josh/Reva story is eating the show, yet nearly completely disconnected from the other half of the show. The town is full of lackluster characters---Blake, Meredith, Rose---driving story. It just seems like the show is treading water waiting for Roger to take off that damn mask.

Oh, those ascots. I do think the adventure aspect of Quint/Nola sold him for me.

lol...meanwhile, I'm remembering Ross in his cheesy mustache circa 1983.

Oh, I don't doubt that. It's just that I love the second half of '89 so much. This feels like a completely different show. When Nadine sounds like the smartest person in the room...you know the world has turned inside out.

The first half of '89 must have some kind of hangover from the '88 strike. It's a mess. And not in a good way.

Oh, back in the day it was John Wesley Shipp, Michael Tylo and Grant Aleksander. Now it's Jordan, Jerry and Rick Hearst.

Honestly, I can rarely recall a beard making that much difference in looks. Beardless Josh? Nope. Bearded Josh---muy bueno. (although honestly, RN's just not my type.)

Well, IIRC, they must not have given Anna much background on Vanessa, cause she said she didn't know how to play her until she saw the clothes. If I had seen and liked her in something else, it would probably wouldn't bother me.

I. am. shook. I guess I had just assumed that with Claire gone forever, at some point, Mo adopted her.

I don't think it's anything specific about Anna I dislike. It's just that Maeve had established these layers in Vanessa, where Anna played it a little looser than Maeve would have, if that makes any sense. Sophia Landon Geier was never a temp Vanessa. She did sub in for Anna Stuart I recall someone saying. Sonia Stuart subbed in for Maeve in the '90's, and just has no presence whatsoever.

Wait----WHAT? MO NEVER ADOPTED MICHELLE?

His name is MacGregor, played by Ken LaRon.

Oy, the German episodes really do not give two hoots about using the proper credits. Actors would be credited long after they were gone, and they rarely updated when actors took over roles. I would love to see the Alan/Rita affair too. Ed/TRISH? That must've been a blink and miss moment. I'd watch more of the fall of '81 if I didn't find Anna Stuart as Vanessa so jarring.

As far as I know, Samantha wasn't named for any family member on either the Scott or Marler side.