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@DRW50 Not sure if there were plans to bring on Tony Cardello. I get the sense that Tony's existence was meant to explain why Vince was insisting now after twenty some off years that he reconnect with Russ. The Russ-Becky orbit of "Another Life" is fascinating because there is no one good and they are all driving the story. Becky is the closest and she seems like the character we should be hoping for redemption. Her pregnancy has been revealed to the major parties now including Russ, Carrie, and Vince while also starting Becky's involvement in the band Summerwind. Becky remains a strong antiheroine and someone worth watching. Nancy has become involved with the station owner, an older widower, and thinks she has found the man of pocketbook's dreams. Of course, this man is also Scott's new boss so this has the Davidsons at odds. It still feels like we are heading towards a Scott / Nancy situation at this point where Nancy claims that Scott came onto her, but I don't think this thread ever gets there (or maybe even existed anywhere other than my imagination). Nancy and Miriam's friendship is fun. Now, Miriam knows Nancy is a Davidson (by marriage) and throws a fit. Again, the Davidsons remain calm. It's a very refreshing approach compared to modern soap. Another story thread that was rather shocking was Jeff Cummings' redemption, which I wasn't really enjoying. Jeff keeps going round and round about miracles having been declined by multiple banks for loans to buy the bookstore because of his spotty work record and his past alcoholism. Liz advises him not to not ONLY put his faith in God. This felt super heavy handed as it also involved Liz going to Terry about how much faith one should have. Then, Jeff gets another miracle, the hospital gives him back money for treatment because he was healed by a miracle in order to avoid a law suit. Seeing this all as a sign, he refuses to read the documents for the sale. What is utterly shocking is when Jeff lands the bookstore finally Liz learns their is a repayment clause that they cannot meet and Jeff learns that the store has been selling pornographic films and material. The fact that the show is showing you cannot just have faith, but you need to think about the miracles that God is giving you and not just follow blindly seems very different view of religion than I expected. Jeff's miracles are about to be washed away by his failure to take the time to do what was right. Charles Carpenter maintains his status as resident villain. He has taken all his wife's money, much to her chagrin. He keeps putting the screws on the people living in Hollister Square so he can remove them to build the mall. Samantha Marshall and Gene Redlon's contrasting views on how much they should intercede fascinates me. In addition, Gene and Ione have started looking at houses in the pre-dominantly black part of town Chesterfield (I think) where the Redlons use to live. There is conversations about white flight and the renewal of the community in the past few years. Gene is presented as not being proud enough of being African American and Samantha's brother, Leon Marshall, is presented as a contrast. It's really a fun little show. I am curious to see how long I enjoy it.

I believe Nixon has it in her collection which I thought was out of Northwestern University. If not, it might be in Irving Vendig's collection in Boston University I think.

I believe the money Ben inherited in 2003 under Weston was after the death of his grandmother, Julia Stoddard. I don't think Julia was mentioned by name. Just that his grandmother died and left him money. If I recall correctly, Ben was hoping that now he had money he and Marina could get back together, but she had moved on with Shayne. If my timeline is right, this was probably around June-July 2003.

I think that there was a missed opportunity in not making Hayley and Ashley friends through their association with Naomi. Both women (Hayley and Ashley) had access to Fairmount Crest, but were not a part of it. That gives the women are fairly unique connection as outsiders who experienced the life but weren't working in it. I think having Ashley torn between Naomi and Hayley over whether or not to go to the wedding would have grounded her more in the main story of the week. It would have also had Hayley win Ashley back over before the end of the week. It would have also given more dramatic tension to the "fall asleep scene" because you could play Ashley hiding her forgiveness for Hayley from Naomi. The new job also could have been Ashley's very quick reason not to attend the wedding. With this connection, you could then play a potential Jan / Hayley relationship with Jan knowing that this young woman has almost no one in the world. It would be through Jan that I would connect Leslie and Hayley (Eva would have done the hair for Hayley for her wedding with Leslie's crazy self coming in to watch the wedding from the shadows). With this, you could play the beat of Dani/Nicole learning that Eva has a connection to Hayley and playing the Dani erupting and demanding Nicole fire Eva (which obviously she wouldn't). Eva offering to leave, which endears her more to Nicole. I'd also focus on some of Mona's reaction to all this playing out because I get the sense that Mona is more onto Leslie than Leslie either knows or wants her to be. I could see Mona learning from Jan in passing that Leslie had come with Eva to the pre-wedding hair appointment at the country club and starting to deduce that Leslie is up to no good, but not completely spilling the beans to Nicole. Then, Eva learns that Mona has started to catch on and Eva starts to sabotage Mona's work in order to create discord between Mona and Nicole. And so on and so on. Regarding the Martin / Smitty situation, I think it will be nice to see more of the domestic situation play out with the kids and Martin's career. I think it would be smart to address the parallels in Smitty's situation and Dani's; both individuals sacrificing part of their identities by ending promising careers they loved in order to support their husbands and families. Dani's last fall, as Martin and Smitty are on the verge of trouble in their own home, should be the catalyst used to push Smitty into reviving his career. I will be interested in seeing the men as fathers to their teen children. I also think we rarely have addressed adoption of older children which I think is a nice bonus. I don't think Claybon and Manning have enough built in chemistry to play the crumbling marriage this early and I would put them on a quick reconciliation path to have them court one another again in order to naturally build up their relationship again. I would also address how both men recognize that becoming parents has adjusted their relationship and how they are more parents than husbands with a desire on both their parts to refind the love. I think that would be a more comfortable space for the actors, but possibly not production. With Smitty back at work, I would also have Martin spend more time at the gym with Diego and let things play out as they will with Diego and Vanessa presumably. I don't know if anyone else picked up on it, but when Bill was recounting his first meeting with Dani, the mutual connection was former football player Wayne Maddux, who was the man Bill helped in the first episode. I imagine Jacob and Naomi will be caught up in conflict involving Martin's involvement in a murder with Jacob being tied to the police force investigating it and Naomi acting as Martin's lawyer to keep him from getting off. With Jacob presumably then focusing on Laura's accident, I could see them triyng some Laura / Jacob forbidden connection with Naomi eventually cozying up to Kat's boyfriend, the lawyer from her father's firm, Tom. I'm most curious to see how Leslie manages to continue to infilitrate the Richardson clan. I think Leslie and Bill as partners and crimes would be delicious and an eventual stand off between Dani and Leslie is a must. I am glad they revealed that Eva is Ted's daughter early because it will give more weight to Eva's plotting within the Richardson home. I also wouldn't hate it if Leslie and Eva's lie wasn' t partially true with Leslie having switched Eva and Kat at birth. The Dani stuff was more diverse at the end of the week which helped endear me a bit to the character. Begging Bill to come back to her was a wild twist I didn't see coming, but felt it made a lot of sense. Bill playing Dani before twisting the knife in her back was ruthless. Durrett brings out something in Mosely that makes Dani accessible to me. While her hatred and anger is justified, it is exhausting, but at least that seems intentional on Val Jean's part rather than the typical a character annoys you because the writer is out of touch. Dani is very well constructed and is driving story as a result and kept the first week moving, but I will be interested in seeing more quieter moments interspersed into the chaos for Dani in the future. The award video was a smart way to drop backstory without being clunky. The first week was well played for a first week with lots of action and lots of backstory. I'll be interseted to see what comes next.

Sussman definitely centers the connection between the Marshalls and Whitmores from the start. The original plan had a love triangle between married women Laura McCallum and Ruth Marshall over a childhood friend with Ruth being the unlikely leg of the triangle on the sidelines wanting someone she couldn't have. Also, it seems clear in the bible that Sam and Adam would have been end game at some point. The show appears to be developed as an hour long show because there are so many characters and stories presented in the bible. Once you start cutting away, the Whitmores just weren't functional anymore. J.D.'s storyline was too controversial for daytime in 1989 (his love interest was a trans woman). Laura's story was tied to a character who no longer existed (a plastic surgeon who's name I never remember). Rebecca's story wasn't set to explode until Peter Whitmore returned. The pivots (a possibe Trevor / Jessica / JD triangle and Ruth joining the arts council) didn't really work as well as longterm though I loved the Art Council story. I know that the Dobsons said NBC wouldn't let them bring on too many older characters so I suspect the show was going to struggle to get both Peter and Rebecca onscreen on contract. I am not sure Marla Adams would have changed the character's trajectory, but she was a good choice. While I can't see Sussman sidelining Adams, Rebecca's absence left Sam anchorless which allowed her to be flighty and reckless in a way that would have been harder to justify with her mother on the canvas. Debbi Morgan comes in to play the Eric / Chantal murder trial. Morgan arrives teh last week of March and Eric arrives the last week of May. Initially, Chantal is being drawn into the investigation into the mob which starts in February as sort of background noise for the cop shop and to give Sam and Kyle angst. By March, I think they have revealed that Jordan and mob boss Mitchell Taylor are half-brothers. It's unclear when it was decided that the Taylor organization was going to be the reason that Peter left town, but Peter doesn't arrive onscreen until early October. I think you may be right about Reynolds. Reynolds arrives in August, Rick Fitts departs as Martin Jackson in September, and Harper arrives as Peter in October. I think they were definitely looking to shift Henry from businessman to viable romantic lead. I think Taurean Blacque and Jonelle Allen would have been fine together, but I think Reynolds would have fought Harper harder for Pringle. Daniel and Doreen have angst until September when they finally sleep together. Martin uses Doreen and Daniel's sexual tryst at the beach to blackmail Doreen into doing his biding and stay with him. Once Martin skips town after the embezzlement is discovered, Daniel and Doreen are free to be in October, which is the same month as the infamous Maya / Doreen catfight. I don't always find myself drawn into the final months (and sometimes I am) but I think Daniel peters out around November. By December, Doreen's nephew Tyrell Dawson starts to live with her and starts to flirt with Maya so the story for Doreen is already evolving.

Episode 3 was solid. That end of episode reveal! Wow! To echo what others have said, Trisha Mann Grant is excellent. She manages to play all the beats so well and shifts from one emotion to another with ease. I look forward to seeing more of Grant with Michelle to see how their mother-daughter relationship continues. I think Karan Kendrick as Mona is another standout. She seemed to keep pace with Grant in the scenes at the restaurant managing to suggest that Mona isn't convinced that Leslie has it all together. Some of Kendrick's side glances at Leslie's sweet words was great. I don't necessariy need the role expanded and I don't think Mona's "no man, no kids" conversation was about setting up a secret past but to justify her devotion to a family that isn't hers. Jerri Tubbs seems out of place, though I like the fact that Jan works in the homes of the people in Fairmont Crest. Destiny Love as Laura has also been a fun experience, but we will see how she handles the fall out of the accidnet. My speculation about Leslie's connection to the Dupree/Richardson clan from the casting calls was that Leslie had once been a patient under Nicole, but I am not sure if I still feel that way now. Though, I do think Ted and Leslie share a past and possibly a child. The obvious conclusion is that character is Eva, but I am going to throw out a wildcard and suggest that maybe Kat is Ted and Leslie's child. Kat was listed as Ted and Nicole's "miracle baby" or "surprise baby" in the casting calls. Maybe the surprise is that Nicole isn't her mother. The bulk of the episodes meat surrounding Dani and Bill was very good. Timon Durrell and Karla Mosely play well off each other as two powerful personalities who have loved (or still love in Dani's case) each other and don't want to hurt anymore. Mosely was more leveled with Durrell, who's more laid back approach seem to ground her in the moment. Dani's pain was real in those scenes, and Durrell, who has mastered Bill's manipulative nature, appeared to be showing a softer side with Dani by trying to ease her out of her latest emotional outburst. You could see Bill's exhaustion at having to manage Dani's emotions. Purposefully, Dani is an exhausting character and those type of characters drive drama. I actually left feeling for both Dani and Bill. I would have scrapped Dani in the elevator because it wasn't there for me. Bill's ultimatum driving to the Duprees declaration about the wedding was also good. Dani's utter disbelief at what Anita has declared followed by Nicole's support was great. The Dani / Nicole dyanmic really works for me as Nicole is always the big sister. Dani and Anita are two strong presences and Anita just wants to steam roll over Dani, while Vernon (again) calms the storm by infantalizing her. The Vernon / Dani dynamic is interesting, and makes me think of Dani as a Tracey Quartermaine type. I thought Naomi's quick about face made sense as there seems to be a thread about Naomi and Hayley's relationship. Of the younger generation, the Naomi / Dani's relationship is the one most compelling to me because of the general level of tension between them stemming from Dani's controlling nature combined with Naomi's own passion and past life as a daddy's girl prior to The Affair. Naomi's interest in music alligns her with her grandmother, Anita, but I have to wonder if momager Dani won't try to press her into considering a musical career, one that will fill the void that Chelsea's shift into the purse line will leave once she quits modelling. I don't see Naomi as the type to be lured in by stardom, but I could see Naomi needing a break from a career that ties her so strongly to her father. I feel like the grandchildren generation is strugging with playing layerered emotions, which makes sense given that they are relatively new to the pacing of soap opera (for some, the pacing of television in genera). Arielle Prepit is my favorite. Her defending Chelsea to Dani, her sexy back and forth with her husband, and her general presnce works for me. It is the moments where she has to dig deeper into the conflict over her father's betrayal with her best friend (loving people that have hurt her) that she starts to falter for me. RhonniRose Mantilla as Chelsea is constantly in that state (the fear over controlling her mother's moods a woman she loves but cnanot control). Brandon Claybon has a very difficult task for a relative newcomer to have to be haunted by a tragic incident from his past that the audience (and his onscreen husband) isn't aware of as well as trying to keep it from being to obvious. Like Chelsea, Brandon's conflict is always lingering in his scenes. Colby Muhammad hasn't had to deal with that yet. She is just driven and cheerful. The actress definitely has presence, and from the behidn the scenes videos last week, is putting in the work on her own time. I will be interested to see what happens next. I still find Mike Manning fairly lifeless as Smitty though I suspect he, and Claybon, might be struggling with how much physical interaction is ok for them as an onscreen couple. While it's clear that Michelle Val Jean is commited to having gay characters on the canvas, there seems to be a production issue at some level. This is the first soap opera to premier with gay characters. The contrast between the very married Jacob / Naomi and the on the rocks Smitty / Martin should present a level of different affection, but even rejected affection seems off the table. Yes, it's episode 3, however, the pre-production material has defintely downplayed the gay element. Considering the media's "Gay Black President" headlines, I could see why was downplayed in promotion, but onscreen it seems to spill over. Maybe I'm reacting too soon and will gladly eat crow if I'm wrong. I wish we had had at least one scene of the McBrides together before we ended up with the scenes yesterday. In particular, having Doug's first scene be with another character we never met before and no follow up on either character was jarring. It did lead me to wonder if Randy was going to turn out to be the one who ran Laura off the road, which I suspect may have been the point. Also, it would have been better, in my opinion, to have seen Vanessa/Doug before going into the Vanessa / "Zeke" scene at Uptown (which is a set I like a lot). The role play stuff is very different for daytime, but I would have preferred to see the why before the how regarding the marital discord. It won't make or break the story though. I'll be curious to see how Bugioli does with more dramatic material. Even the Bill / Hayley revelation was twinged with a rushed comical underdone. Very much looking forward to the next installment.

I thought someone else said she was Mona so I assumed. I may be wrong then.

Second episode was solid. Daphne Duplaix and Tamara Tunie continue to be where the action is. I thought the Dani / Anita scene was very well done and, in contrast to the Vernon / Dani scene yesterday, showed a lot of layers to who each character is and their relationship. Anita pulled no punches with Dani, and that's honestly how you have to handle someone like Dani. She needs tough love, but the coddling that Vernon gave her. Tunie is still delivering exposition heavy dialogue like the pro she is. I am still waiting for them to try and give Dani another emotion for Mosley to play so we can see the range of the character, but I understand. I did think the Dani / Bill scene had the sorta heat that you can drive a show with compared to Dani / Hayley. Duplaix sold it again today. I very much like her confrontation with Hayley. I do think Nicole will cave eventually because Dani is such a mess (or maybe I'm just hoping). Nicole identifying Dani's reaction as pain was smart, but I don't see Mosely expressing that. Nicole's relationship with Andre is also sweet. Hayley's situation is complicated. I don't get the senes they are going to tell her paternity story (they did seem to imply her mother was dead or gone). I do feel like the paternity drama is going in another direction. Trisha Mann-Grant and Ambyr Michelle were also very strong. I wasn't expecting that connection between the Thomases and the Morgans, but I liked it a lot. The about face we got when they were back home was delicious. I am definitely invested in finding out what their end game is because we sorta know the plan based on the casting call and the trailers. I think Eva is going to be the force of nature among the younger group. I am still not thrilled with Ashley. She did better than yesterday, but I am not invested. I don't really care for her and Sean. I thought the nurse she was paired with, Shanice, was very good. I know bubbly heroines can be hard to play, but I am not sold. Mike Manning also did little for me. I think his conflict (the offer he received) is a good way to keep Martin and Smitty in the thick of things. Given what we know about Smitty's career and Martin having mysterious dream as well as not being a fan of Bill, I wasn't surprised that Bill had something on Martin. I am just not clear if Martin knows it because I didn't get a clear sense from Brandon Claybon either way. I didn't think having the older adopted children was a problem, but this was mentioned months ago so I can't remember how I reacted when I first heard. I think it makes sense for Martin and Smitty to have settled down with kids for political reasons (i.e. Martin wanting to present the family man image). I'll be curious what happens when Smitty puts those journalistic skills to work and uncovers Martin's secret. I also was happy that there will be a teen storyline, but I seem to be an outsider which is fine. Bill maneuvering the Duprees to apease Hayley was a fun move to watch. I think I am too caught up in Clifton Davis' appearance on "Amen" to fully invest in the moment of his portrayal of the more stoic Vernon, but that seems to be a me problem. Vernon and Bill were a fun rivlary for a moment. Bill knows how to play games. I thought Mona and Laura were intersting enough. I am glad to see more of the "downstairs" element of the show today with all the working people. Looking forward to episode 3

I watched it a second time. Something that stood out to me in the second viewing is that I can see why @BetterForgotten referred to Dani as divisive. Based on the first episode alone, Dani thinks of no one but herself. Every interaction she has from her neighbor Vanessa, to her mother and sister, to her daughter Chelsea is driven by its impact on her. It even trickles down to Chelsea only thinking of her mother's feelings for her few limited moments. Dani is suppose to be a self centered person writhing in the pain and anger over her broken marriage. She is a live wire who is easily provoked, but also easily calmed by the right person (Vernon). A little would have gone a long way by either having Dani ask about Vanessa's family or congratulating Nicole on the award. I also thought that the scene with Vernon talking Dani off the ledge was very emotionally intimate that was on public viewing which was almost more surprising to me than Dani punching Hayley. What I noticed was that a lot of the shorter scenes that stood out to me featuring some of the rawer, less experienced actors. I'd be curious to see if Val Jean had different drafts of the pilot or if Sheila Ducksworth was so in thick of planning that Val Jean knew what the reasonable outlook on the talent woudl be. I also think they did a nice bait and switch for Martin. Nothing about his appearance in the first episode screams his identity and Val Jean purposefully obscures that by stating that Martin is married. The general audience who isn't reading all the online media is going to receive a soft shock when Martin goes home to his husband. The fact that I was trying to figure out how Ashley and Derek had such a big place (is it a studio? Was there a bed in the back ?) over anything in their scenes spoke volumes. The setup for these three friends each entering a new stage of their life (Hayley, Naomi, and Ashley, assuming Ashley and Hayley are also firends) is smart, but that entire story bubble was unengaging. Sean Freeman was better than I expected as Andre. I am curious if Wayne from Bill's office will play a bigger role. Given his son was arrested for drugs, I have to wonder if Terry won't play a role in another characters story down the line based on the casting calls. Tamara Tunie reigns as the queen both on screen and off screen. Anita is a powerhouse and Tunie was the perfect level of modern day P&G diva. A bit over the top, a bit reserved. Anita negotiating between her two adult daughters is poignant and her recognition of what an energy suck Dani is hit for me. Anita and Vernon's backstory works really well between the details from Anita, Vernon, and from Bessie. I feel like Anita can drive story while also being a talk to character. Behind the scenes, I am happy to hear Tunie having an open door policy with the younger actors. Quite different from Beverly McKinsey going off to a talk show to complain about the cast of "Texas." I am so glad Tunie is getting this experience to be the show's matriarch in every sense of the phrase. Some are very green, and some were better than I expected. I do have to wonder how hard it will be to fill supporting and guest roles in the future as some of the most noteable struggling stand outs (other than Jacobs and Gavin) were some of the smaller parts. The comfort between Nicole and Anita didn't not feel day 1 and it really helped to sell the first episode. Duplaix is exceeding my already high expectations. The family anchor who has it together (on the surface) and yet isn't a shrieking violet. I am curious to see more with her son and daughter as I would like to see how Val Jean fleshed those dynamics out. I hope we see Nicole's award ceremony. I am curious if we will see a parallel plot as Dani moves from passive anger to active revenge if we will see Hayley go from passive optimism and defense to active offense. Hayley as the pariah is intriguing and I appreciate that there was a moment (clearly scripted) where Naomi looks at Hayley after everything that has happened and Hayley at Naomi and you could see the hurt between them. It was the depth in so many of the themes that I expected from Val Jean but not this early in the game.

The music cue as Vanessa drops the bomb is amazing.

I think the conversation about Dani revolving her whole world around being a wife and mother and giving up her modelling career gives so much more depth to the brewing conflict with Chelsea. It is also why her mother and sister, two women who didn't sacrifice their career for their men, would not be as able to see into Dani's vision. Dani only listening to her father would also make sense because it seems like she has defined herself by her man for so long that transitioning back to her father makes sense. The dynamic among the core four is very rich. I think Naomi / Jacob have a nice rapport.

Her cousin and business partner, Kat. Vanessa's line about Hayley being the community's worst fear will ground her pariah persona in something more than just her affair with Bill. The fact that the women fear a younger woman coming after their man. It was smart to establish this early.

I thought Duplaix and Tunie played that beautifully, not to say you aren't saying the same. It was smart to anchor the opener in these two. I also appreciate the coffee talk between Vanessa / Dani. The focus on strong female characters is amazing.

That EW review was very positive and definitely sells the show well. I am watching "Abbott Elementary" on Hulu and just saw a promo for "Beyond the Gates" on Hulu. Has anyone else seen BTG promos on Hulu?

Henry Sleasar was writing from March, 1978 to about early September, 1978.

Wow! In episodes 134-135, Vince Cardello and Russ Weaver reference Russ' half-brother, Tony Cardello. Russ and Tony grew up as childhood friends until Russ learned that Tony was gay. Tony's sexuality is delivered pretty bluntly with Vince talking about Tony picking up sailors and Russ said Tony has enough men in his life. I guess Michael Ryan finally got to play the gay son story from "Another World." The Weaver-Cardello backstory is interesting. The initial conflict is over Carrie's descent upon Kingsley to cluck over Russ and Becky's living arrangement. Carrie is a hypocrite complaining about the situation while being a kept woman. Mobster Vince Cardello is paying for her to live a life of comfort while calling Becky a social climber. It's all delightfully sleazy. Carrie vs. Becky is fun. Russ seems to be a precursor, to some extent, to Chris Ramsey on "Port Charles" lying about his background around school and admitting he is afraid of someone from the old neighborhood coming to Kingsely and blowing up his lies. Other details I was unaware of include the fact that Becky Hewett was adopted which makes her secret pregnancy also more complicated. Vince reveals his backstory working for mobster Harry LeBlanc before literally marrying the mob when he unites with LeBlanc's daughter. Vince and Nancy would have been a fun couple.

I was told that, in the scripts, it was said that Bill after the heart transplant didn't have long to live. Heart transplants were relatively new and the life expectancy wasn't high. My brief (googled) understanding is that anti rejection drugs weren't introduced until the 1980s. It may have been 12 years as stated above. I thought it was shorter, but I could very well be wrong.

I think that might be the first episode. If so, Sussman suggested reusing her open with an actress filming material as a fakeout beginning from "Generations." Was this produced by New World? I noticed the opening has some female voice hush "Secrets" in the same way they would "Valley of the Dolls" several years later. I watched only a little bit. Not super exciting material from the brief view but I find these English language North America/European soap opera collabs from this period intriguing (Secrets/ Riveria / Family Passions / Foreign Affairs) because so little is out there barring Riveria in Catalan.

I wish more of this show would show up. I am particularly curious to see how the final few months played out with the fresh to soap opera writing duo they hired. Palumbo's run seems to be full of constant changes though curious to see how it evolved through all those revisions. Raymond Goldstone's work seems more grounded and definitely influenced by Jorn Winter. In particular, the Lucky / Julia pairing, the white supremacist storyline, and the introduction of Christina's sister Lisa, the high end Washington madam, would be interesting to see.

@VelekaCarruthers Thanks for sharing. Is that the same document where the Soderbergs originally mentioned that they were literally replaying the Mickey/Bill scenario and I believe Mike was suppose to rape Leslie? Or it might be Ed. I don't recall. I think the other thing that I remember being bandied about when Bill's death was talked about years ago was that Bill's heart transplant had realistic only extended his life by something like 5 years so once Bill had the surgery, he was living on borrowed time. Realistically, he wasn't suppose to live into the late 1980s. TV Editors in the newpapers of the time said that Ed Bryce asked to be written out to explore other opportunities (some said acting and at least one said he wanted to try directing).

@Soaplovers I hadn't considered the therapy angle when it came to Marland as it would relate to "Another Life." I think that's a valid point. I could only imagine a series of hunky country boys doing repairs shirtless at the local church in Marland's "Another Life." Marland didn't seem to mind comical side characters so that broad scope of people (like Harold Webster, Francis Miller, and others in the early episodes) might have worked for him, but so much of this early dialogue is infused with light domestic humor (I think Winsor evoked references to "Ma Perkins" in one interview which tonally I think I get) that I cannot see fitting in Marland's tone. Long is not someone I have any fondness for, but I am aware that is a fairly unpopular stance. I do think she was more willing to have characters speak about religion on "Texas" from what I recall, but I am not overly fond of her work there or elsewhere. Not surprisingly, I find her work suffers form similar struggles that Addie Walsh's work does; it all seems like very surface level emotion rather than something deeper. I don't know if that makes any sense. My wild card pick for a network version of "Another Life" in the early 1980s would be Rick Edelstein, who was fairly done with daytime by then. The way his work was described on "How to Survive a Marriage" which took a very non-traditional (soap opera) stance, I would be curies to see what he could have done in that format. Though, I hope AI progresses far enough one day that I can type in "What stories would the Dobons tell if they head wrote the soap opera Another Life?" and get a deliciously insane read.

If "Another Life" were to play anywhere on network in 1981, it would have to be late morning on CBS. I don't see it fitting anywhere else in the daytime schedule. Especially not on ABC where Luke and Laura were exploding and changing the genre or on NBC where they were slowly adapting to the phenomenon as well. I don't think it would have been super successful. It's very slow and maintains a blend of light humor and family drama. The romances aren't grand at this stage and it's not must see tv. It's something that is entertaining while doing chores (which is basically how I watched it yesterday). In terms of content, I think there would be censorship issues. CBN allowed conversation about things like pre-marital sex, abortion, weed, etc. It's not super integral to the plot so it could easily have been eliminated, but some of its charm is the bizarre blend of the real and surreal which I am not sure could be maintained on network. I've been trying to think of a mainstream writer who could handle the material. The canvas has the depth and density of something out of Marland, but tonally he could never handle it. Nixon's blend of community, family, and comedy would be close as well, but I can't see her handling the business/drug stories in these opening episodes which are the major sources of conflict for the characters. I think Labine and Mayer might have been able to handle some of humor and landscape, but I think some of the black and white nature of the world view would be too problematic for them. I would be curious to see how Jason Vinley, who is the headwriter at some point, would have handled network sanctioned material. He was Irving Vendig's script writer if I remember correctly.

Thanks for the accolades, but don't sell yourself short. I watched a bit of this today, jumping ahead to Nancy's arrival because I find that character fascinating. I think Nancy's addition is such a smart move. It gives internal conflict to the family instead facing outside sources. I think some of the low level plotting in the story is different. Nancy is basically couch crashing with the Davidsons while the clash of beliefs between worldly Nancy and the devout Davidsons provides ongoing domestic issues. At one point, Nancy appears to be stealing and tehn she continually makes passes at Scott out of earshot of Terry. It's surprisingly layered. I don't think the plotting overall is always great. Personally, with Peter being on a rebellious arc, I would have had Peter fall under Nancy's spell. I was surprised how far they went with Peter nearly losing his virginity with his girlfriend Julie Sawyer taking him to a party where underage drinking and cable television (oh the horror!) would be present before suggesting he should have smoked some weed before they went out to the car to have sex. Obviously, Peter declines temptation, but the trappings are a bizarre mix of high faith and modern social issues. The mix sorta keeps the tone from going completely into camp. Nancy's backstory intrigues me because I had never heard that Nancy was actually Terry's half-sister until watching. The revelation comes out of nowhere, and I really love that revelation even though it could have been better developed (I would have had Terry stumble onto the revelation by accident through her work at the hospital by realizing that Nancy's blood type didn't match). I wish Terry had more grief about the realization that Nancy was the product of an affair and that this was kept from her. The Lindsay family backstory is remarkable twisted and sorta written off with a pat line from Nora stating the patriarch, Alf Lindsay, was a perfect man before later revealing another layer that Alf got drunk and revealled Nancy's maternity to her on her sixteenth birthday. I feel like the intention is that Nancy is evil because she was the result of sin rather than my interpretation that Nancy was a reminder of a painful point in Alf and Nora's marriage that led to a lack of love being given to Nancy. In that light, I find it fascinating, but I don't think that's what they intended. In addition, Nancy has two ex-husbands (the first I think was Rob and the second Brad) and I think she aborted Rob's baby because she thought it might have been imperfect (details weren't given). Nancy has such an interesting past that easily could have been explored later down the line. Pairing Nancy and Miriam Carpenter was genius and there lunch together was a highlight on a show. I think know Nancy later becomes Miriam's stepmother so I found it delightful Nancy outlining her plan to snag a wealthy older man to Miriam so early in the story. It's just fun. Nancy convincing Miriam that they shoudl go into business together (they met at the employment office because they are both jobless) and find buyers for the retail space in the Carpenters Hollister Mall project is such fun. The Carpenters seem to represent the evil of the story. Big business is bad, which is a wild take for the 1980s, but it works. Helen and Charles' marriage seems pretty lifeless, but not openly hostile. The lingering pain of the faux affair between Paul and Lori lingers as Charles fights to have Lori's soon to be husband, Dr. Ben Martin, evicted from his office space. The fight involving the eviction invovles so many side characters (lawyers Harold Webster, Doug Hughes, and Mitch Dunbar) and manages to rope in Samantha Marshall and Gene Redlon at the plannign office. It is all very dense. Much more dense than I anticipated. I enjoy it, but I'm not sure how I would feel in a day to day viewing. Was also pleasantly surprised by a mostly gratituous shirtless scene of Doug Hughes being examined by Ben for tennis elbow. The other big story is the intertwined relationships of Becky and Russ and Ben and Lori each are who are engaged under different circumstances. Lori and Ben's engagement is based on their deep love for each other. Jeanette Larson and Matt Williams have a nice rapport. They have an easy chemistry which keeps things from becoming too sappy. I even found Lori's praise to the Lord after Ben's proposal oddly poignant given all that Lori had faced earlier. I also adore the friendship between Lori and Becky. It is easy for Lori to let bygones be bygones because her faith has brought her a husband and there is an undercurrent of hate the sin not the sinner in several stories. Susan Scannell plays Becky's loneliness beautiful and infuses an undercurrent of regret into Beck that makes you feel sorry that she is painfully aware of the emotional hollowness of her relationship with Russ. Russ' reaction to learning Ben and Lori marrying is delightfully insane, and I think having Russ be the heel in all this is great especially as it sets up potential professional conflict (Russ the med student envious of the established medico Ben). In this set, Becky learns she is pregnant and in only in a soap world, Ben is covering for Dr. Greely one day and discovers Becky's situation. I think the interaction between the two couples (Ben/Lori and Russ/Becky) is great because there are things kept from each other. Ben is keeping Becky's pregnancy a secret from Lori, while Becky is keeping the pregnancy secret form Russ. I imagine it will also play into Russ' discovery of who his father is. It's all beautifully messy. Lori is keeping from both Becky and Ben that Russ came to see her at her dorm room in a last ditch attempt to restart something only to learn from comic relief Francis Miller, the lovelorn egghead who seems to want Becky, that Becky and Russ are engaged, a lie Becky concocted when Lori told her about Lori's engagement. I cannot see Lori and Becky's dynamic playing out on any other show, but it is really great. I know that Scott ends up dead soonish but I was surprised to see them find another station to work at and to invest in that situation. I wonder at what point it was decided he was going to go becasue in these November episodes I don't get the sense he is otu the door. I love the low stakes conflict in the Davidsons marriage: Scott struggling to adjust to Terry being breadwinner and then Terry's insistence that she continues her nursing role even though Scott has managed to land a station manager position. Also, the financial strain of Scott being out of work while Ben and Lori are planning to marry just gives good background for all the day to day domestic squabbles. The Jeff stuff doesn't really work for me though I like the actor well enough. I think it all is wound up too tight. I think pulling him back into the mob story is a bit silly, but I would love to see them have tried out Nancy and Miriam both sorta making plays for a casual situation with Jeff testing his newfound devoutness while Liz tries to start to rebuild her own life. I don't really care much for the mob stuff (it's been backburned anyway). Gvien the show's stance on buisness, I am curious about where Jeff ends up. They should have gone the right of making him a preacher or something. I think that might have provided him with such a different position and possible conflict with Liz thinking he has changed too mcuh and then she has to change too. I think I watched 116-128 so I think there is some decent stuff coming up, but I definitely always struggle keeping up with this.

It probably was years ago now, but I think someone behind the scene cited the rise in shows like "Law & Order" and reality court tv had led to a belief that audiences wouldn't sit through long trials when they could get an entire story wrapped up in a single episode. Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me remember who stated it.

Someone with more knowledge could probably explain the Reynolds backstory, but I believe the gist was Andrea and Sam had twins, Len and Jamie, and while they were little, Andrea was carrying on an affair one afternoon with Larry Carter when a fire broke out and Jamie perished. Andrea had manipulated Len into believing Sam was the careless one and, as a result, Len changed his name and hated his father. I know there was some script posted several pages back about this from a few years later, like you referenced later. @FrenchFan 's summaries from January 1965 show that Marge was pregnant than so the baby would be only a round a year old in 1966. I haven't watched the episodes yet. There are 6 sets correct? So the 42 or so episodes I had been told earlier was correct. I think the simplicity of plot that explores the nuances of the story rather than deeply intricate plotting can be effective. I appreciate the emotional richness that comes from diving into the complexity of character rather than the complexity of plot. I'm finding with the radio shows how solid the 15 minute format is. You can ideally tell about 1-2 stories at a time with some side plots. I think something the vanity projects that were online a decade or so ago when the televised series were fading missed teh boat. A tightly written story with a few characters rather than trying to do Doug Marland on an internet budget would have been much more effective.