P.J.

You mean Marina, Mandy Bruno. Who I didn't really like either.

I didn't like Bogue. Maybe as someone totally new he might've worked. As Mallet? Nope.

It's like wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg. Do HB and Reva even get married if Newman stays? Or was that the story they wrote for his exit?

I agree--it was a more interesting dynamic, before they all became Reva worshippers. RME. And I adore sage Grandpas HB and Henry. What surprises me on rewatch is that aside from a couple of years, HB isn't really a permanent fixture in town. Julie managed to be boring in both extremes, as the doe-eyed ingenue and the frustrated bitch. And as much as I liked WM and GT, Dinah never quite turned the corner and became likeable. The show never really found either of them a good leading man.

It's interesting, I just rewatched Quint and Nola's engagement ball, and Mindy ends up faking an injury and lands in the hospital (that's where she meets Beth.) There's a scene with Mindy and Bert, where Bert is basically reading her the riot act about being a brat in the hospital. So, maybe Long was thinking about heading in that direction, with casting Bert as some kind tamer/mender of the Lewis family. At the beginning, HB was not the revered patriarch they turned him into. Josh was at odds with him, Trish had been at odds with the family over marrying Andy, and there seems to have been some kind of break between HB and Billy, which led to Billy leaving Lewis Oil.

They got back together after Alan-Michael's birth in 81, then Alan goes to jail in '82 (I think for helping Roger) and Amanda's left in charge of Spaulding. Then there's something about Alan being kidnapped out of jail (and framed to look like he broke out and fled the country.) Hope is all rah-rah Alan, and Amanda feels like an idiot for believing in him. At the end of '82, Amanda is voted out as president of Spaulding (she, Ross and Josh form LTA), but it seemed like Alan and Hope were okay. But by May '83, Hope is a big ol' blacking out drunk, and Alan is licking his lips over Trish. So...it was just lazy writing? Hope's bored and Alan is addicted to creepin'? Eh...well, Curlee would've been wise to avoid writing Julie Cameletti then, but que sera, sera. I think a troublemakers can be rich too.

I willingly ignore that innuendo. I'm surprised they didn't make Bridget Stacey, given Melissa Hayden's almost eerie resemblance to Lisa Brown.

I agree about Hayley, and I don't think that's a popular opinion. The more I see of Bill and Dani, the more it seems like Hayley probably got caught up in some weird power play and is eventually going to be crushed.

Floyd regularly saw Stacey when she was young. What she would've understood at that young age...*shrug* I still can't believe Stacey was never brought back, and AJ was little more than a blip. Of all the legacy children to ignore...*sigh*

I get that you have to hook viewers, but isn't it a little early to play the "they really are just two crazy kids in love" vibe with Dani/Bill? Being willing to do another tour of duty with each other's vindictive asses isn't romantic. Getting really annoyed with some of the Dupree sanctimony over Dani's arrest.

I was surprised to realize (via one of those '79 episodes posted) that Floyd appeared in town before Nola.

What soured Alan and Hope's marriage?

it's too bad there's no audio with this. Barbara and Mart look like they're having fun. I think in the very beginning one of the shadowy figures is Tom Neilsen, but it's just a guess.

Well, and I know I'm being mean, but there is something distracting about Ashley's nose. It's funny---but firefighter dude? Reminds me of Brooke's OG boyfriend at the start of B&B, played by Stephen Shortridge, IIRC. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't tell some of the guys apart. There's boytoy photographer, there's congressman grandson, there's cop, and there's cardiologist and plastic surgeon. They pretty much act and dress the same. And I didn't like that BS press conference to cover up Dani's tirade. And then to have Nicole lecture Kat on using her privilege? GMAB.

I get the "cross paths" aspect. But I also have a photographer, a firefighter, and two daughters traipsing there. Meanwhile, there's like ONE nurse (regular, one dayplayer nosy Nellie type) a cardiologist (who I don't think's bothered to be there yet) and a plastic surgeon. Granted, it's only week two, but so far, it seems like there's more concern about been seen kissing the SO other than any kind of work.

I'm not really getting the point of the hospital setting at all, as I would think most psychologists (or psychiatrists) and plastic surgeons would have their separate practices. I will admit, it was nice seeing real dressed up events again. And opera length gloves! (silly, I know!) I kinda hate the overuse of the phone graphic to show two people talking. Yes, I know it's a sign of the times. But still. thanks...I thought I had missed something. it seems most of Vanessa's stuff has been with Dani, and I think Vanessa and Nicole had like one set of scenes together.

Larry and Jacqueline divorced ages ago.

Viewing week two, the acting is still kind of ....not connecting me to the characters. I'm confused. I thought Vanessa was Dani's BFF. Then she said she's Nicole's. And all Cady McClain got was like five lines? *really*? It was nice to see Jon Lindstrom.

I have a vague memory of him being some skeevy professor advising Noah on his college film?

Or just that no one over 50 at the time had sex. Five years, and I don't think Bea ever even had a true date. Alex loved to carp about the "new money Lewises" but that didn't stop her from dating HB. At least when it was only Josh in town. Had Billy been in town, I think he and Alex would've been at each other's throats. I don't know who wrote some of those histories on that site, but I wish the site would correct the easily correctable.

I can't really see either duo either. Vanessa would've hated it. She notoriously loathed Henry's friendship with Bea Reardon, which never really went beyond him squiring her to an occasional event. Had something started between Henry/Bert after Vanessa fell in love with Billy, she probably would've just gritted her teeth when/if a situation required her to defer to Bert. Although honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone at that time challenging Bert.

I could see Bert and Trish having issues---Trish had had an affair with Alan. Just because Trish almost instantly regretted it doesn't mean Bert wouldn't be bothered by it. Yes, Billy was the more likely candidate, but if they'd gone that route, it probably would've been over his addictions.

Every show has a handful of performers who literally left their mark on the show, so much so that they could easily slide back onto the canvas with a minimum of fuss. Lisa did it on two shows, which is even rarer. I have occasionally complained about Iva's endless "sad sack" story, but her performance was always on point and she never phoned one damn scene in.

True Dat. Using her to sell the loudmouth Rose felt like more of an obligation than trying to give depth to the story. I actually liked Reid and didn't mind that he wasn't related to anyone (that we knew of, no doubt if the show had continued, we would've found out he was related to someone...most people were.)

Reid could have been John's nephew. I think he was a little too old to be MJ. Nearly all the problem with Luke was Van Hansis' lackluster acting. The plot point writing didn't help, but he couldn't have made Shakespeare work.