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Even in these October, 1997, episodes, the balance in Eve's favor is strong, but mostly due to poor writing rather than slanted writing. For instance, Karen and Julie go hard on Eve for her previous affair with Julie's father. Karen's stance makes sense because the Jagger/Fran revelation only happened several weeks prior so it's rooted in real emotion that the audience experienced. Julie's anger is intriguing because it is gounded in the character's naivete. Although, Eve is quick to call Karen a former stripper (as is Chris). With the Cullitons, I don't really know what they expected Kevin to do. I imagine bringin on Victor Collins in the weeks leading up to "Port Charles" was suppose to give Kevin a mirror into what Serena was experiencing with Lucy by allowing him to reconnect with Victor. I thought Kevin's dynamic with Scott and Serena was nice. Everyone is just "too nice" for this to be the A-story at the beginning and Rex is not layered enough to make him compelling. I remember the destruction of Eve and Kevin's marriage being decent in what I saw as Kevin was in the thick of the Charlie MacMillan is Livvie story and Eve was already being positioned with the newly arrived Ian Thornhart, though I do wish the show had pulled the trigger on Chris / Eve. I don't think Eve / Kevin stood a chance the minute that Scott exited stage left after the Christina kidnapping storyline. Something else that stood out to me is the show was very reliant on nighttime talent to headwrite with little to no daytime experience. Lynn Latham had no experience. Scott Hamner had some experience writing scripts for ATWT, but mostly had primetime experience. Karen Harris was a daytime vet at that point, but her original partner Jonathan Estrin was primetime. Barbara Bloom went from daytime executive to writer. Essensten and Brown had the most daytime headwriting experience, but even they had been primetime writers for a good number of years. Random side note, Amy Weber (Lark #2) was off shooting a film in India in late 1999. In one of the soap columns, it says she was supposedly going to return in early 2000 and be part of a romance. I think that was scrapped becasue Hamner left and Estrin/Harris/Bloom took over. I was also thinking though that Lark would have been an interesting rival for, and contrast to, Alison Barrington when she was still a spoiled pain in the ass. Given all the Scanlon family drama, I am surprised that Lark was abandoned.

@DRW50 I am very early into LML right now, but I am not loving it. It's a show that can do some nice character beats, but it is missing that special touch that Riche applied in 1992-1993. The music isn't as atmospheric. The characters aren't developed enough even if a good amount of the cast is capable of decent to excellent work with a few outliers. It's just very generic. The most standout piece has been Matt Harmon's fight with Dr. Boardman and the board of General Hospital to allow him to perform surgery. The hospital sees his physical disability as an impediment to his ability to perform in surgery. Matt is championing for his own right and has the support of the fellow interns. He has researched the different devices that can be used. It's a very nice social issues story on a show that is often very shallow. I know the general arc of Matt's story, but I wish they would flesh out some of the interpersonal relationships. They are skirting around Matt and Ellen Burgess. Matt is friendly with everyone, but it would be nice to see Matt really go in on Chris as I would imagine Chris sees Matt as no real competition for the Quartermaine residency. Others probably had already figured it out, but it took me years to see how the Cullitons and Riche thought that Scotty / Lucy / Kevin could carry "Port Charles." Post-Rex, I imagine the initial plan would have been Scotty / Eve with Lucy threatened by the role that Eve would have played in her life with Lucy facing off against a younger woman who was as cunning and cutthroat as Lucy was back in the day. It would have been a chance to explore those rougher edges that had been mellowed by her relationship with Kevin. I can't imagine Kevin would have had much to do without introducing a new love interest. Switching from Scotty / Eve to Kevin / Eve makes sense from a general story idea because Scotty / Lucy had some viability, but I don't remember loving Eve / Kevin nor hating them the way some have expressed in the past. in LML's first episode, Greg Cooper is back on the screen for his latest reign of terror, a pre-General Homicide plot to discredit the interns (he was the one who messed with Kevin's IV). It's a bit disappointing because it just is such a cheap deus ex machina style move to make Greg Cooper the cause of all the trouble in Port Charles. One of the stronger moves I've seen with LML is she has fleshed out Bennett Devlin a bit to make him more than just a moustache twirling villain with some genuine emotional trauma from the death of his son Buddy Devlin via suicide (the twist that is revealed later about Bennett's involvement in that is set up in this episode with Bennett revealing he feels personally responsible for this. I think there is some real potential with the dysfunctional Devlin clan as a sorta bargain basement equivalent to the Qs. I think throwing Chris and Eve into the mix makes this group fairly solid, but I am not sold on Frank and Julie. Besides Bennett's reflective moment, there is some nice sniping between Julie and Eve once it is revealed Bennett and Eve had once been lovers and Karen jumps on the hating Eve train because of her recent issues with Jagger's infidelity. With Jagger not being seen, I think you could have easily backtracked and claimed that Jagger had to break up with Karen to keep her safe when he got too deeply involved in one of his undercover gigs. Then, bring him in 1998 during the General Homicide murders and possible tie one of his undercover gigs to the Mancusi crime family that Matt belonged to. There is a nice moment between Eve and an elderly male patient worried about surgery who Eve assures. This is the thick of the Eve is a ho gossip campaign staged by Karen and Julie. Eve's kindness is overshadowed thoguh when Greg Cooper steals the man's watch to blame Eve. For anyone who is interested, in Latham's first episode, Michele Val Jean is dropped as associate head writer to be replaced by Scott Hamner and Parke Perine. In addition, this is the first episode that Robert Guza is credited as a consultant.

I decided to start watching "Port Charles" to see how it compares to the strong work I admire of Wendy Riche in my pre-Labine viewing as well as my Labine viewing. I have tried watching the show from the beginning before, but the Cullitons material has some beautiful character moments, not enough though to sit in day in and day out. So I started with the tail end of the Cullitons on October 1, 1997. Four episodes in, it appears that the Cullitons were only able to write the ship in some ways. Kevin has landed himself in the hospital for a head injury similar, but less severe, to Audrey Hardy's from the premier. This story temporarily bridges one of the issues I had with the Scotty / Lucy / Kevin material being so far removed from the interns. Karen and Bennett Devlin (Julie's dad) have performed the surgery and Karen has been accused of making a critical error just as Karen has returned from trying to see Jagger in San Francisco where she found his partner Fran entering the home with her own key. The story threads are being pulled together nicely, but I am not sure this level of intersectionality will be continuous. There are off shoot threads from this like Chris Ramsey going to Ellen Burgess about Karen's impending divorce as the catalyst for her behavior of the surgery, Joe slugging Chris for his actions in the situation, and Lucy going to town with her decorator arranging the hospital room to be more homey so that she and Kevin can have a special evening together. It's not terribl, but it still lacks something. Audrey is dragged out to state that the hospital has changed so much since Steve's death and mourns the slow deterioriation of this once grand institution. The Rex Stanton plot is continuing to chug along, but it is such an odd story. There are details to Rex's scheme that are very accurate and specific in terms of his scheme to get Serena. When claiming that Danielle is Serena's biological mother, Rex cites Dominique's fear that using her own egg would cause risk of spreading her cancer and that she chose her half-sister Danielle to be an egg donor. The one fact that seems to be ignored is a signicant portion of Dominique's estate came from being the widow of Leopold Taub or at least I was pretty sure it was. I'm curious what the original plan was for Rex because he doesn't seem to have longterm potential and is rather a way to revisit the Dominique story or possibly recycling what Riche had planned had Scotty stayed, though I think Katherine and Damian playing out the story as Danielle and Rex is just wild speculation. In another case of specific details being recalled, Rhonda shows up at Scotty's when he is undergoing hallucinations from the drugs Rex has slipped him through poisoned envelopes. Her reason is to discuss why she never told Scotty he was Karen's father. It is an interesting beat to almost play. Michele Val Jean and Tom Citrano were both on GH in 1993 and PC in 1997 so I suspect they (or Riche) were helping with those specific details. I feel like Frank and Juile have interesting obstacles, are played by decent actors, but I still cannot fully invest in the story. At present, Bennett has arranged for Frank to get a job in Chicago in order to separate them while also rejecting Alan Quartermaine's offer to stay on at GH as a seminar leader. I think the Devlin clan was pretty complicated and I think transplanting them to Port Charles would have made sense and provided a more reasonable long term set of catalyst for drama rather than Rex Stanton. I think I'll try to see how things go with Lynn Marie Latham at the helm because of some stories of interest (I want to see the introduction of Courtney, the General Homicide murders in full, and Matt's mob family past). I may not commit to any of this though because, in re-reading some of my posts in this thread, so much of the show is tough until December 1999 though I might try to see how painful Scott Hammer's version of the show is as a lead up to the greatness.

I think Tony Jones is one of the main reasons I am not sure I'll ever be able to watch much of the Guza 1990s even though some of the clips of the era are very appealing. I just think the destruction of Bobbie and Tony's marriage without reuniting them in the end is such a glaring error especially since so little was done with either character. Very shocking scene in June, 1993, that might have been a scrap (or mere coincidence) of Wendy Riche's proposed (and shot down) A.J. contracts HIV storyline. In one episode, there is an extended sequence of Bobbie speaking with Marcy, a young woman of 25 about her chronic health issues. Marcy is praying she will live until her 30 birthday and Bobbie promises two make a cake to celebrate that occasion. It's a very sweet scene, but no real overall value to the canvas. After Marcy departs (with her caring and supportive boyfriend), Bobbie talks to Monica and Tony about Marcy and her HIV status and suggesting to Steve to dedicate some of Dominque's bequest to AIDS research. During the discussion, there is mention of the devastating effects of the disease and Monica makes a rather pointed comment: "It is a shame that my sons can't have fun the way we did." At this point, A.J. hasn't really been paired with anyone post Nikki. There is some hints with Brenda and Julia, but nothing definitive. Monica's angst over Alan / Rhonda still intrigues me. Nice conversation with Bobbie where Bobbie brings up how she thought Tony was having an affair with Rita Lloyd Jones, which I don't think actually happened because Bobbie was so absorbed with the Lucas secret, but that's definitely where that story was going. The fall out of Steve and Audrey's attack is very well done. Both Steve and Audrey are feeling the effects which have been heightened now that Ryan has been admitted to GH as a patient. Hardy standing by Ryan's bed while contemplating killing Ryan, with Ryan taunting him to do it, was a shock. Ames is breaking my heart as Audrey becomes more and more frightened of the situation, especially given the bravado Ames displayed during the attack scenes where she was coolly playing along with Ryan's delusion that she was his mother. The prom night fall out is pretty wild. Brenda and Jason end up at the dunes and Jason calls out Brenda after Brenda rebuffs Jason's sexual advances after running hot and heavy with him earlier in the evening when Jagger was around. It was nicely contrasted with Karen and Jagger about to have sex for the first time and Karen freaking out as memories of her abuse at the hands of Ray surface. Ray has also just made his first appearance. Felicia and Mac are just the perfect long angsty couple (this slow burn has been going on since June, 1992, and I believe there was a bit of Mac/Felicia in late 1991 before Wagner left). The shaving scene is pretty intense and I got to a point where I just was yelling at the TV to kiss already. Wagner and York really deserve their roses for the work they are doing here. Phenomenal. The fallout of Tracy's departure has been nice. Paul is livid that Tracy has run off with Dillon and Jenny is living with the guilt that her actions have led to Tracy's great escape. Paul also name drops Susan so she is still out there somewhere. I also appreciate the rotation of the stories. Something is always happening and I don't feel like stories are gone too long before they pick up again. Katherine has just popped up in town and it's too soon for me to get a feel of whether or not I will enjoy this.

The problem I had with PC's early episodes was how the Scott / Lucy / Kevin stuff played out in one orbit and the interns in another. There was some crossover with an attempt at a Scott / Eve pairing and Karen being Scott's daughter, but it just feels odd. Revisiting the Dominique story with Rex Stanton and Danielle Ashley when Katherine Bell was still over at the mothership (I believe) is just an odd choice. I thought Rib Hillis was a stunning man, but he was very green in those early episodes and the attempt to do Marland's Morgan / Kelly with Jake / Lark wasn't going to work in 1998. Tying Karen and Scott is such an odd post note, but I do believe Riche wanted to tie Karen back to the canvas to revisit the character. I doubt the Cullitons were super interested in revisiting Karen independently. I know Labine has Karen in therapy with Gail to process and heal from the abuse she had suffered at Ray Conway's hands. I wonder if the question of her paternity was raised in those sessions and that this was the thread that was going to be pursued had Karen and Jagger stayed. Or maybe it was just completely as left field as it sounds. I know he is popular, but I haven't enjoyed Sean Kanan in 1993 or 1995 episodes. Gerald Hopkins isn't a master thesbian, but the character seems more tailored to his strenghts, the self destructive loser, while Sean Kanan's AJ just always seems sleazy to me. AJ almost always seems to be the contrast of Jason once Jason arrives and there never seems to be much too that characterization. I think Jason / Brenda / AJ with a side of Julia and Robin would have been wickedly destructive, but it would tear the characters apart in a way that Levinson seems to thrive in and would cause Labine to balk. Robin's June, 1993, flirtation with Val Duncan is very odd. I almost wonder if Riche had lined up a musical guest star and it fell through. The look of Val is very on point for some of the music of the time from what I reall. It's just very odd. I'm not there yet, but I think Rhonda / Alan / Monica was another story that reached a quick death under Labine like Karen / Sonny. I believe in the final weeks of Levinson, Monica creates a fake boyfriend, Rod, who she uses to make Alan jealous. It seems very juvenile and demeaning to Monica so I can see why Labine revealed the ruse within the first week and moved on. I can't imagine Rhonda / Alan were end game, but given the way the Q boys were treating Karen, I can't imagine what would have been said to Rhonda had she and Alan shacked up together. I do think the Ray Conway murder was the origin of the Labine / Riche argument "Is anyone capable of murder?" Speaking of 1993 lore, do we know when Tracy was anti-choice that led Elliot to leave? I may have asked before, but I imagine the comment was made during the Jenny / Kensington story and was either early on or I missed it.

When I first watched early PC, I found it very disjointed, unlike GH of early Riche. I think on an hour long show, it is easier to try out stories and charactes because you have the time and other layers to cover up the gaps. With a half-hour, it needs to be tighter and early PC is not tight. The characters were interesting for the most part in concept, but I don't really remember anyone doing much of note. I thought Chris was delightfully wicked, Joe was a hothead, Eve was a spitfire, and Julie seemed to be a bit spoiled. It will also be interesting to see Karen having "made it" in medicine after having that goal for so long. I just don't remember anything anyone did. I think Riche knew if she wanted to solidify Karen to the canvas, she needed stronger family ties. Karen and Jagger were introduced just as Riche acted as defacto headwriter in 1992 so I could see her wanting to cement Karen as part of her legacy. I'm not sure Scott was the right tactic. I think someone who's identity might have given Karen more grief (Damien Smith?) might have helped. I think Karen easily could have returned to General Hospital as a doctor, but I think it helped giving her Gail, Lee, Scott, and Serena. I'm not sure what could have solidified PC. I think there were other avenues I would have explored (I think I would have had Tom and Simone on PC with Ellen Morgan as an old rival of Simone's or maybe tied to Harrison Davis) and, even enjoying original flavor Karen and Jagger, I'm not sure if that would have helped. I think launching with the interns meant that everyone was getting to know each other and there were few pre-established connections. Those pre-established connections (Joe / Frank / Karen) worked well and if there was more of that, it would have helped to anchor the show. Early PC always feels like edits rather than an entire show. Does Labine end up getting a better handle on Jason? Levinson's younger set (outside of Karen / Jagger) seems very unsettled. I just watched prom 1993 and Brenda and Jason go together (which I think was worth pursuing), but then there is Robin off with some dude name Darren and ends up in a flirtation with some musician, Val Duncan. I can't tell if its all to establish Jason has feelings for Robin or just to give Kimberly McCullough a bit more to do. In my viewing, Tracy's days are numbered and her exit arc is very emotional. Tracy having to explain to Edward what she has done (mostly offscreen because I imagine they were catering to Lewis' request that he have less to do) followed by Lila rolling up on the duo and overhearing the conversation is powerful stuff. Edward attempting to bribe Jessica into dropping the case with a contribution to her future campaign for DA was interesting (a road never taken). The most heartfelt stuff though was Tracy relaying to Ned that she was the one who ran over Jenny. Kurth is also remarkable in the confession scene playing a gambit of emotions. There is a nice line in either this (or later in her exit scenes, I cheated and watched them on youtube) where Tracy tells Ned she loves him and he says he can't even remember the last time she said it. It has the aroma of Levinson's hatred for women, but between the script writers, director, and the actors, it plays out more as a confession of heartbreak by Ned rather than an accusation. I think this story (Tracy's hit and run) is one of those stories that is quintessential Riche / Levinson; it probably shouldn't work, but it is so well executed day to day that I am willing to forgive the lengths they allowed Tracy to go to. I'm dreading Tracy's last episode because she has had such a presence. In watching the latest twist in the Ryan Chamberlain story (the return to Broken Top for a final showdown), I am noticing how lucky Kristina Wagner was to return under Riche. During the year of Hardy/Palumbo, I don't think Felicia did more than be pregnant and eat. She has no story, no agency. In Riche's world, Felicia carries a substantial part of the show. This was a much needed shift from Monty to Riche and what Monty really needed to do in 1991 and failed to do. The show needed to be centered on strong female characters; women who could save themselves when necessary and who's men didn't dominate them (and the screentime). I didn't realize how emotionally brutal the Rhonda / Alan emotional affair becomes with Alan lying about being with Rhonda claiming he went to grab a bite to eat at Kelly's and then moments later Monica brushing off Amy's offer to get her food because she just came from Kelly's (where Alan hadn't been). Then, Monica tails Alan down to Jake's bar where he danced with Rhonda to Billy Ray Cyrus while Monica looms in a booth by herself. It's hard to watch, but entirely compelling. It's interesting to see Alan becoming emotionally attached to Rhonda, and Rhonda's reaction (confusion) to this relationship. There's been a little of the setup for Julia / AJ and they got Julia sporting a slightly different hairstyle. These front curls which seems very 1990s. Crystal Carson truly was a team player and lets Sean Kanan play a very different side to AJ.

I have seen very little of 1994 so I can't comment much on Katherine's trajectory, but I definitely feel there was value in 1995-1996 of having Julia return. I would have had Julia had Ned's baby via artificial insemination. Julia returns in 1995 after the bigamy plot wraps up and maybe not even mention the baby at first. She could come in on some business matters and then slowly the pieces come out (preferably in May, 1995, just prior to Ned and Lois' wedding). Ned could be aware the child is his, A.J. could believe it was his, and maybe even play A.J. agreeing to play daddy in order to keep Lois from getting hurt. At some point, I'd let Labine do another sick child story to reveal the paternity well into 1996 after Stone has died, Monica is in remission, and a much more optimistic outlook was being played. I would make it clear though that Julia was raising the child on her own and that she had asked Ned to father the child via artificial insemination. Lois might have questioned that, but ultimately the bigger issue would be the lie. I'd even drag Monica in to remind Ned how keeping the truth about Monica / Ned ended up hurting Dawn in the long run. In this speculative "General Hospital," it's hard for me to say specifically what could have happened with Jagger and Karen. I think there were enough ties that you could have kept both characters in the thick of things. I would have revisited Gina with more depth than they did on the show(and you were right, she's only 13 in 1993). Given the proximity to Jason and Karen's closeness to Monica, I would have played Karen in Jason's car accident story and this would have caused tension between Jagger and Karen especially as this slowly led to Jason's descent into the mob. I probably would bring in Jagger's mom for an arc (possibly filling in some of the role of the Tammy character) probably on the verge of Jagger and Karen having their first child. Mom's presence would have Jagger question his ability to be a father especially given what happened to his own nuclear family. If you keep Scott as Karen's father, having Scott and Jagger on different sides of a legal battle would also be a situation that would cause internal strife for the couple. I would have also played Karen in the Dorman story (due to her connection to Monica and the past relationship between Alan / Rhonda) and Liz's rape story (given the Ray Conway story). I think there was story to tell, but I am not sure if it would have been compelling to anyone other than me lol In terms of big story, I think you made the point earlier that their young marriage is something that should have easily crumbled. Both had significant reasons to rush into marriage and weren't secure enough in their places in life to be fully happy. Karen could easily been drawn to a college classmate who was more educated and tapped into a different part of Karen that Jagger had no access to. Jagger, always loving to play the hero, could have easily been swayed by a cunning manipulator posing as a damsel in distress (maybe Carly when she was in her early stages). Thanks for the praise. I also have to remind myself that I am looking back on something having never seen it during its original airings when I would have had to watch day to day and considered what else would have been available on the daytime landscape ("Guiding Light" was pretty solid still in 1993). I am fairly enamoured with GH of 1993 in 2024, but I am not sure if that would be the same case in 1993. Production, though, is spectacular. I am becoming obsessed with the background score. I can see why people were raving about Marty Davich's work because it just elevates solid material to remarkable.

@NothinButAttitude, thanks for sharing this! I am pretty sure this is from July, 1983. Most of the 1983 material from "The Catlins" appears to come from this time period (June-July, 1983). There was once an episode yeaaarrrrss ago from July 17, 1983 (or thereabouts) featuring some of the Roger Brown / Powell Jackson interaction, but I was unaware of what was going on at the time. Now, thanks to this, I have a slightly better idea. Based on what I have gathered, the Powell / Jennifer stuff was guided by C.T. McIntyre after he dumped Sam Smiley as headwriter before Steve Lehrman came in to lead the writing team.

Julia Barrett is interesting to me because she is one of the few female characters who seems to escape the wrath of Levinson’s whore/Madonna complex. It’s this narrow, misogynist view which is what I would put forth why the audience struggled with characters like Jenny and Karen. Julia is essentially lusting after her friend’s husband and there appears to be actual layers there. One of my favorite scenes in the Dominique is at death door sequence is Julia realizing that she and Ned cannot work because she deserves a man that loves her like Scott loves Dominique. For that reason, I don’t necessarily think I would support Ned and Julia. I know Jenny Eckert isn’t a beloved character, but she is goes through so many iterations that it really is hard to like her. With that said, by March, 1993, the character slowly shapes up into someone who reacts when something happens rather than just allowing it to happen. In the latest set I watched, Tracy has run down Jenny with her car in an unplanned, and unintended, hit and run. While Jenny lingers in a coma for a few days, it would appear we’ve reverted back to Jenny the victim after the version of Jenny that told of Brenda and the woman who checked into the Port Charles Hotel in order to make her paparazzi problem Ned and Julia’s problem. The more active version is back. After waking up from her coma, Jenny remembers that it was Tracy who was the driver and proceeds to blackmail Tracy in order to drop Paul’s theft charges and to grant him the divorce he has been seeking. With Tracy days away from leaving Port Charles, I guess they had no choice. In the beginning, Jenny was very abrasive with her environmentalist outlook to the point of crashing Dawn’s funeral lunch thinking it was some cocktail party. There is almost an overcompensation by the end of 1991 acting like she is the waifish ingénue who won’t have sex with Ned because she is still a virgin and lusting after her future stepfather-in-law. I really enjoy the angst in the Ned – Jenny – Paul – Tracy scenario. Jenny and Paul aren’t running behind their spouses backs; they both just are married to the wrong person. The trajectory of Tracy and Paul’s marriage interests me because it starts with the Cartel blackmailing Paul into marrying Tracy in order to gain access to the Quartermaines, but Tracy’s late in life pregnancy complicates the tenuous dynamic by reuniting Tracy and Paul. Regarding where to go with Jenny and Paul, I would have had Jenny embrace more of a ruthless attitude when it came to the Quartermaines even possibly going farther than she should in pursuit of securing Paul custody. I would then “reward” Jenny by bringing in a dynamic younger actress to play Susan Hornsby and let Susan make her stepmonster’s life miserable while also befriending Sly Eckert and Lucky Spencer. And Paul, as the new attorney for everybody, could have become embroiled in some of the Bradley Ward mystery and possibly positioned himself as an ally to the Wards, which could infuriate the Qs, at least initially. I don’t think Jenny and Paul could be the A-couple that carried the show, but they could be tasked with supporting an A- or B-story with their own arc or carrying their own C-story. I think having Julia in the bigamy story would have shaded Julia too much as a villain, but I can understand why replacing Katherine in that story would make sense. I imagine that Labine ran with the fact that Damian and Katherine were already established as schemers and that positioning Katherine in the Q circle would make more sense post-Scott than other options. Regarding Dawn and Decker, I think the issue was the merry go round of Dawns and not really reigning in Michael Watson. He’s not bad, but his comic adlibbing (I’m assuming it was adlibbing) prevented him from being the real lead in that pairing. Kurt McKinney’s Ned might be a hot mess carrying the burden of having slept with Monica (and Wendy), but it’s hard to root for Dawn and Decker when Decker could be so offputting, particularly in his relationship with Charlene. I wish at some point someone had pointed out to Decker that he was running around with a married woman after giving his mother so much grief about her own past. I think Dawn was better off rested in 1991. Monty’s treatment of Dawn and Decker, and Dawn in particular, is a new level. Bludgeoning the heroine to death onscreen is just too much especially after staging Dawn and Decker’s engagement in the Eckert’s bakery with Dawn and Decker acting as extras to the show’s new stars, Fred and Angela Eckert. I don’t know if I have seen anything that deliberately off putting in quite some time. As much as I love the Nikki Langton story, I think the show would have been better off saying Dawn was Rick Webber’s child. Dawn as Rick’s daughter would have promoted more internal strife in Alan and Monica’s marriage and made Alan jumping into Lucy’s bed almost reasonable. In addition, as Rick’s daughter, she would have had greater ties to the canvas. I think Bill and Holly became a necessary evil under early Riche. Tristan Rogers and Finola Hughes’ departures took a lot of wind out of that sail. I think removing Bill from his previous story grouping (Julia / Ned / Paul / Jenny) was a mistake, but given what I can only assume were substantial salaries, I can see why you’d want to play Geary with Samms rather than Crystal Carson. I’m just not sure that’s what I would have wanted. In my current viewing, Victoria has regained her sight and now Holly is declaring war against Victoria to get Bill. It is the easiest story to ignore. On the otherhand, I do think Karen and Jagger had more legs. Jagger was joining the police academy and Karen was going to be a doctor. Those sort of professions would have easily lent themselves to the work going on during Labine’s “General Hospital.” I think Stone’s ties to Sonny would have escalated heat from Jagger and led to conflict between Stone and Jagger and Jagger and Karen. I’m not sure Scott as Karen had as much mileage as people thought, but, had she stayed, I could see some scenarios where Karen as Luke’s daughter would have complicated things. I think marrying them off and letting them go was the smart move with plans on resetting later, but I do think they had more story juice than others. I also would add that there were just a nice intricate set of connections built across the canvas by Riche in 1992-1993 that I could easily see these characters remaining leads if Riche felt they needed to. Also, with that said, I am looking forward to the direction Labine will take the canvas while also a bit bummed to see some characters leaving that I enjoy.

Ned and Julia are fun, but they didn't stand a chance under Levinson. Ned may be sexually attracted to Julia, but he is still in love with Jenny. I'm in late May, 1993. Tracy has just run down Jenny with her car at the Port Charles Hotel parking garage. The tension in May is just insane sprinkled with beautiful moments of characters reflecting. While Jenny is in ICU, Julia sits with Ned in the waiting room after they have broken up romantically and Tracy's words echo in Julia's head how Ned will always be in love with Jenny. It's an emotional, underplayed moment. I haven't seen any of A.J. and Julia as a couple yet, but I look forward to it. Crystal Carson bears a slight resemblance to Camille Cooper (Nikki) that I could see how A.J. was drawn to her. I wonder if Cooper possibly auditioned for Brenda because the Brenda groundwork starts in December, 1991, and Nikki arrives in January, 1992, when Linda Grover seems to have introduced more elements into the show. When is Julia out? Is it November, 1993? I don't think Brenda's story heats up really until February when she and Sonny start and I don't think they knew how big that story was going to be. It is surprising they didn't look to bring back Julia because Brenda did become so big. Regarding Ned and Lois, Labine ends up redoing her bigamy marriage story from "Love of Life" slightly inverting some of the roles and adding the musical element. I think the Julia / Lois contrast would have been appealing (and would have been a great 1995 arc after Katherine is removed from the scenario). Especially given the Brenda/Lois connection. I hadn't considered that piece, but that would be intriguing. There is a brief period (late 1989) where they explore Audrey's paternity lie when Simone isn't sure if Tommy, Jr. is Harrison or Tom's. It is a rather interesting angle that gets quickly dropped after Tom has a brief bout of depression and starts to go off the rails (but not too far). I wish Audrey's past was explored more because when it was (during Liz's rape, for example) it was incredibly well done. I'm on the edge of Ryan going after Audrey and Steve Hardy in my viewing of 1993. I cannot wait. Bernandino and Ames are just great. I'm approaching Tracy's departure and I'm curious to see what, if any, pivot we see in the Paul and Jenny story once Tracy is gone. I think there was potential involving Damian in the Paul and Jenny story given Paul was a lawyer with a complicated past with the Cartel, Damian's posh demeanor and his family's criminal ties, and Jenny as someone who had been drawn by men with power before. I could see Levinson's Angela Eckert clucking over the idea of Jenny and Damian now that Paul was becoming more of a suburban dad type. I think there might have been a slight chance but the age difference between Josh Kelly and Carly Schroeder (if she were ever to return) would be noticeable. But isn't Cody Dominique's son in order for Mac to have a kid?

Julia Barrett as a construct is interesting. Groomed to be her father's successor, she has an Electra complex that manifests itself into a relationship with men who are very much like her father (Bill, Ned), who having a level of business accumen who respect her own business sense enough to partner with her in the boardroom, and the bedroom, but rarely let her be in control of the situation. Bill killing Harlan adds a near Oedipal twist on it with Bill as the pseudo son killing the tyrannical father that complicates the relationship with the daughter he loves. Throw in the complicated dyanmic with Julia and Sly, the loss of Nancy seems to cause him to attach himself to his father's girlfriends even once Bill has passed them over. I'll be curious to see her relationship with A.J., which is set up quite nicely in May, 1993, between A.J. resolving the Nikki scenario so taht he can move on and Dominique's death propelling Julia to recognize her own desire to have a grand love like Dominique and Scotty. If Labine didn't join the show, I am curious if Julia had more mileage in her. With Riche's interest in exploring more modern issues, I could easily see Julia becoming artificially inseminated to raise the child on her own only to have to rectify her position in the business world and how society views women executives raising children. Here's where Julia mentions having a sister. I think Harlan may have mentioned having daughters early on to Tracy during a conversation about his family. A Monty-less GH between her two stints falls into the trap that "Days of our Lives" fell into between the two Reilly stints. There is a desperate attempt to maintain that energy that Monty 1.0 brought to the table without all the flourishes. Hardy and Palumbo's GH doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table in a positive way. Casey the Alien was a flop. Dawn and Decker fail to ignite becasue you rotate through 3 Dawns and Michael Watson's film career. The domestic stuff with the long term characters was great. Scotty / Tracy. Lucy / Alan. Tony / Bobbie / Lucas. Harrison / Simone / Tom. Ned / Wendy. Rita Lloyd Jones. The big stories though just never really worked. There was definitely a shake up needed, but I think the other issue is Monty wasn't willing to give up the 1980s like she claimed she did. The Cartel is very Monty circa 1983. Connor the singer as the new Frisco Jones. Even Dominique #1 and Mac were more super couple of the 1980s. Shows rarely can make those revamps work without continuing some of the stories that were in place to a lesser extent. Throwing every story out the window was a mistake. I would have continued the Lucas story at least several more months with a mini-custody trial. By then, Lynn Herring would have been back from maternity and you could revamp up the revenge plot involving Lucy going after Alan for his involvement in her baby's death and playing into Alan's own plot to hurt Rick and Monica, which had already been alluded to in January, 1991. Also, Monty was shopping a Portland based soap opera within a year of her return to GH. Grafting elements on from failed soap bibles doesn't always pan out. I think recasting most of the Eckerts would have helped a little, but the characters were paper thin. Grover's version and Levinson's version, both very different, of Angela Eckert were much more appealing than the original. Offing Fred was a smart move. I don't know when they figured out the direction for Jenny, but it started to gel with the Paul / Jenny / Ned / Tracy story.

I missed Diane Delano's death. I really thought her work on "Popular" was stellar. Didn't she also appear on "Days of our Lives" in 2008-2009 when Rafe and Sami were the in the safe house as a FBI agent who was partnered with Rafe or just assigned to the case?

I felt it worked for a certain vision of the character. A man who made his money going after other people's stuff lost at sea. Someone who was a bit of new money who still was at heart just a rough around the edges working class guy. At least, that's where I imagined they were going with him in the limited stuff I've seen. In some ways, Cole reminded me of an earlier character. He was played by Alan Feinstein. He was involved with Bobbie briefly and was the father of one of the younger characters who appeared occassionally. Someone who might have been a bigger player based on the romantic ties and the actor involved, but someone who just didn't work out for one reason or another. I could have sworn the Brenda references to her being away skiing were from late 1991. I really enjoy 1992, but I haven't seen much of early Brenda. I did go back and watch the episode that curlyqgrl has listed as mentioning Brenda (December 23, 1991). Julia is talking to a Brenda on the phone, but it isn't clear exactly how Brenda is connected to Julia. I might do a little more research when things slow down because I think it might have been after Christmas and before New Years when Julia explains Brenda is away. I would have enjoyed a pairing with Julia and Joseph C. Phillip's Justus Ward as power players who are working together against Ned and the Quartermaines to gain control of the company just as Jenny Hornsby becomes vengeful after the death of her husband, Paul, at the hands of some business deal that the Qs were involved in. Cody is such an odd character. Given how much of the end of Dominique's life impacted Lucy, the fact there is no Lucy / Cody connection is annoying. I really would enjoy a Julia / Cody relationship especially if it threatened Lucy. The final couple of months of Monty 2.0 through Riche's era before Labine has been a real joy to discover. Monty definitely seemed to be recognizing that she needed to readjust and finally found a vision that I think would have been interesting longterm with the addition of Linda Grover. Given Monty's propensity for turnover in 1991, I am not sure how long it would have lasted. Early Riche is just really fun even if its mostly just characters going about their business with only loose story threads keeping it all together. The cast was strong enough to carry that sort of day to day writing even without the big story that would come later under writers like Bill Levinson. Early 1990s "General Hospital" is like an elevated "Loving" of the same period with so many shifts in the control seat with each iteration being so wildly different at times and yet mostly enjoyable. In watching pre-Labine, it is just very clear that Riche was a true visionary still managing to get the kind of show she wanted even before Labine. Levinson had guided, I believe, "Loving" for a period after Marland's departure through a very seedy storyline involving a former prostitute being led to believe her long lost daughter was in the care of child pornographers. The fact that Levinson's work doesn't completely teeter over the edge (though it gets pretty close) speaks volumes of Wendy Riche.

Brenda is definitely mentioned in December, 1991. The curlyqgrl summaries state Julia mentioned her sister Brenda around Christmas. I thought she was mentioned slightly earlier at the time of Harlan's funeral, but given the reference I remember (Brenda was off skiing) it's possible the reference was to Brenda skipping out on Christmas, and not her father's funeral. I imagine Kelly (Brenda) Barrett of summer of 1991 would have been involved in some sorta quad with A.J. and maybe Joey Moscini and Ava Eckert (if she also being introduced, but I don't know if she was for sure). If I recall correctly, Bill Levinson and Maralyn Thoma very early in their run lay the groundwork for Julia and Ned which sorta solidified Julia's direction once it was decided that Holly and Bill would be the long story. I think Brenda and Jason would have been the easier route to go with Julia's connection to the Q world. I also suspect that given more time Levinson more than likely would have tried Brenda with A.J. and / or Ned. The Barretts introduction in 1991 is interesting. Monty insists on the large working class Eckert clan and then also introduces a more "realistic" Quartmaine clan by having the Qs facing financial ruin again. I know @j swift article state how suave Harlan was suppose to be but I felt he was more rough around the edges due to his career field. I think Tracy and Harlan might have been the plan at some point before it was decided that Harlan was going to be in the Cartel, which I would hope wasn't the original plan.

I am sorry to hear that Michael Cole passed. Harlan was a part of the Monty II revamp that I haven't given much attention to or spent much time on because he has appeared so little in my sporadic viewing of 1991. Given the rocky nature of Monty's second run, Cole probably didn't have much of a chance. He's definitely a more rugged businessman than daytime was traditionally putting forward in terms of being more salt of the earth man of the sea who happened to make lots and lots so of money from salvaging. I think there was somewhere to explore with that, but I am not sure they properly did. I can't imagine that the Cartel angle was part of the original Monty II outline so I am not surewhat hope he had once things feel apart rating wise so early into Monty's return. I wonder what would have happened if Monty hadn't gotten rid of him before she left. If Harlan had managed to survive a few more months and been around at the start of Riche's run. Would Riche also have dumped him or could Harlan have usurped some of the role that Romero and Halifax did in the Bill / Holly story?

I'm pretty sure there is a list early in this thread of all the episode descriptions. Those descriptions aren't on the actual episodes. The scripts are just numbered "N.D.E. #133" for episode 33 from season 1. The picture gives a little more detail about the Biff spies on Pam and Biff plot point. At the time, Miranda Stevens was having an affair with her nephew's friend, Clint Masterson. Additionally, Clint's father Melvyn Masterson had been an old flame of Miranda's. By this point in the story, Miranda has begun to suspect that Clint is cheating on her and asks her nephew / surrogate son, Biff Lewis, to spy on Clint. Biff finds Pam Evans and Clint having an affair. Around the same time, Pam had been seeing Greg, Biff's brother and Clint's best friend. Miranda gets her revenge by seducing Pam in the Lewis swimming pool in the much talked about lesbian scene in the show. Betty's tragic news hasn't ever completely come to light for me, but I suspect it might have to do with her husband, Joe Parker, who I believe was presumed dead but wasn't.

I've binged a bunch of May 1993. I'm now up to Felicia chasing Ryan around in her ghoul makeup throughout General Hospital. Sweeps were such fun back in the day. So many of the smaller moments/climaxes are enjoyable. Julia staring at Dominique's picture as it is taken down at the spa and getting emotional about it was an unexpected surprise. The revelation that pill popping Tiff cannot have any more pills because she is pregnant was a nice twist that has upended the Jessica / Sean affair. I didn't realize that Jessica was such an emotional trainwreck. There's a lovely Jessica / Felicia showndown where a bitter Jessica wants to end the haunting of Ryan caper as vengeance for Sean impregnanting his own wife and Felicia ties Jessica to a chair! Though, this isn't as good as Lucy deciding to put the same baby supplies up in the attic only to stumble upon Felicia and faint. Such a great moment. I've just ended Nikki's return arc at her Malibu beach house. We hear Nikki's husband on the answering machine calling her, but we don't get a name. She's only known the guy a month. There is no mention of her being pregnant so I don't know if that was a real thing or is revealed down the line. I cannot imagine why. Nikki's return is a decent and necessary beat to get AJ back on track and off the wagon. The only thing I didn't like was a line of dialogue suggesting that Nikki had been poor as if for a long time when the Langtons had a decent amount of money to put her in a boarding school as David was a fundraiser for a non-profit I believe. Dom's funeral was a nice, quiet event. I forgot that they claimed Regina Bell's song was based on Dominique's poem. The reading of Dom's will left several nice bequeathments to General Hospital as well as season tickets to Sly Eckert, which I thought was a cute little moment. The Audrey/Ryan arc is shaping up nicely. They have had Audrey involved in the gaslighting for weeks and now that they've entered the route of having Felicia impersonate Ryan's mother, it all becomes very complicated. During one of Ryan's meltdowns, Audrey tells Ryan how disappointed she is in his behavior and Ryan cowers. And as Sean explains more and more of the dynamic between Ryan and his mother, it's becoming clear that we are mimicking the dynamic a bit with Audrey Hardy. There's some movement in the Victoria / Bill stuff with Victoria seeing Tony about surgery to restore her sight, but I don't enjoy this stuff except for some of the music cues. Karen and Jagger have also lost some steam. I thought that Jagger attacking Frank, Karen's mom's boyfriend, was going to have more of an impact on the story than it did. Oh well. I think the Jagger-Paul dynamic is nice. Riche / Levinson do a nice job fleshing out the community with a lot of these relationships. Paul is now Scott's law partner, which is an interesting move. Now that Tracy has set up Paul, I see why Labine dumps Paul and Jenny. All there story is tied up in Tracy. I enjoy Jenny more as time goes on, but given her roots I can definitely see why some were ok with seeing her go. Paul Satterfield is serviceable as the good guy even though I mostly know him from his darker roles. The end of sweeps story has started with a confrontation between Tracy and Jenny in the parking garage at the Port Charles Hotel. It ends with an erratic Tracy accidentally running over Jenny. The set up isn't terrible, but I am curious whether it was suppose to be intentional or not. Eliot plays it like Tracy was just driving crazy and happened to hit Jenny, but I cannot help but wonder if Levinson intended it to be more intentional. The energy in all of this stands out. Rarely a dull moment as there still are tons of quiet moments in the scripts. I think the show was in a good place structurally by the time Labine takes over if not in terms of specific story.

I am not sure if the Julia murder thread was ever picked up, but here it is: In the flashback, Julia is seen murdering Chris with a letter opener and then Harlan tells the cops that he found Chris trying to stab Julia so he wrestled with him and Chris ends up falling on the knife. I imagine the flashback is two fold: (a) to show how far Harlan would go for Julia to emphasize the loss she's feeling and (b) gives Julia the reason that should would be willing to forgive Bill for killing her father. This is only a few episodes after Linda Grover was added to the writing team so this might have never been picked up because there was not enough time to repair Julia and Bill in Grover's brief tenure. I have had no use for Brenda for most of what I've seen of her in 1993. Now that she's working as Lila's secretary, she's much more tolerable and occassionally enjoyable. I think the big issues for the first months of her run was that her story space was so limited and it just meant so much of her actions were about hurting Karen or trying to win over Jagger. There have been some nice Brenda scenes with AJ, Jason, and Ned as of late in my viewing. Harlan came on as the salvager of the S.S. Tracy because the Maritime Commission was charging the Quartermaines daily for not raising the wreck. Harlan negotiated a better deal than they wanted. In the first few weeks, it was all a lot of business dealings without much personal stuff. Harlan was definitely more rugged and laidback than I would expect, but this was definitely a man of means. Something I gleaned from watching the Men of Loving Interview was that Randolph Mantooth enjoyed the laid back and frat boy atmosphere of his Joseph Stuart/Joseph Hardy days at "Loving." I cannot imagine that Wendy Riche ran that kind of ship so I could see how he wouldn't enjoy the backstage environment. Also, his character was a stock type in the early Riche era. He basically was a replacement for Frank Runyeon's Simon Romero. His story was definitely limited.

In the limited, scattered Harlan material I've seen so far, he's not been a character who interested me. I found him more interesting dead, than alive, though there was an odd little story brewing in early 1992, after he died, being told in flashbacks about how Julia was nearly raped as a teenager and the man died with Harlan either taking the rap for Julia or something along those lines. It was during the brief Linda Grover/Norma Monty period. I'm not even sure if it was fully resolved. I don't know where it was going, but it intrigued me. Truthfully, it's hard to overlook Harlan as a member of the consortium. For Bill and Julia, I liked them as sorta friendly rivals with each knowing they sorta loved each other but never enough to make it work. Julia's relationship with Sly was also nice, but it became the standard for every Bill relationship that Sly would like the last woman that Bill had dated. Bless Marcil because Levinson's Brenda is way too often paper thin and rarely given any depth. Maybe Harlan would have generated more empathy for the character, but Brenda is such a hostile character in that first year without much softness or heart. The Cates family situation is how I remember it with mom abandoning them with Jagger before running off with her new boyfriend. It was told with one of those sepia flashbacks I think. I don't remember any references to the father, but I'll be curious to see what is said when Ray Conaway arrives and is given more story space than some of the other adult males in the younger set stories. I agree. The Nikki / child story would have been a retread after the Carly / Michael story. In a more nuanced version of Levinson's "General Hospital," Nikki could have continued to play A.J. and Eric Simpson against one another while continuing to build a relationship between Eric, Monica, and Alan where A.J.'s animosity towards Jason's success could have been transferred to the preferred pseudo-son Eric. Then, when Nikki returns with a kid, she could claim it was A.J. even though it was Eric's, and A.J. would know because he is so obsessed with her that he just lets it slide only to have to have his own personal reckoning when it happens to him later with Carly and Michael. Jenny was establihsed as a virgin in January, 1992. It was in a scene where Ned tries to initiate sex on the couch in the apartment Jenny shared with Amy, Sheila, Meg, and Eric. I know Jenny isn't one of your favorites, but here is the scene: The Kensington stuff doesn't start until September/October, 1992 so that nearly 9 months, an EP, and 3-4 writing teams later. My guess is that when Levinson and/or Thoma pitched the story, someone remembered Jenny claimed she was a virgin and then they addressed the potential continuity error. When Ned confronts Jenny, Jenny tells her mother Angela, popping in on one of her recurring visits from this era, that Ned was more mad about the lying saying she was from a family of liars, basically referring to Bill though Levinson's Angela is a manipulative matriarch with social ambitions behind her own modest background. That scene can be seen her if, again, you have morbid curiousity to see your favorite Jenny: I think I first heard about this in Riche's interview with WeLoveSoaps. I'll include the excerpt less for you (who have probably read it), but for others who might not: I wanted to do a story about AIDS when I first got to GH. AIDS was on the rise, a non-discriminating disease that didn't care who it attacked. I felt it was an issue of great importance and wanted to find a way to interface many of the characters of Port Charles with the hospital. At first, I thought it could be a story for A.J. Quartermaine. I thought, what would happen if A.J. had another drunken night in college, one of many, and explore what would happen when a friend, a male friend, from college shows up at the Quartermaine mansion wanting A.J.'s help since his family threw him out because he had AIDS. And A.J. doesn’t remember who had sex with who, and what he did during so many drunken orgies. They could have both had sex with a woman who was a drug addict. The intention was not to make them gay, but the implication might have stirred up a lot. We could have asked, “Why does everyone care so much if he was gay? Why does he care? How would Edward Quatermaine react and what would Lila do to bring the family back together?” We could have looked at it all. But it wasn’t about being gay, I didn’t want to be, “Oh those gay people, of course they screw around so much...” of some B.S. like that. AIDS is a non-discriminating disease, it doesn't care who you are are or what your sexuality is. If you do stupid things, have unprotected sex, you risk getting it. If we had done it with a gay character we would not have gotten the message of urgency across. So the intention was to have a smart person who was not gay but made stupid choices get AIDS. I didn’t have Claire at the time, and I don’t know if Claire would have even wanted to do it that way, but the network did not want to do that story. They didn’t want A.J. to be in question of having AIDS, or maybe not being 100% heterosexual, they just didn’t want to go there because he was a Quartermaine, which of course, is exactly why I wanted to go there. I believe Tom is written out in May, 1997. I remember looking it up when I was pondering whether or not they could have used Tom and Simone to launch "Port Charles" as it would have given more viability to having Rachel Ames appear over there.

It was more than a one night stand. Scott and Tracy were involved for most of 1990. It wasn't a serious romantic relationship, but they were essentially lovers and partners in crime while he was working as chief counsel at ELQ after blackmailing Alan with evidence that he helped Lucy get rid of Victor Jerome's body. If I recall, Tracy was trying to find out what evidence Scott had, but the sorta fell into a defacto couple. I also believe that Scott was Tracy's date to Ned and Dawn's wedding as Lee and Gail learn that Scott and Tracy are involved. Scott and Tracy had a pleasant rapport and it was a nice dynamic. They had a nice banter. There was a very loose quad between Tracy / Scotty / Lucy / Alan which ended in the uncredited Gloria Monty period of 1991 when Tracy learned Scott was the father of the baby. I don't even remember if Scott and Tracy "break up," or just stop spending time together.

Cwikly and Brash made her a cop/ISA agent. Given how much Rinna complained about having to wear that uniform from her early 2000s run, Cwikly would be a much bigger person than me to welcome her back. Though, with how Thaoo Penghlis keeps coming back after all he says about the show, anything is possible.

Thanks! It's very interesting watching pre-Labine Riche era "General Hospital." Hardy's year wasn't spectacular, but there were things I enjoyed, couples that were interesting, and the cast was fairly stable in terms of who was front and center. Monty II starts with a bang but there is just no energy to keep me going in 1991. I suspect things will get better in the summer when the first Eckert reset occurs, but even then there are only some story characters I am interested in seeing (early AJ and Nancy Eckert), but not really any story until Harlan dies. The Bill-Julia dynamic is interesting once Harlan is dead. I'll get back there eventually once I can get all of 1992. I think Mary Mae's presence was a big part of what I enjoyed when I watched the first part of 1995. The dynamic between the Wards and the Quartermaines was very intricate and I wish more was done with the Charles Street storyline. Kevin's presence in the episode felt important. I believe Kevin had just helped Stone to accept his dyslexia diagnosis right before he learned he was HIV+. I thought that was an interesting relationship. I struggled a bit with Sonny being the one to question where Stone's parents were given that Sonny did truly care for Stone, but Sonny did not really help Stone avoid the path he was on. With that said, I can only imagine that Stone's mother would have made Rhonda Wexler look like a saint. The Nikki-AJ story is just such a by product of all the turnover between 1991-1992 with writers and producers coming and going. A.J.'s arrival isn't great from what I have seen. He mostly seems to be annoying about Monica and Alan being divorced and using their divorce as the reason he was a jerk. I suspect the Montys were going to do a triangle between A.J., Nurse Sheila, and Joey Moscini, but they dropped Joey when the Eckerts flopped and the ratings collapsed. So A.J. ends up in fling with cougar Nancy Eckert and then sorta falls into a triangle wiht Sheila and Eric Simpson. The last triangle is how I imagine a lot of late run Monty I teen stories played out with a lot of younger characters with no ties to the canvas. Nikki and David Langton seem to be something Linda Grover cooked up in her very brief time on the show. I think revisiting Dawn was a smart move and this was a way of not only not bringing her back from the dead, but providing the show with a young schemer. Though, I am unclear what the original plan for Nikki was as that period of Norma Monty is very scattered. Riche seems to kill off David immediately without even playing the real that Dawn was David's father. It's a very unique decision that I sorta love, but also sorta hate at the same time. Nikki moving into he Quartemarine home and pursuing the law suit against Monica and GH is fun from what I've seen. Nikki departs in Ocotber just as Marlayn Thoma exits. The next few months are choppy (but still compelling)and everything seems to reset around January/February. I don't get what they are doing with AJ in early 1993 unless this was when Riche was trying to get them to do the HIV storyline. I don't think I've seen any of the Jenny was a virgin stuff, but that sounds up Levinson's alley. I wonder if that wasn't a way of backtracking as I imagine that might have been brought up earlier before the Kensington plot. I amnot really sure what the point of the dead baby was, but I suspect part of the story was to justify Julia and Ned sleeping together. Ned and Julia are fun, but they aren't an endgame couple. Nikki was suppose to be a dead ringer for Dawn so I think there was certainly an angle to explore there if they continued to build up the A.J. / Ned rivalry. And Tracy wasn't a Nikki fan so that element could have been addressed down the line. I think they could have revealed the baby Nikki was carrying in 1993 was A.J's and that would have provided drama for some time. However, I should be happy someone like Guza didn't bring her back and reveal the baby was Alan's because that seems to be the level of filth that the Qs were enduring post-Riche. Thanks. I didn't really come into GH until the last few years and started with random scattering of 1993 episodes. It's very neat watching an era where a majority of the big couples are gone and the show is required to be a truer ensemblele than in other years. I can pop inot any 1992-1993 episode and be pretty engaged.

I did end up watching the final days of Dominique (April 28-May 4, 1993). Wendy Riche produced some of the best deaths in daytime. Dom's death takes a very different structural approach than Stone's. First off, the story opens the Sweeps period rather than ending it and takes place at the end of an episode on a Tuesday. The episodes leading up to Dom are more emotional (IMO) than the last episode of her life, which is a very interesting strategic decision. The final days of Dominique feature so many just beautiful character beats that make the impending demise of this bright, vibrant young woman even more heartbreaking. The decision to pair Dom's dying with Lucy's decision to carry Scott and Dominique's child is such a smart decision. In story, Dominique wants Scott to have something to look forward to after she's gone, but it also keeps the audience from deep diving into all the possible misery that presents itself. There are some really nice moments in those final days Dominique makes a video with Lucy for their unborn baby. In the hospital, Dominique informs Gail and Lee that she has decided that the baby (no matter the gender) will have Lee as a middle name as long as they are ok with that. Julia's final visit to Dominique highlights not only Dom's spirit but Dom's hope in Julia's resilience as she continues to face her man problems. There is also Lucy's final gift to Dominique: convincing Tony to do an ultrasound of the baby even though the likelihood that they will detect the child is minimal all so that Dominique can see the baby before she passes. The Lucy / Dominique relationship is one of my favorites. Through Dom/Lucy, I understand why Lynn Herring has been such a beloved figure. Herring delivers some powerful non-verbal performances especially in the moments after Dominique dies when she enters General Hospital as Scott carries Dom's lifeless body to the nurses station. In that moment, all of Lucy's pain and isolation reads on Herring's face and the impact that Dom, the one person who might comfort Lucy in this sort of situation, is gone resonates. Later, Lucy pleads with God in another moment that Herring manages to blend the humor and the heartbreak seemlessly. The episode after Dominique dies is beautiful. The transition shots from Dominique's death to the flowers to Meg looking down at them from Dominique's room at General Hospital while Amy cleans up in the background is stunning. The shots of the staff reacting to Dominique's demise (which isn't confirmed yet, but it's obvious they know) going from so many of the show's tentpole figures (Alan/Monica, Steve/Audrey, Gail/Lee) to even Julia quietly losing it in the background just resonates the loss of a character who a year ago wouldn't haven't even mustered an ounce of sympathy from the cast or viewers. There's also a rather painful moment where Tony and Bobbie meet up in the hallway after Bobbie has cleaned out Dom's room and Tony has signed the death certificate that is haunting given that a year from then they would be torn apart by B.J.'s death. What also stands out in comparison is that no stories are stopping for Dominique's death which highlights some very curious story decisions. At this point, Bill Eckert and Holly are hot on the trial of Richard Halifax having tracked him down to a French convent where he has been keeping the presumed dead Victoria Parker. The Halifax art/gaslighting story is not my favorite by any stretch. Probably one of the weakest links in a strong show. The climax to this story is stronger than usual (but also has moments of complete insanity). Set in this darkened French convent, we hear Richard talking to Victoria and her calling him John before Richard slips away. Bill literally emerges from the darkness to appear to Victoria only for Bill to learn that Victoria is blind. Halifax returns and then we get all the exposition about Victoria faking her own death to protect Bill but blinding herself in the process and the revelation that Victoria knew that it was Richard masquerading as John for years. It borders on farce at times, but the gothic tone enhanced by the well designed sets and the dark lightening seems to be a pre-cursor to what I imagine the Cassadine storyline may have evoked. In the better (at least in construct, if not content) stories, Felicia's "funeral" is staged as part of the plot to drive Ryan Chamberlain over the edge into confessing his role in all the murders. It's an odd choice of timing to tell this story as Dominique is dying for real and Victoria is also coming back from the dead. The Felicia/Ryan plot is a winner though. It's a classic GH caper set in the hospital with the hospital staff focused instead of the typical WSB crew. I love it. The only thing that stands out as problematic is the fact that Ryan is allowed to continue treating patients while he slowly unravels. Steve isn't worried about the liability of General Hospital if Ryan messes up? The Felicia/Mac flirtation continues to be tons of fun and Mac delivering Felicia's eulogy while Felicia listens in the coffin is fun. There is some ELQ drama brewing with Tracy setting up Paul for a warehouse theft, which also makes Ned look bad. Tracy has recently joined ELQ in a minor role that Edward has created to keep her quiet, but its clear that Tracy wants more power. I can only imagine the heights Tracy would have reached had Jane Eliot not left when she did. The highlight of this is the Tracy / AJ dynamic as they have become partners in crime which could have been a very interesting relationship to continue to play. Paul and Jenny are aware that Tracy is up to something, but they aren't sure what. Paul's legal practice has let him intersect with Jagger in Jagger's pursuit of finding his siblings. The community connections really work. At the same time, the show also is laying the groundwork for Karen's sexual abuse. In a minor plot, Rhonda has started dating ex-cop Frank Dobson who beats her badly landing her at GH in the care of Alan. This situation allows Karen to reflect on all her mother's relationships with bad men and has an ominous, but obscure, memory from her past. Ray Conway doesn't show up for another 2 months but its clear that this is part of that path. Rhonda's hospital stay also allows her to be treated nicely by Alan, who has become smitten with her. Alan's general concern for Rhonda, trying to convince her to report Frank, is a nice layer to the dynamic. Alan trying to avoid Monica because of the tension with AJ due to the Nikki situation leads to a beautifully heartbreaking moment where Monica reminds Alan of a dinner invitation for later that evening which Alan blows off. Moments later, Jason arrives and gives Monica a present for tonight's dinner as it is her birthday. Alan's realization of the blunder is a strong, quiet moment that seems very common at this point in the show. In another quiet, understated moment, during Felicia's funeral, Bobbie speaks to Sean on behalf of Tiffany, who has been kept out of the gaslighting situation. Bobbie thinks Sean should let Tiff in on the plot, but Sean says he cannot trust her. Tiffany's grief is real. Almost everyone else present knows that Felicia is alive. When Tiff stops by Bobbie's after the funeral, she discovers a crowd has gathered and she realizes she has been left out. Tiffany's unraveling is hard to watch, but is so compelling. I know @carolineg isn't a fan and I can start to see more of how hard it must be to watch someone who was beloved unravel especially given the misogynistic slant of some of Levinson's writing, but my heart breaks for Tiffany while also seeing that she is often the source of her own misery. I'll probably stay in May because I want to see Dom's memorial, Nikki's brief return, and more of the Jagger/Karen story.

Some more notes on 1958. The Paley Center has in its holding the first 30-minute episode from April 14, 1958. Hess In examining the switch to a half-hour, not only did Bartlett and McBride leave within the year, so did the show's creator/headwriter John Hess also left in July, 1958. So Harry Junkin, with Roy Winsor's input most likely, developed the Rosehill story that started in early 1959. The return of Meg in Max Wylies "Wriitng for Television" is outlined as the third act of the "Extended Visit" story set to run co-currently with the John / Tess / Bill storyline. The outline I believe is from Winsor as the set up of Lucy Beale, the woman who becomes the object of desire for Bruce, has some elements of the Ann Wicker bio we have seen in "The Secret Storm" material. In "Extended Visit," Sarah Dale has a stroke and is invited to stay for the holidays with Bruce and Van only to sell her home in Barrowsville and give the money to Bruce and Van. Meg returns late in the story to get the money for herself, but Van demands that Meg take Sarah as well as Sarah's presence has driven Bruce into the arms of Lucy Beale, a woman he nearly runs over with his car.

Ellen Cobb Hill was born in 1923 according to a genealogical record for her father, Lamar. In a sad coincidence, both her parents died less than a month apart from each other in June, 1937. The story of the Ames children might have been very familiar to Cobb Hill. I'm a bit curious about how an audience felt about the story where it was revealed Ellen Ames had had an illegitimate child prior to her relationship with Peter. I don't think Pauline was around for that story, but her reaction is something I think would have been important especially since Peter was already dead and the Ames children had started to scatter.