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@slick jones I believe Drew Bell appeared as Ivan Carlisle in the unaired pilot of "Spyder Games." Both he and Julie were recast before the show went on air. MTV had another show in development that they passed on. It was called "Hell House." I believe Millee Taggart was the writer and Francesca James was the producer. I remember being excited for "Titans" when they were marketing it the summer before it premiered. It was really disappointing. It was crazy seeing all the new elements they'd throw in every week. Also, it was really sad to see no one intervene on behalf of Yasmine Bleeth who's addiction to cocaine was pretty apparent to most of the viewing audience.

@te. You are probably right regarding the marketing piece. The show would natural want to end six month cycle with cliffhangers in order to get audience to press the show to be renewed by the individual stations to carry it had they decided not to continue with it. On a slightly different note, but related to syndication, I think something that got overlooked about "Strange Paradise" was that the show's American syndication deals fell through because of a lack of product. A lot of the American stations launched the show in September 1969 when the show was being filmed at one facility. When the show's initial 13-week order concluded, those episodes aired in the states in December 1969. The Desmond Hall episodes didn't start in production until January 1970. Prior to the video releases of "Strange Paradise," many of the shows original fans didn't know "Strange Paradise" continued after the fire on Maljardin. To bring this back full circle, I wonder how many people thought "Rituals" ended with Eddie Gallagher being killed off.

"Flamingo Road" is one of those shows I struggle to get through even though I find it intriguing. I definitely need to revisit it again at some point. I do have a question, which may or may not have an answer. I know there was talk in late 1982 of reviving the show as a daytime serial. Was there any details released other than NBC was considering reviving it? I think the plan was for a half-hour. Would it have replaced "The Doctors"?

Feel free to correct inaccuracies: 1. Barrett Alden 1. Cabot Alden [d. 8/95] + Isabelle Dwyer [d. 8/95] (married) 1. Clayton Alden [d. 7/95] [biological son of Tim Sullivan and Isabelle Dwyer] + Gwyneth Marshall [d. 10/95] (married; divorced in 1989) 1. Rick Stewart / Alden [d. 5/90] [illegitimate: put up for adoption] + Stacey Donovan (affair) had a child together: 1. Heather Rose Forbes [b. 1989] 2. Curtis Alden [d. 7/95] + Ava Rescott (married in 2/86; divorced in 1986) + Charlotte Bates [d. 1 or 2 / 89] (married in 1987) + Dinahlee Mayberry (married in 7/93; divorced in 1993/1994) 3. Patricia "Trisha" Alden + Nick Diantos [d. 3/87] (married???? in 1987) + Steve Sowolsky [d. 11/87] (married in 8/87) + Jeff Hartman (married in 1989; divorced in 1990?) + Thomas "Trucker" McKenzie (married in 1990; divorced in 1992) 1. Benjamin McKenzie [b. 2/91, d. 2/91] 2. Tommy Domeq [illegal adoption in 1991: son of Clay Alden and Abril Domeq] 3. Christopher McKenzie [b. 2/92] + Thomas McKenzie (married in 11/92) + Abril Domeq (affair) 1. Tommy Domeq + Carly Rescott (married in 7/91, divorced in 1991) + Gwyneth Marshall (married in 6/92; annulled 7/92) + Stacey Donovan (married in 11/92; divorced 3/93) + Deborah Brewster (invalid marriage: 5/94-fall 1994) 2. Anne Alden + Roger Forbes [pd. 4/84] (married) 1. Jack Forbes [adopted: biological son of Dane Hammond and Linda Henderson] + Ava Rescott (married in 1985; divorced in 8/95) 1. Johnny Forbes [raised: son of Tug Watley and Sheri Rescottt Watley + Stacey Donovan (married in 2/86; divorcedin 1989?) 1. John Roger Forbes 2. Lorna Forbes + Tony Perilli (married 3/84; annulled mid 1984) + Zach Conway (married 1/87) + Dane Hammond (married 11/84; divorced in 1986) + Lillian (presumably Sloane) [d. 1983] (affair) 1. Shana Sloane + Jim Vochek [d. 9/90] (married in 1988?) 1. Jimmy Vochek [b. late 1980s d. 9/90] + Leo Burnell (married in 6/94) 1. Patricia "Patty" Burnell [b. 10/93] 2. Unknown Brother 1. Tyler Alden [d. 3/92] + Cynthia Alden [d. 3/92] (married) 1. Cooper Alden + Allison Rescott (married in 5/93; divorced in summer 1993) 1. Tyler Rescott Alden [b. 5/93] + Stephanie Brewster (affair; possibly married in early 1996) 1. Casey Antonia Alden [b. early 1996]

I believe the reason Rick was placed up for adoption was because Clay and Gwyn weren’t married and her minister father (later stepfather) didn’t want the shame of a grandchild conceived out of wedlock.

I suspect the success of "Flowers in the Attic" had something to do with a lot of the increase in incestuous themes in different works. I don't know when Keel wrote or published "Rituals," but I do think it might have been shortly before or after "Flowers in the Attic." I think Keel's book was meant to be racy. Priscilla not only gets knocked up by her father and has an abortion, the rumor is that Prisc is now performing in a strip club. Another character, rock star Ariel who attended the university, and now her daughter is attending, was involved in a threesome. When Prisc's half-sister Sandy confronted Charlotte Lawson, Charlotte claimed Sandy couldn't be her husband's child because he was gay. If there was much depth to any of it, i don't recall. I read the book in high school about 20 years ago. I still have to see if I can upload the pages I got off eBay several years ago of the second draft of "Rituals." None of the characters were in the final product and some were already altered from the pilot material.

I wouldn't disagree that Catherine Hicks was the strongest actress to play the role, but I still don't think that version of Faith worked. The Coleridges were meant to be a contrast to the Ryans. While Frank was an arrogant prick, he was self confident. Roger didn't always have that confidence. Jill may have been an independent and strong woman, but she was always someone who didn't trust love because she was adopted and Judith Coleridge was a miserable ice queen. Initially, Faith was also that sort of neurotic mess who had a Daddy complex. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the initial projections called for Faith to be paired with Seneca, which would have made more sense given Faith's backstory involving her college professor. I just didn't get any sense of those neuroses from Catherine Hicks. Her Faith had the sort of Ryan smugness. She almost seemed like she should have been a Ryan cousin rather than a Coleridge. I do think those that mentioned that the problem with Faith was in her construction may have a point. When the show was adapted by Dutch writers, Faith's character equivalent, Renee Couwenberg, later came out as a lesbian. @j swiftYou make some interesting points about the Dubujaks. I also think they take over the penthouse that the Kirklands had purchased, which had initially been the home of Lester Rawlins' character during the Egyptian storyline. The difference between the Novotny clan verse the Dubujaks seems to again be the influence of the daytime trend of making stories bigger ala Luke and Laura. I haven't seen much of Max and Siobhan, but it's not something I have searched out for a reason. Some times I almost think its a good thing that SoapNet stopped where they did. Max as Stefano Dimera isn't surprising. Interesting, Pat Falken Smith had also worked on "Where the Heart Is" prior to Labine and Mayer, but both sets of writers had evolved so much by that point. Also, casting was a mess for the Dubujaks. I know it was common practice to hire young actors to play parents of 20 somethings (I think Callan White joked about playing a grandma at 29 in the "Loving" interviews), but I don't know in what world Susan Scannell was acceptable casting as mother of Gerit Quealey. On a complete side note, my mother had considered naming me after Jacqueline if I had been a girl and still I have no desire to explore what all that Dubujak / Overlord nonsense is about. @DeliaIrisFan I think by offing Max and Joe in one shot it eliminated the mob story, but then again was Jack Fenelli's mobster father still on at the end? I don't know. I don't even know if I want to know. The later 1980s (1986-1989) intrigue me, but I'm not surprised how little material is available from the 1988 Writer's Strike. I'm sure that low clearance doesn't help, but that stuff doesn't seem to memorable.

Thanks Carl for posting those episodes again. Yes, that is Nada Rowand in that ad. Her voice is very distinct. That episode is what passed for Christmas that year. It's a little unfortunate. I think the conclusion to the story is compelling, and it was a good way to transition Tess from a sleazy grifter to a more complex character. I just wish they hadn't tried to so hard to force that characterization prior to this. There were some scenes prior to this which I felt were trying to paint Tess as some sort of Ceara type who they were thinking of pairing with Jeremy, but I don't think Jeremy and Tess ever went much beyond business partners. Other than when Nixon writes for her, Tess is too hard of a character for me to actually enjoy. This is one of Pat Barry's final episodes. Her last episode I believe is the Alden family New Years' party several episodes later where she casually states she's returning to Florida and has turned over her shares of the company to Clay leaving Stacey dumbfounded. Dante was needed to resolve the story threads that had been established by Millee Taggert and Robert Guza. I don't see the longevity in the character that Nixon did. My understanding is Dante's role only got curtailed because there was blow back due to the only Middle Eastern character being a villain. I think the backlash today would probably have been even greater. The Frankie / Angie stuff isn't playing for me. I think bringing Debbi Morgan and Angie to "Loving" wasn't a terrible idea. Guza and Taggert wanted to pair her with Trucker, which would have given her a substantial position on the canvas. The hospital was never a central location, and, to keep it a central location, things became a bit plot driven. I wonder if the show wouldn't have been better off setting her up in a clinic at 35 Maple Street where she could treat the college students. Maybe that would have been too limiting. Frankie was much more aggressive when Guza and Taggert wrote for him. I think they even directly referenced a young Jesse in relation to the type of person Frankie was. None of this stuck though. Nixon went with a much less angry Frankie, and the Frankie / Trucker angle was dropped in favor of Frankie / Charles.

I don't think the show ever got to explore the fact that Michelle Davenport and Carter Robertson had shared the same father. I believe the revelation came out in the very last episode. Given the number of cliffhangers, I wonder if producers were hoping that they would get a reprieve and this was simply a cliffhanger because so much seems to be racing to a conclusion in that final week. I do seem to recall reading that Patrick Chapin left Sara Gallagher something in his will, which may have been the origin of the Michelle Davenport parentage thread, but that would have been two writer teams prior to the one that revealed Michelle was Patrick's daughter. The incest storyline was included in the source material, Charlene Keel's book "Rituals." The title of that book referred to the rituals related to coming of age and attending college. In the final speech, which use to be on youtube, the rituals which Christina was talking were like life, coming of age, finding love, and dying. One of those rituals at Woodbriar (or whatever the school was called in the book) was sleeping with Judd McBroom, the local drama professor. Judd slept with mother and daughter duo Charlotte and Priscilla Lawson and impregnated both of them. At the end of the book, Priscilla leaves town to have an abortion after learning she's carrying her father's child. The Judd / Charlotte / Priscilla story does make its way into the soap opera version. Logan Williams is definitely a sanitized version of the original Judd McBroom character and the timeline of Taylor sleeping with Logan, marrying Carson Field, and having Julia all lines up for the possibility that Julia may have been C.J. or Logan's daughter. I don't know how much of that thread was played, but it was some foreshadowing that this was going to be the actual story. If JoAnn Pflug would have been scandalized by Taylor trying to bed Bernhardt, could you imagine her reaction to those scenes of having Julia confess that Logan had knocked her up? The one question I always had about the incest plots was regarding Jeff Robertson. If he was Christina's son and Christina was Sara's sister, weren't Jeff and Noel cousins? That was never something that seemed to be a big deal. Patrick was single when he died. Wasn't he? I know he had been sleeping with Christina, but I don't think they actually married. I'm not even sure if Marissa and Carter were legally married because I don't think he divorced Christina, but I could be wrong. Marissa Mallory is interesting to me because she is at the start of that Chalon formula story. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I recently realized it was a fabric. Jeez. The Marissa story climaxed in February 1984 at the end of the initial six month episode order. Episode 130 had a whole bunch of cliffhangers intended to keep the audience to press for the show to continue. It was also when they did the murder mystery contest. I believe this is also the point that Gene Palumbo departs the writing staff as headwriter and the role is assumed by Raymond Goldstone, Ann Marcus' brother. Goldstone probably dumped the Marissa story. By early 1985, almost no one was showing the show in primetime slots so I think they started to shift a bit towards daytime. Goldstone (and probably Jorn Winter) started the Lucky / Julia romance, developed the white supremacist group storyline, created the rivalry between C.J. Fields and Carter Robertson, and developed the Eddie Gallagher murder mystery. That latin revolutionary storyline sounds very 1980s. As I watch more day to day episodes of 1980s soaps, I find the emphasis on the "Luke and Laura" style storylines so off putting. On a funny side note, I remember spending the early years of the Internet searching for information on "Rituals" and only coming upon a site where someone was looking for the scenes of Kevin Spiritas being tied up on some bondage site. Oh the strange places the internet takes you in search of an obscure soap... Characters definitely evolved. If you watch the clips of Mary Beth Evans Dakota Lane, who did go by Koty (pronounced like Cody), Andrea Moar's Julia Fields becomes a much more sympathetic character over time. Karen Kelly's Noel Gallagher also comes off less harshly as time goes on. I think the decision was to give a lot of the nastier parts to the women. I believe Christina Robertson (who may or may not have gone by Chris) was initially more ambiguous before they decided she was going to just be the heavy. I'm sure this show is an absolute mess, but I'd kill to see it from start to finish.

I remember the rabbit. The rabbit of evil. It was bad. I think the change in date may have been related to costumes. I know when they revisit the Jacques character in the Desmond Hall story I believe they place Jacques in the timeline of the French Revolution. There was a producer change around 45. Robert Costello, previously of "Dark Shadows," came on. Then Ian Martin, the show's creator and headwriter, was dismissed. I believe the rabbit of evil stuff appeared around the time of the switch. There was another storyline that was suppose to happen that was cut. Episode synopses were provided to the papers based of outlines that had another past lives plot involving a witch Tarasca and Jacques. I believe Elizabeth Marshall was the reincarnation of Tarasca. There were other storylines that I think they could have done on the island, but, for the life of me, I can't remember which ones were hinted at for Maljardin and which ones were hinted at in the next location. I like the early weeks (the first 8 or 9) before the rabbit. Then, the island stuff just becomes plot driven, but intense at times. I wish they had killed off Holly. How so many characters were killed off and she escapes boggles the mind. Is any of Lemay's stuff online? I watched his material years ago. It's good, but complicated. There were lots of references to Native American mythology (I don't know if they were real or fictional) and spirits possessing bodies and a lack of clarity on who was actually who. It's fascinating, but insane. The only thing more insane than the rabbit though are the curls they put on Raxl for a single episode of the Desmond Hall story. That should be something to look forward to.

This wasn't the first time that Delia used Little John to try to get Frank back. In January 1981, the school psychologist wrote a letter to Delia and Frank saying that she was leaving and that Little John had been doing well at school. Delia doctored the letter to try and convince Frank that Little John was maladjusted and that he needed to spend more time with both of his parents together. There was a great reaction from Bob who reads the letter and basically states that the psychobabble is poorly written catching on to Delia's scheming. In regards to Mary Ryan Munisteri, I think Labine was fond of her tenure. The majority of her tenure seems mostly like what you'd expect from "Ryan's Hope" but slightly diluted with the introduction of Hollis and Amanda. I don't think the show overloads itself with Kirkland drama until the tailend when Christine Jones is introduced as Catsy Kirkland in December 1982. I would like to see the dance hall storyline from that time where Johnny and Maeve spar because Maeve ends up spending more time with her dancing partner which makes Johnny jealous. I love the Ryans, but I feel like the desire to make them the family everyone wanted to be a part of often led to characters ignoring character flaws. Many of the Ryans came off as hypocritical because they struggled to see in themselves the problems they saw in others. I really liked Faith laying into Maeve after Frank dumped Faith, but I can now see the problem of having Faith do that while trying to position her as a heroine. I like Karen Morris Gowdy, but I don't think they ever knew how to best utilize that character in terms of character type.

Wasn't there also the philosophy that people might not be watching the shows because they were with family? So to move the story ahead didn't make much sense logistically. While the shows definitely became more plot driven, I think the Christmas episode change also highlighted that the producers stopped thinking of the viewers as people but strictly consumers. Ignoring the relationship that is built between the viewer and the show (and the viewer and people within their own families who watched the shows) really led to the place where we are now. Granted, given the ever evolving nature of media, soaps probably would have always reached a natural conclusion, but I think the complete focus on commercialization which led to the plot driven writing, in my opinion, was a contributing factor.

Thanks @victoria foxton I do hope they resume those last few years soon. I was curious to see the final years which seem pretty insane between the writer's strike and the final six months or so when the show embraces all of those "General Hospital" elements.

I'm into early November 1980. I'm sure this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think the 1980 episodes are much better than the material I've seen from 1982 when Pam Long was writing. The first episode of "Texas" I saw was from November 1982 when I visited the Paley Center years ago. I was surprised by how quickly the episode moved and the theatrics of Lori March responding to the news that Gregory was Ashley and T.J.'s son. The ending is nice, but I was surprised rewatching it in the last year that it was well written, but I struggled connecting with it. I find a lot of the writing of Pam Long seems sentimental vs. emotional. Like there is a sense of community, friendship, and connection, but I don't emotionally connect with the characters or the story. Maybe if I saw longer stretches of Long's tenure, and I don't think Long is a bad writer. I just am surprised by the praise the end of "Texas" received. I much prefer the slower paced, and theatrical monologues from characters about their feelings in the fall 1980 episodes. It's a shame that Ann McCarthy overplays every line because I think she and Carla Borelli physically look alike and I think a Sam / Reena rivalry would be interesting given the character's positions with Justin and Victoria. I do love the latest developments in this circle with Ryan Connor letting Reena know that Striker owns shares of Victory Network and that he'll need a proxy on the board with a meeting looming. I love it. Even lousy Clipper Curtis trying to secure a job at KVIK while he plots his assassination plot with Billy Joe. I still love Striker and Victoria talking about their relationship. Vicky admitting to Striker that Alex and Iris are engaged and she is losing Alex for good. Striker doesn't want to be alone. It's all so good. It's interesting see how things develop. Jeb Hampton is an interesting character. Ginny's kid brother with a cardiac condition and rock and roll past. It is nice seeing Caryn Richman play a dual role as Jeb's tragic girlfriend Suzanne, who died as a result of her drug abuse. I like that they admitted that Jeb wasn't innocent, he also engaged in some drug use. I find it interesting how "Texas" works in social issues without making them social issue storylines. I don't think they always work, but I do like it. It's clear they are already heading down the road of Courtney / Jeb. Courtney and Kevin didn't work so I don't blame the writers for changing direction though I had come to enjoy some of their scenes as time went on. I guess I just wanted to see Reena make mincemeat of Courtney. Yasmin is quickly dumped. It's interesting that Yasmin story seems to be one of the larger than life elements that the Corringtons would often incorporate into their stories. They had that Italian prince who raped Renata Corelli on "Search for Tomorrow." I found it interesting, but not surprising, that they never let Yasmin have any physical romantic gestures. There was a flirtation with Clipper as part of her scheme, but they never kissed. I don't even think she kissed her husband Ryan. I don't know how Billy Joe becomes a romantic hero. I don't hate the character, but I definitely don't think he is a character I feel much sympathy for. I do think the Corringtons have tried to make him less dark by having Nita talk about how Billy Joe's dad was abusive. I think that would have been an interesting piece to explore more as well as what exactly Billy Joe did to survive in prison. I think the Dekker / Wrights are a nice mix and represent a nice contrast to the weatlhier characters. Paige is delightful. I love her just toying with Dawn after Dennis' 25th birthday. Jim Poyner is such a typical P&G style 1980s brooding leading male. I don't hate the Alex / Iris relationship. I haven't viewed much of McKinsey as Iris on "Another World," but I think the points regarding the change in character are valid. It really is a shame they didn't pursue the angle that Iris was going to try and act like a better person to keep Alex's image of her alive even though it wasn't who she truly was. With that said, it would have been interesting to see Iris and Reena's friendship in Bay City because Reena is such a spoiled daddy's girl. Kate Marshall's comments to Max about Reena needing someone to help her grow up helped me to understand why they were going the route of Max and Reena. I do love Reena and Justin. I do hope more of the 1982 episodes make it online. I would like to see this all the way through to the end.

Has Retro returned to airing episodes from late 1979 or early 1980? I know they had paused due to their facilities being closed when the lockdowns began last spring.

It was always part of Jill’s backstory. I believe it was mentioned in the first week or two when Jill was explaining how she never felt close to the Coleridge mother because she had been the orphan that Ed had brought home from a tour of duty. Her father was originally stated to be a friend of Ed’s but this may have just been a cover. Jill’s adoption was a bigger point in 1981 after Frank broke his engagement with Faith because he was still in love with Jill. Faith would coldly remind Jill that she wasn’t her REAL sister which then led to the whole Mehrit Khara story where it came out that Ed was Jill’s father. Between 1975 and 1981 it was mentioned infrequently.

The scenes are from different episodes. I have the scene with Dennis Patrick and Delilah. That episode is January 10, 1984. I think the role was a dayplayer. Delilah goes to seduce the guy, but Brad Vernon interrupts her. Brad, who she is sleeping with, has managed to get her a role in a music video. The episodes from around this time were not too engaging. A lot of San Carlos talk between Simon Warwick and Asa's plot to retrieve his money through something called Christophore. Did anyone really enjoy this period? The cast is pretty strong, but the story isn't all that great. Sam Hall and Henry Sleasar are credited as the headwriters. I did enjoy the little romance that was blooming between Rafe and Sam. They seemed like a sweet couple. Most of the rest of the story seems pretty forgettable. The Simon Warwick stuff was the hardest to swallow (fictional South American country, plastic surgery, David Renaldi - savior of political refugees). Wasn't this all tied into Judith McConnell's Eva Vasquez. The only things I did appreciate of this nonsense were Viki treating this storyline like the trash it is and the appearance of Pamela Lincoln as Suzanne Allardyce, Simon's mother. Lincoln plays these second tier washed out divas pretty well, but this seems like such a nothing role.

Striker recounts meeting Vicky for the first time in episode 25 and refers to her as Miss Stanley. Stanley is Vicky’s maiden name. Sorry if there was confusion. Before episode 25, Striker refers to Bart and Sam as his wife’s niece and nephew. In the first week of October 1989 myself, Justin and Bart are just introduced which is crazy to me. Bart only knows Justin because his sister Sam has talked about him. At least they are consistent. Reena has just learned that Courtney is Kevin’s other woman which is delightful. Courtney is going to be kicked out of the program. I wonder if the plan was for Courtney and Bart to actually have the private practice? Western Art is failing and there’s a pretty big event happening at the gallery which I assume changes things. There are also mentions of Ginny’s brother Jeb so I guess things are already changing.

Bart and Sam are Vicky’s niece and nephew. Her maiden name is Stanley.

@Neil Johnson It's interesting how things changed from "Another World" to "Texas." I'm curious how much was really adapted from the Corringtons' period piece "Reunion" bible and how much were elements that Paul Raunch cooked up with a combination of the Corringtons and/or Tom King. I've been surprised by little details that I've learned in episodes like how Striker was a former lieutenant governor in the state of Texas. I believe the nickname was explained in story, but I remember it being pretty weak. It had something to do with Striker's rise to the top of politics if I remember correctly. Alex Wheeler seems like such a poor man's version of Jay Gatsby or a low rent Steve Frame. I know some people have said, maybe even you, that it seemed like the original story was going to be the Marshalls vs. the Bellmans. Alex seems to change all that. I think Samantha as Reena's cousin allows you to have Reena as an only child and replay the Iris / Mac relationship, but I think you are right that Samantha as her sister would have given the storylines a different dynamic and chance to play something new.

@Efulton I've also started watching "Texas" from the beginning recently. I'm a little bit farther than you are (first week of October, 1980). I really enjoy it. Mike Marshall's suicide really allows the Corringtons to use those Southern Gothic flourishes that they excel at. I think Mike's death really propelled the show, it's just a shame that it wasn't included in the first week worth of episodes. If it was up to me, I think I would have made the concluding episode of the 90-minute "Another World" reach its ending with Sheik Zeidi in surgery with the assassination plot underway and use that story to propel the story on Monday. This way, Mike Marshall's suicide could be the first Friday cliffhanger. Also, I think I would have had Monday, August 4th episode of "Another World" end with Iris getting on the plane and episode 1 of "Texas" start with Iris arriving in Houston. I think the first week is clunky at times. The Kevin / Courtney romance is flawed. I haven't decided if I love or hate the twangy theme they use for these two. I find Lee Patterson incredibly gruff, which I think is intended, but he doesn't seem to crack enough around Courtney to make Kevin seem like a viable romantic lead. I know Patterson was a big deal on "One Life to Live," but I don't think it works here. With that said, I actually think I like Kevin more than I liked the bits I've seen recently of his Tom Dennison later in the decade on "One Life to life." I do find Patterson seems a bit more at ease with Elizabeth Allen as Victoria, but I wouldn't want a romance there. I just really like the friendship between Victoria and Kevin. I think the biggest revelation to me in all of this is Robert Gerringer who seems sort of flat character as Striker, but who has such a deeper inner life than I ever could imagine. The sequences where Striker learns that his beloved Vicky has been cuckolding him for years with his good friend Alex Wheeler are mesmerizing. Allen and Gerringer are amazing together as they play those confrontation scenes. I like this version of Vicky, deeply flawed, self centered like her daughter, but in love with two men, very appealing. Later in the show's run, I feel all those layers are pulled away. Watching this, I don't see why the show didn't have Victoria go after Grant Wheeler, Alex's brother, and then have Reena pursue Grant for all the years of suffering Victoria caused Reena and Striker. Then again, the later Striker "revelations" don't seem to fall in line with anything that is going on right now. I really like the set up of Billy Joe and Nita. Nita is a woman who is coming into her own and no longer needs a man like explosive Billy Joe, yet she is drawn to a man, Rikki Dekker, who is drawn to a similar level of danger. I like Billy Joe pursuing Elena because she is Rikki's sister, but I don't see how this is going to turn into the sort of romance I have seen between the two down the line. I also was surprised that the Corringtons went into Billy Joe's damaged psyche mentioning how Billy Joe was protecting his siblings growing up, implying he also may have been abused by his daddy, and making veiled comments about what he learned form the cops in prison. Like Victoria, I'm not sure how I'll find the later version of Billy Joe more appealing. The Dekkers are very interesting. Are they suppose to be Mexican American? There are definitely hints that one or more of the Dekker kids are Marshalls. Everyone keeps talking about how close they grow up. Justin tells Max that Rikki is "our brother" and Terry squirms when Paige refers to the two of them as sisters. I would imagine the plan was to reveal that the Dekkers were somehow tied to the Marshalls through William Marshall, Mike Marshall's brother who died in the war. I don't mind the Iris / Alex story, but I wouldn't say its the one I want to see the most. I like the construct of Iris and Reena vs Victoria. I even like Victoria pining over Alex and being a thorn in the side of Alex and Iris' relationship. I just find a lot of the Iris and Alex stuff is too much. Alex is hiding that he was with Vicky for years, Iris is hiding that she had Alex's child, everyone hates Alex for the perceived part he played in Mike Marshall's suicide. It's just a lot. I also never knew that they seem to hint that Justin was going to pursue Iris in order to get at Alex. Dawn and Dennis are pretty standard fare. Kimmel is super green. Poyner appears to be playing the material just as if it was Tom King's slow, talky "Another World." I did appreciate Dennis running around in his shorts while answering the phone when Iris called. I also get the angle they are going with Dawn and Dennis, an impulsive young love like Alex and iris. I just don't care about insolent Dawn. Funny, I disagree with you on Joel Corodner and Catherine Hickland. Hickland is incredibly green, and I find Courtney to be uninspiring with Hickland's performance. I cannot disagree with others who say it hurts Courtney's character that she has no scenes with the other Marshalls. I didn't remember that initially the Marshall ranch was quite distance from Houston so I get some elements of it. Depsite this, Bart has made it out to the ranch twice to visit with Kate, while Courtney hasn't even managed a phone call home. The disconnect from the Marshall family is a serious problem especially since the show seems to be pitting Courtney vs Reena with Reena in a pretty ongoing friendship with Courtney's brother Justin. In terms of a character construct, I'm interested in Courtney. She's the brain. The smart one in the family who has never experienced life. Even in terms of her relationship with Kevin there are some intriguing angles. Kevin won't leave Reena, who he doesn't love, because she might lose Striker, her father, while Kevin's much more okay leaving Courtney, who he does love, who has actually lost her father. On the hand, I don't mind Joel Corodner's Bart Walker, the young man of privilege who wants to give back and build a clinic for people who really need services. I think Bart is the type of character you kinda need, just a good old fashioned good guy. I also like how he is the opposite of Kevin Cook, who grew up poor and married his way into money. I kinda like that Bart's a lame duck foe of Kevin's. He doesn't really like what Kevin is doing to Reena or Courtney, but he isn't the type of guy to really know what to do about it. I do like how he occassionally gets bitchy and makes snarky comments to Reena. I really want to like Sam Walker, but Ann McCarthy overplays almost every scene she is in. In a way, it might work as she is the cousin of Reena, but it often just falls flat. The construction of Sam and Justin is a bit flawed. Sam had too many connections to Justin through Reena and Bart and Courtney to not know that Justin was a well known race car driver. I like the news angle though and I like that Sam is the daughter that Aunt Vicky wish she had compared to venomous Reena. I think recasting Sam would have been a better move than dumping the character.

I’ll do my best, but, to be honest, the period where Trisha and Jeff are together is one of the periods I’ve done little research into because I’m not a big fan of Millee Taggert and Tom King’s 1988-1991 run. I think it progressively improved in the later half (1990-1991 when Jacqueline Babbin arrived as executive producer), but so much of the earlier material comes off as generic. What has appeared online of this period doesn’t fascinate me either. Trisha arrived in Corinth in December, 1984, when her mother Gwyneth arrived at the Alden mansion for Christmas. Almost immediately, Trisha would encounter Steve Sowolosky, who had also recently been introduced into the series. Steve was Ava’s mechanic cousin, the son of con man Harry Sowolosky who worked as a heavy for Dane Hammond and menaced Shana Sloane during her romance with Jim Vochek. Steve and Trisha were star crossed lovers with lots of trademark Marland elements. I remember reading somewhere that Marland had asked his niece what teenage girls wanted, and she had claimed an older man. So using this (as he had with Kelly Nelson and Morgan Richards on “Guiding Light”) Marland created older man Steve Sowolsky and not even barely legal Trisha Alden. There was also the class element, Trisha was from a blue blood family and Sowolosky was from a family who came from the wrong side of the tracks. Steve’s aunt Kate Rescott literally ran a boarding house on Railroad Street where the train could occasionally be heard passing by. Marland wasn’t around long enough to have Trisha go full Lily and move into the boarding house, but I imagine he would have if he lasted long enough. In the final months of Marland’s tenure, Trisha and Steve were trying to get together, but were mostly kept apart by the age issues and by Trisha’s status conscious mother, Gwyneth Alden. Gwyneth was a social climber who had been raised by a minister and his wife but had elevated herself through marriage into the Alden clan. At the time, Gwyn may or may not have murdered her husband, Clay, Trisha’s father, but she was sure she wouldn’t see her daughter get pulled down. In her own personal life, Gwyn was moving in on Dane Hammond, her sister-in-law Ann’s new husband. Through Dane, Gwyn became acquainted with Harry Sowolsky, Steve’s low life father, and Gwyn used Harry to keep Trisha and Steve apart. I believe Trisha was pretty much presented as a wide eyed doe type unaware of the troubles of the world. She used preppy Rich Elkins as part of a ruse to convince Gwyn that she and Steve weren’t really a thing. When Harry ended up in jail for one of his many crimes, Gwyn agreed to get him out of prison if Harry could keep Trisha and Steve apart. At some point, Cecilia Thompson, the daughter of the owner of the garage where Steve worked entered the story. She became a longterm foil for Trisha. Cecilia was also young and in love with Steve, but more seductive. When Trisha wouldn’t put out, Cecilia did, but when Steve didn’t stick around, Cecilia and her father had statutory rape charges brought against Steve. With Steve in prison, Trisha was left alone. By this point, Bill Levinson assumes control of the story after a brief solo stint from Agnes Nixon. Levinson definitely plays things on a larger scale and begins the sort of attempt to make the show a mix of “Dynasty” and “General Hospital.” In prison, Steve is taunted by Spider, who is a criminal up for parole. Spider threatens to get to Trisha when he gets out, which gets Steve all out of sorts. Spider is released and goes after Trisha. I think Steve somehow escapes prison and ends up saving Trisha from Spider’s grasp. Steve, now a fugitive, goes on the run with Trisha, and the couple ends up in Montreal where there is a final showdown with Spider before he’s either carted off to prison or is killed. Of course, Steve still escaped from prison so back he goes. I think he gets out because he agrees to marry Cecilia or something along those lines. Anyway, Steve marries Cecilia and clearly things were not going to be happily ever after. While Steve and Cecilia live out their domestic misery, a lonely dejected Trisha becomes easy prey for sleazy casino owner Nick Diantos. Nick had mob ties and had set up shop in Corinth. With Trisha involved with a lowlife, Steve became concerned, which, in turn, pissed off his already frustrated wife Cecilia. Nick gets Trisha involved in drugs to keep her complacent and Trisha briefly marries the man to get his hands on her money. After a year plus of this madness, writer Bill Levinson is shown the door and Ralph Ellis is brought on. In Levinson’s final days, he sets up a murder mystery involving Nick Diantos with a slew of suspects, including Trisha. It’s pretty quickly revealed that Cabot Alden shot Nick for what he was doing to his granddaughter without any ramifications. Ellis seemed to want to brush past the plot. Instead, he had Cecilia and Steve divorce quickly, and Trisha and Steve unite. Cecilia realized she was pregnant and used the baby to hold onto Steve even though Steve and Trisha agreed to raise the child. Cecilia eventually miscarried and confided the whole mess into her new bestie Ava Rescott, Steve’s cousin who was involved with Trisha’s father Clay after having married both Trisha’s brother Curtis and her cousin Jack. Eventually, the truth comes out and Trisha marries Steve. Meanwhile, Cecilia begins a romance with Rick Stewart, Trisha’s long lost brother. Under Ellis, Trisha and Steve would marry in a big wedding in the summer that would nearly be interrupted (or was interrupted) by country bumpkin Eban Japes, the common law husband of Trisha’s sister-in-law, Lotty. This seemed to be an omen of things to come. Trisha and Steve’s happiness was incredibly shortlived. They married in August 1987 and by November 1987 Steve was held hostage in a bank robbery with Stacey Forbes and her young son J.J. Steve agreed to stay with the robbers if they freed the others, including Stacey and J.J. During the stand off, Steve was shot and later died with Trisha by his side at the hospital. Cece was also dropped around this time. Trisha, from what I recall reading, was pretty much sidelined for the next few months until Jeff Hartman arrived in the spring of 1988. The big stories at the tailend of Ellis’ run were Lily Slater’s “Fatal Attraction” obsession over Jack Forbes, the revelation that Randolph Mantooth’s Clay Alden wasn’t the real Clay but an imposter, and I believe some spy plot involving Shana and Jim Vochek and Dan Hollister who was somehow tied to the insanity revolving around Alex taking over Clay’s life. When Jeff Hartman is first introduced, Trisha’s mother Gwyneth Alden wants to hire him for a position in the television production division of Alden Enterprises before she and Jeff become lovers. The not so merry widow Trisha takes a job in the production division as well as soon she and Jeff are falling for each other. Initially, Jeff is not a bad guy. He comes from a wealthy family who had a large media conglomerate, but Jeff struck out on his own without his family to make a name for himself. I believe this was something Trisha admired as she so without an identity. When Trisha and Jeff start dating, Jeff hides the fact that he once went to bed with Trisha’s mother. Jeff and Trisha become a thing during the summer of 1988 during the writer’s strike. Casting for Jeff becomes problematic and within short order you have three actors hired to play Jeff in less than a year. When the strike ends, Millee Taggert and Tom King are hired to write the show and they set out to put the story in a different direction. Jeff’s father, Charles Hartman, was introduced late in the strike (August 1988) and appears to be positioned as a new love interest for Gwyn as well as a potential rival to the Alden family. King and Taggert abandon this and quickly kill off Charles in a car accident in December 1988, while I believe Jeff and Gwyn hit the sheets again, get caught on film, and then continue to hide the affair from Trisha. I think “the tape” is a big story for quite some time. It’s around this point that Jeff starts to spiral out of control and Trucker is introduced in February 1989. Trucker’s backstory is convulted as f^%$. He’s the former chauffeur for Clay and Gwyn when they lived in Maine and where he bedded Gwyn. Later, Trucker went to prison for a crime that Clay committed because Clay paid him off and Trucker had medical expenses due to his ill sister Amelia “Rocky” McKenzie. Trucker and Trisha grow closer. Anyway, somewhere along the way Trisha and Jeff become engaged, there’s a big party, and the tape of Jeff banging Trisha’s mom gets played for the entire company. Trisha and Jeff split. Trisha and Trucker get together, but then there’s a car accident or something and Trisha is presumed dead. Jeff finds her and whisks her off to Rome. Trucker learns the truth and goes to save her. There’s a sword fight. I’m sure it was suppose to be exciting and Trisha and Trucker have a following, but this all seems plot heavy as anything. I do know that some of the later Taggert / King run material isn’t groundbreaking, but is well played. This all just seems amazingly bad. Also, somewhere along the way you have a past lives / flashback storyline where Robert Tyler plays an Alden family servant accused of stealing something. Not “Loving” at its finest. When Jacqueline Babbin is lured out of retirement by Nixon, Trucker and Trisha’s story seems more grounded in emotion, if not less over the top. Jeff ends up institutionalized, Trisha and Trucker marry, and life moves on. I’m not necessarily sure of the order of that, but whatever. While Trisha is involved with Trucker, Trucker’s sister Rocky is involved with Trisha’s brother Curtis in two ill fated triangles (one with Egypt’s hunky but forgettable brother Todd Jones and another with Rocky’s future husband Rio, brother of Amourelle model Abril Domeq). Under Babbin, King and Taggert develop a rather expansive tale with Trucker and Trisha at the center which had the potential to cause longterm conflict between Trisha, Trucker, and Trisha’s father Clay. Clay beds down with Abril Domeq and knocks her up. Meanwhile, Trisha and Trucker are expecting their first child, but Trisha goes into premature labor and their son, Benjamin, does not survive. Abril decides she isn’t ready for motherhood and agrees to give the baby to Trucker and Trisha. Trucker and Abril are keeping their own secrets with Abril claiming lowlife Monty is the father, while Trucker is secretly paying for the baby (I think). Trisha is completely kept in the dark because she is unemotionally unstable after losing the baby. Anyway, the story has other threads. Abril befriends Ava Rescott’s sister Carly who she works with in the Alden Enterprises daycare center. Carly has her own baby issues; she was knocked by Ava’s current beau Paul Slavinski in high school and gave the baby up. Carly marries Clay, unaware that he is the actual father of Abril’s baby, while also still carrying a torch for Paul. Monty, Abril’s faux baby daddy, develops an attraction for Rocky, which causes problems in her marriage to Abril’s brother Rio. This whole byzantine storyline has the potential to go on for sometime, but, instead, Babbin leaves after her year is up (a deal is a deal) and Fran Sears is hired as her successor. Sears quickly nixes the storyline letting go Abril, Clay, Rocky, and Rio after a brief murder mystery involving the short term villain Monty. Sears hires Mary Ryan Munisteri who takes newcomer Dinahlee Mayberry, one of Taggert’s last new creations, and sets out to have Dinahlee seduce Jack Forbes at the bequest of Shana Vochek and Clay Alden. Dinahlee fails to bed Jack, but seriously pisses off his wife Stacey Forbes, who has no problem whining about her marital unrest to her best friend Trisha. Meanwhile, Trisha and Trucker’s marriage is suffering from their different backgrounds. Trisha tries to return to the business world, but her cousin Jack Forbes rejects the idea of hiring her on the basis of neopotism alone so Trisha becomes involved in the curation of the Alden family art collection which is being housed at AU. Trucker, a mechanic by trade, and Trisha, a patron of the arts, are now at odds with each other. The tension boils over as Giff Bowman is brought to town to work as a professor at AU. Giff befriends both Trisha, Trucker, and Dinahlee, who works as a nude model in his class. Giff is commissioned to build a statue for the lobby of Alden Enterprises and hires Trucker to do the fabrication. This brings Trucker into Dinahlee Mayberry’s orbit. As Trucker and Trisha grow apart, Dinahlee and Trucker become closer. When Jeremy Hunter arrives in town, Trucker is convinced that heavily pregnant Trisha (who wasn’t suppose to get pregnant but since Noelle Beck is pregnant again, surprise Trisha’s pregnant) wants to bed Jeremy. Trucker and Dinahlee have sex in Giff Bowman’s studio where a temporarily homeless Dinahlee has been staying. Stacey Forbes, convinced that Dinahlee and Jack are going around behind her back, finds Dinahlee in bed not with her own husband but her best friend’s husband. Eventually, the truth comes out, and Trucker decides that once wasn’t enough and goes back to bed with Dinahlee again. Anyway, Trisha decides to forgive Trucker despite the fact that Gwyn’s back sniffing around trying to cause problems in Trucker and Trisha’s marriage. Gwyn has begun dating Giff, who thinks that Trucker’s just a guy who made a mistake and shouldn’t be forced to suffer for it for the rest of his life. Trisha wants to make her marriage work even though she is hurt by what Trucker has done. Dinahlee wants Trucker, but can’t have him. When Gwyn tries to pay her to leave town, Dinahlee takes the check and uses it to purchase the bowling alley, Pins, putting down roots in Corinth. In January 1992, Mary Ryan Munisteri is out and Addie Walsh is in. Walsh has the unfortunate task of writing out Noelle Beck for her second maternity leave in a little over a year’s time. Trucker and Trisha, who have mostly been happy, have a blow up when Trisha gives birth out of state while on an art buying trip with Giff, who has broken up with Gwyn because that’s what happens to Gwyn when a new writer comes on the scene. Walsh has a furious Trisha storm off into parts unknown with her baby, who I don’t think gets a name until Beck returns from maternity leave. 1992 is a cluster of a year and it’s the last full year Trisha is on the canvas. Beck films a couple of phone calls that a dispersed over several months to Richard Cox’s Giff. Initially, all the stuff with Giff and Trisha is innocent and friendly. Cox’s Giff was initially a very care free and laid back dude. He had a series of failed marriages, and a kid by each wife. When Walsh arrives, Giff now has a tragic backstory involving the death of his wife Alise in childbirth. Giff finds Trisha in the little community where his wife was buried and this is where Giff runs into his son Revel (now calling himself Casey) for the first time in some time. Trisha’s return has Trucker heated and Trucker believes that Giff has purposely been keeping Trisha and Christopher away from him. It’s not a good look for Trucker. As the year progresses, rumor has it that Walsh leaves the writing staff when new EP Haidee Granger nixes her sexual molestation story involving Michael Weatherly’s Cooper Alden, Trisha’s second cousin once removed. Anyway, Trisha and Trucker have a custody battle over Christopher, which Trisha wins. Overnight, Giff is crazy and suddenly needs to get rid of Christopher because Christopher is what is keeping Trisha in Trucker’s orbit. After Christopher’s kidnapping, Casey begins to realize his dad is bonkers. It’s too late though; Giff kidnaps Trisha and takes her to the AU belfry. Trucker and Casey manage to rescue Trisha, but not before Trucker and Giff fall from the belfry killing Giff and wounding Trucker. Suffering memory loss, Trucker believes he’s in love with Trisha’s best friend Stacey. Around this time, Noelle Beck decides she’s done with the show. She wants to pursue other opportunities, but agrees to extend her contract so that they can properly wrap up Trisha’s story. The Stacey / Trucker angle is quickly nixed. Trisha and Trucker marry in a rustic wedding in November 1992 and prepare to settle down with Christopher and Casey as an unofficial ward. In her final months, Trisha mostly acts as tertiary character in the crazy Stacey plot worrying about what might happen to her friend. When Millee Taggert and Robert Guza arrive, Trisha has two minor arcs that really go nowhere. Recurring comic relief Arthur Davis, an AU student who works at the bike shop, falls for Trisha despite her being married to his boss. Steffi Brewster encourages him to go for it and Arthur does manage to get a kiss on the cheek from Trisha. When her brother Curtis returns home, Trisha learns that her father Clay plans on dismantling Alden Enterprises, and Curtis and Trisha plan to overthrow their father. This never happens. In Trisha’s final days in Corinth, Trisha becomes entangled with mysterious Buck Huston who arranges to Trisha attacked so that he can play hero and worm his way into Trisha and Trucker’s life. Trisha and Trucker invite Buck into their home, which infuriates Curtis because he has a past with Buck in Kuwait. Trisha learns that Curtis and Buck know each other before driving off to meet Trucker at the cabin. On the way, Trisha is carjacked and shortly after the car careens off the road. Trisha, again, is presumed dead. All of Corinth mourns Trisha’s passing while Trisha wakes up, stumbles into a bakery truck, and ends up at a greasy spoon on the outskirts of Corinth. Trisha’s picture is plastered over the paper, but no one seems to notice. In need of work, Trisha gets a waitressing job just as Jeff Hartman is released from Dunellyn, the mental hospital. Jeff stops by for breakfast at the diner before his plans to depart the States for Italy. He spots Trisha, is led to believe that Trucker has been beating her, and runs off to Italy with her while her family thinks she is dead. And with that, Trisha leaves Corinth in April 1993. Trucker never really gets over Trisha completely. In late 1993, when Curtis has been kidnapped, a psychic is brought to the Alden mansion by Gwyn to find her son. The psychic, instead, picks up on vibrations about Trisha, which everyone dismisses. Later, in 1994, Trucker gets signs that Trisha is alive, which sends him on a chase to Italy when newlyweds Shana and Leo Burnell find Jeff Hartman living in Rome. Buck realizes the truth; Curtis has been leading Trucker to believe that Trisha is alive. Dinahlee rushes off to Rome to stop Trucker from confronting Jeff. Dinahlee gets to Trucker and Trucker believes it is all a coincidence. In 1995, Dinahlee wants Trucker to resolve his feelings once and for all. An exhumation reveals the body in Trisha’s grave isn’t hers (it was the carjacker’s) and Trucker goes to find Trisha. Dinahlee brings the Aldens a letter saying Trisha is alive, has no memory of the Aldens, and has no desire to look back on a life she doesn’t remember. As the show wraps up in the summer of 1995, long time cast members are killed off left and right. Trisha is suspected to be the culprit. She returns from Rome to Corinth to see if she can remember anything (I think), but it’s all a bust. Later, Trisha slinks out of town and ends up in London I think.

I know its unpopular, but I really think Mary Ryan Munisteri was underrated. The affair storyline between Trucker and Trisha is a bit messy (the source of tension should have stemmed from Trisha's inability to trust Trucker after the lies he kept during the Tommy storyline). The substory that Stacey believed Jack was cheating with Dinahlee, who had been paid by Shana to seduce Jack, was a great way to keep Stacey and Jack in the thick of things without dominating the story. Stacey catching Trucker and Dinahlee together in bed is such a great moment. Matt's storyline was great. It was great how the story intersected with Ceara and Jeremy's. I just don't see why the show felt the need to bring back Jeremy later. Jean LeClerc seemed like an expensive prop. The 1992 episode features that bizarre Stacey is crazy story. Not a favorite of mine. I do think the Ally / Cooper story is strong, but Hannah was such a dead end. I get the purpose of the sweet country girl and that she was tied to the canvas as Dinahlee's sister, but she was such an easy character to dump.

I didn't realize that hadn't been posted here. Thanks for sharing it. I believe this is from very early in the show's run (about May or June 1983). The menacing dude is Seth Quinn, the criminal son of the show's heavy Medger Quinn. This is the only bit I've seen of "The Catlins" with Brett Rice in it. Priscilla was working as a maid for Jonathan and Eleanor Catlin, Seth's brohter-in-law and sister. Priscilla was attempting to seduce Jonathan, I believe, and at one point, Seth tries to rape her. I don't think the plotline went on too long. In July, Eleanor was pregnant and any tension in the Catlin marraige seemed to go away while they prepared for their newest arrival. I know this show is a hot mess, but I still find it fascinating.