dc11786

After their initial romance, I don't think Wade and Janet had much story as a couple. Wasn't most it reactionary to Janet's children? @saynotoursoap posted a bit about why Wade's murder was ineffective. I don't think it revived Janet as a character in the way it could have, but that was mostly due to the choice in her love interests. I think there was grander possibilities with Ted Adamson and Janet especially in the canvas that the Corringtons were creating which had an emphasis on how the community reacted to events. Having wealthy widow Janet Collins marrying industrialist Ted Adamson could have created business conflicts that could have rippled across the canvas. Janet had just played the terminally ill husband in the early 1970s with Dr. Dan Walton. I think a second illness would have been overkill. With that said, the approach to the murder was definitely wrong. Wade could have been recast or written out in a story with some ramifications for the canvas.

It's funny. Overall, I like the Ryan story. Charismatic doctor who is secretly a sociopath is definitely intriguing. I also liked how people slowly turned on Ryan over the course of the story. Psychiatrist Tom Hardy never seemed to like Ryan, while Simone thought that Ryan was upright citizen. Similarly, Steve Hardy remained neutral until Ryan showed up at the facility where Felicia was institutionalized in order to cause trauma. It was at that point that Steve's facade broke and he admitted that he could no longer defend him. There are elements that seem overblown. The trial seemed a bit over the top. Yes, it is a soap opera, but there were just moments that were too much. I will say that I appreciate Kristina Wagner much more after witnessing her in this story. Felicia really evolves during Riche's reign. I think another reason that the pre-Labine era of Riche is so accessible is that Riche has the writers maintain the stories in place. They may evolve (like I pointed out in the Joseph Adkins plot), but, for the most part, the frame of the stories and the characters stayed the same. For example, I think the messy entanglements of Tracey-Paul-Jenny-Ned-Julia remained pretty much in play until Tracey left in mid-1993. I like it. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best soap opera I've ever seen? No. It is, however, written as soap should with beats played, emotional notes emphasized, and character relationships tested over and over by the intense emotions of the characters involved. By the point that Tracey departs, I think they had already started splintering Ned and Julia off to deal with AJ, correct? Without Tracey, did Jenny and Paul really have any strong opposition? Similarly, the direct line from Cheryl's death to the custody battle between Tiffany and Bobbie to Tiffany's drinking while Sean carried on with Jessica to Tiffany's miscarriage and Jessica's murder is a pretty strong sequence for Sharon Wyatt who had been sidelined in so much of the material I've seen from prior to this. For me, this kind of build makes other mistakes (Levinson's special brand of female dominated stories presented in a slightly misogynistic lens) more bearable. The younger set has already been addressed, but, I will say, is the fact that they stayed meant they were no longer new by the time Labine arrived. Dynamics and characterization was pretty much set up. While I know that some think Karen was pointless or forgettable, I think Riche planned to bring Karen back eventually, which was why they set up Karen as Scott's daughter. Scott as Karen's father tied her to Port Charles beyond her mother. @depboy Thanks for all you are doing with those summaries. I don't comment, but I look them over and it's fascinating to see how the characters evolved.

This is the second half of season 1. Like before, the cast listings are first. Some of the minor characters may have had more like Ben, Mark and Lenny's infant son, and Simon Jenkins, who worked at the church. I also think Patrick James may have been the individual coming to check to make sure there was no scandal surrounding Anne's death, but that's just speculation. Stephen Mapes as Gabriel Rattigan (1.14 – 1.26) Lucy Robinson as Rachel Whittaker Rattigan (1.14 – 1.26) Paul Shelley as Edward Rattigan (1.14 / 1.16 – 1.26) Judy Loe as Jessica Rattigan (1.14 / 1.16 – 1.26) Emma Roberts as Charlotte “Charlie” Rattigan (1.14 – 1.18 / 1.20 – 1.26) Nina Marc as Helena “Lenny” Rattigan Tyler (1.14 – 1.16 /1.18 – 1.26) Matthew Radford as Mark Tyler (1.14 – 1.16 / 1.19 – 1.23 / 1.26) Carole Nimmons as Mary Beckett (1.16 – 1.18 / 1.21 / 1.23 – 1.24 / 1.26) Miles Harvey as Jimmy Moran (1.15 – 1.16 / 1.19 – 1.23 / 1.25 – 1.26) Phillip Johnson as Ben Tyler (1.14 / 1.21 / 1.23 / 1.26) Grant Thatcher as Thomas Hunt (1.14 – 1.15) Eamonn Riley as Simon Jenkins (1.21 / 1.26) Randal Herley as Patrick James (1.22 – 1.23 / 1.25) Matyelok Gibbs as Ellen James (1.23) REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 14 Charlie cannot understand why Thomas is suddenly so disinterested in her, and Rachel is determined to explain why. Jessica makes it clear to Thomas and his preferences and she wants him to stay away from her children. Meanwhile, Edward has a visitor checking there was no scandal attached to Anne's death. a: 12 January, 1995 w: Catherine Hayes d: Ric Mellis p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 15 Charlie and Lenny plan a girls night out, and Jimmy and Mark follow them. Meanwhile, Thomas turns up at the lodge, and Rachel discovers the truth about her husband and Thomas. Charlie is very drunk and instead of going home, calls to see Thomas. When he gets home he finds her asleep in his bed. a: 19 January, 1995 w: Ayshe Raif d: Simon Massey p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 16 Rachel helps out in Edward's office, and reveals that she knew Anne was pregnant when she died. Mark and Jimmy call on the house, Mark is determined to make up with Lenny, but they are interrupted by Charlie. Jessica is keen to get home to give Gabriel his injection, but when she gets in all hell breaks loose. Rachel tells Charlie that it's Gabriel that Thomas really loves. a: 26 January, 1995 w: Ayse Raif d: Simon Massey p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 17 Rachel cannot understand Gabriel's heroin addiction and packs her bags to leave. Jessica holds an important dinner party planned to help with Edward's promotion chances. a: 2 February, 1995 w: Russell T. Davies d: Simon Massey p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 18 Gabriel is unconscious. When she learns that Rachel had left him, Jessica blames her. When they return home to get some rest, Edward has a nightmare. He blames himself and Mary is unable to comfort him. a: 9 February, 1995 w: Russell T. Davies d: Simon Massey p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 19 Rachel turns up at the house to discover that Gabriel has been discharged without her knowing. Rachel and Jessica argue who should help Gabriel overcome his addiction, both of them think they know best. Rachel goes to Edward for help, but finds him desolate and full of self-loathing. a: 16 February, 1995 w: Jan McVerry d: Eugene Ferguson p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 20 Edward is full of self-reproach about Anne's death, and Jessica tells him to pull himself together. A very upset Charlie makes a play for Mark, who tells her to get a grip on her life. Rachel tries to give Gabriel his injection, but her failure leaves her frustrated with the Rattigan family. a: 23 February, 1995 w: Helen Brandom d: Eugene Ferguson p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 21 Charlie tells her parents she has left school, and Edward becomes so angry that he ends up hitting her. Mark takes Lenny out for a romantic picnic in a vintage car. Meanwhile, Jimmy calls on Gabriel for a chat and confides that he still has strong feelings for Lenny. Rachel and Edward discuss Jessica's power over people. He says he will stand up to her, but Rachel is doubtful... a: 2 March, 1995 w: Sally Wainwright d: Eugene Ferguson p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 22 The Diocesan Bishop of Bodenshire, Patrick James, meets with Edward to bring news of Edward's impeding promotion. Edward confides in Rachel that he doesn't intend to accept the offer, and tells her all will become clear when he delivers his sermon the next day. a: 9 March, 1995 w: Sally Wainwright d: Eugene Ferguson p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 23 Jessica takes Edward back to the house, and explains to the family that he has had a crisis of faith. Meanwhile, he confesses to Mary that he killed Anne. a: 16 March, 1995 w: Stephen Lowe d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 24 The Rattigan family quiz Mary about Edward's behaviour, whilst Charlie becomes more outrageous and Lenny wonders whether they should cancel the meal they had planned for their parent's anniversary. Jessica tells Edward they must act as normal, but Edward is losing his grip on reality... a: 23 March, 1995 w: Stephen Lowe d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 25 A distressed Jessica tells Gabriel that this is the last time she will give him his methadone. Gabriel and Rachel, in a moment of passion, decide to leave and make plans for the future. Charlie's behaviour is getting worse and she runs out of the house, threatening to follow in Gabriel's footsteps. While Gabriel goes in search of Charlie, an almost catatonic Edward turns up to see Rachel - and mistakes her for Anne... a: 30 March, 1995 w: Stephen Lowe d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 26 Charlie announces she is going back to Oxford to live with Mark. Gabriel also wants to leave, but Rachel says she still has things to sort out. Simon confirms that Edward has been given the promotion. Everyone bids a sad farewell to Lenny. Rachel turns up at the house, but Jessica will not let her see Edward. She realises that Rachel is going to inform on Edward, and takes a drastic course of action to try and silence her - forever... a: 6 April, 1995 w: Stephen Lowe d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson

I think Riche sets a tone almost immediately for the type of show she wanted "General Hospital" to be. Even if the stories weren't always the strongest, the stories were rooted in human emotion. No matter who was writing in those early years, the characters seem to connected and invested in the world around them. There are stakes. I think even in some of the weaker stories, there is something to find of value. Actions had impact and often ripples across the canvas. Romance was also back. Characters relationships were central to the drama. There is a feeling of community in Port Charles. All of this was in place by the time that Labine and team arrive and run with it. Part of me thinks that it was for the best that Robert and Anna left when they did. It forced Riche to shift the show away from the action and adventure stories that had been the show's staple and required the humanity to be returned. Bringing the hospital back to the forefront was very smart. Characters who were ignored were given material of substance. I do think Riche leaned into her TV movie background and, at times, the stories may not have seemed like soap opera stories. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Personally, any episode from 1992-1993 is stronger than the material I've seen in 1990-1991. @DeliaIrisFan I looked at the summaries again. Bill inherited land from Fred Eckert which he used to get into business with Harlan Barrett. My apologies.

@JamesF@DRW50@Vee Here is what was on the BFI site for "Revelations." Some of the information might be inaccurate. For example, half of the cast wasn't credited for premier episode. Throughout, there are times where a character is mentioned in a summary and they aren't listed in the cast list. I credited those actors where I could. On the other hand, Margo Gunn is credited as Anne any time her name is mentioned. In the C-story, Mark, Lenny and Jimmy are rarely credited so they most likely have inaccurate listings. Same for Mary, Nick, and Simon. I think Margo Gunn's last episode was actually 1.10, but I'll eventually compare these to the episodes on YouTube (if they remain long enough). First, here is what they had for the cast for the first thirteen episodes: Judy Loe as Jessica Rattigan (1.01 – 1.13) Paul Shelley as Bishop Edward Rattigan (1.01 – 1.13) Stephen Mapes as Gabriel Rattigan (1.01 – 1.13) Lucy Robinson as Rachel Whittaker Rattigan (1.01 – 1.06 / 1.08 – 1.13) Emma Roberts as Charlotte “Charlie” Rattigan (1.01 – 1.13) Nina Marc as Helena “Lenny” Rattigan Tyler (1.01 – 1.02 / 1.06 – 1.10 / 1.13) Matthew Radford as Mark Tyler (1.01 – 1.02 / 1.06 / 1.09 – 1.10 / 1.13) Carole Nimmons as Mary Beckett (1.01 – 1.02 / 1.08) Miles Harvey as Jimmy (1.01 / 1.10 / 1.13) Margo Gunn as Anne Fraser (1.03 – 1.12) Grant Thatcher as Thomas Hunt (1.01 / 1.05 – 1.13) Ben Hull as Nick (1.01 / 1.03 / 1.05) Eamonn Riley as Simon (1.04 / 1.11) Helen Hobson as Caroline Blackwell (1.01) Uncredited as Dr. Kenyon (1.12) As for the episodes, there are also some things I've noticed that are wrong. When Anne's body is found in episode 1.11, it says Simon calls Mary, when he calls Anne. This takes you through the story that is available online through the recent YouTube videos. Those can be found here REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 1 a: 6 October, 1994 REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 2 It is the morning after Rachel and Gabriel's wedding and Charlotte's outrageous behaviour threatens to scandalise the Rattigan name. a: 13 October, 1994 w: Sally Wainwright d: Simon Massey p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 3 Rachel refuses to let Jessica decorate the upstairs rooms at the Lodge, and Jessica is offended. Charlie is playing truant with Nick, and offers to play an exciting new game, but leaves him tied up naked in the barn. Meanwhile, her father Edward is waiting for the opportunity to spend some time with his secretary. a: 20 October, 1994 w: Chris Thompson d: Eugene Ferguson ep: Carolyn Reynolds REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 4 Rachel leaves Gabriel to do some work while she goes to make her apologies to Jessica. Charlie arrives with a bottle of wine, and Gabriel is easily distracted. Meanwhile, in a hotel bedroom, Edward and Anne's sexual antics continue. a: 27 October, 1994 w: Chris Thompson d: Eugene Ferguson ep: Carolyn Reynolds REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 5 Gabriel wakes up in a strange bed after his drinking session with his sister, and Jessica lies to Rachel to cover up for him. Thomas arrives to see Gabriel, and Charlie persuades him to play the part of her boyfriend to help her get rid of Nick. a: 3 November, 1994 w: Peter Whalley d: Eugene Ferguson ep: Carolyn Reynolds REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 6 Rachel starts her new job and returns home to find that Gabriel, Thomas and Charlie have been having a party. Helena leaves Mark after she discovers that he didn't end his affair with his secretary, and turns to her father for a shoulder to cry on. a: 10 November, 1994 w: Peter Whalley d: Eugene Ferguson p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 7 Lenny is distraught at the break-up of her marriage. Bishop Edward's secretary is distracted from her work because she is preparing to tell him she is pregnant - with his child. He tells his wife who insists he either forces Anne to get rid of the baby or gets rid of Anne herself. Meanwhile, Charlie tries her persuasive best to seduce Gabriel's best friend Thomas. a: 17 November, 1994 w: Catherine Hayes d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 8 Edward arranges to meet Ann for dinner to try to persuade her to have an abortion, but Jessica arrives in his place. Meanwhile Charlie tells Rachel and Gabriel about her relationship with Thomas, and how she wants them all to go to dinner together and play adult games... a: 24 November, 1994 w: Catherine Hayes d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 9 Mark arrives at the Rattigans, wanting to visit his wife. Jessica confronts him and tells him Lenny does not want to see him. He confides in Rachel. Later at the wine bar Gabriel and Thomas are discussing old times, and Charlie cannot get a word in, so starts to tease Rachel about her visit from Mark. Edward is determined to silence Anne, and goes round to see her. They immediately embrace and end up in bed... a: 1 December, 1994 w: Catherine Hayes d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 10 Edward returns home pale and shaken. He tells Jessica that Anne is dead, and claims it was an accident. Jessica returns to Anne's house to clear his voice off the answerphone. Gabriel, Rachel, Thomas and Charlie arrive back at the lodge, and Thomas wants to stay the night with Charlie... a: 8 December, 1994 w: Russell T. Davies d: Romey Allison p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 11 Rachel leaves for work and Charlie dashes off, but Thomas would rather stay at the lodge with Gabriel. Jessica decides to arrange a family dinner to try and cheer Edward up, but he needs persuasion to attend. Simon has been failing to contact Anne on the phone, and decides to call at her house. a: 15 December, 1994 w: Russell T. Davies d: Ric Mellis p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 12 It is the day of Anne's funeral. Anne's GP, Dr Kenyon, arrives and wants to know whether he should tell Anne's mother that she was pregnant. Edward advises him not to. Edward conducts the service, but afterwards feels terrible and writes a letter to Anne's mother, but will his wife let him send it? Meanwhile, Thomas appears to be interested in Charlie, and Gabriel is furious. a: 22 December, 1994 w: Sally Wainwright d: Ric Mellis p: David Hanson REVELATIONS: SERIES 1, PART 13 (05/01/1995) Gabriel is desperate to repair his marriage with Rachel, and tells Thomas to stay away from him. Charlie is thrilled with her sexy Thomas, and they both arrive to take Gabriel and Rachel out for a drink. Mark is determined to winn Lenny and Ben back, but makes the mistake of sending Jimmy on his behalf. a: 5 January 1995 w: Catherine Hayes d: Ric Mellis p: David Hanson

Thanks. I found the article. In case anyone else is interested: its here Bill Eckert as the "Father Knows Best"-type must have been incredibly short. I just watched a late September 1992 episode where Sly gets into a fight in school and runs off because he doesn't like Bill dating Holly instead of Julia. This relationship pattern continues quite a bit as I've later seen the same situation when Bill has chosen Victoria over Holly. It was also very neat seeing the origin (or so I imagine) of the Scott/Sly relationship. Bill does "evolve" a lot under Monty. I believe the ratings dipped significantly in the first part of 1991 once the revamp started. Monty had to change so Fred was killed off, Angela went back to Portland, and Joey went somewhere. Nancy is introduced just as Fred is dying to quick off the Bill Eckert, wealthy man stage. With Angela and Fred gone, Bill now has to take on Sly and has Finnian be his caretaker. I wonder why Sly was created. In many ways, he is baggage to Bill. I wonder if Sly was present because the plan was for Bill/Bobbie and Bobbie's desire to be a parent was going to be part of her attraction to Bill. The light romantic hero image seems to be his longest characterization alternating between businessman and adventurer. After the Cartel, he was involved with Holly and the story with Holly's half-sister Paloma, while also plotting business ventures with Paul Hornsby. In the Logan article, he refers to Bill as, at one point, "a Noel Coward-ish bon vivant." I'm assuming this was referencing the art caper / Victoria the ghost stage of the story. By the time the Victoria story starts, the route to a much darker Bill seems to have been set in motion. Bill's obsession with Victoria is all consuming at times. People try to talk to Bill about his parenting (Jenny and Scott at different points), but Bill doesn't care. Which version of Bill do people felt worked best?

Ryder is introduced in the final days of Jeanne Glynn during a story where T.R. runs away out of fear that Lloyd is going to use his power and position to have her removed from the Sentell home. Ryder is introduced with Cruiser McCulla (Joseph C. Phillips). Glynn tries to reestablish class conflict with Ryder and the McCullas (Crusier's sister Selina is a nurse played by Angela Bassett). The waterfront is being featured rather regularly and I suspect Glynn would have leaned in more to the working class status of the McClearys. Braxton and Avila Mayer have a different take on Ryder's working class roots and have him running from his family of circus performers. I felt they played up the seediness of the circus with Bela. I don't have any true interest in the circus trappings, but I like the Ryder / T.R. / Danny Walton triangle as both Ryder and Danny were friends and T.R. was trapped between the two men that she cared for in different ways. Regarding Liza/Hogan, I've always speculated it was an attempt to keep Sherry Mathis on the show. Liza hadn't had a lead story of weight since Travis died. The Cord Tourneur tale is barely remembered. Liza and Kentucky were well liked, but I don't think they were being featured in the type of top tier stories Liza was usually in. Jeanne Glynn introduces Liza's next (aborted) love interest before exiting, the barely remembered Sailor. Sailor appeared to be a Travis Sentell type, wealthy guy who was masquerading as poor. I imagine the original plan was Sailor/Liza/Lloyd. When Peter Haskell left for "Rituals," Joe Lambie was brought on as a romantic lead for Liza as well. At one point, it sounded like Sunny was going to ask Hogan to be the father of her child. Now, that situation, Hogan dating Liza, but Sunny carrying his child, would have been interesting. Even what happened with Hogan and Liza isn't terrible in my eyes, it's just how they interacted with Sunny, and how Sunny reacted that was a hard pill to swallow. Also, Lloyd became more duplicitous than he had been in the past. He had tried controlling his children, but he was actively plotting to orchestrate a situation where Liza would need him under Avila Mayer and Braxton. This wasn't a stretch, but it was certainly a new element to Lloyd's character. You don't have much more of Alec in general. He departs very early in Braxton and Mayer's run or before. Chase and Adair have some story, but mostly a Chase/Quinn professional rivalry. Chase and Adair get more story (briefly) under Gary Tomlin in October-November. There are things I like about Avila Mayer and Braxton's run and there are things I don't like. I'll be curious @Matt Powers to see where you stand once it gets going.

@j swift I made a slight mistake in my retelling. There is a storm in mid-July. Robin and Jody are at the Brownstone by themselves with BJ and Tony and Bobbie are concerned that the recently escaped Joseph Adkins will go to the Brownstone. An episode ends with a window being broken, but it isn't Adkins, it's a tree branch. It looks like during the storm or shortly after that is when the Adkins is on the island (late July-early August). By late August, Joseph is blackmailing the teens for money so they start stealing cars. In mid September, Adkins breaks into the Brownstone and holds Bobbie hostage. The Adkins story wraps up on Monday, September 21. Brenda arrives on Friday, September 18. So there was little downtime in the younger set. With Monty's substantial reset in 1991, where she basically nixed every single character who had been introduced since she had left, there was no substantial attempts at a younger group. There was Joey Moscini, Angela Eckert's nephew who was ditched in June, 1991, during the first Bill Eckert reset when Bill went from working class guy to insta millionaire due to money he inherited from Fred Eckert. Joey was replaced by Gerald Hopkins' AJ Quartermaine who's graduation from prep school was being discussed in the same episodes where the Eckerts were grieving the loss of Fred. While AJ is definitely a teen, I think Joey was a little older, but not older than 21. Either way, no one was introduced with them to flesh out that group. At the tailend of Monty, Steve Burton is added as Jason Quartermaine. By this point, AJ is already being played as older as he is in stories with intern Eric Simpson and nurse Sheila Cantillion. In early 1992, Robin and Jason are the foundation Riche and the writers use to build the younger set. Riche seems to have a big hand in shaping both Karen and Jagger. I wonder if the plan wasn't originally for Robin / Jagger for a spell as criminal Jagger would cause some grief for Anna/Robert, but both Hughes and Rogers couldn't be convinced to return. That group, with some additions (Brenda/Stone/Keesha) and deletions (Jagger/Karen), remains the core younger group until Lucky comes of age, correct? What were all the different versions of Bill?

It is a particularly bizarre story in a period of time that is fairly decent in terms of plot, characterization, and dialogue. I've only seen late February - early April 1992 so I've seen mostly the second stage of the story. The first though appears to be typical Monty sisters. The prior year Simone is written out of the show after being compelled to help Romanian war orphans after staying up all night watching them on the news leaving Tom and her son behind. I went back and looked at the synopses again. The first month is Bobbie reading the book, talking to Tom Hardy about whether or not it is appropriate to write Adkins, and then Tony being against it. In February, Adkins starts writing her back and Robert wants to know why Bobbie is talking to a cop killer. In March, as the show transitions writing teams, Bobbie and Tony fight about Bobbie going to visit Adkins, which doesn't end up happening until late in March. It was during that meeting that Adkins reveals he is from Port Charles, which was unknown to Bobbie up until that point. I think the story turns in about May as Bobbie decides to no longer speak to Adkins just as Adkins parole hearing comes up. Then, when Adkins doesn't receive parole, he starts to lash out at Bobbie. The escape is in June. Credits for the 1992 episodes online seem sparse so it's hard to see who to attribute what to after about April. I do know there were articles from late summer 1992 claiming that ABC wasn't happy with Wendy Riche and were supposedly seeking her replacement because she was too involved in the story.

@Vee re: Joseph Adkins. In what I've seen, Bobbie starts communicating with Joseph Adkins, a convicted cop killer who has written a book about how he has reformed as a result of his time in prison. Bobbie's decision to maintain this relationship put strain on her marriage with Tony. Several other women read Adkins' book (I believe Audrey and Simone were among them). The story started under Norma Monty in January, 1992. I'm not sure what the direction they were going to take with it. The interim writers played into the idea that Bobbie believed in redemption given her own past, which strained her relationship with Tony because Bobbie was always concerned about how her past would haunt her in the present. The sense I got was that Joseph Adkins was suppose to be a sorta Luke Spencer figure which was why Bobbie felt connected to him. I believe Adkins was fairly young and had been involved in a robbery and had killed a cop in the process. He appeared genuine. Given the stories the Montys were trying to tell, I imagine there would have been many conversations that went no where about prison reform without even really digging into how the prison system impacted Adkins. I think under Thoma/Levinson they added some new layers. Adkins was revealed to be faking it. He had began threatening Bobbie. He escaped from prison during a storm. Tony and Bobbie worried because Robin was home watching the kids with her friend. I think Adkins tried to go to the brownstone, but eventually it was revealed he was the older brother of Cal, one of the guys who Jagger had been friends with before the robbery. Cal and Joseph I believe ended up harassing the teens on the island and then there was some sequence where Karen was helping Jason and Jagger to steal cars for the Adkins, for a reason I cannot recall. From what I can gather, it started as a social issue story that would have an impact on Tony and Bobbie's marriage. Then, it was more a complication in Tony and Bobbie's marriage with some potential to cause domestic drama if Adkins was released. Finally, it became an action story. It is a very ill-fitting story overall for a couple of Tony and Bobbie's prominence. Someone like Tom and Simone, who were barely frontburner even when they had meaty story (the whole Harrison Davis tale was played as a filler). To be fair though, this was not atypical of the Monty era. The veterans were kept by Monty, but so much of their stories were rough.

I have the posts printed off somewhere. I have re-read it within the last year or so. I convinced a friend of mine to watch season one of "Springhill" since we were on a quirky supernatural shows binge (we had just finished "In the Flesh"). I think I had the "Revelations" posts with the "Springhill" posts because I cannot find either at the moment. The conversation did remind me about the origin of the Charlie is a prostitute comment. I remembered I had copied the episode synopses that were once posted on the BFI site and attached to each episode. For some reason, the BFI revamped their site and dropped the synopses. I'll clean everything up when I get a chance (I'm currently working on "Families" synopses because in the search for "Revelations" posts I found about 100 or so episode summaries that use to be on TV.com for "Families" from late 1991 until the final weeks of the show). For now, from "Revelations" season 2, episode 7: Drama about the Rattigan family. Lenny prepares for Ben's first birthday party. Instead of going to the party, Jessica visits Edward at his retreat to ask him about his future plans. Charlie provides a sympathetic ear for Daniel, and ends up telling him about her decent into drink, drugs and prostitution. She leaves, regretting having revealed so much. Jessica returns and is getting ready for the party when Steve enters her room. By the way, Daniel is Mark Tyler's younger brother. I think you are thinking of Jimmy, Mark's best pal and the groundskeeper for the Rattigans, who carries on the affair with Lenni. Based on some of the episode synopses, there seems to be a suggestion that Mary Beckett, the family housekeeper and a distant relative (at one time at least), has a latent lesbian attraction. This didn't surprise me as I knew about Joan Travis, the lesbian vicar who replaces Edward, but what I didn't know was that there seems to be a suggestion that Mary's feelings are actually for Jessica, while Joan is definitely attracted to Mary. Do you recall picking up on this, or am I just reading too much into the summaries? Regarding Sue, Mike, and Diana on "Families," it's all very slow. I don't think Mike returns to England until September, but most of the drama is people going to Australia to find him and convince him to come home and leaving empty handed. I feel like things pick up a little bit in August, 1990, by the time Corinne Todd (Tessa Humphries) accuses Anton Vaughan of doing something unseemly towards her sexually with the nuptials of Amanda and Neil in September, which I'm not even sure actually happened, seem to move the show forward. It takes some time, but I do feel like it builds. "Sons and Daughters" told more story in a week than I think "Families" told in a year. I think there would have to be a happy middle ground lol. It is a shame especially since Russell T. Davies' new work still continues to rate well from what I understand. I wish Network would consider a release of the remaining "Revelations" episodes and possibly "Families." The trajectory of "Families" would be worth seeing. Someone may have recorded "Springhill" season 2 off the Acorn site when it was up. "Springhill" got the stateside release to coincide with the American "Shameless," I believe. "Families" is floating around in trading circles, but I haven't been able to find anyone willing to sell it just they have it in there possession.

I hear what your saying regarding Carrie Brady's place on the canvas. There is no arguing that. As I think I was saying poorly above, Karen was introduced during a transition period very early in Riche's run (as was Jagger). There were a lot of things that happened during that period that feel very against the soap opera grain. For example, David Langdon, Monica's ex and Dawn's father, arrives in Port Charles in a medical story where Monica inserts herself with the intention of telling David that Dawn was their daughter. David dies suddenly and Monica never reveals this information to David. This feels very untraditional. Similarly, the whole Joseph Adkins arc with Bobbie writing to a murderer and the women of Port Charles all fawning over his book is not something I felt was the type of story soaps in 1992 did. Similarly, introducing a character like Karen without any family ties and anchoring a younger part of the story with another outsider Jagger wasn't how things would typically work (effectively) on the soap. I think my issue with the idea that Brenda had a direct goal is that is all there was to her. She had nothing to her outside of that in early 1993. Jagger had wanting to find his family. Karen was working to get into medical school. Brenda had Jagger, who only wanted her when he couldn't have Karen. Even Ruby called Jagger out on this. Brenda's point of view was so limited. The fact that she nearly gets bested by Jenny Eckert of all people in a confrontation in March, 1993, is pretty wild given how milquetoast Jenny is. I can see why you would think Karen was taking a middle of the road approach to things. It might not have been presented well, but her pursuing her career and going to college was going to come first. Working at Kelly's and maintaining her grades was going to come before her romance with Jagger. With Rhonda around, meddling in her life, Karen definitely had more reason to be conflicted. Rhonda saw Karen's relationship with Jason as the key to Karen's success, both by marrying into a wealthy family and by building a network of connections in Karen's career field. Having watched some of her "General Hospital" run, I would like to at the early years of Karen's run on "Port Charles" to see how that all this continues in terms of her characterization. I think Karen remains very passive romantically deferring to Courtney Kanelos, who was just a much stronger adversary for Karen than Brenda was based on where Brenda was in her journey given that Courtney had Neil which tied her to the entire Scanlon clan. I do remember Karen having some outbursts, but I vaguely think that Shayne's Karen could also be pushed to her limits and she would fire back. This just wasn't her modus operandi as it was for characters like Courtney and early Brenda. In Brenda's defense, I think part of the issue was the underdevelopment of her character. I think there was an intent on either Levinson's (or Riche's) part to craft Brenda as a "poor little rich girl" type who had no moral compass because her father was a business tycoon who ignored her and had loved Julia's mother more than her mother. If this was true, and the intent to solicit sympathy, or least empathy, for Brenda, it wasn't played enough for this to be effective. Brenda rejected Julia both in terms of her role as a parental figure and any sisterly advice she gave. I would even go further and say that the issues I have with the Brenda/Karen rivalry were inherit to Bill Levinson's writing. By comparison, if you look at what was being done in the other female rivalries, the issues were mostly consistent. Jenny and Julia, for example, had the potential to be interesting but Julia was so passive and Jenny was sound brash and unfeeling that there was no one to root for. Also, the rivalry between Tiffany and Bobbie took Tiffany into a very narrow view with her solely trying to secure custody of Lucas at the cost of everything else including her friendship with Bobbie and Tony as well as her marriage to Sean. I'd be curious to see if Levinson had similar issues when he was at "Loving," but I'm spacing at the moment.

I was referring specifically to a comment Joanna Lee made in Soap Opera Digest about how "Search for Tomorrow" couldn't compete against the hour shows in terms of the types of storytelling. With that said, she probably was referring to the budget that was required which plays into what you are talking about. I like Alec/Adair/Chase but its a logistical nightmare. The characters are rarely all on screen at the same time. In October, Alec is presumed dead to return in November, and by the end of the month, Adair has left town. When Adair does return in February, Alec leaves in March. I was reading a newspaper column from November 1984 stating that Page Hannah was recently released and that Robert Curtis Brown was also out in the near future. I think Glynn was planning Adair/Chase/Justine. Jeanne Glynn's final weeks without a co-writer are stronger, in my opinion, but I find the year Glynn is there is a constant state of transition probably due to Ellen Barrett. Paul Avila Mayer and Stephanie Braxton tend to be hit or miss with viewers. They are either despised for the main thrusts of the story or appreciated for telling stories in a different way (for eHogan loving Liza, but Liza just kind of wanting a sexual relationship). I think there are stronger character moments under Avila Mayer and Braxton and the characterization is more fleshed out, but the overall plots leave a lot to be desired. The dynamics between characters can also be hit or miss. I won't say much more and let you watch.

I have been cruising around "General Hospital" of the 1990s. I haven't seen Brenda's arrival yet, but I definitely found the character very rough in early 1993. I think Brenda is a very flat character in what I've seen. She seems mostly motivated by a desire to be with Jagger. This seems to be the entire extent of her characterization. This is by no means VM's fault, but I'm definitely curious to see how the show manages to evolve this character because she is barely beyond a stock type. Her connection to Julia is interesting at times, but Julia herself has a very delicate position on the canvas. Anchoring the younger set with a young woman who wanted to be a doctor was just smart. Karen and Jagger were both introduced during a period where there were interim headwriters between Norma Monty and Maralyn Thoma. Karen was introduced as a participant in the Volunteens program and was initially presented as an object of affection for Jason, who had Robin pining after him. I imagine Wendy Riche envisioned the audience watching this young woman go to medical school, become a doctor, and joining the staff of GH. That vision was achieved with Karen's return in "Port Charles." In terms of her actual connections on the canvas, it is initially weak. Pairing Karen with Jason, who came from a wealthy medical family, and with Jagger, who was rough around the edges and had escaped a troubled upbringing, makes sense. I feel there is an underlying seediness to a lot of Bill Levinson's work, which I don't always hate, but certainly makes things uncomfortable. I think hinging the big romantic pairing on two characters without significant ties to the canvas was untraditional and may not have been good for the longevity of the couple. I also don't think Riche would have gone that route a year or so later. For the most part, Karen's struggles were mostly internal, which made her appear passive since all the actions she made were choices rather than actionable steps. Cari Shayne played the conflicted part of the character well, but I don't necessarily think she played the passion for medicine well. To be fair, I also don't think Levinson leaned into that part of her character enough. Cari Shayne seems no less capable than Christie Clark from "Days of our Lives" playing a very similar character at the same time.

And since there seems to be some interest, I started gathering episode information from TV listings and soap opera summary columns from British newspapers. This is what I have for the first month or so of the show. They aren't very detailed, but they give a sense of the pacing... which seems glacial. Italicized information is one of two things. Most likely, it appeared in a weekly summary for the show, but was not listed in an individual episode spot so I chose which episode I attached it to. This means it could be in the other episode that week. The second possibility, which is less likely, is information I've included based on the general sense of the story or from future plot details that seem to suggest what something might be. For example, Justine realizes she has met a mystery man in one episode and in the next she is speaking with Mike and Diana. I've drawn the conclusion that Mike is the mystery man so it is italicized. Families (April/May 1990) Episode 001 [Monday, April 23, 1990] Mike Thompson, a garage owner out of Cheshire, is plagued by mounting financial issues yearns to relive his youth and a romance with his old flame in Australia. Meanwhile, the Thompsons involve themselves in planning a birthday surprise for their soon to be wayward patriarch. As a result, Mike makes a decision that will impact his family for months to come as he departs for Australia. Episode 002 [Tuesday, April 24, 1990] In Sydney, Andrew Stevens and his mother, Diana Stevens, attempt to find some sort of middle ground. In Cheshire, Mike Thompson’s absence starts to concern his family. Episode 003 [Monday, April 30, 1990] In Cheshire, Sue Thompson is asked to perform a gruesome task. Meanwhile, Sue’s daughter, Amanda Thompson, relays to her mother the nasty shock she received when she went for her final wedding dress fitting in preparation for her wedding to Neil Brooks. Episode 004 [Tuesday, May 1, 1990] The Thompson family are becoming increasingly aware of the trouble that Mike Thompson has left behind in Cheshire while he is off in Australia. Episode 005 [Monday, May 7, 1990] Sue Thompson and the rest of her family continue to see the mess that Mike Thompson was running from in Cheshire. In Sydney, scheming Corinne Todd notes that widowed Diana Stevens continues to grow closer to younger restauranteur Anton Vaughn. Upon arriving in Cheshire, Andrew Stevens reconnects with George Davidson, his maternal grandfather and a mechanic for the Thompson garage. Episode 006 [Tuesday, May 8, 1990] In Cheshire, Sue Thompson’s is slowly seeing her fears come true regarding the family’s financial situation. In Sydney, Mike Thompson arrives on the doorstep of his first love, Diana Stevens. Diana and the rest of the Stevens clan is celebrating. Diana doesn’t take to kindly to Mike appearing on her doorstep after so many years. Episode 007 [Monday, May 14, 1990] In Cheshire, Mark Thompson and his uncle John Thompson clash over how to handle Mike’s garage business in Mike Thompson’s absence. Sue Thompson is feeling the stress from her husband Mike’s departure as well. George Davidson and his lady friend Dot Downing show Andrew Stevens, George’s grandson, the Cheshire countryside. Episode 008 [Tuesday, May 15, 1990] In Sydney, Diana Stevens continues to forge ahead in her business plans with Anton Vaughn. Justine Stevens, Diana’s daughter, is upset to learn the identity of the stranger she had met earlier on the beach, Mike Thompson. In Cheshire, John Thompson and his nephew Mark Thompson continue to remain at odds on how to handle the garage. Episode 009 [Monday, May 21, 1990] Justine Stevens challenges her mother, Diana Stevens, and Mike Thompson, Diana’s first love, leading to tempers running high in Sydney. Episode 010 [Tuesday, May 22, 1990] In Sydney, Diana Stevens’ mother, Ruby Davidson, tries to dissuade her daughter from giving Mike Thompson, Diana’s old flame, any hope of a reconciliation. While in Cheshire, Sue Thompson is called to her son Nathan Thompson’s school and learns several shocks; not only is Nathan in trouble for his poor behavior, but her husband hadn’t paid the school bill in quite some time. Episode 011 [Tuesday, May 29, 1990] In Sydney, manipulative Corrine Todd believes that Diana Stevens is in pursuit of Anton Vaughn, while Diana and Anton continue to redesign Vaughan’s, Anton’s restaurant. Mike Thompson comes to the conclusion that there is nothing left for him in Sydney. Meanwhile, in Cheshire, Nathan Thompson offers to help his mother Sue Thompson by dropping out of school. Note: The show was preempted on Monday, May 28, 1990, for a telethon.

Chloe and Nicole became friends because they had a common enemy: Sami. This was during the period that Chloe was involved with Lucas and Nicole was with EJ in the fall of 2008. I remember a very fun sequence where Lucas took Chloe and Allie up to the Horton cabin on Smith Island. Sami, who had been under house arrest for some crime, ran off to interfere in the coupling and Nicole immediately called the cops so that Sami would be arrested. I will say Chloe/Nicole's friendship may have been why they didn't play much with Chloe/Brady during the early years of Eric Martsolf's Brady. Given the grander scope of their history, it probably made no sense, but I enjoyed it immensely.

I believe Rachel died at the end of season one. When the secretary was dead, Edward started to unravel. He was slowly losing his mind. I think some of this may pop up by the end of the first thirteen episodes. Rachel takes sympathy on Edward. She may have even started working in Anne's position in the church. Anyway, Edward eventually revealed his, and possibly Jessica's, involvement in Anne's death. Or maybe Rachel just discovered that Gabriel was a bisexual drug addict. Anyway, this lead to the eventual murder, which was a staple for Russell T. Davies. In season two, I think Edward was committed to an asylum. I believe this may have been what brought Sue Holderness' lesbian vicar Joan to the canvas. Joan developed an attraction to the family maid, Mary. Mary may have been involved in the burial plot, but I think a second body was discovered on the estate in season 2. This one belonged to a baby. I believe it was eventually revealed that the baby had belonged to Mary and Edward. I remembered another detail about season 2. Wasn't Ruth Tyler, Mark's mother, embezzling funds from the church? She had stolen checks and cashed them. Also, did Charlie turn to prostitution? Or am I simply placing a bunch of "Families" stories onto "Revelations" characters. I think Edward was coaxed into taking his own life by Jessica. Edward lit the cottage on fire and sat there and died. It was a replay of John Thompson's death on "Families" in June, 1991. I want to say Steve Whittaker had also been left for dead in the fire after being knocked out by Jessica. I have notes somewhere I collected years ago from the old primetime soap board where I first heard about this show. @JamesF, you may have been even been the one who posted on it. Anyway, I cannot seem to locate them at this point as they must have been with my "Springhill" notes which are also missing. If I find them, I will make sure I repost what I find. @Vee As I think I stated above, the entire first season was released on DVD probably about 10 years back by Acorn Media. I think it sells very cheap right now. It is a fun show that I would recommend. Abbott credits Russell T. Davies for the supernatural elements stating that without Davies it would have basically been a dry run for "Shameless." The housing estate is similar to that Chatwin of "Shameless" and the Freemans are definitely a more cleaned up version of the Gallaghers. The first season of "Springhill" is fairly strong and sort is the final attempt at the kind of stories RTD told on "Families" and "Revelations." The religious and supernatural elements are interconnected into the story fairly well in those first season episodes. Katharine Rogers (Eva) like Judy Loe was marvelous as the mystery figure at the center of the story.

I'm glad you will enjoy "Revelations." It's truly a shame that more of RTD's soap work hasn't made it in complete form online. "Springhill" was released on DVD several years back, but only season one. Acorn later briefly released the second season online. It wasn't as strong as the second and I don't think I made it all the way through, though I did catch the wild ending both on Acorn and on YouTube. I'll give the lost media thread a look anyway. The only episode of season 2 that made it online for "Revelations" also gave the impression that the second season of that show may have been a little bit of a bore. From what I gather, Gabriel and Edward are both sidelined for most of the season, while there is an interesting mystery regarding a dead body found on the estate from years ago. There is also a lesbian storyline that I would be interesting in seeing. Judy Loe's Jessica does take center stage as she seduces the newly arrived Steve Whittaker, Rachel's brother, who has come to determine the fate of his sister (who I think is said to disappear after Jessica murders her). Amanda Wenban, who played Jackie on "Families," comes on I believe as Mark's mother, a scheming cleaner for the church.

It was wonderful getting a chance to see different periods of this series. The April 1990 episode (the third episode of the series) is quite a treat. I've got quite a bit of summaries from TV listings from this period, but the dramatic tension isn't really captured as well as it is here. The Thompson household is ripe for drama. The pressures mounting from Mike's disappearance, questions about who is the new alpha male in the household (Mike's cagey brother John or his son Mark), the revelations of unknown debts, and the wedding planning all give the sense that the show has a lot of story to tell. I'm not sure if the dramatic tension continues. I know there are a few more revelations to come (Nathan ends up involved in a scuff at school and is nearly expelled). Morag Hood is a real gem here as the overwrought Sue Thompson. She is definitely unable to handle all of the things coming at her. I think Sue's story progresses very nicely with her being forced to build her independence and creating a life on her own (with a professional and romantic alliance with her brother-in-law John). It's a shame that she couldn't have been kept on. Laura Girling as the romantic lead is a choice. Not my choice, but a choice none the less. In Australia, things seem much calmer. I do appreciate that there seems to be a deliberate attempt to distinguish the two realms of the show (set in Sydney and in Westbury) by the color choices. The Australian sets are much brighter in color. I think that's probably the nicest thing I can say. Mike's story in Australia moves forward, but there isn't much actual story progress. Mike is running from creditors and this is pushed again in his refusal to pay the hotel bill right away. Throwing away his clothes in the trash can was a nice symbolic moment especially in the sense that he is still the same man escaping from paying his bills. Tessa Humphries' Corrine seems like a low level schemer, but I know she ends up upping the ante by sleeping with both Andrew and his brother Christian, who must have appeared earlier in the episode based on the conversation and the credits. Andrew leaving home just as Mike is coming to Australian was a nice setup for the viewer to follow two people as outsiders into the two worlds of the show. Andrew being upset that Diana is leaning on a younger man after leaning on him has the potential to be interesting, but I don't think it goes anywhere... The man in question, though, was Anton Vaughn, who is seen with Diana in the October 1992 episode during their turbulent marriage. Diana and Anton's hostile breakup is a nice contrast to the breakup of Charles and Isabelle's fractured marriage with Charles carrying on with Fiona, his daughter's friend and now his son's girlfriend, while Isabella beds down with the gardener. I didn't realize how young Isabelle's lover actually was until seeing him in the recap. The Bannermans now have control of the Thompson's old house (which I believe belonged to Sue's family the Grandbys). The kitchen scenes in both episodes were nice. I like the little breakfast chatter between the Bannermans as this sort of plain domestic drama that is immediately complicated by Simon's visit to Fiona only to learn that Fiona's sugar daddy (his own father) is allowing her to stay on in the flat that he has been paying for. I almost wonder if Sue Thompson couldn't have returned at some point and become involved with Charles Bannerman had the show lived on past 1993. I think Morag Hood and Helen Bourne would have been fun as rivals. @DRW50 Since you are probably the only one interested, another kind soul has uploaded the 13 episodes of "Revelations" that were released on DVD several years back. "Revelations" is the follow up work of Russell T. Davies after he was in charge of a bit of the final year or so of "Families." The posh Rattigans definitely feel like they would have mingled easily with the Bannermans and Thompsons.

The generous soul who posted the July 1992 episode posted several other partial episodes: And a trailer:

Michael Pavel's murder, Kim's impossible pregnancy, and the truth about Rose's daughter were all pretty messy stories. The strike definitely killed some momentum, though there were elements I enjoyed. I thought bringing Kim into the Ryan circle by leaving Rae's place and taking refuge with the Ryans connected the canvas in a natural way that wasn't very common at that time on the series. I also thought the introduction of Craig LeWinter as a potential love interest for Kim as well as for Faith had some potential. Overall though, it was just messy. I can't remember, but was Barry's dropped gambling storyline started during the strike or before? I think contracts ran out as the strike went on. Daniel Hugh Kelly left when his contract was up and I thought that was why Richard Backus also departed. The introduction of the Chicago Ryans was a necessary evil given the title of the show. Also, Elizabeth Jane was Barry's half-sister/step-sister depending on the day of the week. I didn't mind having a young female Ryan and thought pairing her with Roger allowed them to revisit the idea of Mary / Roger from the beginning of the show.

The last show to expand @DeliaIrisFan was "The Young and the Restless." My assumption is market research suggested that the hour long shows were more successful because they could tell a wider breadth of stories at once. I enjoy Lee and Tomlin's run, but casting was definitely hit or miss. Phillip Brown was attractive, but rather green. He did have charisma, which helped, but given the dramatic weight his character had on the canvas (raised by Lloyd, fathered by Martin, love interest for Stephanie) a stronger actor was probably needed. Elizabeth Swankhammer was tough as Suzi. Not only had Suzi already been backburnered given the knowledge of Cynthia Gibbs' departure, but Swankhammer was suppose to rival Lisa Peluso. Cain Devore and Jennifer Gatti wouldn't have been able to carry an expanded teen scene. John Glover as Vargas was great. Olympia Dukakis as Dr. Barbara Moreno was a fine addition. Tina Johnson and Tom Sullivan did good character work in their roles, but they wouldn't be allowed to carry a frontburner story. If the show expanded to an hour in 1983, I don't think they would have had to add a lot. There was a lot happening in Henderson that would have just had more space to breathe. In 1984, there was a huge cast revamp anyway and that pretty much killed a lot of the momentum that had been built in the previous year under Lee.

Wow! Thanks for these. Out of curiousity, were these from the collection at Dartmouth?

When they brought back Vivian back to Salem in early December 2009, they immediately reestablished that she was the woman who had given birth to Phillip. At the time, Phillip was on the outs with Kate because of her marriage to Stefano, which she had been blackmailed into because of her role in poisoning Chloe during Chloe's marriage to Lucas. The show had built up a lot of dramatic tension in the prior year between Stefano and Victor with the dock wars plot and then the renewable energy story before shifting it into more family drama. Tony died during a fight with Phillip, and Phillip I believe was suspected of murder. Nicole, who was emotionally tied to both a Dimera (EJ) and a Kiriakis (Brady), was the one who cleared Phillip. I don't think the Dimeras forgave Phillip quickly for what they thought was his role. Shortly after, Stefano was "poisoned" after going to Java Cafe and being served by a Greek server. Stefano automatically assumed it was Victor's fault, but instead it turned out to be undiagnosed diabetes. This led to the introduction of Owen (Wes Ramsey) the Kiriakis gardener who kidnapped Phillip's girlfriend (fiancee?) Stephanie and dumped her in the morgue where his father (played by Gordon Thomson) worked. Stefano's blackmail had just been the latest tie between the two families as Daniel, Victor's godson and Chloe's lover, was being accused of being behind Chloe's poisoned induced coma. Vivian's return with a her unrequited love for Victor and her past marriage to Stefano turned the Victor/Kate/Stefano triangle into a quad. The way the show was being structured, it was clear that Melanie was going to be the daughter because Vivian wanted to kill Carly's daughter and also wanted to gain Phillip's love and respect. Mia was a red herring, but I also think there may have been an attempt to build an actual bond between Mia and Carly due to the fact they had both given up their children. Also, prior to Carly's return, there had been quite a big deal made about Mia's mother, who I think had abandoned Mia or was an addict of some sort. With the amount of build that Mia's mother was given, I think that Mia's mother was originally intended to come onto the canvas, but the cancellation of "Guiding Light" led to "Days" securing Crystal Chappell and going in a different direction. The one element that was never really addressed was that Melanie was also sorta of Frankie Brady's "sister" too as well as his niece. I have to wonder if there wasn't plans at some point in 2011 to bring back Frankie as a love interest for Jennifer in a quad with Daniel and Carly. Chad really didn't have much story after the initial reveal that Sydney was supposedly his daughter. This was mostly because everyone in his story group was weak. I think the "big" story for Chad was a ski weekend that all the younger ones were supposed to go on in February, 2010, after Chandler Massey was introduced. A ski weekend which I never think happened onscreen. It was just a bunch of romantic yearning between naive Gabi and worldly Chad with Mia acting super jealous and Will super clueless.There was a brief attempt in the winter of 2009/2010 to make Mia a vixen, but by March or April 2010 the show had secured Jessica Tuck for an arc as Madeline, Chad's mother and Kate's former hooker pal, for Chad's secret parentage the show accepted defeat with Mia. I don't think "Chill" was intended to be romantic any more than Phillip/Rick or Dennis/Jamie though there was always going to be homoerotic vibes given the intense emotional intimacy between these men. If I recall correctly, in the summer of 2010, Kate had lured Will into the Dimera camp and there may have even been a suggestion that Will was going to become Stefano's protege, which I felt would have been immediately threatened when the truth about Chad's parentage came out and would have caused more animosity. I don't think it did in the end, but given how weak Rodrigues and Spritler were the show had no real choice which is also why I suspect that Mia wasn't replaced with another young female until they brought on Abigail nearly seven months after Mia left town. Though, they did beef up Kinsey's role in the immediate aftermath of Mia's departure by having her family lose their money and Kinsey deciding that she was going to turn tricks like Chloe to make a quick buck. I wouldn't be surprised though if the "Chill" reaction led to Sonny's introduction as it was fairly obvious that Sonny was brought on for Will even before MarDar arrived. Now, I am wondering if the decision to drop the potential Dimera heir angle between Chad and Will was due to the decision to instead go the route of Will and Sonny becoming a couple, but not before Will knocked up Gabi with Gabi passing the child off as Chad's. I remember there was a bit of an arc about Gabi have mono which I remember people thinking was dumb, but I felt it was somehow going to be used to either cover up a pregnancy or used to alter a pregnancy timeline with Gabi claiming she wasn't pregnant, but that her mono had recurred. This would have given Chad/Abigail, Sonny/Will, and Chad/Will angst because I think Chad would have agreed to go through with the lie for Gabi due to his loss of Grace, the daughter he never knew.

@Jdee43 I think the C.C. / Santana revisit in 1991 would have been effective if had been allowed to play out to what I imagine was the natural conclusion. When the Dobsons returned with the dinner party episodes, it was established that Ruben and Rosa Andrade had been tricked in some land deal with C.C. It was later revealed, before Santana arrived, that the land in question was the property that the Capwells had built the Oasis on. The setup for this would seem to be that the Andrades were going to come into some level of power in Santa Barbara. Cue Santana's return, where Dr. Grant Jameson, on C.C.'s payroll, has kept Santana locked in a psychiatric facility against her will before she learns the truth about what was going on. When the trial occurred regarding the incident involving Santana's imprisonment, C.C. continued to wield his power before Jameson had a moment of consicousness and confessed all his sins, but not before admonishing C.C. for his behavior. While I don't think C.C. directly caused Santana to be kept locked away, he certainly wasn't willing to listen to Santana. His arrogance and hubris played a role in that story. Similarly, you could see the parallel plots being developed in two ways. Firstly, Santana had been locked away and kept from Brandon in a manner very similar to the way C.C. had kept Pamela from Mason in recent years. During the trial, Santana's biggest supporter was Warren Lockridge. Sliding Santana into the triangle with Warren/Mason/Cassandra would seem like the logical steps once the full arc of the Santana and C.C. story played out. Secondly, Gina, who had kept Brandon from Santana, was now pregnant via artificial insemination with C.C.'s child. To me, it was clear the Dobsons would have had Santana raising Gina's child via C.C. in order to atone for the sin of being kept from her own child. Part of the issue was that Paul Raunch was the producer. Production staged the C.C. and Santana relationship as romantic with a splashy montage of C.C. and Santana making love to Vanessa William's "Save the Best for Last." While I think the romantic element should have played to an extent, this was not a romance story. It was a story of power and revenge. Santana was playing C.C. Rosa makes that very clear in her confrontations with her daughter reminding Santana that she cannot turn C.C. into the late Channing while Santana leaned into the shared grief over Channing's murder. I don't think the Dobsons wanted us to root for Santana and C.C. to be an endgame couple. I imagine the story would have led to a small civil service between C.C. and Santana, who would marry because C.C. wanted to make a play for custody of Gina and his son and wanted to provide him with a stable mother figure. Once Santana and C.C. secured custody, I imagine Santana would have arranged a situation or have allowed Gina to have a situation where C.C. ended up locked away long enough for Santana to secure her birthright, the Oasis, which would have shifted her into the world of Cassandra and Mason. Of course, some of this played out and some of it didn't so I may just be overthinking all of this.