thelma

Just from the top of my head, and I could be wrong about some, by the end of 1986, the show had lost...Carl, Larry, Clarice, Sally, Caitlin, Brittany, Zane, Kathleen, Cass, Nicole(?), Jake, Marley. They also recast Vicky, Vince and Donna. That's a huge change in the cast and so many of them were fan favorites. I also agree about the writers twisting the story to make it fit. It was messy. The good thing was the Vince recast. He had great chemistry with Denise Alexander. I also liked Mary's friendship with Felicia which was dropped when they isolated Denise's character in her final years. I just finished watching the first set of clips and one stand out for me is Gomez. I forgot about her and I love her.

Thanks Carl. I agree about Reginald. He was a mustache twirler for sure! Besides Mary, he had no romantic interest or any storyline beyond being everyone's enemy. I always thought during this period, AW never thought ahead or was proactive. When they hired Denise, they knew Jake and Marley were leaving, but I'm not so sure about Kathleen. Also, from what I recall, wasn't Anna Stuarts departure kind of a surprise? That's why Scott's story had to be so quickly adjusted. Also due to the fact her recast was so much younger. As for Vince, the actor in these scenes is not a romantic lead at all. There's a scene where Denise is sitting between Reginald and Vince, and if I were her, I would have run! I think the bottom line was they hired THE DENISE ALEXANDER who was so popular that they were going to fit her in anywhere. She and the actress who played Kathleen looked so much alike, she was a perfect fit for the McKinnon matriarch. As messy as it all was, I loved her character and this was my first exposure to Denise and I fell in love with her portrayal.

I hope I'm doing this right. I'm usually just a reader. A user on YouTube has started posting the Reginald Love, Marissa LaSalle/Mary McKinnon storyline from 1986. I love re-watching Denise Alexander act up a storm, but I'm amazed at how full of holes the plot was. <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dOh8RiadrwU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>